The 1883 Philadelphia Athletics

In 1883, the Philadelphia Athletics were champions of the American Association. Although they are largely-forgotten today, the team epitomized the Beer and Whiskey League. The summer of 1883 had one of the tightest pennant races in baseball history to that point, with the Athletics edging out Chris Von Der Ahe's St. Louis Browns by a single game. The race fueled the popularity of the game of baseball, particularly in Philadelphia and St. Louis. The Athletics were a hard-living team that connected with the working-class immigrants of Philadelphia. Despite numerous injuries, the team battled through adversity to bring Philadelphia a championship.