The National Association (formally, the National Base Ball Association) was a
professional baseball league that played during the 1879 and 1880 seasons. While not considered a
major league, it operated before the formal establishment of
minor league baseball. It should not be confused with the
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP), often known simply as the National Association (NA), was the first fully- professional sports league in baseball. The NA was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 se ...
, the first fully-professional sports league in baseball, which operated several years prior.
History
The National Association originated in March 1879, taking National Base Ball Association its formal name. Newspapers of the era referred to it more succinctly as the National Contest or National Championship, not to be confused with the
National League, which was known simply as the League.
The National Association was essentially a continuation of the
International Association for Professional Base Ball Players, which had lost its final Canadian team.
1879
Teams from nine cities competed during the season: Teams of this era were commonly referred to simply by their city, such as "the Holyokes" or "the Worcesters".
*
Albany, New York (known as the "Blue Stockings")
*
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...
*
Manchester, New Hampshire
*
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...
*
Rochester, New York (known as the "Hop Bitters")
*
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
*
Utica, New York (known as the "Pent Ups")
*
Washington, D.C. (known as the "Nationals")
*
Worcester, Massachusetts (known as the "Grays")
Standings published in early October 1879, with the season "regarded as virtually closed", were:
1880
Teams from four cities competed during the season:
* Albany, New York
*
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
* Rochester, New York (known as the "Hop Bitters")
* Washington, D.C. (known as the "Nationals")
The season began on May 1, with Albany and Washington playing to a 4–4 draw in 11 innings in Albany. Rochester did not join the association until June. By early August, Baltimore had dropped out, with records of contests played between the remaining three teams published as:
Games were played as late as the first week in September, with Washington defeating Rochester, 4–2, in a game played in Baltimore on September 2.
References
{{reflist, 30em
External links
League historyat
Baseball-Reference.com
Sports leagues established in 1879
Sports leagues disestablished in 1880
1879 establishments in the United States
1880 disestablishments in the United States
Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States