Eastern New England League

The Eastern New England League was a minor league baseball league that played in the 1885 season. League teams were based in Maine and Massachusetts. The league evolved into the New England League in 1886.

Eastern New England League
ClassificationIndependent (1885)
SportMinor League Baseball
Inaugural season1885
Ceased1885
Replaced byNew England League
PresidentUnknown 1885
No. of teams6
CountryUnited States of America
Most titles1
Lawrence 1885

History

The Eastern New England League began play in 1885 with five teams in Massachusetts and Maine.[1] The five charter teams were Lawrence, Haverhill, Biddleford/Newburyport, Portland and Brockton, with Lawrence winning the 1885 championship.[2] The league continued play and shortened its name after the 1885 season.[3][4]

The five–team league schedule consisted of an 80 game season, with each team playing 20 games against each of the other four. On July 17, 1885, the Biddeford Clamdiggers had a record of 13–20 when the franchise disbanded and was replaced by Newburyport, Massachusetts to complete the season.[5]

Lawrence ended the 1885 season with a 50–31 record, finishing 2.0 games ahead of second place Brockton, as the league held no playoff.[6]

The newly named "New England League" played its first game in 1886, with the same five Eastern New England League clubs plus the addition of the Boston Blues as a sixth team. The first New England League champion was the Portland club.[7][8]

Baseball Hall of Fame member Frank Selee managed the 1885 Haverhill team.[9][10]

Cities represented

Standings and statistics

1885 Eastern New England League

Team standingsWLPCTGBManagers
Lawrence5031.617–Walt Burnham
Brockton4833.5932.0Bill McGunnigle
Haverhill4435.5575.0Walter Prince /
George Brackett / Frank Selee
Portland3346.41816.0John Winship / Chick Fulmer
Biddeford Clamdiggers/
Newburyport Clamdiggers		2555.31324.5Irwin

Biddeford (13–20) disbanded July 17, replaced by Newburyport July 25.

Player statistics
PlayerTeamStatTotPlayerTeamStatTot
Kent HowardBrocktonBA.357Dick ConwayLawrenceW23
William HawesBrocktonRuns86Dick ConwayLawrenceSO274
Walter Prince
Patrick O'Connell		Haverhill
Lawrence		RBI61
61		Con MurphyHaverhillPCT.867 13–2
Ernest Ellis
Elmer Foster		Newburyport
Haverhill		HR6
6

[5]

References
  1. "Eastern New England League (Independent) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. "1885 Eastern New England League (ENEL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  3. "Baseball - Digital Commonwealth". www.digitalcommonwealth.org.
  4. Bevis, Charlie (2007). The New England League: A Baseball History, 1885-1949. ISBN 978-0786431595.
  5. Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  6. "1885 Eastern New England League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. "1886 New England League (NEL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  8. "New England League (B) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  9. "Frank Selee Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. "Frank Selee – Society for American Baseball Research".
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