The Elizabeth Resolutes were a 19th-century professional baseball team based in Elizabeth, New Jersey. They were a member of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players for the 1873 season, and played their home games at Waverly Fairgrounds. Though based in the vicinity of Elizabeth, they were usually listed in game reports as simply "Resolute" or "the Resolutes", per the style of the day. "Elizabeth Resolutes" is modern nomenclature.

Team history

Amateur years (mid-1860s–1872)

The Resolutes started as an amateur team in the mid-1860s. They built a successful team by assembling the best local players, especially from their nearby rival Irvington Athletic Club. This culminated in winning the New Jersey state championship in 1870. After almost a decade of amateur status, the Resolutes paid $10 to join the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, making them the first professional team in the state.

The professional year (1873)

The 1873 season went terribly for the Resolutes. The club played just 23 games during its lone professional season, finishing with two victories against 21 defeats. They lost all eight of their home games. The team would have finished last in the National Association had it not been for the Baltimore Marylands, who played only six games and lost all of them. The Resolutes also had poor attendance, due in part to a failure to properly advertise their games. The team's final game was an August 7th loss to the New York Mutuals, 20-3. Their season ended nearly four months before the NA's last game of the 1873 season.

The Resolutes' leading hitter was Art Allison, who batted a career-high .320 while playing all 23 games, mostly in the outfield. Hugh Campbell was the pitcher of record for both of the Resolutes' wins and 16 of their losses; he also played at first base and in the outfield. Workhorse pitcher Hugh Campbell, on the other hand, never again played professional baseball.

A modern vintage baseball team took up the legacy of the Resolutes, beginning play in 2000.

See also

  • 1873 Elizabeth Resolutes season

Notes

References

  • Resolutes stats at baseball-reference.com

Further reading

  • Wright, Marshall (2000). The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co.