Champions

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

Boston Red Caps The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...

* International Association:

London Tecumsehs The historic London Tecumsehs were a professional men's baseball team in London, Ontario, Canada, that were first formed in 1868 — a merger of the Forest City Base Ball Club and the London Base Ball Club — which, according to George Railton's ...

League Alliance The League Alliance was the first semi-affiliated minor league baseball league. Proposed by Al Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of p ...

: Indianapolis Blues (West) & Syracuse Stars (East) *New England Association: Lowell Ladies' Men *New York State Championship Association: Syracuse Stars *U.S. newspapers' poll: Boston Beaneaters (NL) and Lowell Ladies' Men (NEA) ranked #1 and #2 in the United States championship poll. *Inter-league playoff: Lowell (NEA) def. Boston (NL) 2 games to 1 *Inter-league playoff: Syracuse (NYSCA) def. Boston (NL), 1 game to 0 (score 6–0) *League Alliance Tournament winner: Syracuse Stars *New York State Championship Tournament winner: Binghamton Crickets *Inter-league playoff: Binghamton (NYSC) def. Boston (NL), 1 game to 0 (score 4–1) *Inter-league competition: National League teams defeated New England Assn, teams, in wins 24–22.

Statistical leaders

¹ National League Triple Crown pitching winner

National League final standings

Notable seasons

*Boston Red Stockings first baseman

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 baseball ...

leads the NL with 103 hits, 49 runs batted in, a .387 batting average, a .950 OPS, and a 193 OPS+. *Boston Red Stockings pitcher

Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods in ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (fir ...

has a record of 40–17 and wins the NL triple crown with 40 wins, a 2.11 earned run average, and 170 strikeouts. His 521 innings pitched and 135 ERA+ both rank second in the league. *Louisville Grays pitcher

Jim Devlin James Alexander Devlin (June 6, 1849 – October 10, 1883) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player who played mainly as a first baseman early in his career, then later as a pitcher. Devlin played for three teams during his five-ye ...

has a record of 35–25 and an earned run average of 2.25. He leads the NL with 559 innings pitched and a 146 ERA+. His 35 wins and 141 strikeouts both rank second in the league."Jim Devlin Stats"
baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020. After the season ends, Devlin admits to throwing games and is banned from MLB for life.

Events

January–March

*January 8 – Learning that a club can now assess a player 30 dollars for his uniform and 50 cents a day to defray the cost of meals while the team is on the road, third baseman

Joe Battin Joseph V. Battin (November 11, 1853 – December 10, 1937) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball player. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Battin played major league baseball from 1871 to 1884 and then returned for one season in 189 ...

balks at signing a contract with

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

for the coming season but eventually complies. *February 3 –

Cherokee Fisher William Charles "Cherokee" Fisher (November 1844 – September 26, 1912) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, National Association from 1871 to 1875 and the Na ...

admits taking $100 to throw a game from the 1876 season. Fisher will only appear in 1 more game in his career (1878) after his admission. *February 20 – The International League, the first

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

, is formed in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. *February 27 –

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 of Professional Base Ball Players, and National League. Cummings is widely cred ...

, player-manager of the Live Oaks of Lynn, Massachusetts, is elected President of the International League. *March 5 – The

Hartford club The Hartford Club is a private club at 46 Prospect Street in Hartford, Connecticut, founded in 1873. History The Hartford Club began as a union of local men's clubs amalgamated due to financial woes. It began admitting women members in the 1970s ...

agrees to play its home games in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. The team will retain the Hartford name, although it will only play 2 league games in

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. *March 22 – The

publishes the 1877 schedule. It is the first time the league has handled scheduling, a practice that continues to this day.

April–June

*April 12 – Jim Tyng, a catcher for

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

, becomes the first backstop to wear a face mask during a game. Harvard team manager, Fred Thayer, will receive a patent for the mask in 1878. *May 2 –

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 ...

, who will win the pennant with a 42–18 record in 1877, lose an exhibition game to the Allegheny club of the International League.

Pud Galvin James Francis "Pud" Galvin (December 25, 1856 – March 7, 1902) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher in the 19th century. He was MLB's first 300-game winner and was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1965. Basebal ...

tosses a one-hit shutout and hits a home run to defeat the Red Caps 1–0. *May 3 – Five New England teams – the Fall River Cascades, Lowell Ladies' Men, Lynn Live Oaks, Manchester Reds and Providence Rhode Islands form the New England Association playing each other 10 games each for a 40-game schedule to decide the so-called "Championship of New England". *May 4 – Five New York State teams – the Auburn Auburnians, Binghamton Crickets, Buffalo Bisons, Rochester Flour Citys and Syracuse Stars form the New York State Association playing each other 10 games each for a 40-game schedule to decide the so-called "Championship of New York State". *May 5 – Baseball's first "minor league" of sorts is formed as the National League recruits 12 teams to play in the "League Alliance". The LA Eastern Division enlists the: Brooklyn Chelseas, Philadelphia Athletics and Syracuse Stars while the LA Western Division enlists the: Chicago Fairbanks, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Janesville Mutuals, Memphis Reds, Milwaukee Cream Citys, Minneapolis Browns, St. Paul Red Caps and Winona Clippers. *May 10 – The Lowell Ladies' Men, members of the New England Association, affiliate themselves with the National League by joining the NL's "farm system", i.e. the League Alliance East Division. Lowell competes in both circuits and wins the pennant in each. *May 17 – The

votes to change to a livelier ball to replace the one described as being "dead enough to bury" in a special league meeting. *June 5 – Star pitcher

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

makes his last career start on the mound. *June 10 –

and

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

play a Sunday exhibition game. It will be the one and only Sunday game played in professional baseball until 1892. *June 18 – The

club disbands after running out of money. The Buffalo Bisons of the New York Association also disband. *June 21 –

stockholders re-structure the club in order to keep it running and maintain its place in the

but 2 players, Jimmy Hallinan and

Charley Jones Charles Wesley Jones (born Benjamin Wesley Rippay on April 30, 1852 – June 6, 1911) was an American left fielder in the National Association and Major League Baseball who hit 56 home runs and batted .298 during his twelve-year career. He w ...

, have already been signed by

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 ...

. The Chicagos will return Jones on June 29, but will retain Hallinan. *June 30 –

signs

to help bolster their pitching. Cummings will continue to hold his position as President of the International League while playing in the NL.

July–September

*July 3 –

loses to

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

in their first game since re-organization. The Cincinnatis hope to avoid forfeiture of games played and expulsion by the

by finishing out the season. *July 11 –

Pete Hotaling Peter James Hotaling (December 16, 1856 – July 2, 1928), nicknamed "Monkey", was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball from to . He has been described as one of the earliest Journeyman (sports), journeymen in professional basebal ...

, of the Syracuse Stars in the International League, wears a catcher's mask in his first game back after missing a month after being struck in the eye by a foul ball. *July 13 –

George Bradley George Washington Bradley (July 13, 1852 – October 2, 1931), nicknamed "Grin", was an American professional baseball player who was a pitcher and infielder. He played for multiple teams in the early years of the National League, the oldest le ...

ends his streak of pitching 88 consecutive games after playing third base in the Chicagos' victory. *July 20 –

Will White William Henry White (October 11, 1854 – August 31, 1911) was an American professional baseball pitcher and player-manager from 1875 to 1889. He played all or parts of 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds (1876 ...

makes his major league debut. White is the first professional player to wear glasses. No other big-leaguer will wear glasses until

Lee Meadows Henry Lee "Specs" Meadows (July 12, 1894 – January 29, 1963) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher over parts of 15 seasons (1915–1929) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadel ...

in 1915. *August 6 – As per

rules,

Cal McVey Calvin Alexander McVey (August 30, 1849 – August 20, 1926) was an American professional baseball player during the 1860s and 1870s. McVey's importance to the game stems from his play on two of the earliest professional baseball teams, the origi ...

of visiting

randomly draws the umpire from 3 slips of paper placed in a hat for their game against first-place

. When McVey draws an umpire named Dan Devinney, he disgustedly grabs the hat and discovers that all 3 pieces of paper have the same name on them. The angered Chicagos proceed to pound the Louisvilles 7–2. *August 8 – Catcher

Mike Dorgan Michael Cornelius Dorgan (October 2, 1853 – April 26, 1909) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as an outfielder, including five seasons and 425 games with th ...

, after seeing starter John Clapp get his jaw smashed by a foul ball, takes his place wearing a catcher's mask. *August 12 –

Johnny Quigley John Quigley (28 June 1935 – 30 November 2004) was a Scottish Association football, football midfielder and coach. His career peaked when he won the 1959 FA Cup Final with Nottingham Forest. Playing career Celtic He began his career as a pro ...

, a catcher for the Harlem Clippers, dies from injuries sustained in a collision with

Dan Brouthers Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers (; May 8, 1858 – August 2, 1932) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball whose career spanned the period from to , with a brief return in . Nicknamed "Big Dan" for his size, he was and weighed , w ...

at home plate on July 7. *August 20 –

vice-president, Charles Chase, receives a telegram from an unknown source stating that something was going on with the Louisville players and that bettors were placing their money on

in their game to be played that day. Hartford defeats Louisville 6–1. *August 21 –

loses again to

7–0. *August 25 **The Louisvilles surrender a run in the 8th and 2 more in the 9th and lose to second-place

3–2 in the opener of a crucial 3 game series. The loss drops Louisville into a first-place tie with the Bostons. **

and Joe Blong of

are named by gamblers in both cities as willing players in a loss to

. Neither player ever appears in a

game again. *August 27 –

takes the second game of their series with

by a score of 6–0. The victory gives them sole possession of first place over Louisville. *August 28 –

completes the sweep over

by winning 4–3. *September 25 –

and George Hall of the Louisville Club are named by Louisville newspaper writer John Haldeman to have thrown an exhibition game played the previous day against Indianapolis. Both players will later admit this to club officials. *September 29 –

clinches the pennant with an 8–4 victory over

. Manager

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 ...

appears in his final game as a player. *September 30 – The Lowell Ladies' Men clinch the New England Association pennant posting a 33–7 won-lost record.

October–December

*October 1 – The Syracuse Stars clinch the New York State Association pennant. *October 2 – The

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

, Canada Tecumsehs win the first International Association championship with a 5–2 win over Pittsburgh. *October 3 – The Indianapolis Hoosiers clinch the League Alliance Western division title. *October 5 –

wins its 4th consecutive game since

clinched the pennant. *October 4 – Several newspapers around the U.S. declare Boston (most games won) and the Lowell Ladies' Men (best W-L percentage) to be the 2 best teams of pro baseball. *October 15 – In an inter-league game played at Syracuse, New York, the New York State Association champion Syracuse Stars defeat National League champion Boston by a score of 6–0. *October 20 –

demonstrates proof that a curveball really does curve by throwing it around stakes driven into the ground before an exhibition game. *October 26 –

and George Hall are confronted by

vice-president Charles Chase with charges of throwing games. Both players admit to the charges, and also implicate teammates

Al Nichols Alfred Henry Nichols (born as Alfred Henry Williams; February 14, 1852 – June 18, 1936) was an English Major League Baseball player for three seasons. Born in Worcester, England, he played for three different teams, and mainly played as ...

and

Bill Craver William H. Craver (June 1844 – June 17, 1901) was an American Major League Baseball player from Troy, New York who played mainly as a middle infielder, but did play many games at catcher as well during his seven-year career. He played for sev ...

in the

scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...

. *October 27 – The Louisville Club formally drops

, George Hall,

and

for their involvement in the fixing of games. The players' remaining salaries are forfeited to the team. Devlin's testimony included statements that the team had paid umpire Dan Devinney (see August 6) extra to call games in Louisville's favor in roughly 20 games during the season. The club denied the charge as a lie by Devlin, but the method for choosing umpires was changed by the

before the 1878 season began. *November 6 – The Lowell Ladies' Men, pennant winners of the New England Association, defeat NL champion Boston, 9–4, to win the 1877 Inter-League playoff between the champions of the 2 leagues, 3 games to 1. Newspapers around the country did not use the term "World Series" yet, instead referring to the series sometimes as the "United States' Series" or the "Inter-League Exhibitions". *November 20 – The New York Clipper sporting periodical published a list of the results of interleague competition between the teams of the National League and the teams of the New England Association. The NEA teams win the 48-game competition against the NL teams with 24 victories, 23 defeats and 1 tied contest. In 50 decisions played between the National League and New York State Association teams, the NL teams win 33 games while the NYSA teams win 17. In 50 decisions between NL teams and the teams of the International Association the NL teams prevail winning 30 contests while the IA teams win 20 games. *November 24 – The ''New York Mercury'' prints an amazingly accurate prediction about the future of baseball. "The baseball mania is getting so bad that every city will soon have a mammoth structure like the Roman Coliseum to play in. This will be illuminated by electric lights so that games can be played nights‚ thus overcoming a serious objection at present existing." *December 4 – At its winter meetings, the

formally confirms the expulsion of the 4

players. They also vote to throw out all of

's games because they failed to pay their $100 league fee. *December 5 – The

accepts the withdrawal of the St. Louis franchise from the league.

is re-admitted while

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

and

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

are admitted as new teams for the 1878 season. *December 6 –

William Hulbert William Ambrose Hulbert (October 23, 1832 – April 10, 1882) was an American professional baseball executive who was one of the founders of the National League, considered by many to be baseball's first major league, and was also the president ...

is re-elected as president of the

and limits are placed upon the amount of non-league games that teams may play. The league also strips

of its membership due to continual financial problems. *December 7 – The Providence Rhode Islands jump leagues- going from the New England Association to the National League. The team formally joins the NL on January 16, 1878. *December 12 – Indianapolis and Milwaukee of the League Alliance announce their intention to join the National League for the 1878 season. *December 30 – The Lowell Spindle Citys (formerly Ladies' Men), Lynn Live Oaks and Manchester Reds leave the New England Association and join the International Association. The remaining NEA team, Fall River Cascades, disbands- effectively ending the NEA. *December 31 – The Auburn Auburnians, Binghamton Crickets, Rochester Flour Citys and Syracuse Stars leave the New York State Association and join the International Association – effectively ending the NYSA.

Births

*January 22 –

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

*January 24 –

Pop Rising Percival Sumner "Pop" Rising (January 24, 1877 – January 28, 1938) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Boston Americans during the season. Biography Rising was born in Industry, Pennsylvania on Ja ...

*February 4 –

Germany Schaefer Herman A. "Germany" Schaefer (February 4, 1876 – May 16, 1919) was a second baseman, first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played 15 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Newark Peppers, New ...

*March 11 –

Norwood Gibson Norwood Ringold Gibson ibby(March 11, 1877 – July 7, 1959) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Boston Americans between and . Listed at , 165 lb., Gibson batted and threw right-handed. A ...

*April 2 – Ed Siever *April 5 –

Wid Conroy William Edward "Wid" Conroy (April 5, 1877 – December 6, 1959) was an American Major League Baseball player active during the first decade of the 20th century. Career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 5, 1877, Conroy made his major ...

*May 16 – Art Williams *July 20 –

Red Kleinow John Peter Kleinow (July 20, 1877 – October 9, 1929) was a reserve catcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1904 through 1911 for the New York Highlanders (1904–10), Boston Red Sox (1910–11) and Philadelphia Phillies (1911). Listed ...

*September 7 – Mike O'Neill *September 9 –

Frank Chance Frank Leroy Chance (September 9, 1877 – September 15, 1924) was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, Chance played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees from 1898 through 1914. He also served ...

*September 29 –

Harry Steinfeldt Harry M. Steinfeldt (September 29, 1875 – August 17, 1914) was an American professional baseball player. A third baseman, Steinfeldt played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Rustlers. He batted and thre ...

*October 10 – Pep Deininger *October 26 –

Doc Newton Eustace James Newton (October 26, 1877 – May 14, 1931) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for several teams in both the National League and American League. He finished with a 54–72 win–loss record, a 3.22 earne ...

*November 4 –

Tommy Leach Thomas Andrew Leach (November 4, 1877 – September 29, 1969) was an American professional baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball from 1898 through 1918 for the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago ...

*November 23 –

George Stovall George Thomas Stovall (November 23, 1877 – November 5, 1951), nicknamed "Firebrand", was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Cleveland Naps and the St. Louis Browns in the American League, and he also played t ...

*November 30 –

Tacks Latimer Clifford Wesley "Tacks" Latimer (November 30, 1875 – April 24, 1936) was an American professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants, Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, ...

*December 1 – Matt Broderick *December 7 – Hobe Ferris 1 – Some sources show

1875 Events January * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the year (Third C ...

Deaths

*October 1 – Ed Somerville, 24, second baseman for the

Louisville Grays The Louisville Grays were a 19th-century United States baseball team and charter member of the National League, based in Louisville, Kentucky. They played two seasons, 1876 and 1877, and compiled a record of 65–61. Their home games were at ...

in . *December 18 – Archie Bush, 31, umpire for two game during the 1871 National Association season.

References

*Orem, Preston D. (1961). ''Baseball (1845–1881) From the Newspaper Accounts''. Altadena, California: Self-published. *Gilbert, Thomas W. (1995). ''Superstars and Monopoly Wars: Nineteenth-Century Major League Baseball''. New York: Franklin Watts.

External links

1877 season at Baseball-Reference.comCharlton's Baseball Chronology at BaseballLibrary.comYear by Year History at Baseball-Almanac.comRetrosheet.org
{{Year in baseball, this year=1877

1877 Events January * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act 1876, introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sioux War of 1876: Batt ...