Keystone Association

{{Short description|Five–team independent level baseball minor league}}

{{Infobox sports league

| title =Keystone Association

| current_season =

| current_season2 =

| last_season =

| upcoming_season =

| logo =

| pixels =

| caption =

| formerly =

| sport =Minor League Baseball

| replaced =

| owner =

| ceo =

| chief operating officer =

| director =

| president =Thomas Hargreaves (1884–1885)

| commissioner =

| fame =

| motto =

| inaugural =1884

| teams =5

| singles =

| country =United States of America

| venue =

| confed =

| folded =1885

| champion =

| most_champs =1
Lancaster Red Stockings (1884)

| classification =Independent (1884–1885)

| qualification =

| tv =

| sponsor =

| related_comps =Eastern League (1884)
Pennsylvania State League (1883)

| founder =

| levels =

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}}

The Keystone Association was a five–team independent level baseball minor league that played in the 1884 and 1885 seasons. The Keystone Association featured franchises based exclusively in Pennsylvania.

History

The Keystone Association formed as Independent level minor league in 1884.

The Keystone Association was formed at a March 3, 1884 meeting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Carlisle, Pennsylvania and West Chester, Pennsylvania were franchises admitted to the league but never formed a team. The league adopted American Association rules. The league president was Thomas Hargreaves.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqKT6O-KaTYC&q=%22Keystone+Association%22+baseball+1885&pg=PA8|title=The Coal Barons Played Cuban Giants: A History of Early Professional Baseball in Pennsylvania, 1886-1896|first=Paul|last=Browne|date=March 27, 2013|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786461257|via=Google Books}}{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor1-first=Lloyd |editor1-last=Johnson |editor2-first=Miles |editor2-last=Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=Baseball America |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}}

The 1884 Keystone Association played as a five–team Independent league. The Keystone Association hosted franchises based in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Chester, Pennsylvania, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Littlestown, Pennsylvania and York, Pennsylvania.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=e26098c7|title=1884 Keystone Association|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/l-KEYA/y-1884|title=1884 Keystone Association (KA) minor league baseball on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}

The Keystone Association began play on May 2, 1884. The league then folded for the season on June 10, 1884. The League standings when the league folded were Lancaster Red Stockings (15–4), York White Roses (10–10), Chambersburg (8–10), Chester Blue Stockings (8–10) and Littlestown Brown Stockings (6–8). During the 1884 season, the Chester franchise disbanded on June 2, 1884 and Lancaster disbanded on June 7, 1884.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-KEYA/y-1884|title=1884 Keystone Association (KA) minor league baseball Standings on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball|year=2007|publisher=Baseball America|pages=142}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/york-town-square/2008/04/29/vu-1/31686147/|title=York Revolution most recent addition to lengthy local professional baseball timeline|first=Jim|last=McClure|website=York Daily Record}}

After the Keystone Association folded, York and Lancaster continued play, as the York White Roses and Lancaster Ironsides became members of the Eastern League for the remainder of the 1884 season. York replaced the Harrisburg Olympics after the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania based team folded. The Eastern League folded after the 1884 season.Nineteenth Century Baseball: Year-By-Year Statistics for the Major League Teams, 1871 Through 1900 ({{ISBN|0-7864-0181-8}}){{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1884 York White Roses Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1884 Lancaster Ironsides Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=b6c23278|title=1884 Eastern League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

In their final season of play, the 1885 Keystone Association returned to play and featured the same five returning franchises. Chambersburg, the Chester Blue Stockings, Lancaster Red Stockings, Littlestown Brown Stockings and York White Roses were the 1885 league members.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=f700c5f7|title=1885 Keystone Association|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

The 1885 Keystone Association final team standings are unknown.

The Keystone Association permanently folded after the 1885 season.

Keystone Association teams

class="wikitable"
Team name(s) !City represented !Ballpark !Year active
Chambersburg Maroons \|Chambersburg, Pennsylvania \|Unknown \|{{baseball year\|1884}} to {{baseball year\|1885}}
Chester Blue Stockings \|Chester, Pennsylvania \|Union Park{{Cite web\|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-496\|title=Union Park in Chester, PA minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com\|website=www.statscrew.com}}{{Cite web\|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/stats/t-cc10854/y-1908\|title=1908 Chester minor league baseball Statistics on StatsCrew.com\|website=www.statscrew.com}} \|{{baseball year\|1884}} to {{baseball year\|1885}}
Lancaster Red Roses \|Lancaster, Pennsylvania \|Unknown \|{{baseball year\|1884}} to {{baseball year\|1885}}
Littlestown Brown Stockings \|Littlestown, Pennsylvania \|unknown \|{{baseball year\|1884}} to {{baseball year\|1885}}
York White Roses \|York, Pennsylvania \|York Athletic Club Grounds{{Cite web\|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-2985\|title=Unknown in York, PA minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com\|website=www.statscrew.com}} \|{{baseball year\|1884}} to {{baseball year\|1885}}

class="wikitable"

Team name(s)

!City represented

!Ballpark

!Year active

Chambersburg Maroons

|Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

|Unknown