[Archelirion]

1870

Baltimore Athletics: Above Average, Very Good, 63. 14,700, $10.8k budget, $4.684k payroll
Boston Clippers: Average, Good, 55, 13,244, $9.8k budget, $4.14k payroll
Brooklyn Reds: Above Average, Very Good, 74, 16,702, $12k budget, $5.098k payroll
Chicago Lions: Above Average, Good, 65, $11k budget, $4.966k payroll
Cincinnati Gray Stockings: Above Average, Very Good, 54, 13,062, $8.6k budget, $4.742k payroll
New York Prudentials: Big, Good, 78, 17,430, $13k budget, $6.052k payroll
Philadelphia Union: Average, Good, 48, 11,970, $9k, $4.376k payroll
St. Louis Black Caps: Very Big, Extreme, 80, 17,794, $13k, $6.796k payroll

A short, 28-game season taking place solely over the month of June, the inaugural National League was nevertheless fascinating to watch unfold. It was the New York Prudentials who eventually took the title, going 9-1 in their last 10 games to break away enough from a first half which had been fantastically even; on the 15th June (the halfway point), all 8 sides were separated by two games, with Philadelphia on top with an 8-6, and the Baltimore Athletics in last on a 6-8. The rest, astoundingly, were all on 7-7.

"It’s tighter than a rivet on a New Orleans steamer right now." – Frank Bellamy, Philadelphia Union manager, 15th June 1870.

The Brooklyn Reds will be wondering what could’ve been, as on the 26th June, their 11th innings 8-7 defeat to Baltimore at home spelled the end of a lead that stretched for nearly a third of the (admittedly short) season, allowing a poor-starting Prudentials to wreak havoc on the competition and eventually, themselves.

”I still look back at that now, 42 years on. Baseball’s a game of winning and losing but… to win something for the first ever time is an opportunity you only get once. And we lost that, forever.” – Pat Puffer, centre-fielder with the Brooklyn Reds during the 1870 season, 5th October 1912.

Champions – New York Prudential, 18-10 (0.643)

Final standings



Statistical leaders

Batting average
Richard McAllister (Philadelphia Union) – 0.398

Home runs
Richard McAllister (Philadelphia Union) – 2 (88 at-bats)
Ben DeNoon (Cincinnati Gray Stockings) – 2 (123 at-bats)
Gary Dugan (Boston Clippers) – 2 (127 at-bats)

RBI
Mike Sharp (Baltimore Athletics) – 25 (119 at-bats)
Juan Mendez (Boston Clippers) – 25 (136 at-bats)

Slugging percentage
Marty Lopez (St. Louis Black Caps) – 0.529

Wins (pitching)
Keith Galvin (New York Prudentials) – 14

ERA
Mario Avila (Chicago Lions) – 2.10

OBA
Clay Shields (Brooklyn Reds) – 0.251

Strikeouts
Keith Galvin (New York Prudentials) - 23


Timeline

31st March 1870: Dan Hartman, a 27-year-old second baseman from around Fort Lauderdale, Florida, becomes the first ever player signed by a National League side (after the original charter was signed), after joining the New York Prudentials on a pay-per-play contract.

1st June 1870: The first games in National League history played out today, all four games ending with the winning side claiming more than 10 runs: the Baltimore Athletics beat Philadelphia Union 11 to 4, St. Louis 10 to Boston’s 2, Brooklyn’s 15 to Cincinnati’s 7, and Chicago’s 10 to New York’s 6. Despite ultimately losing, Cincinnati’s Ben DeNoon becomes the first ever player to hit a home run, and the first double play was also witnessed, as St. Louis’ Andy Perdomo and Eric Porter found themselves played out by Boston’s Oscar Martinez, Gary Dugan and Pedro Sahagun.



8th June 1870: St. Louis catcher Seth O’Brien becomes the first ever player to hit 5 balls in a game, going 5-for-5 in a spectacular 17-16 win over the Boston Clippers. The game was particularly noteworthy for both its number of errors (25 between the two sides) and Boston’s ‘Phooey in St. Louis’ – after going into the 9th 10-16 to the home side, the Clippers managed a heroic 6 runs in the upper 9th, only for O’Brien to score what would be the winning run immediately afterwards.

9th June 1870: Gui-fei Si, a Chinese immigrant (from modern-day Taiwan) playing for the Brooklyn Reds, becomes the first pitcher to deliver a shutout in National League history, walking none and seeing only 4 hits. Brooklyn beat the St. Louis Black Caps 4-0.

10th June 1870: New York Prudential beat Philadelphia Union 5-4 at home, requiring a run from shortstop Billy Gentle in the 10th innings to win. This becomes the first ever National League game which runs into additional innings.

21st June 1870: The Boston Clippers beat the Cincinnati Gray Stockings 22-8 at home, Cameron Douglas scoring 4 runs on the day. The 14 run difference proves to be the largest winning difference of the season.

29th June 1870: Leonardo Zamaripa hits 20 games in a row for the St. Louis Black Caps, a record that will reach 21 and the end of the season. Amazingly, Chicago Lions’ Juan Lopez becomes the second person to achieve the feat only a day later, in Chicago’s 15-6 defeat to Philadelphia Union.

30th June 1870: New York Prudential are crowned the inaugural winners of the National League – despite losing their last game to St. Louis 10-9 in a stunning finale, they win 9 of their last 10 games to record an 18-10 record, the only 0.600+ team in 1870. The wooden spoon goes to the Chicago Lions, who finish on a 12-16 along with the Cincinnati Gray Stockings and the St. Louis Black Caps.

10th – 16th July 1870: Awards were given to the season’s highest achievers as follows:

Batting awards by position
P: Chris Salas (Boston), .340/.340/.383 – C: Seth O’Brien (St. Louis), .378/.378/.467 – 1B: Richard McAllister (Philadelphia), .398/.407/.511 – 2B: Leonardo Zamaripa (St. Louis), .360/.360/.470 – 3B: Hector Trevino (Brooklyn), .347/.359/.452 – SS: Pedro Sahagun (Boston), .286/.286/317 – LF: Casey Barnes (Baltimore), .328/.343/.383 – CF: Pat Puffer (Brooklyn), .328/.358/.438 – RF: Marty Lopez (St Louis), .361/.384/.529
In recognition of his batting efforts, the Batting Award was consequently renamed the Richard McAllister Award



Fielding awards by position
P: Jesus Navarro (Philadelphia) – C: Manuel Cantu (Boston) – 1B Antonio Zamora (Brooklyn) – 2B Jeremy Van der Kamp (Brooklyn) – 3B Rich Wood (Philadelphia) – SS Alex Ticas (Chicago) – LF Chris Braden (Boston) – CF Alex Estrada (New York) – RF Marty Lopez (St. Louis)
In recognition of his fielding efforts, the Fielding Award was consequently renamed the Antonio Zamora Award



Manager of the Year
Mark Silver (New York Prudentials, 18-10)
In recognition of his managerial success, the Manager of the Year Award was consequently renamed the Mark Silver Award

Best Pitcher
Omar Roque (St. Louis Black Caps, 9 games, 2 saves, 5-1 record, 0.68 ERA)
In recognition of his pitching success, the Best Pitcher Award was consequently renamed the Omar Roque Award
EDITOR’S NOTE: Omar Roque was signed on a 1-year, $100 contract with the New York Prudentials on the 2nd July 1870, which is why is card shows as such.



Most Valuable Player
Hector Trevino (Brooklyn Reds) – 0.347 AVG, 43 hits, 5 doubles, 4 triples and 22 RBIs