Champions

* National Association (professional):

Athletic of Philadelphia Athletic may refer to: * An athlete, a sportsperson * Athletic director, a position at many American universities and schools * Athletic type, a physical/psychological type in the classification of Ernst Kretschmer * Athletic of Philadelphia, a ba ...

*National Association of Amateur Base Ball Players: Star of Brooklyn, 30–13 *National Association of Junior Base Ball Players: Fly Aways

National Association final standings

The tenth founding member, the National club of Washington, did not enter a team for the championship until

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

Statistical leaders

Notable seasons

Ross Barnes Charles Roscoe Barnes (May 8, 1850 – February 5, 1915) was one of the stars of baseball's National Association (1871–1875) and the early National League (1876–1881), playing second base and shortstop. He played for the dominant Boston R ...

of the Boston Red Stockings concludes in the top 5 in 11 different offensive categories. He leads the NA in runs scored, total bases and times on base. He is second in on-base percentage, doubles, triples and walks. He finishes third in batting average (.401) and hits. He places 4th in slugging percentage and 5th in runs batted in. * Rynie Wolters of the

New York Mutuals The Mutual Base Ball Club of New York was a leading American baseball club almost throughout its 20-year history. It was established during 1857, the year of the first baseball convention, just too late to be a founding member of the National Ass ...

leads the league in games started, complete games, and innings pitched and ties for the league lead with 1 shutout. He also leads the NA with 44 RBI while batting .370.

Events

January–March

* January 20 – The Boston Base Ball Club and the Boston Red Stockings are founded and incorporated by Ivers Whitney Adams with $15,000 and the help of

Harry Wright William Henry "Harry" Wright (January 10, 1835 – October 3, 1895) was an English-born American professional baseball player, manager, and developer. He assembled, managed, and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team, t ...

, in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. *March 17 – Ten clubs establish the

National Association of Professional Base Ball Players The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP), often known simply as the National Association (NA), was the first fully- professional sports league in baseball. The NA was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 se ...

(or professional Association) in New York City. *Later March – Thirty-three clubs establish the National Association of Amateur Base Ball Players (or amateur Association) in New York City.

April–June

*May 4 – In the first major league game ever played, the National Association begins play at Kekionga Ball Grounds in

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Cens ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, with Forest City of Cleveland visiting the Kekiongas of Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne wins 2–0 behind the pitching of

Bobby Mathews Robert T. Mathews (November 21, 1851 – April 17, 1898) was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher who played in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the National League of Major League Baseball and the ...

, the lowest scoring game of the season.

Deacon White James Laurie "Deacon" White (December 2, 1847 – July 7, 1939) was an American baseball player who was one of the principal stars during the first two decades of the sport's professional era. The outstanding catcher of the 1870s during basebal ...

gets the first hit, while Joe McDermott, who will only have 11 hits and four runs batted in his career, drives in the first run in professional baseball history with a single in the second inning, scoring Bill Lennon. In the seventh inning, Lennon also became the first catcher in major league history to throw a runner out trying to steal second. Neither McDermott, Lennon, nor even the Kekiongas would finish the season. *May 6 – Future Hall of Famer

Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 ...

makes his professional debut with the

Rockford Forest Citys Rockford Forest Citys (officially the Forest City Club), from Rockford, Illinois was one of the first professional baseball clubs. Rockford played for one season during the National Association inaugural year of . They are not to be confused wit ...

. *May 8 –

Ezra Sutton Ezra Ballou Sutton (September 17, 1849 – June 20, 1907) was an American third baseman in the National Association and Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1888. Sutton collected 1,574 hits during this time period; he had a lifetime batting avera ...

of the

Cleveland Forest Citys The Forest Citys were a short lived professional baseball team based in Cleveland in the early 1870s. The actual name of the team, as shown in standings, was Forest City, not "Cleveland". The name "Forest Citys" was used in the same generic styl ...

hits the first home run in professional baseball history in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Stockings. For good measure, Sutton adds a second home run in the seventh inning, but Cleveland falls to the White Stockings, 14–12. *May 9 – Esteban Enrique Bellán becomes the first Hispanic player in Major League Baseball history. The 21-year-old

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

n infielder will play as Steve Bellan for the

Troy Haymakers The Troy Haymakers were an American professional baseball team. History Established in 1860 as the Union Base Ball Club Lansingburgh, located in neighboring Lansingburgh, New York, the Haymakers participated in the first professional pennant ra ...

of the National Association. *May 20 – In

, Mort Rogers introduces a scorecard with a picture of

on the front. Each Red Stockings home game would feature a different player so that spectators could collect them and have a full set of Boston's players by season's end. This marketing strategy would be used throughout the 19th century and would ultimately evolve into

Tobacco cards Cigarette cards are trading cards issued by tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and advertise cigarette brands. Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible cards with their packages of cigarett ...

and, eventually,

Baseball cards A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. In the 1950s they came with a stick of gum and a limited number of cards. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, stad ...

. *May 25 – Lip Pike of the

collects six hits in a 25–10 victory over the

. *June 1 - Opening their National Association season, The Mutuals beat the Forest City club of Rockford,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

7-3 before 2,000 at

Union Grounds Union Grounds was a baseball park located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. The grounds opened in 1862, its inaugural match being played on May 15. It was the first baseball park enclosed entirely by a fence, thereby allowing p ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. *June 19 – The

Fort Wayne Kekiongas The Fort Wayne Kekiongas were a professional baseball team, notable for winning the first professional league game on May 4, 1871. Though based in Fort Wayne, they were usually listed in game reports as simply "Kekionga" or "the Kekiongas", per the ...

, leading the

6–3 after six innings at Troy, refuse to allow another ball to be used after the game ball becomes ripped because of the reputation of the Haymakers using illegal balls in the past. The umpire (Isaac Leroy or Ed Tighe depending on the source), after five full minutes of ordering Fort Wayne back on the field, calls the game a 9–0 forfeit in favor of the Haymakers. *June 28 – In an era of high scoring games being the norm, the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakla ...

defeat the

by the amazing score of 49–33. Both pitchers go the distance in the four-hour slugfest in which both teams score in each inning, to set the highest-scoring contest in National Association. The 42

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

s made by the Athletics, including a 7-for-7 day by

John Radcliff John Young Radcliff (June 29, 1848 – July 26, 1911) was an American professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (), Baltimore Canaries (–), Philadelphia Whites (), and Philadelphia Centennials (). He was primarily ...

and 6-for-8 performances by

Al Reach Alfred James Reach (May 25, 1840 – January 14, 1928) was an Anglo-American sportsman who, after becoming one of the early stars of baseball in the National Association, went on to become an influential executive, publisher, sporting goods manuf ...

and

Levi Meyerle Levi Samuel Meyerle (July 1849 – November 4, 1921) was an American Major League Baseball player who played for eight seasons in organized professional league play. During his career he played for the Philadelphia Athletics of the National A ...

, is also a league record.

July–September

*July 3 – The

lose at

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

37–16. Even though it is customary to allow the visiting team to choose which ball to use, Troy captain Bill Craver refuses to play unless their ball is used. Heated words are exchanged throughout, with the Mutuals even being threatened with bats. Mutuals captain Bob Ferguson is convinced the ball used is not legal. This game will set the stage for the rematch on July 13 at the

. *July 6 – The first game between a black team and a white team is played as the black Uniques defeat the white Alerts 17–16 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. *July 10 –

Albert Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised ...

is relieved by

in the Boston Red Stockings 21–12 victory over the

after both Boston catchers develop sore hands from Spalding's fast pitching. *July 13 –

police are forced to draw their firearms to stop the crowd from attacking the

following several altercations between the Haymakers and the

players and officials after Troy's 9–7 win over the Mutuals. *August 9 – Ned Connors, first baseman for the

, records 20 putouts in a 9-inning 10–7 loss to the

Brooklyn Eckfords Eckford of Brooklyn, or simply Eckford, was an American baseball club from 1855 to 1872. When the Union Grounds opened on May 15, 1862 for baseball in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, it became the first enclosed baseball grounds in America. Three clubs cal ...

. *August 21 – The amateur champion Star Club of

beats the Northwest amateur champion Aetnas of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

4–3 in Chicago as Star pitcher

Candy Cummings William Arthur "Candy" Cummings (October 18, 1848 – May 17, 1924) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in the National Association and National League. Cummings is widely credited with inventing the curveball. ...

drives in the winning run in the 9th inning. *August 29 – The

replace the

in the NA after the Kekiongas lose most of their players to defection and expulsion. Fort Wayne's unplayed games will be declared forfeits in the official standings. The Eckfords will officially join the National Association for the

season. *September 5 –

Charlie Gould Charles Harvey Gould (August 21, 1847 – April 9, 1917), nicknamed "The Bushel Basket",Guschov, p. 31 was an American Major League Baseball player during the 1860s and 1870s. He was the first baseman for the original Cincinnati Red Stocking ...

of the Boston Red Stockings hits the first grand slam in professional baseball history in a 6–3 victory over the Chicago White Stockings.

October–December

*October 9 – As the

approach

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, they see the city in flames from the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 1 ...

, turn around and go home. The Chicago White Stockings' stadium is burned to the ground along with all of their uniforms and equipment. *October 18 – The

, with their only pitcher Rynie Wolters sick, are forced to use a non-rostered position player,

Frank Fleet Frank H. Fleet (1848 in New York, New York – June 13, 1900 in New York, New York) was a Major League Baseball player in the 19th century. External links 1848 births 1900 deaths Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball ...

, as pitcher in a crucial game for the pennant against the

. The Mutuals are battered 21–7 by the Athletics which eliminates the Boston Red Stockings from the championship. *October 30 – The Athletics of Philadelphia defeat the Chicago White Stockings in

4–1 to clinch the first professional baseball championship.

Births

*March 16 – Bill Bernhard *March 19 –

Joe McGinnity Joseph Jerome McGinnity (March 20, 1871 – November 14, 1929) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the late 19th and early 20th century. McGinnity played in MLB for ten years, pitching for the National League's ...

*May 30 –

Amos Rusie Amos Wilson Rusie (May 30, 1871 – December 6, 1942), nicknamed "The Hoosier Thunderbolt", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the late 19th century. He had a 10-season career in the National League (NL), w ...

*June 6 –

Bill Lange William Alexander Lange (; June 6, 1871 – July 23, 1950), also known as "Little Eva",Robbins, p. 194 was an American Major League Baseball center fielder, who played his entire seven-year career for the Chicago Colts and Orphans from t ...

*July 15 –

Dan McGann Dennis Lawrence "Dan" McGann (July 15, 1871 – December 13, 1910) was an American professional baseball first baseman and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1896 to 1910, and won the World Series in 1905 with the New ...

*August 13 –

Fielder Jones Fielder Allison Jones (August 13, 1871 – March 13, 1934) was an American center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was best known as the player-manager of the World Series champion 1906 Chicago White Sox, a team who succeed ...

*September 21 – George Blackburn *October 24 –

Louis Sockalexis Louis Francis Sockalexis (October 24, 1871 – December 24, 1913), nicknamed the Deerfoot of the Diamond, was an American baseball player. Sockalexis played professional baseball in the National League for three seasons, spending his entire c ...

*October 24 –

Heinie Smith George Henry "Heinie" Smith (October 24, 1871 – June 25, 1939) was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Louisville Colonels (1897–1898), Pittsburgh Pirates (1899), New York Giants (1901� ...

*October 25 – Martin Bergen *October 30 –

Buck Freeman John Frank "Buck" Freeman (October 30, 1871 – June 25, 1949) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball at the turn of the 20th century. Listed at and , he both batted and threw left-handed. Freeman was one of the top sluggers of ...

*November 3 –

Fred Hayner Fred Ames Hayner (November 3, 1871 – January 14, 1929) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in one game, on August 19, 1890 with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League. He pitched four innings in relief and allowed nine ru ...

*November 26 –

Fred Tenney Frederick Tenney (November 26, 1871 – July 3, 1952) was an American professional baseball player whose career spanned 20 seasons, 17 of which were spent with the Major League Baseball (MLB) Boston Beaneaters/Doves/Rustlers (1894–1907, 1911) ...

*December 9 –

Joe Kelley Joseph James Kelley (December 9, 1871 – August 14, 1943) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who starred in the outfield of the Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1890s. Making up the nucleus of the Orioles along with J ...

*December 23 –

Sam Leever Samuel Leever (December 23, 1871 – May 19, 1953), nicknamed "The Goshen Schoolmaster", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Early life Sam Leever was born in Go ...

References

*Wright, Marshall (2000). ''The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857–1870''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. (Postlude, p328-29) *Ryczek, William J. (1992). ''Blackguards and Red Stockings; A History of Baseball's National Association 1871–1875''. Wallingford, Connecticut: Colebrook Press *Orem, Preston D. (1961). ''Baseball (1845–1881) From the Newspaper Accounts''. Altadena, California: Self-published. *Charlton, James (1991). ''The Baseball Chronology''. New York: Macmillan

External links

1871 season at Baseball Reference.comCharlton's Baseball Chronology at BaseballLibrary.comRetrosheet.org
{{Year in baseball, this year=1871