Indianapolis Blues

1878 NL Indianapolis Blues / Franchise: Indianapolis Blues / BR Team Page

Record: 24-36-3, Finished 5th in National League

Managed by John Clapp

Ballpark: South Street Park

History, Comments, Contributions

Along with the Milwaukee Grays, the Indianapolis Blues were one of the first expansion teams in the National League. The team was formed in 1876 by W.B. Pettit, and was originally known as the Indianapolis Westerns. The team would change its name to the Blues for the 1877 season, due to the color of their uniforms. 1877 was the year when the team won the pennant as members of the International Association. It was felt that because of the team’s success in the International Association that it was ready to compete with the National League. Unfortunately it did not work out that way.

The Blues opened the season May 1st at home, in a 5-4 loss to the Chicago White Stockings. Their first win came in the middle of a four-game series against their fellow expansion team, the Grays. By the middle of the month, the team was in second place. But a six-game losing streak dropped them to 4th place. The Blues would recover, but remained in 4th until early July, during which they went through a seven-game losing streak, which dropped them to 5th, from which they never recovered. They finished with a 24-36-3 record. Following which, they dropped out of the league on December 4th.

It should be noted that while the Blues played against five baseball teams, they managed to produce a winning record against the Milwaukee Grays and the Cincinnati Red Stockings (8-4-1).

Source

• W.C. Madden: Baseball in Indianapolis, Arcadia Publishing, 2003