In the fall of 1874, a group of civic boosters in St. Louis raised $20,000 to organize the creation of the cities first professional ball club. The St. Louis Brown Stockings joined the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players for the 1875 season and finished the season in fourth place. They subsequently joined the new

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

for the 1876 season. The Brown Stockings joined the

as a founding team and thus inspired what is now a rich baseball history in the city of St. Louis.

Preseason acquisitions

C. Orrick Bishop, a local St. Louis lawyer, was named as the Brown Stockings Vice President and given the task of going east to recruit top talent. In Brooklyn, Bishop picked up

Dickey Pearce Richard J. Pearce (February 29, 1836 – September 18, 1908) known as Dickey Pearce was an American professional baseball playerJack Chapman John Curtis "Jack" Chapman (May 8, 1843 – June 10, 1916) was an American Major League Baseball player and manager who was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began playing in the National Association when he played for the Brooklyn Atlantics a ...

Herman Dehlman Herman J. Dehlman (1852 – March 13, 1885), nicknamed "Dutch", was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who played a total of six seasons at the top level of professional baseball, four in the National Association of Professional Base ...

, and

Lip Pike Lipman Emanuel "Lip" Pike (May 25, 1845 – October 10, 1893) the "Iron Batter", was an American who was one of the stars of 19th-century baseball in the United States. His brother, Israel Pike, played briefly for the Hartford Dark Blues during ...

. In and around Philadelphia, Bishop added

Ned Cuthbert Edgar Edward Cuthbert (June 20, 1845 – February 6, 1905) was an American professional baseball outfielder. Career Cuthbert's baseball career began in 1865 with the Keystone Club of Philadelphia. After two seasons as a second baseman and outfi ...

, Reddy Miller,

George Bradley George Washington Bradley (July 13, 1852 – October 2, 1931), nicknamed "Grin", was an American professional baseball player who was a pitcher and infielder. He played for multiple teams in the early years of the National League, the oldest le ...

, Bill Hague, and

Joe Battin Joseph V. Battin (November 11, 1853 – December 10, 1937) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball player. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Battin played major league baseball from 1871 to 1884 and then returned for one season in 1890 ...

Management

Dickey Pearce Richard J. Pearce (February 29, 1836 – September 18, 1908) known as Dickey Pearce was an American professional baseball player1874 Brooklyn Atlantics became the first ever manager of the St. Louis Brown Stockings.

Dickey Pearce Richard J. Pearce (February 29, 1836 – September 18, 1908) known as Dickey Pearce was an American professional baseball playershortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

which he manned for the Brown Stockings in 1875.

Hitters

The St. Louis Brown Stockings worst hitter—starting catcher Tom Miller—had an OPS+ of 24 over 56 games. He hit .164—33 singles, two doubles, and one walk in 214 at-bats. The St. Louis Brown Stockings best hitter,

, hit .346/.352/.494, for an OPS+ of 203—74 singles, 22 doubles, 12 triples.

was known as the leagues most athletic hitter and for good reason as he is rumored to have raced a trotting horse and won.

Pitchers

Eighteen-year-old Pud Galvin is credited with leading the league in

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

(1.16) while just only pitching 62 innings.

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Roster

Player stats

Batting

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

References

*
1875 St. Louis Brown Stockings season at Baseball Reference
St. Louis Brown Stockings seasons St. Louis Brown Stockings St. Louis Brown Stockings 19th century in St. Louis {{Missouri-sport-stub