1897 Temple Cup

{{Infobox baseball championship tournament

| country = Temple

| year = 1897

| series_type = Cup

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| champion = Baltimore Orioles (4)

| champion_manager = Ned Hanlon

| champion_games = {{winpct|93|39|record=y}}, GA: 2

| runnerup = Boston Beaneaters (1)

| runnerup_manager = Frank Selee

| runnerup_games = {{winpct|90|40|record=y}}, GA: —

| date = October 4–11

| venue = South End Grounds (Boston)
Union Park (Baltimore)

| MVP =

| umpires = Bob Emslie, Tim Hurst

| HOFers = Orioles:
Ned Hanlon (manager)
Hughie Jennings
Willie Keeler
Joe Kelley
John McGraw†
Beaneaters:
Frank Selee (manager)
Jimmy Collins
Hugh Duffy
Billy Hamilton
Kid Nichols
† elected as a manager.

| alt2 =

| image2 =

| previous = 1896

| next = 1900
Chronicle-Telegraph Cup

}}

The 1897 Temple Cup was an end-of-the-year best-of-seven playoff between the National League champion Baltimore Orioles and runner-up Boston Beaneaters. The series began on October 4 and ended on October 11 with the Orioles winning in five games.

Due to lack of enthusiasm from both players and fans, and the perception that the Temple Cup was more of an exhibition contest than a true championship contest, the 1897 Temple Cup would be the final version of the championship series.{{Cite web |last=Best |first=Jason |title=1897: Last Gasp of the Temple Cup – Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/1897-last-gasp-of-the-temple-cup/ |access-date=2025-01-23 |language=en-US}} Aside from the 1900 Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, this would be the last championship series until the birth of the modern World Series in {{mlby|1903}}.

Summary

Baltimore won the series, 4–1.

class="wikitable sortable"
align="center"\|Game !Date !Score !Location
align="center" \| 1 \| October 4 \| Baltimore Orioles – 12, Boston Beaneaters – 13 \| South End Grounds{{Cite news \|date=October 5, 1897 \|title=ON THE BASEBALL FIELD; Boston Wins the First Game of the Temple Cup Series from Baltimore. HAMILTON SAVED THE GAME He Made Two Phenomenal Catches in the Eighth Inning Which Stopped Runs — Game Noted for Heavy Batting — Nops's Wildness Proves Fatal. \|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/05/102543813.html?pageNumber=4 \|url-access=subscription \|access-date=2025-01-23 \|work=The New York Times \|language=en \|issn=0362-4331 \|at=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/05/102543813.pdf}}
align="center" \| 2 \| October 5 \| Baltimore Orioles – 13, Boston Beaneaters – 11 \| South End Grounds{{Cite news \|date=October 6, 1897 \|title=A VICTORY FOR BALTIMORE; Timely Batting Enables Them to Win the Second Temple Cup Game from Boston. LONG'S PLAYING A FEATURE Boston's Crack Short Stop Cut Off Several Base Hits — Corbett, the Baltimores' Pitcher, Did Well at Critical Stages of the Game. \|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/06/105954623.html \|url-access=subscription \|access-date=2025-01-23 \|work=The New York Times \|language=en \|issn=0362-4331 \|at=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/06/105954623.pdf}}
align="center" \| 3 \| October 6 \| Baltimore Orioles – 8, Boston Beaneaters – 3 {{small\|(7)}} \| South End Grounds{{Cite news \|date=October 7, 1897 \|title=ON THE BASEBALL FIELD; Third Game of the Temple Cup Series Resulted Favorably for the Baltimores. BOSTONS WERE OUTPLAYED The Former Champions Took a Comfortable Lead in the Second Inning and Were Never Headed — Hoffer Pitched a Fine Game, While Lewis Was Unsteady. \|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/07/102097775.html?pageNumber=9 \|url-access=subscription \|access-date=2025-01-23 \|work=The New York Times \|language=en \|issn=0362-4331 \|at=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/07/102097775.pdf}}
align="center" \| 4 \| October 10 \| Boston Beaneaters – 11, Baltimore Orioles – 12 \| Union Park{{Cite web \|date=October 11, 1897 \|title=BALTIMORE'S GAME; Defeated Boston Before a Small Crowd. Only Need One More. \|url=https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=lodj18971011-01.1.8&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN---------- \|access-date=2025-01-23 \|work=Lockport Daily Journal \|language=en}}
align="center" \| 5 \| October 11 \| Boston Beaneaters – 3, Baltimore Orioles – 9 \| Union Park{{Cite news \|date=October 12, 1897 \|title=ON THE BASEBALL FIELD.; Baltimore Wins Its Fourth Successive Game from Boston, and Takes the Temple Cup. \|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/12/105955319.html?pageNumber=5 \|url-access=subscription \|access-date=2025-01-23 \|work=The New York Times \|language=en \|issn=0362-4331 \|at=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/12/105955319.pdf}}

class="wikitable sortable"

align="center"|Game

!Date

!Score

!Location

align="center" | 1

| October 4

| Baltimore Orioles – 12, Boston Beaneaters – 13

| South End Grounds{{Cite news |date=October 5, 1897 |title=ON THE BASEBALL FIELD; Boston Wins the First Game of the Temple Cup Series from Baltimore. HAMILTON SAVED THE GAME He Made Two Phenomenal Catches in the Eighth Inning Which Stopped Runs — Game Noted for Heavy Batting — Nops's Wildness Proves Fatal. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/05/102543813.html?pageNumber=4 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-01-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=0362-4331 |at=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/05/102543813.pdf}}

align="center" | 2

| October 5

| Baltimore Orioles – 13, Boston Beaneaters – 11

| South End Grounds{{Cite news |date=October 6, 1897 |title=A VICTORY FOR BALTIMORE; Timely Batting Enables Them to Win the Second Temple Cup Game from Boston. LONG'S PLAYING A FEATURE Boston's Crack Short Stop Cut Off Several Base Hits — Corbett, the Baltimores' Pitcher, Did Well at Critical Stages of the Game. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/06/105954623.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-01-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=0362-4331 |at=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/06/105954623.pdf}}

align="center" | 3

| October 6

| Baltimore Orioles – 8, Boston Beaneaters – 3 {{small|(7)}}

| South End Grounds{{Cite news |date=October 7, 1897 |title=ON THE BASEBALL FIELD; Third Game of the Temple Cup Series Resulted Favorably for the Baltimores. BOSTONS WERE OUTPLAYED The Former Champions Took a Comfortable Lead in the Second Inning and Were Never Headed — Hoffer Pitched a Fine Game, While Lewis Was Unsteady. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/07/102097775.html?pageNumber=9 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-01-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=0362-4331 |at=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/07/102097775.pdf}}

align="center" | 4

| October 10

| Boston Beaneaters – 11, Baltimore Orioles – 12

| Union Park{{Cite web |date=October 11, 1897 |title=BALTIMORE'S GAME; Defeated Boston Before a Small Crowd. Only Need One More. |url=https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=lodj18971011-01.1.8&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN---------- |access-date=2025-01-23 |work=Lockport Daily Journal |language=en}}

align="center" | 5

| October 11

| Boston Beaneaters – 3, Baltimore Orioles – 9

| Union Park{{Cite news |date=October 12, 1897 |title=ON THE BASEBALL FIELD.; Baltimore Wins Its Fourth Successive Game from Boston, and Takes the Temple Cup. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/12/105955319.html?pageNumber=5 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-01-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en |issn=0362-4331 |at=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/10/12/105955319.pdf}}