Tag: Boston Red Stockings

This day in baseball: Paul Hines’s unassisted triple play

May 8, 2023

On May 8, 1878, outfielder Paul Hines of the Providence Grays took part in what was believed to have been the first known unassisted triple play. Playing at home in the Messer Street Grounds against Boston, runners Jack Manning and Ezra Sutton were on third and second base, respectively. With no outs in the inning, Jack Burdock hit a short fly to left field that Hines ran hard to catch for an out, and he ran all the way to third base to get both Manning and Sutton out. Under the rules of the time, if both players had rounded third on the batted ball, by stepping on the bag, Hines got them both out for not tagging up. However, there is some debate as to whether or not Sutton actually rounded third on the play.

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Paul Hines with the Washington Nationals, 1887 (public domain)

This day in baseball: Out confusion

September 14, 2019

In a game between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Stockings on September 14, 1872, the Athletics led 4-1 in the seventh inning with runners on first and second.  Fergy Malone popped up to shortstop George Wright, who caught the ball in his hat and then proceeded to throw the ball to third base.  The ball was then thrown to second base.  Wright claimed a double play has been completed, as a batter cannot be retired with a “hat catch,” and thus runners Cap Anson and Bob Reach should have been forced out.  This naturally caused some confusion, and ultimately , the umpire decided to give Malone another at bat, declaring nobody out on the play.  The Athletics won this game, 6-4.

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George Wright, 1872 (Wikipedia)

This day in baseball: Mark Twain’s umbrella

May 18, 2016

On May 18, 1875, writer Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) attended a game between the Boston Red Stockings and the Hartford Dark Blues.  A record crowd of 10,000 fans attended the match-up between the two teams, both undefeated up to this point in the season.  The visiting Red Stockings defeated the Dark Blues, 10-5, led by captain and pitcher, Albert Goodwill “Al” Spalding.

During the game, a young boy snagged an umbrella belonging to Clemens when he stood up to root for the home team.  A couple days later, Clemens published the following notice in the Hartford Courant newspaper:

To the Public

TWO HUNDRED & FIVE DOLLARS REWARD–At the great baseball match on Tuesday, while I was engaged in hurrahing, a small boy walked off with an English-made brown silk UMBRELLA belonging to me, & forgot to bring it back. I will pay $5 for the return of that umbrella in good condition to my house on Farmington avenue. I do not want the boy (in an active state) but will pay two hundred dollars for his remains.
Samuel L. Clemens.

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Mark Twain (Library of Congress)

This day in baseball: The first professional league

March 17, 2014

The National Association of Professional Baseball Players was formed on March 17, 1871 at a convention held in New York City.  The convention, called by Henry Chadwick, marked the formation of baseball’s first official professional league.  Although the league only lasted until 1875, it outlined rules for championship series, player compensation, and paved the way for the formation of the National League.  The new National Association included the following new professional teams: Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings, Troy Unions (New York), Cleveland Forest Cities, New York Mutuals, Philadelphia Athletics, Fort Wayne Kekiongas (Indiana), Rockford Forest Cities (Illinois), and Washington Olympics.

The Boston Red Stockings were baseball’s first professional team and members of the NAPBBP (19c Base Ball)