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April 30, 1876 - Sunday Base Ball Report

On our first Sabbath since the season started in earnest, your Beadle Base Ball Player correspondent takes pen to paper to discuss the goings-on thus far in the new National League. Eight days ago, on April 22, 1876, the first-ever National League game was played between the Boston Red Caps and the defending champion Philadelphia Athletics. It was a hard-fought contest, narrowly won by the Athletic club when star catcher and negotiator James "Deacon" White hit a run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the home club a 3-2 triumph.

As of today, here are the standings in the National League:

Hartford Dark Blues 2-0
Philadelphia Athletics 2-0
Cincinnati Reds 2-1
Louisville Grays 2-1
Chicago White Stockings 1-2
St. Louis Brown Stockings 1-2
Boston Red Caps 1-3
New York Mutuals 0-2

And the leaders in various statistical categories:

Honest American Statistics

Batting Average - .667, "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, New York Mutuals
Hits - 8, 3 players tied
Doubles - 2, 7 players tied
Triples - 2, Jim Foran, Boston Red Caps
Home Runs - 1, 4 players tied
Runs Batted In - 7, Jim Foran, Boston Red Caps
Runs Scored - 5, Count Gedney, Hartford and Barney Gilligan, Cincinnati
Stolen Bases - 2, Harry Berthrong, Louisville Grays
Walks - 2, Levi Meyerle, Chicago White Stockings
Strikeouts - 3, Paddy Quinn, St. Louis Brown Stockings

Wins - 2, 4 players tied
Losses - 3, Foghorn Bradley, Boston Red Caps
Innings Pitched - 31 2/3, Foghorn Bradley, Boston Red Caps
Shutouts - 0
Walks - 4, Tommy Bond, Louisville Grays
Strikeouts - 6, Dory Dean, Cincinnati Reds

Suspicious-Sounding, Possibly Un-American Statistics

On-Base Percentage - .600, "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, New York and Fred Waterman, Hartford
Slugging Percentage - .941, Jim Foran, Boston Red Caps
Extra Base Hits - 4, Jim Foran, Boston Red Caps
Total Bases - 16, Jim Foran, Boston Red Caps

Earned Run Average - 0.00, Lon Knight, Philadelphia Athletics
Saves - 0

Certainly Demon-Inspired Statistics From the Pit of Hell

OPS - 1.412, Jim Foran, Boston Red Caps
RC/27 - 33.84, "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, New York Mutuals
VORP (Batting) - 4.7, Jim Foran, Boston Red Caps
ISO - .471, Jim Foran, Boston Red Caps

VORP (Pitching) - 7.9, George Bradley, St. Louis Brown Stockings
H/9IP - 2.70, George Knight, Cincinnati Reds
HR/9IP - 0.00, 7 players tied
BB/9IP - 0.00, 3 players tied
K/9IP - 2.70, George Knight, Cincinnati Reds
K/BB Ratio - 6.00, Dory Dean, Cincinnati Reds
Opp. Avg. - .071, George Knight, Cincinnati Reds
WHIP - 0.30, George Knight, Cincinnati Reds

In other big news, Jim Foran of Boston became the second professional player ever to "hit for the cycle," as he almost-singlehandedly led the Bostons to a 13-5 triumph over New York on April 25. Foran managed a single, a double, two triples and a home run for the game, and also scored three runs while driving in seven. Outfielder Paul Hines is the only other player to have managed this feat - he did so while playing for the Philadelphia Whites in 1873.