Atlantic League (1896–1900)

File:Ed Barrow 1903.jpeg, president of the Atlantic League for three of its five seasons]]

:{{dagger}} In 1896, eight teams competed; at any point in time, there were six teams active.

:{{double dagger}} In 1899 and 1900, there were only six teams active at season's end.

Source:

File:Oyster Burns.jpg, player-manager of the Newark Colts in 1896]]

File:Jake Wells.jpg, the only manager of the Richmond Bluebirds]]

Notes:

:In 1896, New Haven disbanded on July 12; Lancaster entered the league on July 13; New York was expelled on July 13 and was replaced by Philadelphia.

:In 1899, Paterson disbanded on July 4, and Scranton followed on July 9.

:In 1900, Philadelphia moved to Harrisburg on June 4; Newark and Jersey City disbanded on June 2; the league disbanded on June 14.

Source: {{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |edition=third |date=2007 |first1=Lloyd |last1=Johnson |first2=Miles |last2=Wolff |isbn=9781932391176 |publisher=Baseball America}}

Teams denoted in italics disbanded during the season.

{{Columns-start}}

;1896 (Class A){{rp|170}}

April 23–September 13

:New York was 30–32 when replaced by Philadelphia

{{Column}}

;1897 (Class A){{rp|173}}

April 26–September 19

{{Columns-end}}

{{Columns-start}}

;1898 (Class B){{rp|176}}

April 25–September 10

{{Column}}

;1899 (Class A){{rp|179}}

April 27–August 6

{{Columns-end}}

File:Joe Delahanty.jpg, who played for the Allentown Peanuts in 1900, led the Atlantic League in batting with a .469 average.{{rp|181}}]]

;1900 (Class A){{rp|181}}

April 30–June 14

:Philadelphia was 10–11 when replaced by Harrisburg

The Soby Cup, made of silver, was given to the league by tobacco businessman Charles Soby of Hartford, Connecticut, in September 1896.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34014467/meeting_of_atlantic_league_in/ |title=Meeting of Atlantic League in Philadelphia |newspaper=Hartford Courant |location=Hartford, Connecticut |page=1 |date=September 12, 1896 |accessdate=July 19, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} In its first season, the cup was to be awarded to the winner of a postseason series between the league's top two teams; in subsequent years, the holder of the cup would play a series against the league's top finishing team.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34043439/who_plays_for_the_soby_cup/ |title=Who Plays for the Soby Cup? |newspaper=Passaic Daily News |location=Passaic, New Jersey |page=5 |date=September 16, 1897 |accessdate=July 19, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

Standings at the end of the 1896 season, which had Newark finishing first, were formally protested by the Paterson team, claiming that some of Newark's games were actually exhibitions.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34014599/paterson_makes_protest/ |title=Paterson Makes Protest |newspaper=The Morning News |location=Wilmington, Delaware |page=3 |date=September 16, 1896 |accessdate=July 19, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} With that protest pending, the next two teams in the standings—Paterson and Hartford—arranged to play a series for the Soby Cup.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34014682/atlantic_league_matters/ |title=Atlantic League Matters |newspaper=Passaic Daily News |location=Passaic, New Jersey |page=5 |date=September 16, 1896 |accessdate=July 19, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} Paterson won the seven-game series, four games to two.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34042623/paterson_gets_the_cup/ |title=Paterson Gets the Cup |newspaper=Hartford Courant |location=Hartford, Connecticut |page=6 |date=October 5, 1896 |accessdate=July 19, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} The protested standings were not ruled upon until the league's annual meeting in late November; despite inconsistencies in record-keeping, Newark was declared the pennant winner.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34014759/the_atlantic_league/ |title=The Atlantic League |newspaper=The Evening Journal |location=Wilmington, Delaware |page=6 |date=November 24, 1896 |accessdate=July 19, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

Following the 1897 season, the Soby Cup series should have been contested between Lancaster, that year's top team, and Paterson, who had won the cup in 1896. However, league officials decided to have the top two teams of 1897—Lancaster and Newark—play for the cup. After Lancaster and Newark could not agree to terms for a series,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34043795/base_ball_notes/ |title=Base Ball Notes |newspaper=The News-Journal |location=Lancaster, Pennsylvania |page=1 |date=September 20, 1897 |accessdate=July 19, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} the Soby Cup was awarded to Lancaster, the pennant winner.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34037388/atlantic_league_meeting/ |title=Atlantic League Meeting |newspaper=The News-Journal |location=Lancaster, Pennsylvania |page=1 |date=September 21, 1897 |accessdate=July 19, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}}

Prior to the 1898 season, the league abolished the postseason Soby Cup series, and returned to the cup to its donor.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34037501/the_atlantic_league/ |title=The Atlantic League |newspaper=Hartford Courant |location=Hartford, Connecticut |page=2 |date=March 25, 1898 |accessdate=July 19, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} By 1951, the cup was at the Baseball Hall of Fame,{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34066602/the_missing_trophies/ |title=The Missing Trophies |first=Hugh |last=Fullerton Jr. |newspaper=Star-Gazette |location=Elmira, New York |page=20 |date=August 15, 1951 |accessdate=July 20, 2019 |via=newspapers.com}} where it remains {{as of|2019|lc=yes}}.{{citation |title=email correspondence |author=Manager of Reference Services |publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum |location=Cooperstown, New York |date=July 25, 2019}}

File:1897 Honus Wagner.jpg Honus Wagner, who played for the Paterson Silk Weavers in 1896 and 1897]]

Notable players in the Atlantic League (1896–1900) include:

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• Oyster Burns
• Bill Carrick
• Bill Clymer
• Joe Delahanty
• Ned Garvin
• Dan Kerwin
• Fred Ketchum
• Sam Leever
• John Newell
• Jerry Nops
• Hal O'Hagan
• Casey Patten
• Socks Seybold
• Lee Viau
• Tom Vickery
• Honus Wagner
• Piggy Ward
• Harry Wilhelm
• Rasty Wright
• Joe Yeager

{{div col end}}

• Atlantic Association

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic League (1896-1900)}}

Category:Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States

Category:Sports leagues established in 1896

Category:1896 establishments in the United States

Category:1900 disestablishments in the United States