The

Worcester Worcesters The Worcester Worcesters were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team from 1880 to 1882 in the National League. The team is referred to, at times, as the Brown Stockings or the Ruby Legs; however, no contemporary sources from the time exist t ...

, sometimes referred to as the ''Brown Stockings'' or the ''Ruby Legs'', were a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

team based in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

.Gordon/Burgoyne, p. 43Foulds, p. 149 Though the team's alternate names appear in many modern sources, no contemporary records from the time exist that support the use of names other than "Worcester". They existed in the

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 ...

(NL) from to , and played their home games at the

Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds was a site in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. The grounds are mainly known for having hosted the Worcester Worcesters, a professional baseball team of the National League from 1880 to 1882. As a ...

. The team was organized in 1879 as the Worcester Baseball Association, and joined the

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 ...

National Association.Foulds, p. 146 The team was profitable, successful against rival teams, and did well against NL teams in

exhibition game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...

s. After the season, team management turned their attention on the NL, and pursued the slot vacated by the departing Syracuse Stars.Foulds, p. 150 The team was voted into the NL by a majority of the owners, and in 1880, the team began their first season. The

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

of the team,

Frank Bancroft Francis Carter Bancroft (May 9, 1846 – March 30, 1921) was an American manager in Major League Baseball for the Worcester Ruby Legs, Detroit Wolverines, Cleveland Blues, Providence Grays, Indianapolis Hoosiers, and Cincinnati Reds of the Natio ...

, and many of the players stayed with the team when it joined the NL, including

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Lee Richmond J. Lee Richmond (May 5, 1857 – October 1, 1929) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Boston Red Stockings, Worcester Worcesters, Providence Grays, and Cincinnati Red Stockings, and is best known for pitching the ...

and

Tricky Nichols Frederick C. "Tricky" Nichols (July 26, 1850 – August 22, 1897) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for six seasons from 1875 to 1882. He played for six teams: New Haven Elm Citys in 1875, Boston Red Caps in 1876, St. Louis Brown Stockings ...

, and position players

Arthur Irwin Arthur Albert Irwin (February 14, 1858 – July 16, 1921), nicknamed "Doc", "Sandy", "Cutrate" or "Foxy", was a Canadian-American shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the late nineteenth century. He played regularly in t ...

Doc Bushong Albert John Bushong (September 15, 1856 – August 19, 1908), known as Doc Bushong, was an American catcher in Major League Baseball. Bushong also made appearances as an umpire and after his retirement from baseball, he practiced as a dentist. S ...

Charlie Bennett Charles Wesley Bennett (November 21, 1854 – February 24, 1927) was an American professional baseball player from 1875 or 1876 through the 1893 season. He played 15 years in Major League Baseball, principally as a catcher, with the Milwaukee G ...

, and

Chub Sullivan John Frank "Chub" Sullivan (January12, 1856September12, 1881) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who played for three seasons: two with the Cincinnati Reds (1877–1878) and one with the Worcester Worcesters (1880). He was ...

.Foulds, p. 148 On June 12, Richmond threw the first

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New Yo ...

in major league history, against the Cleveland Blues.

Harry Stovey Harry Duffield Stovey (''né'' Stowe; December 20, 1856 – September 20, 1937) was an American 19th-century Major League Baseball player and the first player in major league history to hit 100 home runs. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stove ...

, in his first major league season, led the league in

triples TripleS (; ; stylized as tripleS) is a South Korean 24-member multinational girl group formed by Modhaus. They aim to be the world's first decentralized idol group, where the members will rotate between the full group, sub-units, and solo activi ...

and

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s. However, the Ruby Legs were, in turn,

no-hit In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine ...

on August 20 by

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 ...

of the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

, becoming the first team to be no-hit at home. They played 85 games in their first season, and had a win–loss record of 40 wins, 43 losses, with 2 ties, finishing fifth in the league. Before the season, the Worcester team experienced several setbacks. Bancroft departed as their manager, and many of the players also left the team.

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 ...

replaced Bancroft and served as

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

, while

Hick Carpenter Warren William "Hick" Carpenter (August 16, 1855 – April 18, 1937) was an American third baseman who played with several major league teams from 1879 to 1892. Career Carpenter was born in Grafton, Massachusetts, in 1855. He started his profes ...

and

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 ...

were brought in as player replacements.Foulds, p. 153 Further complications arose during the season: the popular Sullivan was sick with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, and on August 19,

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

Irwin broke his leg. This presented a problem for that day's game, because his backup, Buttercup Dickerson, was also injured at the time. As a solution, local

sports equipment Sports equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear, which varies in shapes, size, and usage in a particular sport. It includes balls, nets, rackets, protective gears like helmets, goggles, etc. Since th ...

dealer Martin "Flip" Flaherty was used to help field a full team. Matters did not improve the following month:

Lip Pike Lipman Emanuel "Lip" Pike (May 25, 1845 – October 10, 1893) the "Iron Batter", was an American star of 19th-century baseball in the United States. His brother, Israel Pike, played briefly for the Hartford Dark Blues during the season. Pike ...

was accused of conspiring to throw baseball games, and was later expelled by the NL, and Sullivan succumbed to tuberculosis. To commemorate their teammate, the team wore a black crape on their sleeve, which began baseball's tradition of honoring the recently deceased in this manner. Dorgan departed the team before the season ended, and Stovey took over the on-field managerial duties, while also continuing his playing role. The team finished with a record of 32 wins, 50 losses, with 1 tie, finishing last among the eight teams in the league. In 1882, the team's decline continued, and the pitchers began to complain of exhaustion and accused management of overuse. A second consecutive last-place finish, along with declining talent, their fans stopped attending home games, with attendance numbers averaging 50 paid spectators.

John Clarkson John Gibson Clarkson (July 1, 1861 – February 4, 1909) was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played from 1882 to 1894. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Clarkson played for the Worcester Ruby Legs (1882), Chicago Whi ...

, who went on to win 328 games in a 12-season career, and was the only

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

to have played for the franchise, began his career for the 1881 Ruby Legs. When the season ended, the NL decided to drop the team from the league, replacing them with the Philadelphia Quakers, who later became the Phillies.Gordon, p. 1

Keys

Players

References

;General *Gordon, Robert. 2005.
Legends of the Philadelphia Phillies
'. Sports Publishing LLC. *Gordon, Robert; Tom Burgoyne. 2005.
Movin' on Up: Baseball and Philadelphia Then, Now, and Always
'. B B& A Publishers. . *Foulds, Alan E. 2005.
Boston's ballparks & arenas
'. University Press of New England. . ;Specific

External links

*Franchise index a
Baseball-Reference
an

{{featured list * Major League Baseball all-time rosters