1884 Providence Grays season

After Sweeney jumped to the Union Association in mid-season, Radbourn pitched most of the Grays' remaining games and led the team to the pennant.

After the regular season, the Grays faced the American Association champions, the New York Metropolitans, in the 1884 World Series.

The two eventually fought in the clubhouse, and on July 16, Radbourn had a meltdown on the mound, intentionally lobbing several slow pitches over the plate in a losing effort.

Though most players at the time were held to temperance clauses during the season, Grays manager Frank Bancroft was left with little choice but to pitch Sweeney.

With the Grays leading 6–2 before the start of the eighth inning, Bancroft insisted that Sweeney vacate the pitcher's box and move to right field.

Still intoxicated, as well as the prevailing sentiment of 1880s baseball being that finishing a game a pitcher started was a question of manhood, Sweeney flatly refused.

He began his warm up by throwing just a few feet, increasing the distance gradually until he was pitching from second base and finally from short center field.

Radbourn himself finished the season with a league-leading 678.2 innings pitched and 73 complete games, and he won the Triple Crown with a record of 60–12, a 1.38 earned run average, and 441 strikeouts.

At the end of the season, Providence officials accepted New York Metropolitans (AA) manager Jim Mutrie's challenge to a three-game postseason match, which became known as the first World Series.

All of the games took place at the Polo Grounds in New York and were played under American Association rules, which forbade overhand pitching.

Grays third baseman Jerry Denny hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning, the first homer in World Series history.

The Grays agreed to play as long as they had the option of choosing the umpire, and they strategically chose Keefe, the Metropolitans' best pitcher.

= Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Providence Grays (NL) (84–28) vs New York Metropolitans (AA) (75–32) Thursday, October 23, at the Polo Grounds Providence defeats New York 6–0 Umpire: John Kelly Time of game: 2:00 Friday, October 24, at the Polo Grounds Providence defeats New York 3–1 (7 innings) Umpire: John Remsen Time of game: 1:35 Saturday, October 25, at the Polo Grounds Providence defeats New York 12–2 (6 innings) Umpire: Timothy Keefe Time of game: 1:20