Early teams – Hall of Fame players New Haven, Connecticut was first was home to professional baseball in 1875 when the
New Haven Elm Citys played one season as members of the major league
National Association and hosted home games at the
Howard Avenue Grounds. After the 1875 major league team, minor league baseball play began in New Haven in 1878. The "New Haven" team briefly played in the
International Association. The team began the season based in New Bedford, before moving to New Haven and eventually ending the season in Hartford, Connecticut. The team moved from New Haven to Hartford on May 20. 1878. The 1878 New Haven team had two
Baseball Hall of Fame members on their roster. At age 20, hall of famer
Roger Connor made his professional debut with the 1878 team. Fellow Hall of Fame member
Candy Cummings was also a member of the 1878 team while playing his final professional season at as a player at age 29. The team had a 1–11 record and were expelled from the league on June 20, 1878. The International Association did not resume play after the 1878 season. member
Roger Connor,
New York Giants. Old Judge Cigarettes baseball card. Conner played for New Haven in 1878 and returned to play for the 1901 team. In 1885, minor league baseball play resumed in New Haven with a brief foray into professional play, when The New Haven team briefly became members of the
independent level
Southern New England League. The 1885 New Haven season was extremely brief, as the team had just one official game, joining the league and folding after one game on August 15, 1885. New Haven ended their one-game season with a record of 0–1 and were managed by H.A. Ely . After New Haven folded, the Southern New England League re-formed as the
Connecticut State League on August 27, 1885. New Haven returned to hosting minor league play in 1887, with the team becoming known as the New Haven "Blues" for the first time. The New Haven team became members of the six–team Independent level
Eastern League. The
Bridgeport Giants,
Danbury Hatters, Hartford, Springfield and Waterbury teams joined with New Haven in beginning league play on Saturday, April 30, 1887. The Blues finished the season in fourth place in their first extended season of minor league baseball. The New Haven franchise did not play in 1888, as the six–team Connecticut State League reformed without a New Haven franchise and folded for the season on July 25, 1888. After being a player/manager for New Haven in 1887, "Dasher" Troy played his last professional season for the
Troy Trojans in 1888 when New Haven did not return to play. Playing with the Troy team, his 1888 manager was
Ted Sullivan, who years later managed New Haven. Sullivan disapproved of Dasher Troy's consumption of alcoholic beverages and Troy reluctantly agreed to refrain from drinking in order to play for the team under Sullivan. In the last inning of a home game during the 1888 season, Troy promised to his manager that if Sullivan went to the bar under the grandstand and brought him a beer, Troy would "clear the bases." Sullivan obliged the request and Troy reportedly walked up to bat and said, "The 'Old Dash' is back." Troy then hit the ball off the center field fence and raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run that won the game. Beginning in 1889, after his playing career ended, Troy operated the beer concession area at the
Polo Grounds in New York City. It was reported in 1893, that his patrons sometimes "paid more attention to 'Dasher' Troy's emporium than they did to the game."
1889 to 1896 – Six League memberships The New Haven "Nutmegs" team returned to minor league play in 1889, beginning play as members of the
Atlantic Association. New Haven began the season, playing as members of the eight–team league. In the 1889 Atlantic Association, New Haven ended the season in fourth place with a 40–52 record, playing the season under managers
Harry Spence and
Jack Burdock. The Nutmegs ended the season 17.0 games behind the first place
Worcester team as no playoffs were held. 1889 manager
Jack Burdock was a veteran player in the major leagues in 1888, where he had become injured and had earlier developed a drinking problem. Because of his drinking, the
Boston Beaneaters released Burdock in the middle of the 1888 season. Burdock retired as a player at age 39 after returning to Brooklyn for a final season in 1891. Continuing play in the Atlantic Association, New Haven was the 1890 league champions. With a final record of 82–36, the team finished the season in first place, led to the championship by manager Walt Burnham. The Atlantic league began the season as an eight team and ended the season as a four-team league. The
Washington Senators team folded from the league on August 1, 1890. On August 27, 1890, the
Wilmington Peach Growers and Hartford Nutmeggers both folded while the first place
Baltimore Orioles team left the Atlantic Association with a 77–24 in order to join the American Association. With Baltimore, Washington, Wilmington and Hartford no longer in the Atlantic League, New Haven ended the season in first place, finishing 18.5 games ahead of the second place Lebanon team. No playoffs were held.
Dan Lally of New Haven led the Atlantic Association with 12 home runs and 159 total hits, while New Haven pitcher
Jonh Doran led the league with a both 1.12 ERA and 241 strikeouts. New Haven pitchers threw two no-hitters in the 1890 season. On May 21, 1890, John Doran defeated Washington by the score of 4–0 with 11 strikeouts and 4 walks. On September 22, 1890, John Gilliand threw New Haven's second no-hitter of the season in defeating Newark 7–0 with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts. The New Haven team continued play in 1891 as charter members of the
Eastern Association, which formed as an eight–team league with the New Haven Nutmegs as a member. The Eastern Association played as a
Class A level league and the president was Charles D. White. The
Albany Senators,
Buffalo Bisons,
Lebanon Cedars,
Providence Clamdiggers,
Rochester Hop Bitters,
Syracuse Stars and
Troy Trojans teams joined with New Haven in beginning league play. The Eastern Association lost four teams during the 1891 season, including New Haven, finishing the season with four remaining teams. New Haven had a 48–39 record under returning manager Walt Burnham when the New Haven team disbanded on August 14. They folded just shy of the first half's completion. Overall, in winning percentage, they were in third place at .541 (20–17) behind manager/second baseman Dan Shannon (.244) when they folded. Sandy Griffin hit .302 for New Haven. Pitcher
Henry Fournier went 13–6 with a 1.88 ERA for the New Haven team and then compiled a 17–16 record in completing the season pitching for the Buffalo Bisons and Syracuse Stars/Utica Stars teams, giving him a league leading 30 total wins on the season. New Haven did not host a team in the 1893 season. The 1894 New Haven "Elm Citys" team played as members of the independent Connecticut State League. John McKee served as the New Haven manager. The team record and league results are unknown. The New Haven Texas "Steers" returned to play in 1896 Class A level
Atlantic League. New Haven ended league play with a record of 21–38 under manager
Ted Sullivan when the team disbanded July 12. began the season as members of the
Naugatuck Valley League. The New Haven team disbanded July 12, 1896. The 1896 Edgewoods team had a record of 22–18 under manager T.R. Greist, finishing in a third place tie in the six-team league as no playoffs were held. New Haven had an identical record as the
Derby Angels. New Haven ended their Naugatuck Valley League season 3.0 games behind the first place
Bridgeport Victors, who were managed by Baseball Hall of Fame member
Jim O'Rourke and 2.0 games behind the
Torrington Tornados, managed by former New Haven player and all of fame member Roger Connor. Pitcher
Ned Garvin played his second professional season with New Haven in 1886, before making his major league debut with the
Philadelphia Phillies later in the 1896 season. As his career continued, Garvin developed a pitch that curved in the opposite direction of the typical curveball thrown by a right-handed pitcher. Garvin's long fingers allowed him to hold the ball with a unique grip. Some sources credit Garvin with teaching hall of fame pitcher
Christy Mathewson about his signature pitch. A similar pitch is known as a
screwball in modern baseball. Early in his career, Garvin was known to drink heavily and become violent in his interactions. Garvin became known as "The Navasota Tarantula" in reference to his hometown of
Navasota, Texas. The next year Garvin stabbed another man during a barroom fight. In the winter 1908, Garvin had finished pitching in the 1907 season and was suffering from
tuberculosis. He returned to his native Texas in the hopes that a climate change would help him. Still suffering from the disease Garvin moved again, this time to
Fresno, California. Garvin died in Fresno on June 16, 1908. The New Haven team did not return to play in 1897, as the Connecticut State League, reformed as a six–team league without a New Haven franchise in the
Class F level league.
1898 to 1905 – New Haven Blues The New Haven "Blues" resumed play as members of the 1898 Class F level Connecticut State League, beginning a fifteen-season tenure of consecutive membership in the league. The league expanded to become an eight–team league. The 1898 team was also known as the "Students." The league was sometimes known as the interchangeable "Connecticut League" in the era. In returning to play in the 1898 Connecticut State League, New Haven placed a close second in the standings. The Blues ended the season with a record of 56–40, playing the season under five managers:
Chippy McGarr, Thomas Reilly, M.B. Yaw,
Mike Hickey and Connie Miller. New Haven Ended the season just 0.5 game behind the first place
Waterbury Pirates (55–38) in the final standings. No playoffs were held. Continuing play in the Class F level Connecticut State League, the team compiled a record of 55–38, placing first in the final standings of the eight–team league. Managed in 1899 by Thomas Reilly, New Haven finished 3½ games ahead of the second place
Waterbury Rough Riders in the final standings. Waterbury was managed by former New Haven player and Hall of Fame member Roger Connor. No playoffs were held. The team finished 6.0 games behind the first place
Norwich Witches in the final standings, as no playoffs were held. The 1901 New Haven Blues placed fifth in the eight–team Class F level Connecticut State League final standings. New Haven compiled a final record of 56–54, playing the season under the direction of returning manager Jim Canavan. The Blues finished the season 10.0 games behind the first place
Bristol Woodchoppers in the final league standings. The Blues won the league championship in the newly elevated league. Ending the season with a final record of 70–39, the Blues placed first in the league standings, as New Haven was again managed by Jim Canavan. The Blues ended the season 5½ games ahead of the second place
Springfield Ponies, who were managed by Roger Connor. No playoff was held. New Haven ended the season with a record of 52–57 to place sixth in eight-team Class D level "
Connecticut League." Managed by Jim Canavan, the Blues ended the season 17.0 games behind the first place
Holyoke Paperweights in the final standings. Murphy and
Dickey Pearce are the two shortest players ever to have a career in Major League Baseball. Murphy was the subject of the 1894 book titled
Yale Murphy, the Great Short-Stop, or, The Little Midget of the Giants. After his playing career ended following the 1903 season, Murphy became a
physician. Murphy died of
pulmonary tuberculosis on February 14, 1906, at age 36. New Haven Blues finished in third place in the 1904 season. With a record of 69–47, New Haven continued play in their final full season under team owner and manager Jim Canavan. The Class D level league returned to "Connecticut State League" name, as New Haven finished 39.0 games behind the first place
Bridgeport Orators. The New Haven ended the season with a final record of 47–70, led by returning manager Jim Canavan in his final season and his replacement,
Jack Tighe. New Haven finished 34.0 games behind the first place Holyoke Paperweights in the final standings. The Blues ended the season with a record of 68–57, playing the season under manager
Bill Slack. No playoffs were held. New Haven's
Ed Fitzpatrick led the Connecticut State League with 88 runs scored, while Blues pitcher
Mickey Corcoran won 26 games, tops in the league. The Blues ended the 1907 eight-team Connecticut State League final season with a record of 44–80. New Haven finished in seventh place, playing the season under the direction of owner/manager Cornelius Danaher. No playoff was held, as New Haven ended the season 38½ games behind the first place Holyoke Papermakers team. Despite pitching on the seventh-place team, New Haven pitcher
Ira Plank led the league with 26 victories. The Blues achieved their place finish with a final record of 83–63. Playing the season under the direction of managers
Bert Daly,
Billy Lush and
George Bone. No playoffs were held, as the Blues ended their last Connecticut State League season 30½ games behind the first place
Springfield Ponies in the standings.
Hack Simmons of New Haven led the league with 10 home runs. Simmons also had 155 hits and scored 78 runs to lead the league in both categories. Lush was also managing the
Plattsburgh minor league franchise in 1905 and 1906, where one of his players in 1906 was
Baseball Hall of Fame member
Eddie Collins. In February 1906, Yale extended Lush, giving him a three-year contract. Lush remained in charge of the Yale baseball team in 1906 and 1907, but was replaced by Tad Jones in 1908, when the college briefly decided to cease using professional coaches. Lush was paid his contracted amount by Yale in 1908. After leaving New Haven, Lush became the basketball coach at the
United States Naval Academy in the 1908–09 basketball season. He remained as the baseball coach at Yale through the 1911 season.
1909 & 1910 – New nicknames In 1909 the team was renamed as the New Haven "Black Crows" and the team was owned by George Cameron. During the season, New Haven player
Jacob "Bugs" Reisigl was indefinitely suspended by New Haven on June 14, 1909. Newspaper reports stated, "(Reisigl) has been acting badly for a week, and he has been talking as bad as he has acted. He is useless to the team in his present condition, and he will be allowed to sober off." After his return from suspension, Reisigl was in conflict with his teammates, who physically beat him up following a game on August 5, 1909. As the story went, Reisigl "grinned with delight" when the pitchers on the team were not pitching well during their game that day. After the game Reisigl received a "wholesome punching" from his teammates. Later in the season before a contest against Holyoke, New Haven captain Elmer Zacher caught Reisigl fraternizing in Holyoke's dressing room just before a game in which Reisigl was the starting pitcher. After the game, his teammates "went in search of him. They saw him and he ran and they could not catch him." No playoffs were held as New Haven finished 18.0 games behind the first place
Hartford Senators in the final standings of the eight-team, Class B level league. Before the 1910 New Haven season, Bugs Reisigl was traded by New Haven to the
Davenport Prodigals of the
Three-I League in exchange for George Reitz. However, Reitz later retired as a player, so the trade with Davenport was voided and Reisigl remained with New Haven. In June 1910, Reisigl was suspended for insubordination after he failed to show up for a team road trip to Hartford and did not offer an acceptable explanation in the aftermath. It was stated that manager
Bill Carrick "has experienced considerable trouble recently with Reisigl. He gave him several chances to brace up, but ‘Bugs’ seemed to pay no attention to the several warnings." In 1910, the team became known as New Haven "Hens." New Haven continued play as members of the eight–team Class B level Connecticut State League. The Hens finished with an overall record of 67–55 and in fourth place, playing the season under manager Bill Carrick. No playoffs held and in a close race, New Haven ended the season 3.0 games behind the first place
Waterbury Finnegans in the final standings. Before the 1911 season the
Rochester Bronchos returned Reisigl to the newly named
New Haven "Murlins" for the 1911 season, with New Haven now managed by
Pop Foster. ==The ballpark==