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 ...

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 ...

* International Association:

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 ...

*Pacific Coast: San Francisco Athletics (Semi-pro) Inter-league playoff: Boston (NL) and Buffalo (IA) each won 1 game in 2 game series.

National League final standings

Statistical leaders

Notable seasons

*Providence Grays center fielder

Paul Hines Paul Aloysius Hines (March 1, 1855 – July 10, 1935) was an American center fielder in professional baseball who played in the National Association and Major League Baseball from 1872 to 1891. Born in Virginia, he is credited with winning baseb ...

wins the NL triple crown with a .358 batting average, 4 home runs, and 50 runs batted in. He leads the league with a .849 OPS. His 177 OPS+ ranks second in the league. *Boston Red Stockings pitcher

Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods on ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (fir ...

has a record of 40-19 and leads with NL with 532.2 innings pitched, 40 wins, 182 strikeouts, and 9 shutouts. He has a 2.06 earned run average and a 115 ERA+."Tommy Bond Stats"
baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2020.

Events

January–March

*February 6 – The

Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National Leag ...

are accepted into the

. *February 12 – Fred Thayer, Harvard team manager, receives a patent for the catching mask. *March 8 – Devastated by the gambling scandal from

1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great ...

, The

Louisville Grays The Louisville Grays were a 19th-century United States baseball team and charter member of the National League, based in Louisville, Kentucky. They played two seasons, 1876 and 1877, and compiled a record of 65–61. Their home games were a ...

withdraw from the

after being unable to assemble a competitive team. *March 27 – The National Association of Amateur Base Ball Players disbands.

April–June

*April 2 – The

announces a group of 18 umpires who are eligible to umpire league games. The scheduling of those umpires is left to the individual clubs to decide. *May 1 – In front of 5,500 fans at the brand new

Messer Street Grounds Messer Street Grounds, also known as Messer Park or Messer Field, is a former baseball park located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was home to the Providence Grays of the National League from 1878 to 1885 and of the minor league Providence Grays ...

, the

lose the season opener to the defending champion

1-0. Mike "King" Kelly makes his major league debut in the home opener at Cincinnati. *May 1 –

Will White William Henry "Whoop-La" White (October 11, 1854 – August 31, 1911) was an American baseball pitcher and manager from 1875 to 1889. He played all or parts of 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds in the National ...

and

Deacon White James Laurie "Deacon" White (December 2, 1847 – July 7, 1939) was an American baseball player who was one of the principal stars during the first two decades of the sport's professional era. The outstanding catcher of the 1870s during baseball ...

become the first brother pitcher-catcher battery in the Cincinnati Reds 6–4 win over the

Milwaukee Grays The Milwaukee Grays were a short-lived baseball team that spent one year, 1878, in the National League. The team was part of the League Alliance, loosely affiliated with the National League, in 1877. It won 19 games and lost 13 (including a 10� ...

. *May 2 – The International Association commences regular season play with 12 teams as follows – Auburn, Binghamton Crickets, Brooklyn Blues, Buffalo Bisons, London Tecumsehs, Manchester Reds, New Bedford Whalers, New Haven Elm Citys, Pittsburgh Alleghenies, Rochester Flour Citys, Syracuse Stars and the Worcester Reds. The New York Clipper declares the new IA to be a "major league." *May 7 – The IA's Auburn and Brooklyn teams disband leaving the circuit with 10 teams. *May 8 –

of the

, who will win baseball's first triple crown in 1878, pulls off (arguably) the first

unassisted triple play In baseball, an unassisted triple play occurs when a defensive player makes all three outs by himself in one continuous play, without his teammates making any assists. Neal Ball was the first to achieve this in Major League Baseball (MLB) under ...

in major league history against the

. *May 9 – Sam Weaver of the

pitches a no-hitter against the

Indianapolis Blues The Indianapolis Blues were a baseball team in the National League for one season (1878), in which they finished fifth in the six-team league with a 24–36 record. They were managed by outfielder/first baseman/catcher John Clapp, and played the ...

for Milwaukee's first

victory. One scorer credited John Clapp with a single, but Weaver is generally recognized today with throwing the no-hitter.

July–September

*July 15 –

John Montgomery Ward John Montgomery Ward (March 3, 1860 – March 4, 1925), known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, manager, executive, union organizer, owner and author. Ward, of English descent ...

makes his debut for the

. Ward will later start the Brotherhood of Professional Base-Ball Players in 1885, which leads to the formation of the Players' League in 1890. Ward would be elected to the Hall-of-Fame in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

. *August 14 – "The Only" Nolan is released by the

after lying to the team about attending a funeral. *August 19 – In an embarrassing day for the

, teams from the NL lose 3 of the 4 exhibition games played against non-league teams. *August 25 –

Bill Craver William H. Craver (June 1844 – June 17, 1901) was an American Major League Baseball player from Troy, New York who played mainly as a middle infielder, but did play many games at catcher as well during his seven-year career. He played for seven ...

is certified eligible for play in the International Association. Craver had been kicked out of the

after his involvement in a gambling scandal with the

. *August 31 –

Albert 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 ...

plays in the final game of his career, going 2–4 at the plate while committing 4 errors in the field. *September 12 – The

clinch the pennant with a 4–2 victory over the

. *September 14 – The

and

play an experimental exhibition game in which every pitch thrown is called a ball or strike and only allowing 6 balls before a walk is issued. *September 30 – The

completes its schedule, marking the first time in professional baseball that a full schedule has been played by all member teams.

October–December

*October 2 – The

of the International League defeat the

champion

behind the pitching of Pud Galvin. The victory over the Red Caps gives Galvin a win over each team in the NL. He finishes the 1878 season with a combined 10–5 record against the NL clubs. Buffalo will become a member of the National League in 1879. *October 3 – The Syracuse Stars defeat Lowell 12-1 and claim the International Association championship. The Stars will join the

in 1879. *October 8 – The

defeat Utica and lay claim to the International Association pennant as well. The league will ultimately award the pennant to Buffalo in early 1879. *October 18 – The

come up short $2,500 and are unable to account for the money. The players receive $60 each as payment for the remainder of the season. This event signals the end of the Blues. *November 1 – The

and the

play an exhibition game with no outs on foul bounds and 6 balls for a walk to be given. *November 10 – In the Pacific Coast championship game in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, the Athletics defeat the Californias in front of 8,000 fans at the San Francisco National Trotting Park. *December 4 – The

votes to accept the

, Syracuse Stars and the Cleveland Blues for the 1879 season. *December 4 – The

changes the rules so that now every pitched ball is called a ball or a strike. 9 balls will now result in a walk to the batter. The rules are also changed regarding the batting order. The first batter in a new inning shall now be the next batter in the order after the last batter that ended the previous inning. *December 5 – The

abolishes all bound outs, including foul balls on 3rd strikes. *December 10 – The

Troy Trojans The Troy Trojans are the sports teams of Troy University. They began playing in the NCAA's Division I-A in 2001, became a football only member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, and joined that conference for all other sports in 2005. Troy Univer ...

apply for membership to the

. *December 29 – The Professional Baseball League of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

is founded in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

with Habana defeating Almendares 21-20. The league is known today as the

Cuban League The Cuban League was one of the earliest and longest lasting professional baseball leagues outside the United States, operating in Cuba from 1878 to 1961. The schedule usually operated during the winter months, so the league was sometimes known a ...

and ran continuously until March,

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

, when the Cuban government, ran by Fidel Castro, abolished professional baseball.

Births

*January 12 – William Matthews *February 13 – Bill Bradley *February 18 – Frederick Westervelt *March 6 –

Bert Husting Berthold Juneau Husting (March 6, 1878 - September 3, 1948) was an American baseball pitcher and attorney who served between 1933 and 1944 as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. During his Major League Baseball career, ...

*April 4 – Jake Volz *April 24 –

Charlie Graham Charles Henry Graham (April 24, 1878 – August 29, 1948), known as "Uncle Charlie", was an American baseball catcher, manager and team owner. Listed at , 190 lb., Graham batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Santa Clara, California. ...

*April 27 – Charlie Chech *April 27 – George Winter *May 13 – Frank Hemphill *May 14 – J. L. Wilkinson *May 24 –

Jack Pfiester John Albert Pfiester (May 24, 1878 – September 3, 1953) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs from 1903 to 1911 and helped the Cubs win two World Series ...

*May 30 –

Mike Donlin Michael Joseph Donlin (May 30, 1878 – September 24, 1933) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and actor. As a professional baseball player, his MLB career spanned from 1899 to 1914 in which he played mainly in the National L ...

*June 5 – Fred Mitchell *June 13 –

Bill Bergen William Aloysius Bergen (June 13, 1878 – December 19, 1943) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1901 to 1911 for the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers.

*July 12 –

Bill Coughlin William Paul Coughlin (July 12, 1878 – May 7, 1943), was a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Washington Senators (1901–1904) and Detroit Tigers (1904–1908). Coughlin spent his entire adult life (1899–1943) playing and coaching ...

*July 24 – Chris Lindsay *October 6 – Len Swormstedt *October 10 –

Otto Hess Otto C. Hess (October 10, 1878 – February 25, 1926) was a Swiss-born pitcher for the Cleveland Bronchos/Cleveland Naps (1902 and 1904–08) and Boston Braves (1912–15). In 1914, Hess was a member of the Braves team that went from last plac ...

*October 27 –

Shad Barry John Charles "Shad" Barry (October 27, 1878 – November 27, 1936), known also as "Jack" Barry, was an American professional baseball player who spent ten seasons, from 1899 to 1909, in Major League Baseball. Barry was a utility player, having pl ...

*November 10 –

Cy Morgan Harry Richard "Cy" Morgan (November 10, 1878 – June 28, 1962) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics and the Cincinnati Reds between 1903 and 1913. Morgan batted and thre ...

*November 23 – Jimmy Sheckard *November 29 – Long Tom Hughes

Deaths

*March 31 – Henry Burroughs, 32?, outfielder for the 1871–72

Washington Olympics The Olympic Club of Washington, D.C., or Washington Olympics in modern nomenclature, was an early professional baseball team. When the National Association of Base Ball Players permitted openly professional clubs for the 1869 season, the Olympic ...

. *October 2 – Lewis Meacham, 32, umpire for one game during the 1875 National Association season.

References

External links

1878 season at Baseball-Reference.comCharlton's Baseball Chronology at BaseballLibrary.comYear by Year History at Baseball-Almanac.comRetrosheet.org
{{Year in baseball, this year=1878