American Baseball Congress

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Philadelphia 2B Best Rookie

November 2, 1875

Philadelphia Keystones
2B Caleb Brown

Brown earns Rookie of the Year honors by hitting .321 with 23 RBIs and 29 runs scored.

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Cincinnati's Martin Wins MotY

November 3, 1875

Cincinnati Reds
John Martin

Martin lead the Reds to their best ABC, 2nd place with a 32-24 record. He has a 115-109 lifetime record.

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Webster Is ABC's Best

Nivember 4, 1875

Chicago White Stocdkings
SP Walton Webster

Webster was 18-8 in 28 starts this season, with a 2.21 ERA. This is Webster's first Pitcher of the Year award.

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Batter of the Year Goes To...

November 5, 1875

Baltimore Canaries
CF Bill Gibbs

Gibbs set himself apart from the rest of the league in 1875. He hit .385 with 44 RBIs on his way to winning this year's Batter of the Year award. This is the third time he has won this award.

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New York Doesn't Let Starr Get Away

December 16, 1875

New York Mutuals
SP Jonathan Starr

When Starr filed for free agency back in November, the fans were afraid he would leave New York and play elsewhere next season. The Mutuals didn't let that happen. They signed Starr to a new 3 year deal worth $2,289.

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Meet The Baltimore Orioles

January 30, 1876

The Baltimore ownership announced today that they have adopted a new team nickname. They will now be called the Baltimore Orioles. Along with their name change comes new uniforms and a new team logo.

Baltimore Orioles


CF Bill Gibbs

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ABC Announces 1876 Schedule Changes

February 7, 1876

The ABC is expanding its schedule again. This time, the number of games has been increased to 84 games. Each of the 8 teams will play the other 7 teams a total of 12 times through the season.

Here's a look at the Opening Day matchups:

The defending champion New York Mutuals open the season on the road against the Brooklyn Superbas. Jonathan Starr will face off against Rick Frank.
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The Cincinnati Reds will host the Washington Nationals. Red Bishop takes the mound for the Reds while Greg Berry pitches for the Nationals.
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The Chicago White Stockings travel to Philadelphia to take on the Keystones. Chicago's newly signed Jimmy Reece gets the nod against Philadelphia's Mark Pittman.
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And finally, the Bostone Red Stockings will play host to the Baltimore Orioles. Rick Sawyer will wear the new Orioles colors against Boston's Antonio Martinez.
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Baseball America's Top 10 in 1876

April 7, 1876

Baseball America released their Top 100 Prospects list for 1876. Here is the Top 10.

1. SP Curt Young - Washington Nationals
Young repeats as the #1 prospect this year.


2. SP Adrian Miranda - Baltimore Orioles
Miranda was the #1 overall pick in the 1875 draft.


3. SP Jimmy Wilson - Brooklyn Superbas
Wilson was the #2 overall selection in last year's draft.


4. SP Mark Pittman - Philadelphia Keystones
This is Pittman's 4th year on the list. Last year he was #3.


5. SP Ricky Armstrong - Brooklyn Superbas
Armstrong was #4 on this list last year.


6. SP Randy Miller - Brooklyn Superbas
Armstrong drops down from 5th on the list last year. This is his 5th year on make the list.


7. MR Ryan Johnson - New York Mutuals
Johnson has been on the list every year since it has been published.


8. SP Zack Ammerman - Cincinnati Reds
Ammerman was picked 4th overall last year.


9. SP Brandon House - Brooklyn Superbas
The 4th Superba to make the list, House drops from 8th last year.


10. SP Alfredo Zamora - Philadelphia Keystones
Zamora was the 9th overall pick in the 1872 draft. This is his first time cracking the Top 10.

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New York Starts 1876 With Shutout On Opening Day

April 8, 1876

The New York Mutuals got their 1876 season off on the right foot with a 9-0 shutout of the Brooklyn Superbas.

New York Mutuals - 9
Brooklyn Superbas - 0

New York Mutuals
SP Jonathan Starr

Starr pitched a complete shutout only allowing 5 hits.


Washington Nationals - 2
Cincinnati Reds - 1

Washington Nationals
SP Greg Berry

Berry earns Player of the Game honors by pitching a complete game, allowing 11 hits and only 1 run.


Chicago White Stockings - 1
Philadelphia Keystones - 2

Philadelphia Keystones
SP Kris Evans

Evans allowed 1 run in 9 IP, giving up 7 hits to win the Player of the Game award.

Baltimore Orioles - 3
Boston Red Stockings - 1

Baltimore Orioles
SP Rick Sawyer

Sawyer dominated Boston today giving up one 1 run on 5 hits.

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Chicago And Cincinnati Lead Through April

May 1, 1876

Both White Stockings and Reds finish April with an 8-4 record.

Standings through April 30, 1876

Team                        W     L       PCT      GB
Chicago White Stockings     8     4      .667      -
Cincinnati Reds             8     4      .667      -
New York Mutuals            7     5      .583     1.0
Brooklyn Superbas           6     6      .500     2.0
Philadelphia Keystones      6     6      .500     2.0
Boston Red Stockings        5     7      .417     3.0
Washington Nationals        5     7      .417     3.0
Baltimore Orioles           3     9      .250     5.0

Rookie of the Month
1B Alex Swift - Chicago White Stockings

Swift hit .405 in April to go along with his 9 RBIs and 7 runs scored to win the Rookie of the Month award.

Pitcher of the Month
SP Willie Smith - Cincinnati Reds

Smith won 5 games in April with a 1.80 ERA.

Batter of the Month
LF Leonard Douglas - Chicago White Stockings

Douglas posted a .385 batting average with 9 RBIs and 10 runs scored towin Batter of the Month honors.

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Chicago Builds Lead In May

June 1, 1876

After going 9-5 in May, the Chicago White Stockings have built a 2 game lead in the standings.

Standings through May 31, 1876

Team                        W     L       PCT      GB
Chicago White Stockings    17     9      .654      -
Cincinnati Reds            15    11      .577     2.0
Brooklyn Superbas          14    12      .538     3.0
New York Mutuals           13    13      .500     4.0
Washington Nationals       13    13      .500     4.0
Philadelphia Keystones     12    14      .462     5.0
Boston Red Stockings       11    15      .423     6.0
Baltimore Orioles           9    17      .346     8.0

Rookie of the Month
SP Jimmy Douglas - Brooklyn Superbas

Douglas went 4-1 in May with a 1.52 ERA to be selected May's Rookie of the Month.

Pitcher of the Month
SP Red Bishop - Cincinnati Reds

This is Bishop's 4th time being select Pitcher of the Month in his career. He won 4 games in May with a 1.37 ERA.

Batter of the Month
LF James Moore - Baltimore Orioles

This is the 2nd time Moore has been selected Batter of the Month. He hit .429 with 17 RBIs and 10 runs scored. He leads the ABC with a .431 batting average.

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1876 First Year Players Draft

June 15, 1876

The ABC management conducted the annual First Year Players Draft today. Here are the 1st round results:

1. SP Paul Burke - Brooklyn Superbas


2. CF Tom Harris - Philadelphia Keystones


3. SP Craig Sanders - Baltimore Orioles


4. CF Marvin Morgan - Boston Red Stockings


5. SP Ivan Guevara - Washington Nationals


6. SP Jack Morgan - Chicago White Stockings


7. SP Nick Moser - Cincinnati Reds


8. 2B Alex Henderson - New York Mutuals

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Federal Baseball Association Established

June 27, 1876

Today, several private business men from across the country have announced the formation of the Federal Baseball Association. Due to the success of the American Baseball congress, these 8 men believe baseball should be brought to 6 cities across the country that don't have their own baseball teams. Also, 2 of the FBA franchises will be established in cities that already have professional baseball. The FBA will conduct its first season starting in April 1877.

The first team revealed to be a member of the newly formed FBA, is the Cleveland Blues.



Next week have another Ohio team with the Columbus Buckeyes!



Baseball moves into Kentucky with the Louisville Colonels.



Next we have our first team from the Great Lakes region in the Milwaukee Brewers.



Now, we have the first team going into a city with an already established baseball tradition, the New York Giants!



Then, we have the other city with its 2nd team, the Philadelphia Athletics!



Next up, another team for the state of Pennsylvania, welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates!



Finally, our western most city, the St. Louis Brown Stockings!

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Chicago Takes Huge Lead June

July 1, 1876

Chicago went 12-2 in June to take a commanding lead in the ABC standings. After June, the White Stockings have a 7 game lead.

Standings through June 30, 1876

Team                        W     L       PCT      GB
Chicago White Stockings    29    11      .725      -
Brooklyn Superbas          22    18      .550     7.0
Philadelphia Keystones     21    19      .525     8.0
Washington Nationals       21    19      .525     8.0
Cincinnati Reds            18    22      .450    11.0
New York Mutuals           18    22      .450    11.0
Boston Red Stockings       17    23      .425    12.0
Baltimore Orioles          14    26      .350    15.0

Rookie of the Month
SP Curt Young - Washington Nationals

Young had a 4-3 record in June along with a 1.16 ERA in 62 IP. The ABC's #1 prospect wins June's Rookie of the Month award.

Pitcher of the Month
SP Jimmy Reece - Chicago White Stockings

Reece posted a 5-1 record with a 1.82 ERA in June to win the Pitcher of the Month award.

Batter of the Month
1B Greg Winter - Washington Nationals

Winter hit .460 with 9 RBIs and 10 runs scored in June to win Batter of the Month honors.

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Chicago's Lead Grows to 9 Games

August 1, 1876

Chicago won 9 games and lost 5 in July to expand their lead to 9 games.

Standings through July 31, 1876

Team                        W     L       PCT      GB
Chicago White Stockings    38    16      .704      -
Brooklyn Superbas          29    25      .537     9.0
Washington Nationals       29    25      .537     9.0
Philadelphia Keystones     26    28      .481    12.0
Boston Red Stockings       24    30      .444    14.0
New York Mutuals           24    30      .444    14.0
Baltimore Orioles          23    31      .326    15.0
Cincinnati Reds            23    31      .326    15.0

Rookie of the Month
1B Steve Woods - Boston Red Stockings

A .328 batting average was good enough to earn Woods the Batter of the Month award.

Pitcher of the Month
SP Rick Sawyer - Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore's Sawyer posted a 5-2 record with a 1.21 ERA in July to win the Pitcher of the Month award. This is his 2nd time winning this award.

Batter of the Month
3B Roberto Carrillo - Cincinnati Reds

The Reds' 3B hit .441 with 10 runs scored to be selected July's Batter of the Month.

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August In The Books

September 1, 1876

Chicago gained another game against the rest of the league in August. Their magic number is 7 headed into September.

Standings through August 31, 1876

Team                        W     L       PCT      GB
Chicago White Stockings    45    23      .662      -
New York Mutuals           35    33      .515    10.0
Washington Nationals       35    33      .515    10.0
Brooklyn Superbas          34    34      .500    11.0
Philadelphia Keystones     33    35      .485    12.0
Baltimore Orioles          31    37      .456    14.0
Boston Red Stockings       30    38      .441    15.0
Cincinnati Reds            29    39      .426    16.0

Rookie of the Month
1B Hoyt O'Finn - New York Mutuals

O'Finn managed a .429 batting average to go along with his 12 RBIs and 7 runs to earn this month's Rookie of the Month award.

Pitcher of the Month
SP Rick Sawyer - Baltimore Orioles

This is the 2nd month in a row that Sawyer has won this award. He went 5-2 with a 1.77 ERA.

Batter of the Month
CF James Moore - Baltimore Orioles

Like his teammate, this is the 2nd time this year Moore has won this award. He posted a .431 batting average, 11 RBIs and 9 runs scored.

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Chicago Clinches ABC Crown With Victory

September 20, 1876

With their 10-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago White Stockings claimed their first ABC Championship. 3B Harry Catron was named player of the game after he went 3-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs. SP Walton Webster was the winning pitcher.

Catron and Webster

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September Comes To A Close

October 1, 1876

Its an anti-climatic end to September since Chicago clinches the title 10 days ago.

Standings through September 30, 1876

Team                        W     L       PCT      GB
Chicago White Stockings    51    31      .622      -
New York Mutuals           43    39      .524    8.0
Washington Nationals       43    39      .524    8.0
Brooklyn Superbas          41    41      .500    10.0
Philadelphia Keystones     41    41      .500    10.0
Baltimore Orioles          37    45      .451    14.0
Boston Red Stockings       37    45      .451    15.0
Cincinnati Reds            35    47      .427    16.0

Rookie and Batter of the Month
1B Steve Woods - Boston Red Stockings

Woods wins the Rookie of the Month award for the 2nd time this year along with his first Batter of the Month award. He hit .364 with 12 runs driven in. That was good enough to win both awards.

Pitcher of the Month
SP Greg Berry - Washington Nationals

For the 4th time in his career, Greg Berry wins the Pitcher of the Month award. Her does so with a 4-1 record and a 1.00 ERA for the month of September.

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Final 1876 Standings

October 19, 1876

Here are the final standings for the 1876 ABC season.

Final 1876 Standings

Team                        W     L       PCT      GB
Chicago White Stockings    52    32      .619      -
New York Mutuals           45    39      .536     7.0
Washington Nationals       43    41      .512     9.0
Brooklyn Superbas          42    42      .500    10.0
Philadelphia Keystones     42    42      .500    10.0
Boston Red Stockings       38    46      .452    14.0
Baltimore Orioles          37    47      .452    15.0
Cincinnati Reds            37    47      .427    15.0

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Chicago White Stockings 1876 ABC Champions