1866–1868: Albert Spalding and Ross Barnes play at the Forest City Club in Rockford, Illinois. The Resolute Base Ball Club of Cincinnati, the future Red Stockings, is organized on June 23, 1866, and plays four outside matches. In its first game, it defeats a team from Baltimore 11-8. In its second match, it loses to a team from Philadelphia 0-2. Its third game ends in a tie with another Philadelphia team. Its final match is canceled due to weather conditions. Albert Spalding is the main player involved in all games but one, which is played against him while he attends school in Rockford.
1869: Andrew "Rube" Foster plays for the Boston Red Caps, who later become the National League's Boston Beaneaters. Rube exhibits his batting skills by hitting three home runs in a single game. He also leads the league in hits (102) and stolen bases (47).
1870: George Wright plays first base for the National Association's Chicago White Stockings. Wright has a perfect fielding record, averaging 1.5 errors per game played. As a hitter, he has a.443 average.
1871: James Hulbert plays first base for the National Association's Louisville Grays. Hulbert has a perfect fielding record, averaging 1.5 errors per game played. As a hitter, he has a.
Professional competitions
Club | W | L |
---|---|---|
Cincinnati Red Stockings | 27 | 6 |
Athletic, Philadelphia | 26 | 11 |
Chicago White Stockings | 22 | 7 |
Atlantic, Brooklyn | 20 | 16 |
George Radbourn, 47, pitcher who briefly played for the 1883 Detroit Wolverines, died on January 1. Dan Mahoney, 39, was a catcher and first baseman with the Cincinnati Reds in 1892 and the Washington Senators in 1894. Art McCoy, 39, second baseman for the 1889 Washington Nationals, died on March 22. He is considered the first baseman for that team because there were no designated players on the roster.
Radbourn started two games for the 1904 Washington Nationals and finished one of them. The National League's first basemen had a batting average of.500 in 1904, but only one player reached base more than once every four times up at the plate. The leader was Dan Brouthers of the Chicago Cubs, who hit.526. Radbourn had a.500 average himself. George Kelly of the New York Giants led all first basemen with 14 RBIs. The next highest total was eight by Joe Kelley of the Philadelphia Phillies.
After his one season in D.C., Radbourn returned to the minor leagues, where he spent the rest of his career. His best year was 1905 when he led all minor league first basemen with a.443 average. He also had 109 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.
The 1904 Washington Nationals finished with a record of 6-6, which placed them fourth out of six teams in the city.
TWO-TIME AMERICAN ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE COLUMBUS BASEBALL TEAM IN 1906. (The Columbus Senators were the team's full name.) unbroken bank The first and only issue. Underused. A very slight dent to the tip of the upper left corner. Near proximity to mint plusscarce! 100.00 for a postcard team picture. 1907, MONTREAL Real picture postcards with vignettes of the team's 15 members. Each card has an image on one side and writing on the other. They are in good condition with no creases or tears. $45.00 for all players except Joe Kelley who is listed at $35.00.
Joe Kelley was a pitcher for the Senators. He had a record of 14-8 with a 3.12 ERA in 29 games (two seasons).
Kelley was born on January 4th, 1877 in New York City. He died on August 12th, 1946 in San Diego, California. After his playing career was over, he went into business for himself. He became well known as a real estate agent and owned several hotels and restaurants.
He is buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.
Kelley started out with the Senators in their first season in 1906. He played two seasons with them and had a record of 24-20. In 1908, he had a record of 7-5.
Zach Wheat, Casey Stengel, Max Carey, and Hal Chase are among the players in the exhibition game between the two stars. Johnson's squad won 3-2 versus Alexander's. The National Commission, under pressure from the Players' League, decrees that injured players get full compensation for the remainder of their contracts. However, this only applies to players who remain in MLB after the injury occurs.
Alexander joins up with another all-star team, this time made up of former Major Leaguers, to play in an exhibition game against Zach Wheat's club. The match is held at New York's Polo Grounds and ends in a 3-2 victory for Wheat's team. This is the first time that two major league players have taken part in such an event. The National Commission charges $5,000 for Johnson's injuries, but he still receives his salary from the New York Giants while he is out of action.
Another incident involves John McGraw. During a game between the New York Highlanders and Brooklyn Dodgers, a ball hits McGraw in the head. He plays through the pain and finishes the game, but several days later he collapses and dies of a heart attack at the age of 49. The death of one of baseball's most respected managers causes many games to be postponed because other teams don't want to play in his memory. A funeral is held for him in New York City before any more games can be resumed.