Temple Cup
| Temple Cup | |
|---|---|
| First awarded: | 1894 |
| Last awarded: | 1897 |
| Current location: | National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, New York |
| Last holder: | Baltimore Orioles |
| Most Cups: | Baltimore Orioles (2) |
The Temple Cup was a cup awarded to the winner of a best-of-seven, post-season championship series in the National League, from 1894 to 1897. The 30-inch-high (76.2-cm-high) silver cup cost $800, ($21.3 thousand in 2016 dollars) and was donated by coal, citrus, and lumber baron William Chase Temple, a part-owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time. Much like the Stanley Cup of ice hockey and the Temple Cup's predecessor the Dauvray Cup, there was only one actual Temple Cup.
There was only one major league at the time, so the series was played between the first- and second-place teams. The Temple Cup was also known as the World's Championship Series. If one team won three titles, that team would have permanent possession of the Cup.
In the 1880s, there had been postseason play between the winners of the National League and the American Association, but in 1892 the National League absorbed the Association, becoming a 12-team league, and played a split season. In 1893 the Pittsburgh Pirates finished second to the Boston Beaneaters (today's Atlanta Braves). The Pirates' president, William Chase Temple, felt that his team should have the option of having a playoff series to claim the title. As a result, Temple had his $800 trophy minted and he donated it to the league. The revenue was to be split 65% to 35% between the winner and the loser, but the players of the first series (in 1894) agreed to split the money evenly. However, after the series the New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants) cheated some Baltimore Orioles players out of their money, tainting the Cup and prompting Temple to sell the Pirates in disgust.
Lack of enthusiasm on the part of the players doomed the series; their apathy spread to the fans, few of whom attended Temple Cup games in later years. Interest in the series faded quickly, as it seemed artificial, with the second-place team winning three of the four series. The Baltimore Orioles appeared in every Temple Cup series, winning the last two and thus coming the closest to gaining permanent possession of the trophy. The last Temple Cup series was played in 1897. However, the concept was revived in 1900 with the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup.
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