1889 Louisville Colonels season
| 1889 Louisville Colonels | |
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| Owner(s) | Mordecai Davidson, John R. Botto |
| Manager(s) | Dude Esterbrook, Jimmy Wolf, Dan Shannon, Jack Chapman |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 1889 Louisville Colonels season was a season in American baseball. The team finished with a 27–111 record, last in the American Association.
The Colonels were the first Major League team to lose more than 100 games in a season. The previous record for losses was 92, set by the Washington Nationals in 1886 and matched by the Cleveland Blues in 1887. The record would be broken again in 1890 by the Pittsburg Alleghenys, but remained the AA record until the league folded in 1891.
Prior to the start of the season, team owner Mordecai Davidson brought in Dude Esterbrook to manage the team, replacing Davidson himself. He was also seeking a buyer for the team, as his own finances were precarious.
The 1889 season was a tumultuous one for the Colonels. Manager Esterbrook fined several players, and was fired just ten games into the season. Outfielder Jimmy "Chicken" Wolf was appointed team captain, although Davidson traveled with the team as well to ensure their good behavior – which proved quite unpopular.
Davidson continued to attempt to sell the club as the season progressed, but to no avail. He, too, began levying fines, and the local media was harsh on both the owner and the team. On May 22, the team began a losing streak that would eventually reach 26 straight games, which still stands as the all-time Major League record as of 2011. Most of the losses came during a stretch from May 24 until July 1 in which the team played just three games at home.
Things were no better from the perspective of the AA. Financial difficulties had caused the team to miss payroll on three occasions, and the players alerted AA president Wheeler C. Wyckoff to the problem. This led the AA to call a meeting to discuss the issue on June 14. On the way to the meeting, Davidson was confronted by his players calling for the rescinding of previous fines, threatening to strike if refused. Davidson instead upped the ante, threatening to fine the players further if they lost.
The team was scheduled to play against the Baltimore Orioles that day, and following Davidson's actions, five members of the club refused to take the field. Three local semi-pro players, Charles Fisher, Mike Gaule and John Traffley, were recruited to join the remaining players on the field to allow the game to commence. The game was cancelled after just two innings due to rain, and was rescheduled for the following day.
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