1889 Syracuse

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:  Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated 1889. Photo date based on appearance of manager Chapman, his only year with the team. Players wore a dark uniform in this photo. Based on newspaper reports, this uniform was most likely the maroon shirt and pants first worn in mid-May 1889. This uniform was accented with blue lettering and stockings. Based on this team photo, it appears the blue color was a light blue. Players wore a short-sleeved shirt which had the option for long-sleeved attachments to be added if desired. Two players at far right in photo wore their attachments. Two other players in the photo wore a white or light-colored undershirt and two players wore a dark undershirt, presumably maroon in color.

Top row, from left: C Murphy (87-89), unidentified, M McQuery (IL 87-89, AA 90), B Ely (IL 88, 89, AA 90) and F Walker (88, 89). Middle row: G Briggs (IL 89, AA 90), R Wright (IL 88, 89, AA 90), (J Chapman mgr 89), J Battin (IL 87-89, AA 90, EL 91) and B Bishop (88, 89). Front row: J Keefe (IL 89, AA 90), C Childs (IL 89, AA 90) and B McLaughlin (IL 89, AA 90). Player IDs from bottom of photo. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee.

Dated 1889. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows arched lettering across shirt, white buttons on a button placket and quilted padding at the knees. Detail view also shows light blue belt with white or light-colored bands on the edges of the belt.

Dated 1889. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows ribbing in stockings and several views of the cap, which included a white or light blue button on top, trim around the edge of the bill and a decorative cord where the bill meets the body of the cap.

Written documentation on this uniform:
April 12, 1889, Syracuse v. Jersey City, at Jersey City: “The constellar aggregation from the interior of New York State [i.e., Syracuse] trotted out on the field clad in picturesque gray uniforms and blue fatigue jackets. Umpire [James] Clinton sent the red-stockinged Jersey boys [i.e., Jersey City] to the bat at 3:30.” From the New York Evening World, April 12, 1889. Research from Ed Morton.

May 18, 1889: “Syracuse, May 18 – Twenty-five hundred people saw the Syracuse team today, wearing for the first time this season their handsome new uniforms of maroon and blue.” From the Buffalo Courier, May 19, 1889. This report denotes that Syracuse wore their maroon uniform at home. Based on the team photo, see photo A, the blue color mentioned in this report was most likely a light blue.

May 18, 1889: “Syracuse May 18—The Syracuse team appeared for the first time yesterday in their new uniforms of maroon and blue.” From the Buffalo Sunday News, May 19, 1889. A nearly identical report to that shown above.

May 1889: “The [Syracuse] team wore their new uniforms on Saturday for the first time. The shirts and pants are of maroon with blue trimmings, blue belts and stockings and maroon caps with blue binding. The name Syracuse is across the breast in blue letters. It is the handsomest uniform the Syracuse team has ever had.” From The Sporting Life, May 29, 1889. Research from Chuck McGill. The reference to “Saturday” in this report may be the same game played on May 18, a Saturday, described in the above entries.

Team genealogy:
 Coming soon