New Jersey, sandwiched between New York City and Philadelphia, divides its baseball loyalties, typically, with the top half of the state rooting for the former’s teams and the bottom half for the latter’s. Briefly, on two occasions, the Garden State had a major league team of its own.
In 1873, the Elizabeth Resolutes played in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, which existed from 1871 to 1875. Also known as the National Association, it was a precursor to the National League, which débuted in 1876. Disputes concerning the NA’s status as a “major league” continue amongst historians, scholars, and enthusiasts. But for the purpose the Elizabeth squad’s story here, it shall be considered a “major league.”
Playing home games in Waverly Fairgrounds—a product of the imagination, expertise, and dedication of agriculturalist James Jay Mapes—the Resolutes compiled a 2-21 record, failing to draw crowds necessary to sustain appeal. In the June 21, 1873 edition of the New York Times, an article highlighted a deficit in marketing efforts as the culprit: “The game between the Mutuals, of this City, and the Resolutes, of Elizabeth, N.J., which was played on the Union Grounds yesterday afternoon, was very poorly advertised, and consequently poorly attended, there not being more than 500 persons present.” The Mutuals pounded the Resolutes, winning the game 9-1.
Hugh Campbell pitched both victories for the Resolutes in 1873. Compiled and edited by David Nemec, the book Major League Profiles: 187-1900, Volume 1, The Ballplayers Who Built the Game, highlights Hugh Campbell’s major league genesis: “In several 1872 exhibition games against NA teams Campbell had fared reasonably well. These outings gave the Resolutes confidence that they could compete in the 1873 NA, but it was illusory.”
Campbell’s brother Mike played first base on the 1873 Elizabeth Resolutes; the Campbell brothers had also played together on amateur teams.
The Newark Pepper occupied a slot in the short-lived tenure of the Federal League, a third major league, which existed for two seasons—1914 and 1915. The team originated in Indianapolis as the Hoosiers in 1914, won the Federal League championship, and migrated to Newark for the 1915 season under the auspices of team owner Harry F. Sinclair, an oil and banking magnate. Sinclair had been a principal owner in Indianapolis. He bought the remainder of the team after the 1914 season concluded.
Future Hall of Famer Bill McKechnie played third base for Newark and managed the team for part of the season, achieving a 54-45 record. He was 27 years old. McKechnie’s managerial career included pennants with the Pirates, the Cardinals, and the Reds—he is the only manager to win pennants on three different National League teams. With World Series titles for the ’25 Pirates and the ’40 Reds, McKechnie became the first manager to win a World Series championship with two teams.
Edd Roush, another Hall of Famer, played outfield for the 1915 Pepper. In 1962, the Hall of Fame inducted McKechnie and Roush, along with Jackie Robinson and Bob Feller.
A version of this article appeared on www.thesportspost.com on July 9, 2015.