Champions

* National Association:

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

National Association final standings

Statistical leaders

Notable seasons

*Boston Red Stockings pitcher

Al Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised ...

has a record of 38-8 in 404.2 innings pitched and leads the NA in wins. He has a 1.85 earned run average and a 196 ERA+. At the plate, Spalding has a batting average of .354 and an OPS+ of 144. *Boston Red Stockings second baseman

Ross Barnes Charles Roscoe Barnes (May 8, 1850 – February 5, 1915) was one of the stars of baseball's National Association (1871–1875) and the early National League (1876–1881), playing second base and shortstop. He played for the dominant Boston R ...

, in 45 games played, leads the NA with 99 hits, a .430 batting average, a 1.034 OPS, and a 211 OPS+. He has 81 runs scored and 44 runs batted in."Ross Barnes Stats"
baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020.

Events

January–March

* March 4 – At its annual convention being held in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, the NA adopts a rule change to allow the use of the wrist in the pitching delivery.

April–June

* April 22 –

Candy Cummings William Arthur "Candy" Cummings (October 18, 1848 – May 17, 1924) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in the National Association and National League. Cummings is widely credited with inventing the curveball. ...

makes his debut with

Mutual of New York The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (also known as Mutual of New York or MONY) was the oldest continuous writer of insurance policies in the United States. Incorporated in 1842, it was headquartered at 1740 Broadway, before becoming a wh ...

. * April 26 – "Orator" Jim O'Rourke makes his debut with the

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

club of Middletown. * May 24 – The Olympic Club of Washington play their last game before dropping out of the NA. Poor talent and financial difficulties combine to do in the Olympics. * May 29 – Despite not having a team in the league in 1872, the city of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

hosts its first NA game since the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

as Lord Baltimore defeats Forest City in front of 4,000 fans. * June 26 – The National B.B.C. of Washington, with an 0–11 record, disbands after losing 9–1 to Lord Baltimore.

July–September

* July 6 – Sporting a 22–1 record,

Harry Wright William Henry "Harry" Wright (January 10, 1835 – October 3, 1895) was an English-born American professional baseball player, manager, and developer. He assembled, managed, and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team, t ...

takes the Boston club on vacation to an island in

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Since ...

. * July 9 –

Eckford of Brooklyn Eckford of Brooklyn, or simply Eckford, was an American baseball club from 1855 to 1872. When the Union Grounds opened on May 15, 1862 for baseball in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, it became the first enclosed baseball grounds in America. Three clubs cal ...

commit 13 errors in their 15–3 loss to Union of Troy. It is the fewest errors committed by the 0–11 Eckfords in a game thus far this season. * July 23 – Despite a winning record, the Union Club of Troy disbands due to financial problems. Half of the "Haymakers'" roster will move to

, which saves them from dropping out of the NA. * July 26 – In an emergency meeting, the NA revises their scheduling requirements from 5 to 9 games versus each opponent competing for the championship. This is in response to the number of teams that have disbanded and comes 3 days after the first-division Union of Troy had called it quits. * August 13 – The Mansfield Club of Middletown, CT announce that they have disbanded and drop out of the NA. * August 19 – Forest City of Cleveland disband the club after a loss to

. This drops the number of teams still playing in the NA to 6. * September 1 – Al Thake, left-fielder batting .295 for

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, drowns in New York harbor after falling from a fishing boat. Thake is the first active major league ballplayer to die. (But Elmer White, active in 1871, had died in winter.)

October–December

* October 22 – The Boston Red Stockings clinch the pennant with a 4–3 win over the Brooklyn Eckfords.

Births

* January 12 – Togie Pittinger * February 3 –

Lou Criger Louis Criger (February 3, 1872 – May 14, 1934) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1896 to 1912 for the Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos / Cardinals, Boston Americans / Red Sox, ...

* March 3 –

Willie Keeler William Henry Keeler (March 3, 1872 – January 1, 1923), nicknamed "Wee Willie" because of his small stature, was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn ...

* March 24 –

Kip Selbach Albert Karl (Kip) Selbach (March 24, 1872 – February 17, 1956) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1894 through 1906, he played for the Washington Senators (NL), Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Washington ...

* May – John Wood * May 10 –

Klondike Douglass William Bingham "Klondike" Douglass (May 10, 1872 – December 13, 1953) was an American Major League Baseball player who split his time between first base, and at catcher for the St. Louis Browns and the Philadelphia Phillies from 1896 to 1 ...

* May 16 – John O'Connell * May 23 –

Deacon Phillippe Charles Louis "Deacon" Phillippe (originally Phillippi) (May 23, 1872 – March 30, 1952) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Louisville Colonels and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Biography Born in Rural Retreat, Virginia to Andrew ...

* June 14 – Doc Parker * August 6 –

Sam Mertes Samuel Blair Mertes (August 6, 1872 – March 11, 1945) was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder over parts of 10 seasons (1896–1906) with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Orphans, Chicago White Sox, New York Giants (NL), New Y ...

* August 15 –

Silk O'Loughlin Francis H. "Silk" O'Loughlin (August 15, 1872 – December 20, 1918) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1902 to 1918. He umpired in the World Series in 1906, 1909, 1912, 1915 and 1917, serving a ...

* August 15 – John Warner * August 18 –

Eddie Hickey Edgar S. Hickey (December 20, 1902 – December 5, 1980) was an American basketball and football coach. He coached basketball at his alma mater of Creighton University (1935–1943, 1946–1947), St. Louis University (1947–1958) and Marquette ...

* September 5 –

Al Orth Albert Lewis Orth (September 5, 1872 – October 8, 1948) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He later served as a major league umpire and college baseball coach. Early life Orth was born in Sedalia, Missouri and atten ...

* September 18 –

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

* September 20 – Joe Berry * September 25 –

Fred Odwell Frederick William Odwell (September 25, 1872 – August 19, 1948) was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder over parts of four seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. In 1905, he led the National League in home runs. He was born in and la ...

* October 3 – Fred Clarke * October 6 – Jack Dunn * December 5 –

Pink Hawley Emerson "Pink" Hawley (December 5, 1872 – September 19, 1938) was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1892 to 1901. Hawley played for the St. Louis Browns (NL), St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds, New Y ...

* December 9 –

Cy Seymour James Bentley "Cy" Seymour (December 9, 1872 – September 20, 1919) was an American professional baseball center fielder and pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to for the New York Giants (1896–; –), Baltimore Orioles ( ...

* December 25 – Ted Lewis

Deaths

References

General * Ryczek, William J. (1992). ''Blackguards and Red Stockings; A History of Baseball's National Association 1871–1875''. Wallingford, Connecticut: Colebrook Press * Nemec, David (1997). ''The Great Encyclopedia of 19th-Century Major League Baseball''. New York: Donald I. Fine Books Specific

External links

1872 season at Baseball-Reference.com

Charlton's Baseball Chronology at BaseballLibrary.com

Retrosheet.org
{{Year in baseball, this year=1872