History of Major League Base Ball (revised)

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Following the exciting pennant race of 1875 and its ultimately disappointing conclusion, it was clear that things were going to change in professional base ball. Officially, Harry Wright's Boston Red Stockings, owned by team president Ivers Whitney Adams, won its fourth consecutive National Association pennant. Unofficially, there were so many questions around the victory, as William Hulbert's upstart Chicago White Stockings finished with a slightly better winning percentage (.776 to .772), but because they played fewer games they were held to have finished second.

That might have been acceptable if Chicago's fewer games were their own fault, but that was hardly plausible. The season began with four western clubs - Chicago, the two St. Louis clubs and the Keokuk Westerns - but over the course of the season the weaker St. Louis Reds and the Westerns disbanded and did not complete their schedule. Meanwhile, the eastern clubs were simply not willing to make multiple two-day train trips out to Chicago to play the White Stockings.

This was symptomatic of the disorderly nature of the National Association in general. Because clubs could sign up by simply paying an entry fee, there were many overmatched clubs that played poorly and did not last beyond their early months. From the Fort Wayne Kekiongas, holdovers from the amateur era who could not compete with the new all-professional competition, to the Baltimore Marylands of 1872, who were not even one of the better clubs in Baltimore, to 1873's Elizabeth Resolutes to 1875's Westerns and the New Haven Elm Citys, the Association was stuffed with clubs that could not hope to compete.

After the debacle that was the 1875 pennant, owners Hulbert and Adams gathered together representatives of the most prominent clubs of the season. This included the New York Mutuals, a club that had been prominent in Gotham since the Civil War and the only winner of a National Association pennant other than Boston. It also included the stable Athletic club of Philadelphia, the Hartford Dark Blues, a club that had recently gained prominence, and the St. Louis Brown Stockings, who many whispered were only added so Chicago would have another western representative. Shut out from the group were the Brooklyn Atlantics and the Philadelphia Whites, both of which were relatively strong, stable teams. The rumor was that Mutual and Athletic would not join the new circuit if they had local competition.

For this new league was not to be open to all; it was to be a stable league with team owners having financial stability. Detractors called it a cartel, but that cartel was made a bit stronger in the winter of 1875-76 when invitations were extended to a club from Cincinnati, home of the first openly professional club in 1869, and Louisville, long a hotbed of amateur base ball.

These eight clubs would vie for supremacy in 1876. Furthermore, in order that each club would be able to maintain a reserve roster of talent available at a moment's notice, players were bound to their teams for as long as the owners wished to keep them, and a circuit of eight teams from the northwestern United States were designated as "affiliate teams," and would play a schedule of games for talented players not quite good enough to play on the parent clubs. These eight cities were Peoria, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Quincy, Terre Haute, Evansville, Fort Wayne and Grand Rapids.

The stage was set. On April 22, 1876, the National League began play.

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First, a word about the top players of the National Association. The top nine players in hits over the course of the Association were Boston's George Wright (464), Chicago's Levi Meyerle (452), Boston's Ross Barnes (443), Cal McVey (432), also of Boston, Lip Pike (401), who played for several teams but most recently for St. Louis, Chicago's George Hall (399), New York's John Hatfield (387) and Dave Eggler (383) and Fred Cone (382) of Boston. Joe Start of New York was the tenth-leading hitter of the Association, but he unexpectedly retired from professional base ball right on the eve of the new season, leaving New York with a hole at first base.

Though pitching was less important in the Association game, Boston's Al Spalding (117 wins) was the Association leader. Beginning in 1874, a young pitcher named Dan Collins began throwing for Chicago and he was a trickster, much like the late Jim Creighton used to be. The other clubs complained and it seemed that Collins's way of throwing would be outlawed. However, it also proved to be very popular - crowds would come out to watch Collins pitch. His style was allowed, and he began striking out batters - 93 in 1874 and 103 in 1875, far and away the league leader. He was a huge part of Chicago's near-pennant in 1875. Unfortunately for the club, he joined the new Louisville club in the offseason, which will make things much harder for Chicago and should provide instant respectability for the Grays.

As for the new National League, Chadwick's Sporting Letter, the most respected base ball newsletter, has made the following predictions for the inaugural National League season:

1st place - Boston. The club's important players are all back again this season and they have won four times in a row in the Association.

2d place - Chicago. The loss of Dan Collins as the key pitcher will hurt them, and this season should be an easier win for Boston.

3d place - New York. They have several good players but not enough to challenge the top two.

4th place - Louisville. With Dan Collins and several other established players, this new club should be respectable immediately.

5th place - Hartford. Orator Shafer is a star in the making, but the rest of the team is not good.

6th place - Philadelphia. Deacon White and Cap Anson are good but not good enough to put them in contention.

7th place - Cincinnati. This new team is mostly other teams' leavings and will not be very good.

8th place - St. Louis. Most of their starting players failed to make it on better teams.

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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.

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Boston had a second game against Philadelphia on Monday, April 24 and this time they won easily, 15-2, as new Red Stocking Jim O'Rourke became the eighth professional player to ever get six hits in a game. (The last was Dave Eggler, who did it for New York in July 1875.)

Then, on April 25, five different clubs had their opening game. A look at those matchups and the clubs' Opening Day lineups follows.

St. Louis Brown Stockings at Cincinnati Reds

These clubs are widely expected to be around the bottom of the standings, but one of them will have a perfect record after today. Their opening lineups:

St. Louis

Denny Mack, 1b (.251 in 1875 with Phil. Whites)
Ned Cuthbert, lf (.270 in 1875)
Lip Pike, rf (.312 in 1875)
Fred Waterman, 3b (.283 in 1875 with Phil. Whites)
Tom Foley, c (.238 in 1875)
Jack Remsen, cf (.213 in 1875 with Brooklyn)
Tommy Beals, 2b (.272 in 1875 with Phil. Whites)
Billy Geer, ss (2 AB with Brooklyn in 1875)
Pud Galvin, p (14-15 in 1875)

Cincinnati

Tim Murnane, 1b (.245 with Brooklyn in 1875)
Steve Brady, rf (.292 with Washington in 1875)
Jim Holdsworth, cf (.340 with Phil. Whites in 1875)
Charley Jones, lf (.254 with Keokuk in 1875)
Doug Allison, c (.270 with Phil. Whites in 1875)
Henry Kessler, ss (4 AB with Brooklyn in 1875)
Trick McSorley, 3b (.250 with St. Louis Reds in 1875)
Charlie Sweasy, 2b (.196 with St. Louis Reds in 1875)
Cherokee Fisher, p (21-21 with Hartford in 1875)

Cincinnati struck first in the game, getting solo runs in the first and second innings to lead, 1-0. (Tim Murnane led off with the club's first hit and came around to score their first run.) However, St. Louis countered with a run in the third and three in the fourth, with Cincinnati adding two in the bottom of the fourth to tie it.

In the top of the fifth inning, St. Louis loaded the bases with one out and Tom Foley knocked a two-run single to give them the lead. They added another run on an error, then Pud Galvin had a two-on, two-out hit to make it 9-4. That proved to be decisive, as neither club was able to do much after that, with St. Louis tacking on a couple more late runs to get the win by a final of 11-4. Galvin, with three RBI to go with the four strikeouts he got in getting the pitching win, was unquestionably the top player of the game. Cuthbert and Waterman also each had three hits for the Browns.

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April 25, 1876 also saw Chicago play its first game of the season, and it was a fine rivalry game as they opened the season in Louisville against their former "ace" pitcher Dan Collins. Chicago's goal for the season was to take over the base ball title from Boston, but that will be much harder without their top pitcher. The lineups for the game:

Chicago White Stockings

Paul Hines, cf (.275 in 1875)
Davy Force, ss (.324 in 1875)
Levi Meyerle, 3b (.344 in 1875)
George Hall, rf (.377 in 1875)
Jim Foran, 1b (.301 in 1875)
Jim Tipper, lf (.362 for New Haven in 1875)
Fergy Malone, c (.292 in 1875)
Joe Quest, 2b (.259 for Phil. Centennials in 1875)
Asa Brainard, p (15-4 with New York in 1875)

Louisville Grays

George Bechtel, rf (.267 with Phil. Centennials in 1875)
Jim Clinton, cf (.280 with New York in 1875)
Jim Devlin, 1b (.344 with Chicago in 1875)
Tom York, lf (.340 with Keokuk in 1875)
Scott Hastings, c (.275 with Hartford in 1875)
Chick Fulmer, ss (.337 with Phil. Whites in 1875)
Joe Gerhardt, 2b (3 AB with Boston in 1875)
Bill Hague, 3b (.199 with St. Louis Browns in 1875)
Dan Collins, p (28-5 with Chicago in 1875)

The game began in a particularly frustrating way for Chicago, as both Paul Hines and Levi Meyerle were struck out by Dan Collins in the first inning. However, this was something of an anomaly - while both defenses played well and kept the score low, through seven innings Collins still had only those two strikeouts. Chicago scored one run in the second inning and Louisville got two of their own. Each club added a run in the middle innings and going into the eighth inning Louisville held a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the eighth, Chicago got a man into scoring position on an error by Louisville center fielder Big Jim Clinton but failed to bring him in. Meanwhile, in the bottom of the inning Tom York hit a double and scored on a two-out error by Jim Foran. It was 4-2 Louisville.

In the top of the ninth inning, first John Glenn flied to left, then Paul Hines popped out to first. Dan Collins was one out away from defeating his former club. However, Davy Force got a base hit, then Levi Meyerle did the same. With two on and two out, star hitter George Hall stepped to the plate. He hit Collins's 2-1 pitch WAY out to right field, over everyone's head, and when the dust settled Hall had a three-run home run and Chicago had a 5-4 lead. Louisville was held scoreless in the ninth, and Chicago had beaten Dan Collins and Louisville to win their Opening Day game.

Chicago 5, Louisville 4

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Two teams still needed to play their first NL game, and one of them played on April 25, 1876. After Boston split their first two games in Philadelphia, they went to New York to take on the Mutuals, the only other club that has won a professional pennant.

Boston (1-1) at New York (0-0)

Opening Day lineups:

Boston

Ross Barnes, 2b
George Wright, ss
Cal McVey, c
Ed Pinkham, rf
Jim O'Rourke, lf
Frank McCarton, cf
Jim Carleton, 1b
Harry Schafer, 3b
Jim Britt, p

New York

Dave Eggler, cf (.321 in 1875)
John McMullin, rf (.311 in 1875)
Steve King, lf (.344 in 1875)
Ezra Sutton, ss (.337 in 1875)
John Clapp, c (.241 in 1875)
Bob Ferguson, 3b (.232 for Brooklyn in 1875)
John Hatfield, 2b (.313 in 1875)
Z.H. Taylor, 1b (.277 for Washington in 1875)
Bobby Mathews, p (13-11 in 1875)

New York jumped out to a big lead early, leading 8-1 through four innings. John McMullin was the big star, going 3 for 3 with three runs scored and three RBI, including two triples. The Red Stockings scored a few runs from there, with Ross Barnes adding three hits and Cal McVey getting four, but in the end those first few innings were enough to carry New York to an Opening Day win.

New York 8, Boston 4

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Just one team had yet to play its Opening Day game - Hartford. They visited New York on April 27, 1876 to begin their season. The lineups for that game:

Hartford Dark Blues (0-0)

Andy Leonard, 2b (.339 for New Haven in 1875)
Holly Hollingshead, cf (.269 for Washington in 1875)
Orator Shafer, rf (.297 in 1875)
Everett Mills, 1b (.282 in 1875)
Bill Harbridge, c (.208 in 1875)
Tom Carey, ss (.235 in 1875)
Joe Battin, 3b (.233 in 1875)
George Seward, lf (.219 in 1875)
Tricky Nichols, p (9-16 with New Haven in 1875)

New York Mutuals (1-0)

Dave Eggler, cf
John McMullin, rf
Steve King, lf
Ezra Sutton, ss
John Hatfield, 2b
Bob Ferguson, 3b
Nat Hicks, c
Z.H. Taylor, 1b
Hugh Campbell, p

The game began as a duel of pitching and defense, as neither team scored in the first three innings. In the bottom of the fourth, New York scored the game's first run, as leadoff singles by Sutton and Candy Nelson (who had to replace John Hatfield at second due to an injury) allowed the Mutuals to score a run on a ground out.

Hartford came right back in the top of the fifth, as New York committed three errors in the inning and that coupled with hits by Joe Battin, George Seward and Holly Hollingshead allowed the Dark Blues to take a 4-1 lead. The Mutuals edged closer with solo runs in the next two innings, but Hartford got extra base hits from Andy Leonard and Orator Shafer in the seventh to run the lead to 5-3. That was where things stood going into the final two innings.

Hartford were retired in order in the eighth, while Mutual got hits from Candy Nelson and Bob Ferguson but failed to get any runs. Hartford got an insurance run in the top of the ninth and everything looked good, then the defense utterly fell apart. After getting two outs in the innings and allowing one runner, it was three consecutive errors for the Dark Blues, then Bob Ferguson singled home Candy Nelson with the winning run. Because of some truly awful defensive lapses, Mutual stole Hartford's first game from them.

New York 7, Hartford 6

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The very early standings on April 30, as the affiliated minor leagues get ready to start play for the first time:

Chicago White Stockings 3-0
New York Mutuals 2-0
Hartford Dark Blues 1-1
Philadelphia Athletics 1-1
Cincinnati Reds 1-2
Louisville Grays 1-2
St. Louis Brown Stockings 1-2
Boston Red Stockings 1-3

Could these early struggles be a sign of trouble in Boston?

The early league leaders:

Batting Average

Clipper Flynn, Philadelphia - .833
Bob Ferguson, New York - .667
Jim O'Rourke, Boston - .632
Billy Geer, St. Louis - .600
Dave Eggler, New York - .556
John McMullin, New York - .556
Joe Quest, Chicago - .545

Runs Scored

Frank McCarton, Boston - 6
Fred Waterman, St. Louis - 6
Ross Barnes, Boston - 5
Paul Hines, Chicago - 5
Jack Remsen, St. Louis - 5
7 players tied with 4 each

Runs Batted In

George Bechtel, Louisville - 6
Cal McVey, Boston - 5
Jack Remsen, St. Louis - 5
Tom Foley, St. Louis - 4
15 players tied with 3 each

Won-Loss Record

Asa Brainard, Chicago, 2-0
7 players tied at 1-0 each

Earned Run Average (This is a new statistic showing how many earned runs a pitcher gives up per game.)

Pidgey Morgan, Cincinnati - 0.00
Asa Brainard, Chicago - 0.53
Pud Galvin, St. Louis - 0.66
Lon Knight, Philadelphia - 1.00
Al Spalding, Boston - 1.00
NFN McDoolan, Boston - 1.29
2 players tied with 2.00

Strikeouts

Pud Galvin, St. Louis - 6
Dan Collins, Louisville - 3
Al Spalding, Boston - 3
George Bradley, St. Louis - 2
Pidgey Morgan, Cincinnati - 2
11 players tied with 1 each

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There's no way to follow all the NL games, but I'm going to highlight games where the pennant lead has a chance to change hands.

May 2, 1876

Chicago White Stockings (3-0) at Cincinnati Reds (1-2)

With Boston's early season stumbles, Chicago are looking promising for this season. However, New York are also unbeaten and are looking to catch the White Stockings. Today Chicago takes on Cincinnati to try to remain one of the two unbeaten clubs in the National League.

Chicago lineup

Paul Hines, cf (.200)
Davy Force, ss (.333)
Levi Meyerle, 3b (.357)
George Hall, rf (.357)
Jim Foran, 1b (.500)
Jim Tipper, lf (.214)
Tom Barlow, c (.250)
Joe Quest, 2b (.545)
Asa Brainard, p (2-0, 0.53)

Cincinnati lineup

Tim Murnane, 1b (.267)
Steve Brady, rf (.231)
Jim Holdsworth, cf (.231)
John Bass, ss (.333)
Charley Jones, lf (.182)
Doug Allison, c (.231)
Will Foley, 3b (.333)
Charlie Sweasy, 2b (.167)
Cherokee Fisher, p (0-2, 5.27)

Chicago jumped out to a solid early lead, as star third baseman Levi Meyerle got a big hit in each of the first two innings, with an RBI triple in the first and a two-out RBI single in the second. After an inning and a half it was 4-0 Chicago.

Cincinnati got a run back in the bottom of the fourth inning, but Chicago made it 6-1 in the sixth when George Hall hit a two-run single. The clubs each got two runs in the eighth inning, but then Chicago blew things open further in the ninth to take an 11-3 lead as Hall got another RBI hit. That was how things ended in the game, as Chicago's hitting stars Meyerle and Hall combined to go 7 for 12 with six RBI in the game.

There was a cloud over the win though, as Paul Hines, Chicago's 21-year-old center field prospect, had to leave the game in the middle innings due to injury. There was no word at game's end how serious the injury might be. New York also won to remain unbeaten, as the two clubs are putting a bit of early season distance between themselves and the rest of the league.

Chicago 11, Cincinnati 3

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May 3, 1876

New York Mutuals (3-0) at Philadelphia Athletics (1-2)

The Mutuals have the chance to catch Chicago at 4-0 with a win against the Athletics.

New York lineup

Dave Eggler, cf (.429)
John McMullin, rf (.538)
Steve King, lf (.143)
Ezra Sutton, ss (.231)
John Hatfield, 2b (.125)
Bob Ferguson, 3b (.538)
Nat Hicks, c (.000)
Z.H. Taylor, 1b (.091)
Hugh Campbell, p (1-0, 2.00)

Philadelphia lineup

Mike McGeary, 2b (.154)
Count Sensenderfer, cf (.182)
Deacon White, c (.154)
Cap Anson, 1b (.231)
John Radcliff, ss (.250)
Clipper Flynn, rf (.700)
Count Gedney, lf (.400)
Henry Burroughs, 3b (.273)
Dick McBride, p (0-1, 2.70)

This game was a duel of pitching and defense - neither club managed to score for the game's first four innings. In the fifth, New York's John McMullin singled home Z.H. Taylor, and the Mutuals took a 1-0 lead.

From there, pitching and defense took over and no one scored again until the eighth inning. In the eighth, three consecutive hits - singles by Ezra Sutton and John Hatfield and a double by Bob Ferguson - led to two runs for New York to give them a 3-0 lead. However, a Mike McGeary double, a Count Sensenderfer single and a couple of Mutual errors allowed Philadelphia to make it 3-2 in the bottom of the inning. The game headed into the ninth inning with New York on top 3-2.

New York went down in order in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the inning, Henry Burroughs got a one-out single. Pinch hitter Charlie Pabor, batting for Dick McBride, hit into a fielder's choice, then Mike McGeary, the Athletics' last hope, hit a weak grounder back to Hugh Campbell, who threw him out at first to end the game.

New York and Chicago were both undefeated and together at the top of the standings.

New York 3, Philadelphia 2

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The standings on Sunday, May 7, 1876:

Chicago White Stockings 5-0
New York Mutuals 6-1
Hartford Dark Blues 3-2
Louisville Grays 3-3
St. Louis Brown Stockings 2-3
Boston Red Stockings 2-4
Cincinnati Reds 1-5
Philadelphia Athletics 1-5

Chicago and New York are doing well, though of course it's way too soon to think it's going to be a two-team race.

The league leaders:

Batting Average

Jim O'Rourke, Boston - .519
Levi Meyerle, Chicago - .423
Henry Burroughs, Philadelphia - .400
Jim Foran, Chicago - .400
Everett Mills, Hartford - .391
John McMullin, New York - .387
Clipper Flynn, Philadelphia - .375

Runs Scored

Fred Waterman, St. Louis - 9
Davy Force, Chicago - 8
Paul Hines, Chicago - 8
Dave Eggler, New York - 7
Chick Fulmer, Louisville - 7
Tom York, Louisville - 7
12 players tied with 6 each

Runs Batted In

John Bass, Cincinnati - 8
George Hall, Chicago - 8
6 players tied with 7 each

Won-Loss Record

Asa Brainard, Chicago, 4-0
Bobby Mathews, New York, 3-0
Hugh Campbell, New York, 2-1
Pud Galvin, St. Louis, 2-1
Dan Collins, Louisville, 2-2
5 players tied at 1-0 each

Earned Run Average (This is a new statistic showing how many earned runs a pitcher gives up per game.)

Asa Brainard, Chicago - 0.51
Pud Galvin, St. Louis - 0.77
NFN Edwards, Cincinnati - 1.00
Bobby Mathews, New York - 1.00
NFN McDoolan, Boston - 1.29
Martin Malone, Cincinnati - 1.35
Al Spalding, Boston - 1.56

Strikeouts

Dan Collins, Louisville - 16
Pud Galvin, St. Louis - 7
Al Spalding, Boston - 7
Cherokee Fisher, Cincinnati - 4
Bobby Mathews, New York - 4
Tricky Nichols, Hartford - 4
Lon Knight, Philadelphia - 3

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

May 8, 1876

Chicago White Stockings (5-0) at St. Louis Brown Stockings (2-3)

Chicago and New York remained tied by won-loss record going into this game, but the White Stockings are the only remaining unbeaten club in the National League, and that is on the line in this game.

Chicago lineup

Paul Hines, cf (.208)
Davy Force, ss (.269)
Levi Meyerle, 3b (.423)
George Hall, rf (.375)
Jim Foran, 1b (.400)
John Glenn, lf (.250)
Tom Barlow, c (.111)
Joe Quest, 2b (.350)
Asa Brainard, p (4-0, 0.51)

St. Louis lineup

Denny Mack, 1b (.292)
Ned Cuthbert, lf (.273)
Lip Pike, rf (.250)
Fred Waterman, 3b (.364)
Jack Remsen, cf (.350)
Tom Foley, c (.250)
Tommy Beals, 2b (.333)
Ed Duffy, ss (.000)
Pud Galvin, p (2-1, 0.77)

Chicago jumped out to a big lead in the first inning with three runs on extra-base hits by Davy Force and John Glenn. That 3-0 lead held until the third inning, when St. Louis scored four runs. Tommy Beals got a double for the Browns, but the big event of the inning was three throwing errors by Chicago catcher Tom Barlow.

Chicago roared back in the fifth inning with a four-run inning, with RBI hits by George Hall, Jim Foran and Joe Quest. St. Louis scored one of their own to make it 7-5, and that's where things stood until the eighth inning, when Chicago erupted for five runs to turn the game into a blowout.

In the end, three hits for Paul Hines and two each for Jim Foran, John Glenn and Joe Quest led the way as Chicago's offense extended their season-opening winning streak to six games.

Chicago 12, St. Louis 5

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

May 11, 1876

Philadelphia Athletics (2-5) at New York Mutuals (7-1)

After Chicago lost their home opener against lowly Cincinnati to become the last unbeaten club to fall, New York had a half-game lead in the NL. In this game, they'd fight to hold the lead as Chicago hosted the Reds once again.

Philadelphia lineup

Mike McGeary, 2b (.147)
Count Sensenderfer, cf (.241)
Deacon White, c (.281)
Cap Anson, 1b (.300)
John Radcliff, ss (.346)
Charlie Pabor, rf (.250)
Count Gedney, lf (.348)
Henry Burroughs, 3b (.357)
Lon Knight, p (1-2, 2.37)

New York lineup

Dave Eggler, cf (.342)
John McMullin, rf (.371)
Steve King, lf (.216)
Ezra Sutton, ss (.375)
John Clapp, c (.278)
Bob Ferguson, 3b (.281)
John Hatfield, 2b (.300)
Z.H. Taylor, 1b (.167)
Bobby Mathews, p (4-0, 1.25)

Each club managed one run in the first three innings of the game, Philadelphia on a Bob Ferguson error followed by two singles and New York on two singles followed by a Charlie Pabor error. In the top of the fourth, Philadelphia got consecutive two-out RBI hits by Mike McGeary, Count Sensenderfer and Deacon White to take a 4-1 lead.

The Mutuals struck right back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs of their own with a John Hatfield sacrifice fly and then taking advantage of a couple errors by Henry Burroughs. A Mike McGeary error in the fifth allowed New York to take its first lead of the game, 5-4.

New York extended its lead in the bottom of the seventh, as John Hatfield and Z.H. Taylor each got RBI singles with two outs to make it 7-4. It looked close to being wrapped out, but in the top of the eighth, Deacon White came up with two outs and the bases loaded after the Athletics had already scored one run. White smashed a triple to score three runs and give the Athletics an 8-7 lead.

That was the score going into the bottom of the ninth. For New York, John Clapp led off the inning with a fly to center field that Count Sensenderfer dropped, allowing Clapp to reach base. Bob Ferguson followed with a base hit, then Hatfield sacrificed the two runners into scoring position. Candy Nelson batted for Z.H. Taylor, he singled to right and both runners came in to score and New York had a walk-off 9-8 victory.

New York overcame a five-RBI performance by Deacon White in the game, and stayed a half-game ahead of Chicago, who also won their game.

New York 9, Philadelphia 8

[mjj55409]

woah, ...quickly checks year...great to see this return, Eck!

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

May 13, 1876

Louisville Grays (5-3) at Chicago White Stockings (7-1)

As Chicago still trails New York by a half-game heading into the week-end, they host Louisville, currently third in the National League. The new Grays are led by two former Chicago players - pitcher Dan Collins and first baseman Jim Devlin.

Louisville lineup

George Bechtel, rf (.256)
Jim Clinton, cf (.225)
Jimmy Wood, 2b (.400)
Tom York, lf (.189)
Jim Devlin, 1b (.389)
Scott Hastings, c (.306)
Chick Fulmer, ss (.216)
Bill Hague, 3b (.286)
Dan Collins, p (3-2, 3.18)

Chicago lineup

Paul Hines, cf (.231)
Davy Force, ss (.250)
Levi Meyerle, 3b (.350)
George Hall, rf (.324)
Jim Foran, 1b (.368)
Jim Tipper, lf (.267)
Fergy Malone, c (.176)
Joe Quest, 2b (.313)
George Zettlein, p (1-1, 2.25)

Chicago drew first blood in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Levi Meyerle. An RBI double by Bill Hague in the top of the second evened the score at 1, then in Hague's next time up in the fourth inning he singled home Jim Devlin to give Louisville a 2-1 lead.

Meanwhile, Collins pitched strongly in the early innings, with six strikeouts of Chicago hitters in the first five innings. However, in the bottom of the sixth inning Jim Tipper got a two-out, two-run base hit to give the lead back to the White Stockings.

In the eighth inning, Chicago still led 3-2. Jim Devlin led off the inning with a solid line drive to center field. Paul Hines was able to run it down, but injured his knee on the play and had to come out of the game. John Peters had to go into center field - a position with which he was unfamiliar. Then, with two out and no one on base in the top of the eighth, Chick Fulmer was able to hit a long fly ball that went over Jim Tipper's head and Fulmer made it all the way around the bases for a home run - Fulmer's second home run of the young season, and the third of his career. The game was now tied at 3. It got worse. A throwing error by Joe Quest followed by a fielding error by Jim Tipper gave Louisville another eighth-inning run. George Bechtel and Big Jim Clinton got back-to-back hits, and suddenly it was 5-3. Jimmy Wood singled home Bechtel and it was 6-3, before finally Chicago got that third out.

Fergy Malone got a two-run single in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-5, but they could get no closer. The disastrous eighth inning had cost Chicago the game.

New York also lost, so the top of the standings remained bunched.

Louisville 6, Chicago 5

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

The standings on Sunday, May 14, 1876:

New York Mutuals 8-2
Chicago White Stockings 7-2
Louisville Grays 6-3
Hartford Dark Blues 4-3
Boston Red Stockings 3-5
St. Louis Brown Stockings 3-6
Cincinnati Reds 2-7
Philadelphia Athletics 2-7

Boston, expected to be considerably better than the rest of the league, continues to have trouble. Meanwhile, Paul Hines of Chicago is set to miss a couple weeks with a knee injury, giving the Mutuals an opportunity to extend their lead.

The league leaders:

Batting Average

Jim O'Rourke, Boston - .429
Clipper Flynn, Philadelphia - .419
Frank McCarton, Boston - .406
Everett Mills, Hartford - .400
Henry Burroughs, Philadelphia - .389
Ezra Sutton, New York - .375
Joe Battin, Hartford - .370

Runs Scored

Chick Fulmer, Louisville - 11
Paul Hines, Chicago - 11
Steve King, New York - 10
Denny Mack, St. Louis - 10
Fred Waterman, St. Louis - 10
Tom York, Louisville - 10
6 players tied with 9 each

Runs Batted In

Deacon White, Philadelphia - 12
Chick Fulmer, Louisville - 10
Jack Remsen, St. Louis - 10
George Hall, Chicago - 9
Steve King, New York - 9
3 players tied with 8 each

Won-Loss Record

Asa Brainard, Chicago, 6-0
Bobby Mathews, New York, 4-0
Dan Collins, Louisville, 4-2
Candy Cummings, Louisville, 2-1
Hugh Campbell, New York, 2-2
Al Spalding, Boston, 2-2
2 players tied at 2-3

Earned Run Average (This is a new statistic showing how many earned runs a pitcher gives up per game.)

Asa Brainard, Chicago - 0.68
NFN Edwards, Cincinnati - 1.00
Pud Galvin, St. Louis - 1.35
Tricky Nichols, Hartford - 1.66
Hugh Campbell, New York - 1.85
Lon Knight, Philadelphia - 2.08
Candy Cummings, Louisville - 2.13

Strikeouts

Dan Collins, Louisville - 24
Al Spalding, Boston - 11
Pud Galvin, St. Louis - 9
Asa Brainard, Chicago - 6
Cherokee Fisher, Cincinnati - 6
Bobby Mathews, New York - 6
Tricky Nichols, Hartford - 6

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

May 16, 1876

Louisville Grays (6-3) at Chicago White Stockings (7-2)

Chicago enters the day a half-game behind the idle Mutuals, so a win will move them into a tie for first place. Meanwhile, if surging Louisville can win they and Chicago will be tied a game behind New York. Chicago is without center fielder Paul Hines due to a knee injury and their first-choice backup outfielder, John Glenn, is also out. They will turn to the little-used Pat McGee to start in center field today.

Louisville lineup

Bill Hague, 3b (.300)
Jim Clinton, cf (.250)
Jimmy Wood, 2b (.500)
Tom York, lf (.167)
Jim Devlin, 1b (.350)
Scott Hastings, c (.293)
Chick Fulmer, ss (.214)
Jack Chapman, rf (.200)
Dan Collins, p (4-2, 3.33)

Chicago lineup

Davy Force, ss (.244)
Jim Foran, 1b (.357)
Levi Meyerle, 3b (.364)
George Hall, rf (.293)
Jim Tipper, lf (.294)
Tom Barlow, c (.105)
Joe Quest, 2b (.286)
Pat McGee, cf (.000)
Asa Brainard, p (6-0, 0.68)

Consecutive hits by Chicago's two stars, Levi Meyerle and George Hall, got the White Stockings a run in the bottom of the first inning to begin the scoring. In the second, Pat McGee, Asa Brainard and Davy Force got consecutive two-out singles to allow Chicago to make it 2-0.

Louisville did not get their first hit until the fifth inning, but in that inning hits by Jim Devlin and Bill Hague coupled with errors by Jim Foran and Joe Quest allowed them to tie the score at 2. A RBI double by Devlin and an error by Pat McGee in the fifth made it 4-2 in favor of the Grays. Devlin had yet another RBI hit the next inning to make it 5-2.

From there, things pretty much settled in. Chicago got a run closer, then Louisville got one more insurance run, but that was about it - Chicago never really amounted much of a threat to score and Louisville recorded the win. Devlin was the game's star, going 3 for 5 with three RBI and two runs scored.

Louisville 6, Chicago 3

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

May 20, 1876

Boston Red Stockings (4-7) at New York Mutuals (8-2)

Going into this first National League season, the expectation was that Boston, the four-time defending champions, would be more than capable of fending off a challenge by Chicago and New York. Instead, a month into the new season Boston is mired in the second division while New York holds a half-game lead over Louisville going into this one.

New York just added star catcher Dick Higham to the club this week and he will make his season debut this week. Higham was one of the top players for Baltimore in the Association days and should help the Mutuals a great deal.

Boston lineup

Ross Barnes, 2b (.280)
George Wright, ss (.435)
Cal McVey, c (.333)
Ed Pinkham, rf (.213)
Jim O'Rourke, lf (.348)
Al Spalding, p (.342, 2-2, 2.92)
Frank McCarton, cf (.364)
Jim Carleton, 1b (.200)
Harry Schafer, 3b (.238)

New York lineup

Dave Eggler, cf (.333)
John McMullin, rf (.341)
Dick Higham, c (.000)
Ezra Sutton, ss (.375)
Steve King, lf (.277)
Bob Ferguson, 3b (.293)
John Hatfield, 2b (.270)
Z.H.Taylor, 1b (.184)
Bobby Mathews, p (4-0, 2.25)

Each team scored one run in the early innings - New York in the second, Boston in the third. In the fourth, both Steve King and John McMullin committed errors in the outfield for New York, and that coupled with hits by Frank McCarton and Jim Carleton allowed Boston to take a 3-1 lead. An RBI single by McCarton in the sixth allowed them to make it a 4-1 advantage.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, a walk, a wild pitch, a passed ball and an error by George Wright combined to allow New York to score three runs to tie the game despite getting only one hit in the inning - a RBI triple by Ezra Sutton. Neither club scored in the seventh, and the game headed into the final innings tied at 4.

In the top of the eighth, Boston got two runners on with one out, but Jim Carleton rolled into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Then in the bottom of the inning, basically the same thing happened. The only difference was that Bob Ferguson flied to center for the second out, and for some reason the runner on second, Dick Higham, decided to break for third. Frank McCarton threw him out and the inning was over.

In the top of the ninth, Boston's first two hitters reached base, setting up a two-run single by Cal McVey to make it 6-4. McVey later came around to score, and New York trailed 7-4 going into their last chance. New York got a couple hits in the inning and brought the tying run to the plate, but Spalding was able to bear down and got John McMullin to ground out to Ross Barnes to end the game.

Boston 7, New York 4

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

The standings on Sunday, May 21, 1876:

New York Mutuals 8-3
Chicago White Stockings 8-4
Louisville Grays 8-4
Hartford Dark Blues 5-5
Boston Red Stockings 5-7
St. Louis Brown Stockings 5-7
Philadelphia Athletics 4-7
Cincinnati Reds 3-9

The three leading clubs are now separated by only a half-game in the standings, and Boston seems to be showing a few signs of life. Things are beginning to get interesting.

The league leaders:

Batting Average

George Wright, Boston - .429
Everett Mills, Hartford - .409
Clipper Flynn, Philadelphia - .385
Frank McCarton, Boston - .383
John Radcliff, Philadelphia - .378
Joe Battin, Hartford - .375
Ezra Sutton, New York - .372

Runs Scored

Chick Fulmer, Louisville - 14
Denny Mack, St. Louis - 13
Fred Waterman, St. Louis - 13
Tom York, Louisville - 13
Ross Barnes, Boston - 12
Jim Devlin, Louisville - 12
5 players tied with 11 each

Runs Batted In

Cal McVey, Boston - 14
Jack Remsen, St. Louis - 13
Deacon White, Philadelphia - 13
Chick Fulmer, Louisville - 12
Bill Hague, Louisville - 12
Davy Force, Chicago - 11
George Hall, Chicago - 11

Won-Loss Record

Asa Brainard, Chicago, 6-2
Dan Collins, Louisville, 5-3
Bobby Mathews, New York, 4-1
Pud Galvin, St. Louis, 4-3
Al Spalding, Boston, 3-2
Tricky Nichols, Hartford, 3-4
Candy Cummings, Louisville, 2-1

Earned Run Average (This is a new statistic showing how many earned runs a pitcher gives up per game.)

NFN McDoolan, Boston - 0.63
Pud Galvin, St. Louis - 1.09
Hugh O'Neil, Cincinnati - 1.10
Asa Brainard, Chicago - 1.27
Hugh Campbell, New York - 1.85
Flip Lafferty, Philadelphia - 2.35
Bobby Mathews, New York - 2.38

Strikeouts

Dan Collins, Louisville - 34
Asa Brainard, Chicago - 12
Al Spalding, Boston - 11
Pud Galvin, St. Louis - 10
Tricky Nichols, Hartford - 7
3 players tied with 6 each

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

May 23, 1876

St. Louis Brown Stockings (5-7) at New York Mutuals (8-3)

With just a half-game separating the National League's top three clubs, every game day is a chance for the league lead to change hands. Today the Mutuals host St. Louis, a team led by star pitcher Pud Galvin.

St. Louis lineup

Denny Mack, 1b (.250)
Ned Cuthbert, lf (.315)
Lip Pike, rf (.314)
Fred Waterman, 3b (.308)
Tommy Beals, 2b (.263)
Tom Foley, c (.184)
Jack Remsen, cf (.265)
Ed Duffy, ss (.206)
Pud Galvin, p (4-3, 1.09)

New York lineup

Dave Eggler, cf (.302)
John McMullin, rf (.306)
Dick Higham, c (.500)
Ezra Sutton, ss (.372)
Steve King, lf (.265)
Bob Ferguson, 3b (.295)
John Hatfield, 2b (.244)
Z.H. Taylor, 1b (.190)
Bobby Mathews, p (4-1, 2.38)

Two errors and a sacrifice fly gave St. Louis a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first. Dick Higham and Steve King each had RBI singles in the bottom of the inning to make it 2-1 in favor of New York. Each team scored one run in the middle innings, and the game headed into the seventh inning with New York holding a 3-2 lead.

St. Louis had their bottom three hitters come up in the seventh, and they went down in order. In the bottom of the seventh, Dave Eggler got a base hit for New York then stole second, and John McMullin singled Eggler home to make it 4-2. Later in the inning Steve King doubled home two runs to give the Mutuals a 6-2 lead, and in the eighth inning it turned into a rout, as New York added three more runs.

That was it, as New York ended up with an easy win. Dick Higham, New York's recently acquired catcher, went 4 for 4 and in the two games since his arrival, he's gone 6 for 8. Looks like he could make a difference this season.

New York 9, St. Louis 2