|
1876 Opening Day
The first National League game took place at Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia and was played by the four-time defending champion Boston Red Stockings and the Philadelphia Athletics. Philadelphia was a mediocre club in 1875 but they did have two notable players in Deacon White and Cap Anson. The 1875-76 offseason was an opportunity for clubs to upgrade because many players from defunct teams were free to sign with any club, but it appears Boston took more advantage of this (adding star outfielder Orator Jim O'Rourke) than the Athletics did.
The opening lineups:
Boston Red Stockings
Ross Barnes, 2b (.374 in 1875)
George Wright, ss (.313 in 1875)
Cal McVey, c (.335 in 1875)
Ed Pinkham, rf (.240 in 1875)
Jim O'Rourke, lf (.324 for Phil. Whites in 1875)
Al Spalding, 1b (.345 in 1875)
Frank McCarton, cf (.341 in 1875)
Harry Schafer, 3b (.284 in 1875)
Cy Bentley, p (22-3 in 1875)
Philadelphia Athletics
Mike McGeary, 2b (.303 in 1875)
Count Sensenderfer, cf (.274 in 1875)
Deacon White, c (.306 in 1875)
Cap Anson, 1b (.290 in 1875)
Henry Burroughs, 3b (.243 with New Haven in 1875)
Clipper Flynn, rf (.270 in 1875)
Count Gedney, lf (.270 in 1875)
John Richmond, ss (.263 in 1875)
Lon Knight, p (12-14 in 1875)
Ross Barnes wasted no time, getting the first hit and the first extra-base hit in National League history by knocking the game's first pitch to left-center field for a double. George Wright reached on an error by rookie shortstop John Richmond, then Cal McVey got a two-run single. A few batters later Al Spalding knocked in McVey and Boston had a quick 3-0 lead. The game looked like a blowout in the making.
However, in the bottom of the inning the Athletics surprised Bentley and the Red Stockings by adding three runs of their own, with a two-out, two-run double by Clipper Flynn as the key hit. After one inning the game was tied at 3. It got worse for Boston - in the bottom of the second, two-out hits by Deacon White and Cap Anson allowed the Athletics to score three more runs to take a 6-3 lead.
The teams traded some runs in the middle innings but Philadelphia maintained their substantial lead - it was 9-5 heading into the seventh. Then in the bottom of the seventh, the Athletics exploded for four more runs to open up a 13-5 advantage. Boston added one more run late in the game, and that was it. The Athletics had defeated the mighty Red Stockings for an Opening Day win.
Clipper Flynn was the game's big star, going 4 for 4 with two singles, two doubles, two runs scored and two driven in. The only blemish on the game for Philadelphia was the fact that center fielder Count Sensenderfer had to leave the game with an injury after his second-inning double. It was unclear how serious his injury was - Sensenderfer has been a fixture for Philadelphia in center field since 1871, so his loss would really hurt them.
|