Temple Cup
Baltimore Orioles (2) | |
Most recent | Baltimore Orioles (1897) |
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The Temple Cup was a cup awarded to the winner of an annual best-of-seven postseason championship series for American
The approximately 30-inch-high (76 cm) silver cup cost $800 (equivalent to $27,000 in 2023) and was donated by coal, citrus, and lumber baron William Chase Temple (1862–1917), a part-owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time.[2] The Temple Cup is now in the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2021) |
In the 1880s, there had been postseason play between the winners of the National League and the
Much like the long running Stanley Cup of the National Hockey League and the Temple Cup's baseball predecessor, the Dauvray Cup (awarded 1887–1893), there was only one actual Temple Cup to be passed along to each baseball season's winning team and city. If any team had won three titles, that team would have gained permanent possession of the Cup.
Revenue from the Temple Cup series was to be split 65% to 35% between the winner and the loser, but the players of the first series agreed to split the money evenly. However, after that 1894 series, the
The
Lack of enthusiasm on the part of the players doomed the series; their apathy spread to the fans, few of whom attended Temple Cup games in later years. Interest in the series faded quickly, as it seemed artificial, with the second-place team winning three of the four series. The last Temple Cup series was played in 1897, although the concept was revived in 1900 with the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup. After the Temple Cup series ended, the National League returned the trophy to Temple, whose Pirates team never finished higher than sixth place in the standings during the Cup's existence.
John McGraw of the Temple Cup-winning Orioles was later player/manager/owner with another franchise also known as the Baltimore Orioles, one of the eight original franchises of the American League upon its founding in 1901 and the third franchise to carry the Orioles name, prior to relocating to New York City after two seasons. In 1903, a "peace pact" between the National League and American League resulted in each recognizing the other as equal in stature. The leagues accepted a joint policy on player contracts, and initiated a postseason series between their champions, beginning the modern interleague World Series.
In 1939, The Sporting News tracked down the Temple Cup, finding it in the possession of Temple's daughter in Winter Park, Florida.[4] That year, the Cup was included in a large display of sports trophies at the New York World's Fair.[5] In 1951, Temple's daughter donated the Cup to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum,[6] where it remains today in Cooperstown, New York.
Temple Cup series results
Winning team is denoted in bold font. The regular season record of each team is noted in parentheses.
Season | First-place team | Series (games) | Second-place team | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1894 |
Baltimore Orioles (89–39) | 0–4 | New York Giants (88–44) | [7] |
1895 |
Baltimore Orioles (87–43) | 1–4 | Cleveland Spiders (84–46) | [8] |
1896 |
Baltimore Orioles (90–39) | 4–0 | Cleveland Spiders (80–48) | [9] |
1897 |
Boston Beaneaters (93–39) | 1–4 | Baltimore Orioles (90–40) | [10] |
Appearances
No. | Franchise | Record |
---|---|---|
4 | Baltimore Orioles | 2–2 (.500) |
2 | Cleveland Spiders | 1–1 (.500) |
1 | New York Giants |
1–0 (1.000) |
1 | Boston Beaneaters |
0–1 (.000) |
Temple Cup winners gallery
See also
References
- ^ "Taking Home the Hardware: A History of the World Series Trophy". baseballhalloffame.org. Archived from the original on June 18, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
- ^ Ceresi, Frank. "The History Of The Temple Cup". BaseballLibrary.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ISBN 0-87833-726-1.
- ^ Hayes, Bob (June 18, 1939). "Top O' the Morn' (column)". Orlando Sentinel. p. 10. Retrieved April 6, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Butler, Jack (July 22, 1939). "Sports in the Diocese (column)". The Tablet. Brooklyn. p. 18. Retrieved April 6, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- Scranton Tribune. Scranton, Pennsylvania. UP. July 18, 1951. p. 9. Retrieved April 6, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "The 1894 Season".
- ^ "The 1895 Season".
- ^ "The 1896 Season".
- ^ "The 1897 Season".
Further reading
- Olbermann, Keith (2009–2010). "Tagged: Temple Cup". Baseball Nerd. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- M.Willis (July 13, 2020). "Major League Baseball, COVID-19, and the Temple Cup". mwillis.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.