Hutchinson) and 270 walks. 1893–1898 After the 1892 season, in a move that was orchestrated by Giants' owner Andrew Freedman, Amos Rusie was released in a move to get him to sign a new contract for lesser value. It was a typical move for a man whos was considered to be both malevolent and stingy to his players. Despite a gentleman’s agreement between the owners not to sign him, the Chicago White Stockings picked him for $8,250, which included a $2000 bonus. The chagrined Giants bought the contract back and even had the temerity to try to count the bonus money as part of his salary. With the pitching area being moved back in 1893, Rusie's strikeout total dropped to 208; still he was the league leader. The 1893 campaign was a truly extraordinary one for Amos Rusie. He had 50 complete games in 52 starts and went 33–21. In 1894, Rusie won pitching's triple crown. He led the league in wins with 36–13, strikeouts with 195, and with a league best ERA of 2.78 (especially spectacular considering that the league average that year was 5.32). He also led the league in walks for the fifth straight time with an even 200. His pitching was keystone in leading the normally also-ran Giants to National League runner up that year. After the conclusion of the 1894 regular season, a Pittsburgh sportsman named William C. Temple sponsored a trophy for the winner between the regular season 1st and 2nd place teams in the National League. The runner-up Giants swept the Baltimore Orioles, who featured Hall of Famers John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson, 4–0. Rusie was virtually untouchable in the Temple Cup, giving up only one earned run while winning two complete games and compiling a 0.50 ERA; if that was not enough, he even batted .429. Rusie's win total that year was fourth best since the establishment of the modern pitching distance of 60'-6". Rusie won his last strikeout crown in the 1895 campaign with 201. However, he finished with a mediocre (by his standards) 23 wins and 23 losses. After a bitter contract dispute with Giants' owner Andrew Freedman, where the owner looked at his 23 losses and alleged he was slacking off in his training, Rusie responded by publicly thumbing his nose at Freedman — the 19th century variant of the middle finger. He was fined $200 (he made only