Champions

* National Association:

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

National Association final standings

Statistical leaders

Notable seasons

*Boston Red Stockings pitcher

Al 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 the Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised ...

has a record of 38–8 in 404.2 innings pitched and leads the NA in wins. He has a 1.85 earned run average and a 196 ERA+. At the plate, Spalding has a batting average of .354 and an OPS+ of 144. *Boston Red Stockings second baseman

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 ...

, in 45 games played, leads the NA with 99 hits, a .430 batting average, a 1.034 OPS, and a 211 OPS+. He has 81 runs scored and 44 runs batted in."Ross Barnes Stats"
baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020.

Events

January–March

* March 4 – At its annual convention being held in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, the NA adopts a rule change to allow the use of the wrist in the pitching delivery.

April–June

* April 22 – Candy Cummings makes his debut with Mutual of New York. * April 26 – "Orator" Jim O'Rourke makes his debut with the

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...

club of Middletown. * May 24 – The Olympic Club of Washington play their last game before dropping out of the NA. Poor talent and financial difficulties combine to do in the Olympics. * May 29 – Despite not having a team in the league in 1872, the city of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

hosts its first NA game since the

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

as Lord Baltimore defeats Forest City in front of 4,000 fans. * June 26 – The National B.B.C. of Washington, with an 0–11 record, disbands after losing 9–1 to Lord Baltimore.

July–September

* July 6 – Sporting a 22–1 record,

Harry Wright William Henry "Harry" Wright (January 10, 1835 – October 3, 1895) was an American professional baseball player, manager (baseball), manager, and developer. He assembled, managed, and played Center fielder, center field for baseball's first fu ...

takes the Boston club on vacation to an island in

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...

. * July 9 – Eckford of Brooklyn commit 13 errors in their 15–3 loss to Union of Troy. It is the fewest errors committed by the 0–11 Eckfords in a game thus far this season. * July 23 – Despite a winning record, the Union Club of Troy disbands due to financial problems. Half of the "Haymakers'" roster will move to Eckford of Brooklyn, which saves them from dropping out of the NA. * July 26 – In an emergency meeting, the NA revises their scheduling requirements from 5 to 9 games versus each opponent competing for the championship. This is in response to the number of teams that have disbanded and comes 3 days after the first-division Union of Troy had called it quits. * August 13 – The Mansfield Club of Middletown, CT announce that they have disbanded and drop out of the NA. * August 19 – Forest City of Cleveland disband the club after a loss to

. This drops the number of teams still playing in the NA to 6. * September 1 – Al Thake, left-fielder batting .295 for

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, drowns in New York harbor after falling from a fishing boat. Thake is the first active major league ballplayer to die. (But Elmer White, active in 1871, had died in winter.)

October–December

* October 22 – The Boston Red Stockings clinch the pennant with a 4–3 win over the Brooklyn Eckfords.

Births

* January 12 – Togie Pittinger * February 3 – Lou Criger * March 3 –

Willie Keeler William Henry Keeler (March 3, 1872 – January 1, 1923), nicknamed "Wee Willie" because of his small stature, was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn ...

* March 24 – Kip Selbach * May – John Wood * May 10 – Klondike Douglass * May 16 – John O'Connell * May 23 –

Deacon Phillippe Charles Louis "Deacon" Phillippe (originally Phillippi) (May 23, 1872 – March 30, 1952) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Louisville Colonels and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Biography Born in Rural Retreat, Virginia ...

* June 14 – Doc Parker * August 6 – Sam Mertes * August 15 – Silk O'Loughlin * August 15 –

John Warner John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Republican Party, Republican United Stat ...

* August 18 – Eddie Hickey * September 5 – Al Orth * September 18 –

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

* September 20 – Joe Berry * September 25 – Fred Odwell * October 3 –

Fred Clarke Fred Clifford Clarke (October 3, 1872 – August 14, 1960) was an American Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a le ...

* October 6 – Jack Dunn * December 5 –

Pink Hawley Emerson Pink Hawley (December 5, 1872 – September 19, 1938) was an American professional baseball pitcher. From 1892 to 1901, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Browns, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, New York Gian ...

* December 9 – Cy Seymour * December 25 – Ted Lewis

Deaths

References

General * Ryczek, William J. (1992). ''Blackguards and Red Stockings; A History of Baseball's National Association 1871–1875''. Wallingford, Connecticut: Colebrook Press * Nemec, David (1997). ''The Great Encyclopedia of 19th-Century Major League Baseball''. New York: Donald I. Fine Books Specific

External links

1872 season at Baseball-Reference.com

Charlton's Baseball Chronology at BaseballLibrary.com

Retrosheet.org
{{Year in baseball, this year=1872