[Haystacks]

1877 Season Recap

The second season of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Clubs proved the stability and sound foundation of the new organization.

During the 1876–77 off-season, the Association agreed to a series of rule tweaks and changes that affected on-field play. A new definition of fair and foul balls was written—one that endures to this day. The rule defined a fair ball as one “batted directly to the ground that bound or roll within the foul lines between home and first or home and third base, without first touching the person of a player … [and designated as foul] all balls batted directly to the ground that bound or roll outside the foul lines between home and first or home and third bases, without first touching the person of a player … In either of these cases the first point of contact between the batted ball and the ground shall not be regarded.”

Other rule changes included a visiting team’s right to a 20 percent share of ticket sales, the guarantee that each club play 50 percent of its schedule at home, and the addition of Article XX to the league constitution—allowing a club to petition for membership provided it appeared likely to be able to compete competitively and committed to “make base ball playing respectable and honorable and … protect and promote the mutual interests of professional base ball clubs and professional base ball players.”

Finally the early frame work of what would become the reserve-clause was enshrined in the rule book with the addition of an article specifically prohibiting any league club from playing any other club that employed a player expelled by the National League or even released by his team “on account of disagreement between such player and his club.”

Throughout 1877 both leagues displayed their competitive nature and balance. Although the bottom clubs remained familiar, the upper half of each league saw constant movement, with the top positions changing hands many times over.


League Standings

EASTERN LEAGUE STANDINGS
W L PCT GB
Boston Red Stockings 44 26 .629 -
Hartford Dark Blues 41 29 .586 3.0
Brooklyn Atlantic Club 37 33 .529 7.0
Providence Grays 35 35 .500 9.0
New York Mutuals 29 41 .414 15.0
Philadelphia Quakers 24 46 .343 20.0

WESTERN LEAGUE STANDINGS
W L PCT GB
Chicago White Stockings 43 27 .614 -
Cincinnati Originals 42 28 .600 1.0
Detroit Wolverines 39 31 .557 4.0
Milwaukee Cream City 31 39 .443 12.0
St. Louis Brown Stockings31 39 .443 12.0
Cleveland Lakeshore Club 24 46 .343 19.0


National Championship Series
Eastern Champion: Boston Red Stockings
Western Champion: Chicago White Stockings
Result: Chicago defeats Boston, 5 games to 4
Series Silver Ball: Charles Cartwright, OF, Chicago


Batting Leaders – Eastern League
Batting average – James Bauer, Providence - .365
Runs batted in – Charles Wilson, Hartford - 55
Stolen Bases – Frederick Jackson, New York Mutuals - 64

Batting Leaders – Western League
Batting average – Robert Thompson, Cincinnati - .373
Runs batted in – Frank Brown, Chicago - 53
Stolen Bases – Vincent O’Toole, Detroit - 65


Pitching Leaders – Eastern League
Earned Run Average – Ivan Ibarra, Hartford – 1.91
Wins – Israel Flores, Boston - 21
Strikeouts – George Zettlein, Brooklyn - 100

Pitching Leaders – Western League
Earned Run Average – Edward Klein, Cincinnati – 2.05
Wins – Samuel Moore, Cincinnati - 22
Strikeouts – Samuel Moore, Cincinnati - 83


Awards & Honors
Most Distinguished Player Medal, Eastern League - John Hall (1B, Hartford) – AVG .346, 98 hits, 46 RBIs
Most Distinguished Player Medal, Western League - Vincent O’Toole (SS, Detroit) – AVG .302, 97 hits, 50 RBIs


Season Notes

George Zettlein becomes the first pitcher to reach 100 strikeouts in a season.

This 1877 Championship series is often credited with being the first to grab what you could describe as national attention, as news spread daily of the series extending to 9 games, the back and forth nature of it all really captured the imagination of the public in cities all across the east coast and midwest.