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1877 Season
History
For failure to make their final west coast road trips, the National League expelled clubs from their two biggest cities, New York and Philadelphia, and the league struggled through the 1877 season with six teams. A further blow was dealt when the NL had to confront a major scandal in which four Louisville players were suspended for throwing games. William Hulbert immediately banned them for life, and Louisville dropped out of the league, along with St. Louis and Hartford. They would be replaced by Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Providence in 1878.
The Chicago club, which seemed a sure lock for the pennant with Philadelphia out of the picture struggled all season, finishing seven games below .500 and the Boston Red Caps once again found themselves on the top rung, beating Louisville by a wide seven game margin.
From Baseballhistory.com
January 6 – Joe Battin reportedly will not sign with the St. Louis Brown Stockings because of the new NL policy of charging players $30 for uniforms and deducting 50 cents a day from salaries during road trips to offset the cost of meals.
January 13 – St. Louis announces the signing of Mike Dorgan for $1,600, much to the surprise of the Syracuse Stars, who claim to hold a signed contract with him.
February 3 – Cherokee Fisher admits he was paid $100 to lose a game last September while pitching in an exhibition game.
February 20 – The International Association is organized at a meeting of representatives of 17 clubs held in Pittsburgh. Although set up as an alternative to the NL, the IA will go down in history as the first minor league.
February 21 – Candy Cummings is elected president of the IA, although he will play for the Cincinnati Reds
March 5 – The Hartford Dark Blues complete arrangements to play their home games in Brookly, although they will still be called “Hartford”.
March 22 – The NL publishes its 1877 game schedule, the first league-wide schedule ever issued. The failure of the Athletics and the Mutuals to finish the 1876 season has convinced the NL of this necessity.
May 17 – At a special league meeting, the NL adopts a livelier version of the Spalding ball for all games.
June 5 – Chicago ace Al Spalding announces his retirement at the end of this season in order to concentrate on his sporting goods empire. Entering the 1877 season, Spalding leads all players in wins, strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts, and is second in ERA only to Candy Cummings.
June 10 – Just before the start of the regular season, newly aquired Lip Pike resigns as captain of the Cincinnati Reds and is replaced by Bob Addy.
June 18 – Lacking the funds to start their season on an east coast trip, the Cincinnati club disbands.
June 21 – Stockholds move to reorganize the Cincinnati club.
June 25 – Hard luck continues to dog the Cincinnati team, as a heavy windstorm nearly destroys the pavillion at Cincinnati Baseball Park.
Retirements
Dave Birdsall, a solid contributor who played his entire career as an outfielder for the Boston club. He retires with a .290 avg, 2 HR, and 144 RBI’s. His best season came in 1871 when he hit .362
Major Player Signings (Not a full listing)
George Bradley with Chicago
Candy Cummings with Cincinnati
Cherokee Fisher with Chicago
Davy Force with St. Louis
Tricky Nichols with St. Louis
Lip Pike with Cincinnati
Joe Start with Hartford
Ezra Sutton with Boston
Deacon White with Boston
July 1 – Sensing the pending retirement of Al Spalding the White Stockings decide to go with a four man pitching staff this season, prepearing George Bradley, Cherokee Fisher, and Lou Reis to take the helm.
July 24 – The season opens in Louisville with the Grays beating St. Louis 7-3
August 1 – Umpire Dan Devinney charges that St. Louis manager George McManus tried to bribe him with $250 to help the Browns beat the Grays in Louisville. But the home team wins 3-1. St. Louis management will vehemently deny the charges.
August 6 - The NL rule calls for the home team to submit 3 names of approved local men as a possible umpire for each game, with the visiting team choosing one of them at random. Today in Louisville, Chicago's Cal Mcvey reaches into the hat and picks out a slip with Devinney's name on it. Disgusted, McVey then grabs the hat and finds that all 3 slips have Devinney's name on them. The incensed White Stockings demand a new umpire and then snap the Grays' 6-game winning streak 7-2.
August 7 – Cap Anson has 6 hits against Hartford
August 8 - After St. Louis C John Clapp has his cheek smashed by a foul tip, replacement Mike Dorgan goes behind the plate wearing a mask. Though used earlier in the IA, this is perhaps the first use of a catcher's mask in an official NL game.
August 12 – Charley Jones loaned from Chicago to Cincinnati. After going 0-4 for the Reds, he is immediately shipped back to the White Stockings.
August 16 - Louisville loses in Boston 6-1, but retains first place. Bill Craver takes a called 3rd strike with the tying runs on base, and Jim Devlin fans 4 times, raising suspicions of gambling.
August 20 - Louisville director Charles E. Chase receives an anonymous telegram from Hoboken, NJ, saying that "something is wrong with the Louisville players" and that gamblers were betting on Hartford.
Slumping Paul Hines receives a letter from Chicago president William Hulbert threatening him with release for poor play.
August 22 – Jimmy Hallinan released by Cincinnati, signed by Chicago
September 5 – Louisville’s Jim Devlin and George Hall agreee to throw tomorrow’s game in Cincinnati for $25 a piece. Louisville will lose the game 1-0
September 22 – Boston’s Will White pitches a 2-hit shutout against Louisville and wins his 28th game on his way to a rookie record and league leading 31 games.
October 20 - At an exhibition, LH Bobby Mitchell and RH Tommy Bond offer conclusive proof that a ball can curve. Three stakes are set up in a straight line; Bond curves the ball around the center stake on one side, while Mitchell curves it around on the other side.
October 26 - Louisville club vice president Charles Chase confronts George Hall and Jim Devlin with charges that they threw road games in August and September. Both admit to throwing non-league games and implicate teammates Al Nichols and Bill Craver.
October 27 – The Louisville club formally expels Devlin, Hall, and Nichols for selling games and tampering with other players and expels Craver for “disobedience to positive orders.” Craver will deny any wrongdoing.
November 30 – At Boston’s South End Fair, Andy Leonard wins a gold watch valued at $300 for being voted the league’s “most popular player”.
December 4 – At a formal meeting in Cleveland, the NL directors meet and confirm the expulsion of the four Louisville players.
December 5 – The NL comfirms the actions of the dicrectors and accepts the resignation of the St. Louis club. The Cincinnati Reds are readmitted for 1878. The Indianapolis Hoosiers and Milwaukee Cream Citys are also admitted.
December 6 – William Hulbert is reelected NL president and Nick Young as NL secretary. Hartford is stripped of its membership.
National Association Rookie of the Year:
- Will White (Boston Red Caps)
31-9 with a 1.63 ERA, 3 ShO, 40 GS, 358 IP, 69 K, 20 BB
National Association Pitcher of the Year:
- Will White (Boston Red Caps)
31-9 with a 1.63 ERA, 3 ShO, 40 GS, 358 IP, 69 K, 20 BB
National Association Most Valuable Player:
- Ross Barnes (Chicago White Stockings) (2)
.396 in 255 AB, 0 HR, 35 RBI
1873 Final Standings
National Association
W L Pct. GB
Boston 44 16 .733 *
Chicago 31 29 .517 13
St. Louis 30 30 .500 14
Cincinnati 29 31 .483 15
Louisville 27 33 .450 17
Hartford 19 41 .317 25
LEAGUE LEADERS
BATTING AVERAGE
R.Barnes CHC .396
A.Leonard BSN .385
L.Meyerle CIN .363
HOMERUNS
J.Start HAR 3
C.Fisher CHC 2
E.Sutton BSN 2
T.York HAR 2
RBI's
C.Gould CIN 42
C.Anson CHC 42
T.Beals BSN 40
RUNS
R.Barnes CHC 53
E.Sutton BSN 48
C.Anson CHC 45
STOLEN BASES
D.Mack STL 9
R.Barnes CHC 8
N.Cuthbert CIN 8
A.Leonard BSN 8
H.Schafer BSN 8
ERA
W.White BSN 1.63
T.Larkin HAR 1.89
B.Mathews CIN 2.10
WINS
W.White BSN 31-9
J.Devlin LOU 27-33
J.Blong STL 22-26
STRIKEOUTS
B.Mithcell CIN 103
J.Blong STL 82
J.Devlin LOU 76
LEAGUE TOTALS
AB 100000
H 31262
2B 5731
3B 1114
HR 12553
BB 103820
K 6341
Adj.Real Adj.Sim
AB 100000 100000 1.000
H 27109 27483 1.014
2B 3154 2937 0.931
3B 1493 1569 1.051
HR 176 164 0.932
BB 2524 2458 0.974
K 5312 4902 0.923