August proved to be a fatal month for Brooklyn, they only winning 8 games out of 22 won and lost this month, the result of their tumble being their retirement to fourth place, Cincinnati rallying well this month, while St. Louis began to look sure for the pennant, the Athletics ending the month a good third in the race. In September the Athletics pressed the Cincinnatis hard, and drove them out of second place, and before the month ended it was made evident that the closing part of the campaign would see a hot fight for the second position in the race between the Athletic and Brooklyn teams, September seeing the St. Louis team a fixture for first place, while Cincinnati was kept back in fourth position. By the close of September, St. Louis held first with a percentage of .691; the Athletics were second, with .615; Brooklyn third with .606, and Cincinnati fourth with .574. October saw a close struggle between the Athletic and Brooklyn teams for second place, and had the former team been kept temperate they would have finished second; but they "boozed" too much in October, and this gave Brooklyn the chance to take the position from them, and when the campaign ended on the 17th of October the record left the eight clubs occupying the following relative positions: | Won. | Lost. | Per Ct. ----------+------+-------+------- St. Louis | 92 | 43 | .681 Brooklyn | 88 | 52 | .629 Athletic | 81 | 52 | .609 Cincinnati| 80 | 54 | .597 Baltimore | 57 | 80 | .416 Cleveland | 50 | 82 | .378 Louisville| 48 | 87 | .355 Kans. City| 43 | 89 | .326 In the above record the Athletic Club is credited with one victory and Baltimore with one defeat less than they were given credit for in the records published at the close of the season. The game was taken out of the record by the following order of President Wikoff: NEW YORK, October 16. W.S. KAMES, Esq, Secretary Athletic Base Ball Club, Philadelphia: _Dear Sir:_--I find on examination that the Baltimore Athletic game of June 10, 1888, played at Gloucester, N.J., and won by your club, and which has been counted in the regular championship series as a postponed game of April 21, was irregular, for the reason that the said postponed game of April 21 was played off by your club in Philadelphia as per authority of my official circular No. 36, on May 16, 1888. Therefore, the game won by the Athletic Club on June 10 cannot be counted in the regular championship series. Yours truly, WHEELER C. WIKOFF, Secy.