Massapoag Club of Sharon
| Nick Name | Massapoag Club |
|---|---|
| Earliest Known Date | Saturday, July 4, 1857 |
| Last Known Game | |
| Location | Sharon, MA, United States |
| Modern Address | |
| NABBP Status | |
| Nine Class | Senior |
| Tags | |
| Description | This club appears to have played only by Massachusetts rules. Sharon MA (1860 pop. about 1400 ) is about 20 miles SW of Boston. Walpole MA (1860 pop. about 2000) is about 3 miles NW of Sharon. North Bridgewater MA, now a part of Brockton MA (1860 pop: about 6600), is about 20 miles S of Boston. Holliston MA (1860 pop about 3300) is about 15 miles NW of Sharon. Medway MA (1860 pop. about 3200) is about 15 miles W of Sharon.
June 1857 -- Massapoag 25-25-25, South Walpole 2-0-21
"Mr. Editor: The members of the 'Massapoag Base Ball Club' extended an invitation to the "South Walpole Ball Club" to meet them in this village for a trial of skill at ball playing. The "Clubs" met on the afternoon of Saturday last, with twelve members each, every member in tip-top condition. "Five games of twenty-five talleys each were agreed upon. The 'bat' was thrown up, the hands laid on, and the winning party took the "batter's hole.' The sport then commenced in deadly earnest -- no 'boy's play,' but a skillful, vigorous contest of athletic men, swift of foot and ambitious to win. "The first game was played brisk and smart; the talleyman's voice soon called, a game of ball. They counted up and declared the Massapoag Club the winners, they having got twenty-five points and the other Club two. They took to quarters, took a dash of iced-water, cooled up and went in for the second game. "The Massapoag boys struck a vein of <XX> good luck, and worked it with skill and vigor, and were victorious, having knocked out twenty-five points, before a single talley had been chalked down by their opponents. Iced up again all round and pitched into the third game. "The 'Walpole boys' were decidedly plucky and played their best. The game went on, neck and neck -- the outsiders cheered encouragingly each good crack they gave the ball -- victory seemed about to perch on the banner of the Walpole Club, but the Massapoags got a good inning and 'put 'em through in time,' gaining their twenty-five points to the twenty-one put up by the 'South Walpole Club.' "The game ended the contest on the field, and the players, with their tallymen and judges, adjourned to meet at the table and partake of the refreshments served up by the Massapoag Club. There everything passed off pleasantly -- they vote it a good time all around the ring -- cheered each other and the two 'Clubs' parted. "I am an outsider Mr. Editor, and do not speak with authority, but I will venture the assertion that the Massapoag Club of Sharon would not decline an invitation to play a game of ball. OPH"
Late June, 1857 -- Massapoag 25-25-25-, Olympics of Boston 21-24-19.
Fall 1857 -- The Union Club of Medway is later reported to have beat the Massapoag Club. This match was apparently played for the Championship . . . of something. (We don't yet have a newspaper account of this game.)
Summer 1858 -- The Massapoag Club in Full Flower
Civil War days -- Massapoag State Championship Relished "There were thirteen Sharon boys in the regiment and most of them had been members of the Sharon Massapoags, the state baseball champions of 1857. They were very fond of telling their [Civil War] soldier friends of this exciting occasion in which they defeated their rivals, the Olympics, in three straight games. They had borrowed red flannel shirts from the Stoughton Fire Department and contended for the championship on Boston Common. -- from Amy Morgan Rafter Pratt, The History of Sharon, Massachusetts to 1865 (Boston U master's thesis, 1935), page74.
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| Sources | See individual game accounts. |
| Source Image | [[Image:|left|thumb]] |
| Has Source On Hand | No |
| Comment | Edit with form to add a comment |
| Query | Edit with form to add a query |
| Found by | Paul Johnson, Joanne Hulbert, Craig Waff |
| Submission Note | |
| Entered by | |
| First in Location | Sharon, MA |
| First in Location Note | |
| Entry Origin | |
| Entry Origin Url | |
| Local-Origin Study Groups | |
| Has Supplemental Text |
Win/Loss Records As Far As We Now Know
Warning: Users should not rely on a team's won-loss record as a reflection of its "standing" among all base ball clubs. Team schedules were not balanced, and a good record against mostly weak opponents does not signify a leading club.
| Year | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1857 | 2 Played | 1 Won | 1 Lost | 0 Tied |
| 1858 | 3 Played | 1 Won | 2 Lost | 0 Tied |
Ballgames
| Page | Date | City | Borough | State | Team 1 | Team 2 | Score | First in | Contributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballgame | 1857-06-13 | Sharon | MA | Massapoag Club of Sharon | Club of South Walpole | 25 - 2 | Bruce Allardice | ||
| Ballgame | 1857-06-29 | Boston | MA | Massapoag Club of Sharon | Olympic Club of Boston | 25 - 21 | Craig Waff; Paul S. Johnson | ||
| Ballgame | 1857-09-19 | Sharon | MA | Union Club of Medway | Massapoag Club of Sharon | 25 - 20 | Craig Waff | ||
| Ballgame | 1858-04-15 | Sharon | MA | Massapoag Club of Sharon | Massapoag Club of Sharon | Bruce Allardice | |||
| Ballgame | 1858-07-17 | North Bridgewater | MA | Massapoag Club of Sharon | Old Colony Club of North Bridgewater | 59 - 54 | Craig Waff | ||
| Ballgame | 1858-07-24 | Holliston | MA | Winthrop Club of Holliston | Massapoag Club of Sharon | 101 - 61 | Joanne Hulbert, Craig Waff, Paul Johnson | ||
| Ballgame | 1858-09-30 | Dedham | MA | Union Club of Medway | Massapoag Club of Sharon | 39 - 16 | Craig Waff |
Players
| Player | Years | Roles | Edit Association with Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. F. Bryant | 1858 | ||
| Daniel Mahoney | 1858 | ||
| Dexter Packard | 1858 | ||
| E. Dunakin | 1858 | ||
| E. F. Richards | 1858 | ||
| G. Dunakin | 1858 | ||
| G. H. Tucker | 1858 | ||
| H. R. Hixon | 1858 | ||
| J. B. Middleton | 1858 | ||
| J. J. Dunakin | 1858 | ||
| J. Johnson | |||
| J. S Middleton | 1858 | ||
| J. S. Middleton | 1858 | ||
| L. Johnson | 1858 | ||
| O. P. Johnson | 1857, 1858 | Founder, Initial Officer, Key Player | |
| W. F. Smith | 1858 | ||
| W. Johnson |
Playing Fields
Comments
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