Hastily formed in 1883 as a rival, third major league, the Union Association upset the moguls of the baseball world and disrupted the status quo. Backed by Henry V. Lucas, an impetuous 26-year-old millionaire from St. Louis, the UA existed for one chaotic season in 1884. This first full-length history of the Union Association tells the captivating story of the league’s brief and enigmatic existence. Lucas recruited to the field a wild mix of disgruntled stars, misfits, crooks, has-beens, drunks, and the occasional spectator to take the field—along with a future star or two. The result was a bizarre experiment that sowed both turmoil and hope before fading into oblivion.

Justin Mckinney is a baseball researcher and archivist living in Canada. He has written articles on 19th century and early 20th century baseball for the SABR Research Journal Base Ball: Journal of the Early Game, and the SABR Biography Project and writes about deceased baseball players at medium.com/@BaseballObscura

Justin Mckinney
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 30 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8060-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4736-4
Imprint: McFarland