Champions

* National Association:

Boston Base Ball Club The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). Then in 1966 they were relocated to Atlanta, whe ...

National Association final standings

Statistical leaders

Notable seasons

*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 ...

leads the NA with 138 hits, 43 stolen bases, 125 runs scored, a .431 batting average, a 1.080 OPS, and a 207 OPS+. *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 41–14, leading the NA with 41 wins and 496.2 innings pitched. His 50 strikeouts rank second in the league. He has a 2.99 earned run average and a 115 ERA+."Al Spalding Stats"
baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020.

Events

January–March

*March 3 – For the first time, the NA adopts a standardized ball to be used in all league games.

April–June

*May 14 – Nearly 5,000 fans watch the upstart

Philadelphia Club Philadelphia Club was founded in 1834 and is located at 13th and Walnut Streets in Center City Philadelphia. It is the oldest city club in the United States and one of the oldest gentlemen's clubs. Notable members have included George Meade, Ow ...

defeat the established

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

5–4 in 13 innings. Only once before, in 1865, had that many innings been played in one game. *June 7 – Mutual and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

combine for 40 errors. The Philadelphias, aided by the Mutuals' 26 miscues, win 12–10. *June 11 – 10,000 fans are in attendance see

score 5 runs in the 7th inning to defeat Athletic 7–5.

July–September

*July 4 – Leading 11–3 over Resolute of Elizabeth, the Bostons score 21 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning for a 32–3 victory. The home-ahead rule would not be instituted for 6 more years. *July 22 – Tom Barlow of

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 ...

lays down 6 bunts, all for hits, in a game against Lord Baltimore. *July 24 – Bob Ferguson of the

is the umpire in a game between

Mutual of New York The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (also known as Mutual of New York or MONY) was the oldest continuous writer of insurance policies in the United States. Incorporated in 1842, it was headquartered at 1740 Broadway, before becoming a ...

and Lord Baltimore which ends with the Mutuals scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th for an 11–10 victory. Ferguson and Mutual's

Nat Hicks Nathaniel Woodhull "Nat" Hicks (April 19, 1845 – April 21, 1907) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for six seasons, two in the National League. Hicks was one of the first catchers ...

get into an altercation with Ferguson breaking Hicks' arm by hitting him with a bat. Ferguson requires a police escort to leave the field and Hicks will be out for 2 months due to the incident. *August 16 –

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 ...

defeats

11–8 in

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 ...

in front of several thousand fans. After the game, it is announced that Chicago has signed several players in hopes of placing a team in the NA for the 1874 season.

October–December

*October 16 – Lord Baltimore turns a triple play in a losing cause against

. *October 22 –

wins the pennant for the 2nd year in a row. They clinch on the same date as they had in . *November 6 – A crosstown benefit game is played between the

and Athletic Clubs under a proposed rule of 10 men on the field and 10 innings for a game. The extra player is placed on the infield as a right shortstop and with most observers feeling the extra player unnecessary, the rule is never implemented.

Births

*January 10 –

Chick Stahl Charles Sylvester "Chick" Stahl (January 10, 1873March 28, 1907) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who was among the most feared and consistent hitters in his time. Stahl was an active major-league player when he died by suicid ...

*January 10 –

Jack O'Neill Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the MGM's military science fiction franchise ''Stargate'', primarily as one of the main characters of the television series ''Stargate SG-1''. Richard Dean Anderson played O'Neill in all th ...

*January 19 –

Arlie Pond Dr. Erasmus Arlington "Arlie" Pond (January 19, 1873 – September 19, 1930) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles from 1895 to 1898, as well as a doctor in the United States Army during the Spanish–American Wa ...

*January 23 –

Red Donahue Francis Rostell "Red" Donahue (January 23, 1873 – August 25, 1913) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from Waterbury, Connecticut, who played for 13 seasons both in the National League and the American League from through . Career ...

*February 5 – Jack O'Brien *February 20 – Tom O'Brien *March 10 –

Gene DeMontreville Eugene Napoleon DeMontreville (March 10, 1873 – February 18, 1935) was an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, ...

*March 29 – Duff Cooley *April 7 –

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager (baseball), manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants. He was also the ...

*April 22 – Frank Figgemeier *May 23 – "Brewery" Jack Taylor *June 13 – Walter Coleman *July 11 –

Jimmy Slagle James Franklin Slagle (July 11, 1873 – May 10, 1956), nicknamed both "Rabbit" and "Shorty", was an American professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1908. In his ten major league seasons, he ...

*July 19 – Harry Davis *August 26 –

Chick Fraser Charles Carrolton Fraser (August 26, 1873 – May 8, 1940) was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched for numerous teams between 1896 and 1909. He ranks second all time among major-league pitchers in the category of hit batsmen, ...

*October 5 – Claude Ritchey *October 9 – Bill Reidy *November 4 – Bobby Wallace *November 10 –

Willie McGill William Vaness McGill (November 10, 1873 – August 29, 1944) was an American major league baseball pitcher. He played professionally for the Cleveland Infants, Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Colts, St. Lo ...

*November 24 –

Ed Doheny Edward Richard Doheny (November 24, 1873 – December 29, 1916) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1895 to 1903. Doheny finished his career with a win–loss rec ...

*November 29 – Jake Weimer *December 6 – Harry Wolverton *December 9 –

Oscar Purner Oscar E. Purner (December 9, 1872 – December 4, 1915) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball player. He played for the Washington Senators of the National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two ...

*December 14 –

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * John Anderson (jazz trumpeter) (1921–1974), American musician * Jon Anderson (John Roy Anderson, born 1944), lead singer of the British band Yes * John Anderson (producer) (1948–2024 ...

Deaths

*February 26 –

Cy Bentley Clytus George "Cy" Bentley (November 23, 1850 – February 26, 1873) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played one season in professional baseball, for the Middletown Mansfields of the National Association of Professional Base ...

, 22, pitcher and right fielder for the

Middletown Mansfields The Middletown Mansfields were an early baseball team in Middletown, Connecticut that existed from 1866 to 1872. Formation In the summer of 1866, a ballclub was established at Middletown's Douglas Pump Company by the factory owner's son, sixteen-ye ...

External links

1873 season at Baseball-Reference.comCharlton's Baseball Chronology at BaseballLibrary.comRetrosheet.org

References

*Levine, Peter (1985). ''A.G. Spalding and the Rise of Baseball: The Promise of American Sport''. New York: Oxford University Press. {{Year in baseball, this year=1873