1870s Boston Red Stockings

The Boston Red Stockings, were arguably the top major league team of the 1870s.

State of the Bostonians

Established on January 20, 1871 at the Parker House Hotel, in Boston, Massachusetts, the Boston Red Stockings were the vision of a local businessman Ivers Adams who convinced Harry Wright, formerly of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, to move to Boston to help make his dream of fielding a top-notch professional baseball team on the Hub City a reality. Wright brought with him his younger brother, George Wright, arguably the best player of the 19th century, and two others in Cal McVey and Charlie Gould. Wright built the team with help from a pitcher from Rockford, Illinois, Albert Spalding. The team was an inaugural member of the National Association in 1871 and went 20-10-1 in its first season, which was only good for a second-place finish behind the Philadelphia Athletics.

Undaunted, Harry Wright set out to improve the team, which increased its win totals as well as winning the pennant in 1872, 1873, and 1874. The 1875 season saw Boston jump out to a 26-0-1 record before losing its first game. During the season four of the team's players including Spalding signed with the rival Chicago White Stockings. The signing of these four did not stop the club from posting an unheard-of record of 71-8-3. Boston's total dominance this was a contributing factor in the collapse of the league. Boston then joined seven other clubs to form the National League, where they went 39-31 for a fourth-place finish in their inaugural season in 1876. Manager Wright then retooled the club which won back-to-back pennants in 1877 and 1878. The decade ended with Manager Wright’s brother George jumping ship to the rival Providence Grays, managing the club to a pennant in 1879.

• 1871-1879: 401-158-8 (.714) RS: 4977; RA: 3059; Diff. 1918; Pts. 945
• Pennants: 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1878

The Best Team

The 1875 pennant winners went 71-8-3 (.884)

The Worst Team

The 1876 team went 39-31 for a fourth-place finish in the National League following the defection of a number of star players.

The Best Moment

Given the team's dominance in the National Association, it is hard to pick the best moment. Most likely it would have to be on January 2, 1873 when the membership in the Association had risen to 100 to help keep the team going could be considered the front runner.

The Worst Moment

The worst moment came on July 20, 1875, when it was announced that four of the team’s players, Albert Spalding, Cal McVey, Deacon White and Ross Barnes, had signed with the Chicago White Stockings. While the team would still win the pennant that season, it was unable to follow that up during its first season in the National League.

All-Decade Team

Decade Team
Player	Years
Deacon White, c	1873-75
Jim O'Rourke, 1b	1873-78, 80
Ross Barnes, 2b	1871-75
Harry Schafer, 3b	1871-76
George Wright, ss	1871-78
Andy Leonard, lf	1872-78
Harry Wright, cf	1871-74
Jack Manning, rf	1875-76, 78
Al Spalding, p	1871-75
Tommy Bond, p	1877-79

Decade Leaders

Decade Leaders
Statistic	Ballplayer
Batting	Ross Barnes .391
On Base Percentage	Ross Barnes .415
Slugging	Ross Barnes .518
Home Run	Jim O'Rourke 12
Runs Batted In	Al Spalding 259
Runs	Ross Barnes 459
Stolen Bases	Ross Barnes 103
Wins	Al Spalding 204
Strikeouts	Tommy Bond 507
Saves	Harry Wright, Jack Manning 11
ERA	Tommy Bond 2.04

Decade Highlights

Game You Wished You Had Seen

The double-header of July 4, 1873 was a sight to behold. Not only was it the only double-header the club played during its entire in the National Association, but it was also the team's only double-header of the decade. The first game took place in the morning and saw the visiting Elizabeth Resolutes win in a blowout, 11-2. The second game occurred in the afternoon. Manager Harry Wright made a few changes in his line-up, moving his brother George Wright to second base and putting Andy Leonard at second; Outfielder Jim O'Rourke was moved behind the plate while Harry Wright replaced Al Spalding as pitcher, with Spalding moving to the outfield. The game was close through the first five innings, with Boston leading 4-3 going into the 6th, after which Boston scored 28 straight runs to win the game, 32-3. To date it is the highest-scoring game in franchise history, and also represents the largest margin of victory and biggest home win.

How the Game Was Played

At that time the game was rather different than the game of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The pitcher did not throw the ball overhand. Instead, he threw the ball underhand, like in modern-day softball. The pitcher stood in a box about 45 feet from home plate. Those who played out in the field did not have gloves and neither did the catcher. Players frequently had broken fingers because of this. The batter could order a high or low pitch. Batters did not wear helmets. The home run was a rare occurrence. In the early years teams had one primary pitcher and often there were long gaps between regular season games. On occasion, other position players took on the role of pitcher if needed.

Management

Ivers W. Adams was the team’s first president and served one year (1871); John Conkey (1872) and Charles Porter (1873) also served one year. Nicholas Apollonio was president for three years during the team’s last two years in the National Association and first year in the National League (1874-1876). Arthur Soden joined the organization as a minority owner in 1873, and by late 1876 had become team president. Harry Wright was team manager for the entire decade.

Best Player Move

Signing Harry Wright as manager, team captain and outfielder. Wright brought with him his brother, George, Charlie Gould, and Cal McVey who were the core of the Boston franchise.

Worst Player Move

In looking for a replacement for Al Spalding before the 1876 season, manager Harry Wright signed Joe Borden who had pitched the previous year with the Philadelphia Athletics. Borden posted a record of 11-12 and only lasted until July 15th.

Home Field

The Boston Red Stockings played their home games in the South End of Boston. Officially the ballpark was known as Union Baseball Grounds, and it later became known as the South End Grounds. The club played at this location for about 43 and a half years but in three different ballparks. The first was built in 1871 and was torn down and a new stadium built following the 1887 season.

Further Reading

• Bob LeMoine and Bill Nowlin: Boston's First Nine: The 1871-75 Boston Red Stockings, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2016. ISBN 978-1-943816-29-3
• John Snyder: "Dodgers Journal: Year by Year & Day by Day with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers Since 1884", Clerisy Press, Cincinnati, OH, 2009 ISBN 9781578603336