The Dawn of American Professional Base Ball, 1871

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In the years following the end of the Civil War, America - especially those parts that did not need to be rebuilt after the war - was booming. People were moving west toward the ever-expanding frontier, and businessmen such as Alex Marks, a Wisconsin-born tycoon who plied his trade in postwar St. Louis, were ready to make money in the new American expansion. Marks was in the new field of sporting goods, and nothing excited him more than the new popularity of base ball, which had grown out of the northeast and spread to every corner of America. With the war having mixed Americans together more than ever before, thousands of boys learned the came in war camps and then took it home to their towns and villages, and boys in those towns and villages wanted equipment. Marks was making money as never before, and he saw a new opportunity. He had been the chief benefactor of the St. Louis Blue Sox or Blue Stockings, one of the Gateway City's top amateur clubs. But after seeing the popularity of the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1869 and 1870, Marks decided it was time for an openly professional league that played for a title every year. He realized that if he could put together a series between the best club in the west and the best in the east every year, it would be something that would attract untold attention to base ball.

The first thing Marks did was to sound out other owners of top clubs his Blue Sox played against, such as their St. Louis rivals the Westerns, and the Chicago Whales. Those clubs loved the idea. Convincing eastern clubs was a bit more difficult - the Boston Red Stockings and the Washington Olympics, both teams to which the remnants of the Cincinnati club had gone, turned him down flat, as did the Brooklyn Atlantics. However, the most prominent club in Baltimore was interested, and another club in Washington hoping to grow in popularity showed some interest.

In the end, though, Marks knew that for his league to succeed he would need representatives from the nation's largest cities. It took him some time, but he was able to line up owners in New York, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, all of whom were willing to start up new clubs and pay some of the most famous players to join them. That gave Marks a total of eight, but of course only three were western clubs and two of those were from St. Louis. This was far from ideal. Realizing that the New York-Brooklyn and Baltimore-Washington geographical rivalries might help generate interest in those clubs, he managed to convince (read: pay off) the owner of the new Philadelphia Quakers to join the "Western Conference" of the new league for 1871. Things weren't perfect, but Marks had his league: the Chicago Whales, Philadelphia Quakers, St. Louis Westerns and his beloved Blue Sox in the West, and the Brooklyn Grooms, New York Gothams, Baltimore Canaries and Washington Federals in the East.

Marks was also pleased that some of the most talented players in the nation were willing to spread among the eight clubs. Chicago had talented veterans Al Reach and Dave Birdsall. Steve King and the venerable Harry Wright would play for Philadelphia. Pitcher George Zettlein and the young, talented Levi Meyerle would suit up for the Westerns, and the Blue Sox would be led by the speedy Lip Pike.

In the east, Baltimore had a promising young pitcher named Al Spalding and a slick fielder named Bob Ferguson. The Grooms were relying mostly on young players but would be led by Harry Wright's supremely talented younger brother George. The Gothams had a superior infield, with veteran Jimmy Wood and a young phenom named Ross Barnes, and finally the Washington Federals would be led by Joe Start and Deacon White.

The stage was set. Marks set up a 60-game schedule that would run from May until September, and the first professional base ball season was ready to begin.

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The first game, on May 1, 1871, was between the New York Gothams and the Philadelphia Quakers. Enthusiasm was high for the match, though it ended up being a bit anti-climactic as the hosts overwhelmed the visiting Gothams, taking an 11-1 lead through five innings and coasting to the 14-6 victory. Philadelphia shortstop John Radcliff was the man of the match for the Quakers, as he got four hits in as many at-bats and scored three runs in the game. Perhaps more importantly, over 1,400 paying customers showed up at the Ball Park of Philadelphia to see the contest. Professional base ball was off and running in America.

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Two weeks into the season, it seemed that the talent level of the clubs was more unbalanced than Marks had hoped. Both the clubs from his beloved St. Louis were a dismal 0-6, while Chicago and Washington were unbeaten and the Brooklyn club had only one loss. The Chicago Whales were led by strong defense and the play of young shortstop Dickie Flowers, while the Federals had a phenom of their own in outfielder Cal McVey.

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With a little help from ChatGPT, here's the recap from the first big matchup of the season, as Chicago visited Washington in a match of unbeaten clubs:

On May 17, 1871, the Washington Federals and the Chicago Whales went head-to-head in a highly anticipated baseball game. The Federals, who were considered underdogs going into the game, managed to secure a 3-0 victory over the Whales. The game was played at the [Washington Grounds - ChatGPT said it was the Union Grounds in Brooklyn], and the atmosphere was electric as fans packed the stands to witness the spectacle.

One of the standout performers of the game was Bill Stearns, the pitcher for the Washington Federals. Stearns pitched a complete-game five-hit shutout, striking out six batters and walking just one. His performance on the mound was instrumental in securing the victory for the Federals, and he received high praise from both his teammates and the opposing players.

Dick Higham, a player for the Washington Federals, also had an outstanding game. Higham hit a triple and a home run, driving in two of the team's three runs. His power hitting proved to be the difference-maker in the game, and he was named the MVP of the match.

The game was notable not only for the impressive performances of Stearns and Higham but also for the low number of errors committed. In an era where baseball was still in its infancy, errors were a common occurrence, and games were often decided by which team made fewer mistakes. However, in this game, only five total errors were committed, a remarkably low number for the period.

Overall, the May 17, 1871 game between the Washington Federals and the Chicago Whales was a thrilling and memorable event in baseball history. With standout performances from Stearns and Higham and a low error count, it was a true testament to the skill and athleticism of the players of the time. Fans and players alike left the [Washington Grounds] feeling satisfied, having witnessed a game that would be remembered for years to come.

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The first season of professional base ball ended up being a little underwhelming due to the enormous difference in the talent levels. The final standings were:

Chicago Whales 39-21
Philadelphia Quakers 35-25
St. Louis Westerns 15-45
St. Louis Blue Sox 10-50

Washington Federals 54-6
Baltimore Canaries 31-29
Brooklyn Grooms 29-31
New York Gothams 27-33

Washington went 6-0 against Chicago during the regular season but would play them in the first ever World's Series, a best-of-seven competition that was said to determine whether the best team from the east or that from the west was better. The answer seemed obvious, but Washington still had to play the games.