Troy Haymakers

History

The Union Base Ball Club Lansingburgh was founded in 1860 in Lansingburgh, New York. By 1868, the team was widely known as the Troy Haymakers, though also called the Trojans. It was a strong side in the mostly amateur National Association of Base Ball Players, and it likely paid some players from New York City. When the association allowed openly professional teams in 1869, the Haymakers were among twelve that turned pro. That season, they went 12–8–1, beating all ten weaker opponents but managing only two wins against the four top teams, with eight losses and a tie. In 1870, they had a similar standing among fifteen professional clubs, finishing 11–13–1. The undefeated 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings’ only blemish that year was a forfeit win over the Haymakers on August 26, after Troy left the field in the sixth inning with the score tied 17–17. Seven of the 1870 professional teams, plus two newcomers, formed the first all-professional National Association in 1871, now recognized as the first professional sports league. The Haymakers did not survive to join it. They disbanded halfway through the 1872 season “on account of an empty treasury.” In the 1860s, the club played at Rensselaer Driving Park, also called Rensselaer Park, a racetrack bounded by Whipple Avenue, Catharine Street, Middle Street, and railroad tracks—now a residential and school area north of Knickerbacker Park. During their two National Association seasons, home games were at Haymakers’ Grounds in Troy. Managed by Lip Pike, Bill Craver, and Jimmy Wood, the team compiled a 28–25 record for a .528 winning percentage. Their 15–10 mark in 1872 was among the best for any major league team that folded.