The Hudson River League was formed in 1903 as a class D minor baseball league after playing one season in 1886. Upgraded to Class C the next season, it continued through 1907 before collapsing. There were twelve cities that represented the league during the five-year run; eleven came from New York State and one each at various points from New Jersey and Massachusetts. The Poughkeepsie Colts became the only team to win more than one league title, taking home the league crown in 1886, 1904 and 1907. The "HR" league disbanded June 18, 1907 and did not attempt a comeback the next season.
| Classification | Independent (1886) Class D (1903) Class C (1904–1907) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1886 |
| Ceased | June 18, 1907 |
| President | Henry B. Lawson (1886) Henry D. Ramsey (1903) C.S. Harvey (1903–1907) |
| No. of teams | 13 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 3 Poughkeepsie/Poughkeepsie Colts |
| Related competitions | New York State League |
Cities represented
edit- Albany, NY: Albany Senators 1886
- Catskill, NY: Catskill 1903
- Glens Falls, NY & Saratoga Springs, NY: Glens Falls-Saratoga Springs 1906
- Hudson, NY: Hudson Marines 1903–1907
- Kingston, NY: Kingston 1886; Kingston Colonials 1903–1906; Kingston Colonial Colts 1907
- Newburgh, NY: Newburgh 1886; Newburgh Taylor-mades 1903–1905; Newburgh Hill Climbers 1906; Newburgh Hillies 1907
- Ossining, NY: Ossining 1903
- Paterson, NJ: Paterson Intruders 1904; Paterson Invaders 1905–1906; Paterson Intruders 1907
- Peekskill, NY: Peekskill 1903; Peekskill 1905
- Pittsfield, MA: Pittsfiled Hillies 1905
- Poughkeepsie, NY: Poughkeepsie 1886; Poughkeepsie Colts 1903–1907
- Saratoga Springs, NY: Saratoga Springs 1886
- Saugerties, NY: Saugerties 1903–1905
- Troy, NY: Troy Trojans 1886
- Yonkers, NY: Younkers 1905, 1907
Standings & statistics
edit1886
edit1886 Hudson River League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poughkeepsie | 47 | 18 | .723 | – | Sandy McDermott |
| Newburgh | 37 | 22 | .627 | 7.0 | Henry Lawson |
| Kingston | 28 | 34 | .452 | 17.5 | Zeke Allen |
| Troy Trojans | 20 | 33 | .378 | 21.0 | James Jackson / Fitzgerald |
| Saratoga Springs | 12 | 32 | .273 | 24.5 | Willis Arnold |
| Albany Senators | 0 | 5 | .000 | NA | Michael Lawlor |
Albany disbanded May 29.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Zimmer | Poughkeepsie | BA | .409 |
| Mickey Lehane | Poughkeepsie | Hits | 81 |
1903 Class D
edit1903 Hudson River League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston Colonials | 63 | 30 | .677 | – | Henry Ramsey |
| Hudson Marines | 63 | 33 | .656 | 1.5 | Gus Schnack |
| Peekskill | 48 | 39 | .552 | 12 | F. Valentine |
| Saugerties | 48 | 47 | .505 | 16 | Charles Brady |
| Poughkeepsie Colts | 39 | 51 | .433 | 22.5 | William McCabe |
| Newburgh Taylor-mades | 37 | 54 | .407 | 25.0 | Charles Fisher |
| Ossining / Catskill |
22 | 69 | .242 | 40.0 | J.M. Evans |
Ossining (7–37) moved to Catskill August 2; Peekskill entered the league August 10 on equal footing with Poughkeepsie, 21–24. Peekskill's actual record was 27–15. (officially 48–39.)
No playoffs scheduled and no individual stats available.
1904 Class C
edit1904 Hudson River League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poughkeepsie Colts | 70 | 47 | .598 | – | William McCabe |
| Paterson Intruders | 70 | 49 | .588 | 1.0 | Richard Cogan |
| Hudson Marines | 68 | 52 | .567 | 3.5 | Gus Schnack |
| Kingston Colonials | 58 | 58 | .500 | 11.5 | Henry Ramsey |
| Saugerties | 50 | 68 | .424 | 20.5 | John O'Halloran |
| Newburgh Taylor-mades | 39 | 81 | .325 | 32.5 | Charles Fisher / John Green / Fred Taylor |
Paterson Played home games at Patterson & Clifton, NJ
No playoffs were scheduled.
Player Statistics
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Brouthers | Poughkeepsie | BA | .373 | Dan Brouthers | Poughkeepsie | Hits | 158 |
1905
edit1905 Hudson River League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson Marines | 68 | 50 | .576 | – | Gus Schnack / Dave Patterson |
| Paterson Invaders | 62 | 51 | .549 | 1.0 | Richard Cogan |
| Poughkeepsie Colts | 59 | 52 | .532 | 5.5 | William McCabe |
| Newburgh Taylor-mades | 60 | 54 | .526 | 6.0 | Fred Taylor / Henry Ramsey |
| Kingston Colonials | 57 | 57 | .500 | 9.0 | M.M. Allen / Matt Kelley |
| Yonkers | 10 | 8 | .556 | NA | Henry Ramsey |
| Peekskill | 5 | 13 | .278 | NA | Walter Dobbins |
| Saugerties / Pittsfield Hillies |
13 | 49 | .210 | NA | D.J. Schulman / Daniel Cassiday |
Peekskill & Yonkers disbanded June 1.; Saugerties (8–34) moved to Pittsfield July 4, then disbanded July 25.
No playoffs were scheduled.
Player Statistics
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph McCarthy | Poughkeepsie | BA | .340 | Mike O'Malley | Hudson | Hits | 144 |
1906
edit1906 Hudson River League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paterson Invaders | 64 | 47 | .577 | – | Richard Cogan |
| Poughkeepsie Colts | 60 | 45 | .571 | 1.0 | William McCabe |
| Kingston Colonials | 56 | 51 | .523 | 6.0 | John Cuneo |
| Hudson Marines | 54 | 56 | .491 | 9.5 | Gus Schnack |
| Newburgh Hill Climbers | 43 | 59 | .422 | 16.5 | Dan Brouthers / Ochs / Taylor / McGratty |
| Glens Falls-Saratoga Springs | 43 | 62 | .410 | 18.0 | Henry Ramsey |
The season was shortened to September 9.
No playoffs were scheduled.
Player statistics
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Conners | Kingston | BA | .343 | John Conners | Kingston | Hits | 124 |
1907
edit1907 Hudson River League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poughkeepsie Colts | 17 | 10 | .630 | – | William McCabe |
| Newburgh Hillies | 15 | 11 | .577 | 1.5 | Jim Connor |
| Yonkers | 12 | 12 | .500 | 3.5 | Jack Lawler |
| Hudson Marines | 12 | 12 | .500 | 3.5 | Gus Schnack |
| Paterson Intruders | 4 | 9 | .308 | NA | Dick Cogan |
| Kingston Colonial Colts | 4 | 10 | .286 | NA | Ryan |
Kingston disbanded June 1; Paterson disbanded June 2.
The league disbanded June 18.
Hall of Fame alumni
edit- Dan Brouthers 1904-1905 Poughkeepsie Colts
Sources
edit- The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Second Edition
- ^ a b Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.