1877 Louisville Grays season

March 2026 March 2024 Louisville Grays 1877 National League Louisville Baseball Park Louisville, Kentucky 35 25 y 2nd Walter N. Haldeman, Charles Chase Jack Chapman The 1877 Louisville Grays were the victim of Major League Baseball's first gambling scandal. Pitcher Jim Devlin, outfielder George Hall, utility player Al Nichols and shortstop Bill Craver were accused of throwing games at the end of the season. All four were banned from baseball for life. The team was unable to continue and folded after the season. Regular season After a spectacular start that included a 27–13 record to begin the season, the Grays mysteriously lost seven games in a row. Players bobbled the ball, seemed to slow between bases, and swung suspiciously wide.July 2023 The result was that the Grays lost the pennant. More recent historical analysis has shown that there is no evidence the Grays sold the pennant. Instead, the club went into a collective hitting slump while the Boston Red Stockings won 20 of their final 21 games to take the pennant.Jones, Wendell Lloyd, The Louisville Grays and the Myth of Baseball's First Great Scandal, McFarland, 2024. thumb|upright|Pitcher Jim Devlin thumb|upright|Second baseman Joe Gerhardt thumb|upright|Right fielder Orator Shafer thumb|upright|Left fielder George Hall thumb|upright|Shortstop Bill Craver Season standings Louisville Grays Record vs. opponents LOU Roster 1877 Louisville Grays Roster Pitchers Jim Devlin Catchers Pop Snyder Infielders Bill Craver Joe Gerhardt Bill Hague John Haldeman Juice Latham Harry Little Al Nichols Outfielders Bill Crowley George Hall Flip Lafferty Orator Shafer Manager Jack Chapman Player stats Batting Starters by position Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI C Pop Snyder 61 248 64 .258 2 28 1B Juice Latham 59 278 81 .291 0 22 2B Joe Gerhardt 59 250 76 .304 1 35 3B Bill Hague 59 263 70 .266 1 24 SS Bill Craver 57 238 63 .265 0 29 OF George Hall George Hall (baseball) 61 269 87 .323 0 26 OF Orator Shafer 61 260 74 .285 3 34 OF Bill Crowley Bill Crowley (baseball) 61 238 67 .282 1 23 Other batters Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI Al Nichols 6 19 4 .211 0 0 Flip Lafferty 4 17 1 .059 0 0 John Haldeman 1 4 0 .000 0 0 Harry Little Harry Little (baseball) 1 3 0 .000 0 0 Pitching Starting pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO Jim Devlin 61 559.0 35 25 2.25 141 References 1877 Louisville Grays season at Baseball Reference Category:Louisville Grays seasons Louisville Grays season Louisville Grays season Category:1877 in Louisville, Kentucky