Browning lost his appetite for playing in Louisville during a hellish 1889 season . That year , the luckless franchise ( by now known as the Colonels ) finished last in the league with 27 wins and 111 losses , 66.5 games behind the top club . The season included not only a major league record 26-game losing streak , but also a narrow escape from the Johnstown Flood and the sport 's first-ever strike . In the dispute , Browning was one of six players who refused to take the field as a protest against a series of heavy fines assessed by team owner Mordecai Davidson . The game took place as scheduled with the assistance of three local amateurs , and the striking players returned to work before the next contest . Browning finished the season with a .256 average , the first time he was not among the league 's top three hitters . He left the American Association after eight seasons with a .345 career average , which would stand as the best mark by any player with more than one season in the league ; Tip O'Neill ranks second at .343
Johnstown Flood
Johnstown Flood
Pete Browning