 By 1883 , Gilligan had become the Grays starting catcher . Despite breaking his finger and missing two weeks in May , Gilligan led the National League in assists as a catcher , while his team finished third in the NL . He continued his tenure with the Grays the following season . Gilligan played in a career @-@ high 82 games , while also recording career highs in RBI ( 38 ) , strikeouts ( 41 ) , and on @-@ base percentage ( .325 ) and leading MLB in defensive games as a catcher ( 81 ) . After finishing at the top of the NL , the Grays played in the 1884 World Series against the New York Metropolitans of the American Association . Gilligan went 4 – for – 9 over the three @-@ game series , with the Grays defeating the Metropolitans three games to none . 
