Union of Morrisania

History

The Union of Morrisania opened their account with a single game, a 25–8 victory over Young America. Their second season saw five contests, yielding a 3–2 record and a second-place finish behind the undefeated Brooklyn Atlantics. Between 1857 and 1861, the club never climbed higher than fifth. A fourth-place finish in 1862 with five wins and five losses provided a boost, and by 1865 they reached third place with thirteen wins and ten losses, a new franchise best. In 1866, the Union topped the league with twenty-five wins against three losses, yet failed to capture the premiership. The following year they placed third with twenty-one wins and eight losses, then won the playoffs to defeat the Brooklyn Atlantics for their sole premiership title. Their best win-loss ratio came in 1868, when they finished third with thirty-seven wins and six losses. The arrival of professional teams like the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869 limited the Union to fifteen games; they placed fifth with ten losses. In 1870, they managed seven wins and eighteen losses against professional sides, and twenty wins and nineteen losses against the rest of the league. After that season, the Union declined to join the newly formed National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. The National Association of Base Ball Players dissolved, and the Union disbanded in 1873.