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1871 — The Birth of the Professional Nine
By a Student of the National Game
The year 1871 must ever stand as a landmark in the annals of base ball, for it marked the first earnest and organized effort to conduct the National Game upon a professional footing. The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, comprising nine clubs of recognized skill, entered upon its experiment with no little curiosity attending the outcome. That the venture prospered sufficiently to crown a champion is proof that the pastime had passed beyond the stage of mere recreation and assumed the character of established sport.
The campaign was of uneven arrangement, some clubs contesting but nineteen matches, others exceeding thirty; yet in aggregate 254 championship games were brought to issue. Batting was of a lively order. The combined average of the Association stood at the remarkable figure of .295, with 1,809 runs recorded. Clean hitting and dexterous base running were the chief instruments of success, for the home run—credited but twenty-nine times throughout the season—was still a rarity rather than a reliance. Pitchers, it should be noted, were called upon to complete their labors without substitute, and endurance was esteemed no less than skill.
Of the competing nines, the Chicago White Stockings showed the most consistent excellence. With a record of 20 victories against 8 defeats, they attained a percentage of .714 and permitted but 149 runs—far fewer than any rival. Their average of earned runs, 2.93, speaks to the steadiness of their pitching and the reliability of their fielding corps. In Boston, however, Chicago found a worthy antagonist. The Red Stockings, tallying 19 victories in 31 contests, equaled Chicago’s total of 292 runs scored, though they yielded 233 in return. Philadelphia and New York followed with creditable showings, while the lower clubs—particularly Troy and Rockford—struggled against both superior opposition and their own deficiencies, the former surrendering runs in disquieting abundance.
Though Chicago stood foremost by the arithmetic of the season, the championship was ultimately resolved in a concluding series between the two leading nines. In this trial, Boston proved the more fortunate and perhaps the more timely club, securing four victories to Chicago’s three and thus claiming the Association’s first professional laurels. The result furnished early testimony that superiority sustained through months of play does not invariably command triumph in a brief encounter.
Among individual performers, none shone more brightly than George Wright of Boston, whose batting average of .399, with admirable steadiness in the field, entitled him to the highest distinction of the season. His work was at once scientific and forceful, a model of accomplished play. In the pitcher’s position, Mr. Al Spalding bore the chief burden for Boston, winning 19 matches while laboring through 258 innings, and earning recognition as the foremost twirler of the year. That Boston men should figure so prominently in the honors is scarcely surprising, given their decisive success at the campaign’s conclusion.
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