September 1, 1876
The Philadelphia Athletics extended their lead in dramatic fashion over the course of August. The team took 3 of 5 from Boston and 5 of 6 from Hartford en route to a 10-4 record for the month while Boston was just 3-9 in August. Chicago continued to play relatively well, and Louisville actually wasn’t all that bad, either, but for the most part, the teams in behind the Athletics merely beat up on each other. The result is a 7-game lead for Philadelphia, with both Boston and St. Louis tied for second place.
In Other News
Aug 1: Colorado is admitted to the Union as the 38th U.S. State.
Aug 4: The Louisville Grays, trailing the White Stockings, intentionally commit errors to extend a game during which rain appears to be on the way. Eventually, the game is ruled a forfeit by the umpires. Later, the game is removed from the official standings altogether.
Aug 18: Hartford left fielder Ed Buteau extends his hitting streak to a new National League record 24 games. Buteau has since extended the streak to 27 games and will look to continue into September. Buteau managed one of just 3 hits for the Dark Blues, as Boston’s Billy Lamacchia shuts out Hartford for a 3-0 victory.
Standings
Code:
W L PCT GB
Philadelphia Athletics 35 17 .673 -
Boston Red Caps 28 24 .538 7.0
St. Louis Brown Stockings 28 24 .538 7.0
New York Mutuals 24 24 .500 9.0
Cincinnati Reds 25 27 .481 10.0
Chicago White Stockings 25 29 .463 11.0
Hartford Dark Blues 21 28 .429 12.5
Louisville Grays 22 35 .386 15.5
League Leaders
Average
.354 Joe Holleran (BOS)
.345 Bob Polansky (STL)
.337 Henry Rasnick (LOU)
Total Bases
106 Bob Polansky (STL)
102 Henry Rasnick (LOU)
99 Joe Holleran (BOS)
Stolen Bases
14 Harry Pigg (CHW)
13 John Arend (STL)
12 Bill Dix (LOU), Fred Mannion (BOS)
ERA
1.83 Doc Taylor (HAR)
1.98 Billy Lamacchia (BOS)
2.20 Bill McManis (NY)
Wins
22 Joe Bormann (CIN)
19 Charlie Barta (STL)
19 Joe Gotcher (PHA)
Strikeouts
60 Joe Bormann (CIN)
56 Charlie Barta (STL)
27 Frank Kale (HAR)