1876 Major League Baseball season

February 2025 1876 1876 MLB season National League (NL) Baseball April 22 – October 21, 1876 57–70 8 Pennant winner NL Chicago White Stockings Hartford Dark Blues List of Major League Baseball seasons MLB 1875 in baseball 1875 (National Association) 1877 Major League Baseball season 1877 thumb | right | alt=1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings baseball teamBack row: Joe Blong, George Bradley, Herman DehlmanMiddle row: Joe Battin, John Clapp, Tim McGinley, Lip Pike, Mike McGeary, Dickey Pearce, Denny MackFront row: Ned Cuthbert | 1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings baseball teamBack row: Joe Blong, George Bradley, Herman DehlmanMiddle row: Joe Battin, John Clapp, Tim McGinley, Lip Pike, Mike McGeary, Dickey Pearce, Denny MackFront row: Ned Cuthbert The 1876 major league baseball season was contested from April 22 through October 21, 1876, and saw the Chicago White Stockings as the pennant winner of the inaugural season of the National League and of Major League baseball.As recognized by Major League Baseball. Some sources, such as Baseball Reference and Retrosheet, include the five 1871–1875 seasons of the National Association as major league seasons. There was no postseason. The National League was established on February 2, 1876 as a successor to the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP or National Association (NA)), as a means to concentrate quality of talent and reduce the number of poor-drawing games played against low-quality competition in small towns (such as the 1875 Keokuk Westerns, located in the small Iowan town of Keokuk, which only had about 12,500 people).Haupert Michael 1875 Winter Meetings: The Origin of the National League Society for American Baseball Research https://sabr.org/journal/article/1875-winter-meetings-pulling-baseball-from-a-slough-of-corruption-and-disgrace-the-origin-of-the-national-league/ 2025-02-14 en-US The NA also suffered from lack of strong authority over clubs, unsupervised scheduling, unstable membership of cities, dominance by one team (the Boston Red Stockings), and an extremely low entry fee ($10, US 10 1875 eq) that gave clubs no incentive to abide by league rules when it was inconvenient to them. Six teams from the NA would be established as charter members of the National League, including the Boston Red Stockings (renamed the Red Caps, surviving today as the Atlanta Braves), Chicago White Stockings (surviving today as the Chicago Cubs), Hartford Dark Blues, New York Mutuals, Philadelphia Athletics, and St. Louis Brown Stockings. Two non-NA teams would join as charter members, including the Cincinnati Reds (unrelated to the modern team) and Louisville Grays. Schedule Major League Baseball schedule The 1876 schedule was formatted so that each team would play up to 10 games against each team in the league (split evenly between home and away games), for a maximum of 70 games (only fulfilled by the Boston Red Caps). Any game played against a team at home must be played within two months' time away, "under penalty of forfeiture." This was the only season that the National League adopted this format. The following season would see a more regulated format, requiring teams to schedule 12 games against each team. Opening Day took place on April 22 featuring a game between the Boston Red Caps and Athletics of Philadelphia. The final day of the season was on October 21, featuring a game between the Hartford Dark Blues and Boston Red Caps.1876 Major Leagues Schedule https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1876-schedule.shtml 2025-02-13 Baseball Reference en The first doubleheader in major league history occurred on September 9 between the Cincinnati Reds and Hartford Dark Blues.Jaffe Chris 2010-07-12 History of the doubleheader (Part 1) https://tht.fangraphs.com/history-of-the-doubleheader-part-i-rise-of-the-twin-bill/ 2026-04-09 The Hardball Times The year ended with the first postseason competition in major league history. The contest featured the first and second-place regular season finishers. The Saint Louis Brown Stockings defeated the Chicago White Stockings three games to two in a best-of-five "Championship of the West." National League framework A framework was outlined to remedy ills and shortcomings of the 1871–1875 National Association: First: No club should be allowed to enter for the championship unless it be backed by a responsible association, financially capable of finishing a season when begun. Second: No club should be admitted from a city of less size than 100,000 inhabitants, excepting only Hartford. (This would later be amended to 75,000). Third: No two clubs should be admitted from the same city. Fourth: The faith of the management of a club should be shown by the deposit of $1,000, or perhaps $1,500 ($US 1000 1876 and $US 1500 1876 in US), in the hands of the association before the season begins. This sum not to be played for but returned to each club which carries out its agreements and plays its return games. If it refuses to play all the games that it agrees to, let the sum be forfeited. Teams LeagueTeamCityBallparkCapacityManager1876 Major League Managers https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1876-managers.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference enNational League National League (baseball) National LeagueBoston Red CapsBoston, MassachusettsSouth End Grounds3,000Harry WrightChicago White StockingsChicago, Illinois23rd Street Grounds7,000Albert SpaldingCincinnati RedsCincinnati, OhioAvenue GroundsUnknownCharlie GouldHartford Dark BluesHartford, ConnecticutHartford Ball Club Grounds10,000Bob Ferguson infielderLouisville GraysLouisville, KentuckyLouisville Baseball Park4,500Jack Chapman baseballNew York MutualsBrooklyn, New YorkA 1 1Union Grounds1,500Bill CraverPhiladelphia AthleticsPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaJefferson Street Grounds5,000Al Wright baseball managerSt. Louis Brown StockingsSt. Louis, MissouriGrand Avenue Ball GroundsUnknownMase GraffenGeorge McManus baseball A 1 In today's New York, New York. Standings National League Chicago White Stockings Tie games Three tie games, which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind occurred throughout the season (though standings were determined by total wins, not winning percentage).The 1876 Season https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1876/Y_1876.htm 2026-03-12 Retrosheet The Louisville Grays had three tie games. The Hartford Dark Blues, New York Mutuals, and Philadelphia Athletics had one tie game each. May 25, Louisville Grays vs. Philadelphia Athletics, tied at 2.1876 Philadelphia Athletics Schedule https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATH/1876-schedule-scores.shtml 2026-03-11 Baseball Reference en June 21, Hartford Dark Blues vs. Louisville Grays, tied at 5.1876 Louisville Grays Schedule https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LOU/1876-schedule-scores.shtml 2026-03-11 Baseball Reference en July 8, New York Mutuals vs. Louisville Grays, tied at 5. Managerial changes Off-season TeamFormer ManagerNew ManagerBrooklyn AtlanticsBill BoydTeam not invited to National League, continues as independentChicago White StockingsJimmy WoodAlbert SpaldingNew Haven Elm CitysCharlie PaborTeam foldedNew York MutualsNat HicksBill CraverPhiladelphia AthleticsCap AnsonAl WrightPhiladelphia CentennialsBill CraverTeam foldedPhiladelphia White StockingsBob AddyTeam foldedSt. Louis Brown StockingsDickey PearceMase Graffen In-season TeamFormer ManagerNew ManagerSt. Louis Brown StockingsMase GraffenGeorge McManus League leaders National League start + Hitting leaders1876 National League Batting Leaders https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1876-batting-leaders.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference en Stat Player Total AVG Ross Barnes (CHI) .429 OPS Ross Barnes (CHI) 1.052 HR George Hall (PHI) 5 RBI Deacon White (BSN) 60 R Ross Barnes (CHI) 126 H Ross Barnes (CHI) 138 break + Pitching leaders1876 National League Pitching Leaders https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1876-pitching-leaders.shtml 2025-02-05 Baseball Reference en Stat Player Total W Albert Spalding (CHI) 47 L Jim Devlin (LOU) 35 ERA George Bradley (STL) 1.23 K Jim Devlin (LOU) 122 IP Jim Devlin (LOU) 622.0 SV Jack Manning (BSN) 5 WHIP George Bradley (STL) 0.887 end Milestones Pitchers No-hitters List of Major League Baseball no-hitters George Bradley (STL): Pitched the first no-hitter in Major League history and the only in franchise history, by defeating the Hartford Dark Blues 2–0 on July 15.Bradley's No-Hitter http://thisgameofgames.blogspot.com/2009/01/bradleys-no-hitter.html St. Louis Globe-Democrat 1876-07-16 Other pitching accomplishments George Bradley (STL): Set a Major League record for most shutout wins in a season, throwing 16 shutouts.Progressive Leaders & Records for Shutouts https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SHO_progress.shtml 2026-03-13 Baseball Reference en Miscellaneous Hartford Dark Blues: Set a major league record for most runs scored in the fourth inning, by scoring 15 runs against the New York Mutuals on May 13.DeRosa Theo The most runs scored in each inning, from the 1st to the 26th(!) https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-most-runs-scored-in-each-inning 2026-04-20 MLB.com en Venues The 1876 season saw the formation of National League, and with eight teams joining the league: The Boston Red Caps played at South End Grounds. The Chicago White Stockings played at 23rd Street Grounds. The Cincinnati Reds played at Avenue Grounds. The Hartford Dark Blues played at the Hartford Ball Club Grounds. The Louisville Grays played at Louisville Baseball Park. The New York Mutuals played at the Union Grounds. The Philadelphia Athletics played at the Jefferson Street Grounds. The St. Louis Brown Stockings played at the Grand Avenue Ball Grounds. The Hartford Dark Blues would play their final game at the Hartford Ball Club Grounds on September 16 against the St. Louis Brown Stockings, relocating to Brooklyn, New York at the Union Grounds as the Brooklyn Hartfords for the start of the 1877 season. Notes See also 1876 in baseball (Events, Births, Deaths) References External links 1876 Major League Schedule at Baseball Reference Category:Major League Baseball seasons Category:1876 in baseball