Dick McBride

John Dickson McBride

• Bats Unknown, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 150 lb.
• Debut May 20, 1871
• Final Game July 13, 1876
• Born June 14, 1847 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died January 20, 1916 in Philadelphia, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Dick McBride was a star pitcher long before the National Association went pro. As early as 1864 he was such a star that he was allowed time off from service in the Civil War to pitch in an important series. A Philadelphia star, he had been needed in the army when Philadelphia was attacked by the Confederacy.

McBride in 1871 was both the manager and the star pitcher on the first pennant-winning professional team, the Philadelphia Athletics, in the first year of the National Association. He went on to be a successful pitcher for several more years, and continued to manage, although he did not win another pennant. He appeared briefly in the National League in its inaugural 1876 season for the Boston Red Caps.

The most similar pitcher (according to similarity scores) is Candy Cummings, and two other Hall of Famers are on his list: Dizzy Dean and John Ward.

McBride in 1865

He died in 1916, the same year that Enos Slaughter was born. He was long listed in encyclopedias as James Dickson McBride, but his first name was in fact John, as certified by contemporary accounts in the Philadelphia Inquirer. This information enabled SABR researcher Bob Bailey to trace his death details in 2007.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish
1871	Philadelphia Athletics	National Association	21-7	1st
1872	Philadelphia Athletics	National Association	30-14	2nd
1873	Philadelphia Athletics	National Association	28-23	4th
1874	Philadelphia Athletics	National Association	33-22	3rd
1875	Philadelphia Athletics	National Association	49-18	--	replaced by Cap Anson (4-2)

Related Sites

BR Manager page

BR minors page

Further Reading

• "Last Month's Mystery", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, September/October 2007, Society for American Baseball Research, Cleveland, OH, 2007, p. 1.