Daniel Eckford Stearns (October 17, 1861 – June 28, 1944), commonly known as "Ecky" Stearns, was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

from -. He played for the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

Detroit Wolverines The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the pre ...

Kansas City Cowboys Several sports team in Kansas City, Missouri have used the name Cowboys: *Kansas City Cowboys (Union Association), a baseball team in the Union Association in 1884 *Kansas City Cowboys (National League), a baseball team in the National League in 18 ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, and

Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867– ...

. At the start of the 1882 season, clubs playing in the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

had their players wear non-matching silk uniforms, with a different color and/or pattern corresponding to each position in the field.Nemec, David. "The Official Rules of Baseball Illustrated", Globe Pequot, 2006, p. 11. Accordingly, on Opening Day for the Red Stockings, Stearns wore an unusual candy-striped jersey. On September 11, 1882, Stearns was involved in a notable milestone, when pitcher

Tony Mullane Anthony John Mullane (January 30, 1859 – April 25, 1944), nicknamed "Count" and "The Apollo of the Box", was an Irish Major League Baseball player who pitched for seven teams during his 13-season career. He is best known as an ambidextrous pi ...

of the

Louisville Eclipse The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...

pitched the first no-hit game in the history of the American Association against Stearns and his teammates on the Cincinnati Red Stockings, a 2–0 win by Louisville.Nemec, David. "The great encyclopedia of nineteenth century major league baseball", University of Alabama Press, 2006, p. 222. Stearns made the game's final out by bouncing into a fielder's choice that forced runner

Pop Snyder Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

at second base. The Red Stockings had the last laugh, however, ending the year as the AA's inaugural champions.Nemec, David, and Marc Rucker. "The Beer and Whisky League: The Illustrated History of the American Association--Baseball's Renegade Major League", Globe Pequot, 2004, p. 37. Unsatisfied with their first-base play in 1882, the Red Stockings signed

Long John Reilly John Good Reilly (October 5, 1858 – May 31, 1937), nicknamed "Long John", was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Stars (1880) and the Cincinnati Red Stockings/Reds (–). In 1888, he hit 13 home ru ...

of the

New York Metropolitans The Metropolitan Club (New York Metropolitans or the Mets) was a 19th-century professional baseball team that played in New York City from 1880 to 1887. (The ''New York Metropolitan Baseball Club'' was the name chosen in 1961 for the New York ...

to replace Stearns prior to the 1883 season. Stearns spent the 1887 season with the Topeka Golden Giants of the Western League, leading that league in hits. That team finished with a dominant record of 90–25, and is sometimes described as the strongest minor league baseball club of the 19th century.Nemec, "The great encyclopedia of nineteenth century major league baseball", p. 485. Stearns is also notable as one of the first

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

to play Major League Baseball.Levine, Peter. "Ellis Island to Ebbets Field: Sport and the American Jewish Experience", Oxford University Press, 1993, p. 103. His status as such made him popular with Jewish youths who were fans of the game.Cohen, Irwin J. "Jewish Detroit", Arcadia Publishing, 2002, p. 26.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, Dan Major League Baseball first basemen Buffalo Bisons (NL) players Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) players Baltimore Orioles (AA) players Kansas City Cowboys players Detroit Wolverines players 19th-century baseball players Baseball players from Buffalo, New York Binghamton Crickets (1880s) players Macon (minor league baseball) players Topeka (minor league baseball) players Des Moines Hawkeyes players Des Moines Prohibitionists players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons players Scranton Coal Heavers players 1861 births 1944 deaths Flandreau Indians players