After a tumultuous five-year existence, the
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA) folded following the 1875 season. The
National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (NL) was formed in Chicago, Illinois, by businessman and owner of the
Chicago Base Ball Club (now known as the Chicago Cubs),
William Hulbert
William Ambrose Hulbert (October 23, 1832 – April 10, 1882) was one of the founders of the National League, recognized as baseball's first major league, and was also the president of the Chicago White Stockings franchise.
Biography
Born in Bu ...
, for the purpose of replacing the NA, which he believed to have been corrupt, mismanaged, full of rowdy, drunken ballplayers, and under the influence of the gambling community.
One of the new rules put into place by the new league was that all teams had to be located in cities that had a population of 75,000 or more. The initial NL season began with eight teams, and they were asked to play seventy games between April 22 and October 21.
The NL is considered to be the first "major league", although it has been argued that the NA can make that claim.
[Reiss – Introduction]
Champions
*
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 s ...
:
Chicago Base Ball Club
* Champions of the West:
St. Louis Base Ball Association (Unofficial postseason)
Major league baseball final standings
Statistical leaders
Events
Transactions
Free agents
*
Chicago White Stockings signed
Cap Anson
Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 c ...
as a free agent.
*
Hartford Dark Blues
The Hartfords (more commonly called the Hartford Dark Blues because of their uniform color) were a 19th-century baseball team. The team was based in Hartford, Connecticut.
History
In 1874, baseball in Hartford, CT was being played in a fever pit ...
signed
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. H ...
as a free agent.
[
* ]Boston Red Caps
The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta.
During it ...
signed George Wright George Wright may refer to:
Politics, law and government
* George Wright (MP) (died 1557), MP for Bedford and Wallingford
* George Wright (governor) (1779–1842), Canadian politician, lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island
* George Wright ...
as a free agent.[
]
Loans
*August 10, 1876 – The New York Mutuals
The Mutual Base Ball Club of New York was a leading American baseball club almost throughout its 20-year history. It was established during 1857, the year of the first baseball convention, just too late to be a founding member of the National Asso ...
loaned Nealy Phelps to the Philadelphia Athletics
The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...
. Phelps returned to the Mutuals on the same day.[
]
Births
Deaths
See also
* Bryce's Base Ball Guide
References
General
* Ginsburg, Daniel E. (2004). ''The Fix Is in: A History of Baseball Gambling and Game Fixing Scandals''. McFarland. .
* Reiss, Steven A. (2006) ''Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs, Volume 1''. Greenwood Publishing Group. .
Specific
External links
1876 season at Baseball-Reference.com
Charlton's Baseball Chronology at BaseballLibrary.com
Year by Year History at Baseball-Almanac.com
Retrosheet.org
{{Year in baseball, this year=1876