1884 Toledo Blue Stockings

1884 Toledo Blue Stockings / Franchise: Toledo Blue Stockings / BR Team Page

Record: 46-58, Finished 8th in American Association (19th Century) (1884 AA)

Managed by Charlie Morton

Ballpark: League Park

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1884 Toledo Blue Stockings were a powerless team even in an era of small ball. They hit just 8 home runs as a team, finishing 10th in the 13-team American Association; Tony Mullane -- primarily known as a pitcher -- led the club with 3. Sam Barkley was the team's offensive star, hitting .306 with 133 hits, 39 doubles and a 150 OPS+ in 104 games. He led the league in doubles. In addition to his offensive performance (.276 BA, 97 hits), Mullane went 36-26 with 64 complete games, 7 shutouts and a 2.52 ERA in 67 appearances on the mound. In 567 innings, he had 325 strikeouts and allowed just 89 walks. Hank O'Day, later a Hall of Fame umpire, was the team's other starter; he went 9-28 with 35 complete games and a 3.75 ERA in 41 games. The team also featured Welday Walker, who -- with his brother Moses Fleetwood Walker that same year -- were the first two black ballplayers to play in what is considered a major league.

Further Reading

• David W. Zang: Fleet Walker's Divided Heart: the Life of Baseball's First Black Major Leaguer, University of Nebraska Press, 1995.