Minor League history: Eastern Association
The Eastern Association had four editions. The very first was in 1881. This edtion of the Eastern Association was a non-signatory league (an agreement between the National League, American Association, Northwestern League, in which they agreed to honor contracts, establish territories, and create an arbitration committee for disputes). The league lasted three seasons. Not much information is available about this league.
The first reincarnation of the Eastern Association was in 1891 and this league turned out to become the International League. The 1891 Eastern Association changed its name into Eastern League in 1892 and kept that name until 1912, the year that the league merged with the Ontario League and the New York State League to become the International League.
In 1909 an independent circuit named itself Eastern Association, but the league lasted only eleven days before it folded.
The fourth edition of the Eastern Association saw the light in 1913 as the Connecticut League adopted the name Eastern Association. Under this moniker the league would live on for the 1913 and 1914 season, but folder afterwards.
1891 cities represented:
Albany, NY: Albany Senators 1891
Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Bisons 1891
Lebanon, PA: Lebanon Cedars 1891
New Haven, CT: New Haven Nutmegs 1891
Providence, RI: Providence Clamdiggers 1891
Rochester, NY: Rochester Hop Bitters 1891
Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Stars 1891
Troy, NY: Troy Trojans 1891
The Eastern Association was the successor of the International Association which folded before the end of the 1890 season. Because of a “war” between the American Association and the National League at one side and the outlawed players league “the Players Brotherhood” on the other side, which resulted in players jumping leagues to play for the highest bidder, salaries in professional baseball skyrocketed. Most of the teams in the International Association could not afford the high salaries and folded. League president Charles D. White reorganized the league and named it Eastern Association in 1891. Two of the charter members of that league, Rochester and Syracuse, now are still members of the International League.
Of the eight teams that played in the league only four made it until the end of the season. The Providence Clamdiggers folded on August 13, followed by the New Haven Nutmegs on August 14 and the Rochester Hop Biters and the Syracuse Stars on August 25.
Owner of the Syracuse Stars, George K. Frazer tried to keep the team alive throughout the season but threw the towel three weeks before the season ended. Frazer was inexperienced as a baseball club owner and this short adventure had cost him $2,500 .
When the league started in 1892, it renamed itself Eastern League and contained eight teams again, of which Syracuse was one. The Stars had a new owner but he moved the team to Utica after only 51 games into the season.
1909 cities repesented:
Amsterdam, NY: Amsterdam 1909
Gloversville, NY: Gloversville 1909
Johnstown, NY: Johnstown 1909
Kingston, NY: Kingston Colonials 1909
Middletown, NY: Middletown Orange Blossoms 1909
Poughkeepsie, NY: Poughkeepsie Students 1909
Newburgh, NY: Newburgh Colts 1909
Schenectady, NY: Schenectady 1909
The 1909 Eastern Association was an independent league that had its base in the state of New York. After the start of the season, Poughkeepsie and Schenectady disbanded on June 1. The six remaining teams would have been enough to play a full fledged schedule but somehow the league folded only eleven days after the start of the season.
1913-1914 cities represented:
Bridgeport, CT: Bridgeport Crossmen 1913; Bridgeport Bolts 1914
Hartford, CT: Hartford Senators 1913-1914, moved from Connecticut League 1902-1913
Holyoke, MA: Holyoke Papermakers 1913, moved from Connecticut League 1907-1913
Meriden, CT: Meriden Hopes 1913
New Britain, CT: New Britain Sinks 1914, moved from Connecticut League 1902-1913
New Haven, CT: New Haven White Wings 1913-1914
New London, CT: New London Planters 1913-1914
Pittsfield, MA: Pittsfield Electrics 1913-1914
Springfield, MA: Springfield Ponies 1913-1914
Waterbury, CT: Waterbury Contenders 1913; Waterbury Frolickers 1914
The 1913-1914 Eastern Association was a continuation of the Connecticut (State) League as the latter adopted the name Eastern Association after the 1912 season when the league added three teams from the state of Massachusetts.
Except for one move of the Holyoke Papermakers to Meriden on July 11 in 1913, the league was very stable in the two years of existence. The Hartford Senators clinched the pennant in 1913 and so did the New London Planters in the next season.
The league ceased activities after the 1914 season when many players opted to work in the booming defense industry. In other parts of the world a war was raging and the USA was bolstering its military machine, so there was more money to be earned in that industry. Most teams also ceased to exist, teams like the Waterbury Frolickers, the Bridgeport Bolts, the New Haven White Wings and the New Britain Sinks. New Britain would be without professional baseball until 1983 when the Bristol Red Sox were moved to New Britain to play under the Red Sox moniker.
The New London Planters folded for one season but then joined the Eastern League in 1916. The Hartford Senators joined the outlawed Colonial League (which was in fact an affiliated league of the Federal League) in 1915 before joining the Eastern League in 1916.
Because of bad results, the owner of the Bridgeport Mechanics, replaced manager McCann with Monte Cross, a major league veteran, in late June. Because of this move the unofficial nickname of the Bridgeport team became Crossmen. This move was reason for the Sporting News to speculate that an informal farming agreement had been worked out between Monte Cross and Raleigh manager Earl Mack, son of Connie Mack. Under the helm of Cross, the team won most of its games and finished fourth in the standings with a 69-63 record, 14.5 games behind the Hartford Senators that won the Eastern Association’s pennant.
In 1914, the Bridgeport team would change managers again as third baseman Jim Boultes was promoted from the player ranks. Boultes had joined the Bridgeport team in 1913 after a stint with the Boston Doves (Braves) from 1907 to 1909. With Boultes at the helm, the team finished in third place with a 67-56 record, 17.5 games behind champions the New London Planters. The team adapted its name to Bolts, partially to honor their manager but also to emphasize the industrial history of the city.
In the 1913 and 1914 seasons the Pittsfield Electrics were far from contenders as they finished in the lower half of the standings twice. Despite putting up some lousy numbers in both seasons, the team had the strike out leaders in its ranks. In 1913, W.I. Smith led the league with 175 strikeouts, while Robert “Bun” Troy did the same in 1914 with 212 Ks. Troy had a cup of tea with the Detroit Tigers in 1912, when he pitched one game on September 12. He pitched six scoreless innings in a pitching duel with Walter Johnson before giving up four runs in the seventh inning. Troy joined the US Army during World War I and was killed in combat about a month before the cease fire on November 11 1918.