Fisher was a pitcher during organized baseball's formative years,from about 1867 to the end of his career in 1878. He was known for his fastball on the field and his heavy drinking off it. William J. Ryczek wrote:
There appeared to be a connection between a predilection for alcohol and the tendency to revolve [i.e.,change teams frequently]... Cherokee Fisher,whose meandering will be detailed later,was another case which strengthens this connection. A heavy consumer of alcohol would logically be much more susceptible to the overtures of other clubs,as well as more likely to be in need of money. [1]
He played for the West Philadelphias in 1867, [2] the Cincinnati Buckeyes in 1868, [3] the Troy Haymakers in 1869 and 1870,and the Chicago Dreadnaughts in 1870 as well. [4]
Fisher was part of Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1878. He played for the Rockford Forest Citys,Baltimore Canaries,Athletic of Philadelphia,Hartford Dark Blues,Philadelphia White Stockings,Cincinnati Reds,and Providence Grays. With the Baltimore Canaries in 1872,Fisher had 10 wins,one loss,and a league-leading 1.80 earned run average. He repeated as ERA champion the next season while pitching for the Philadelphia Athletics,posting a nearly identical 1.81 mark. [5] On May 2,1876,he gave up the first home run in National League history to Chicago White Stockings star Ross Barnes. After retiring,Fisher served for many years in the Chicago Fire Department.[ citation needed ]
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 season. It succeeded and incorporated several professional clubs from the previous National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) of 1857–1870,sometimes called "the amateur Association". In turn,several NA clubs created the succeeding National League of Professional Baseball Clubs,which joined with the American League of Professional Base Ball Clubs to form Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1903.
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Lipman Emanuel "Lip" Pike the "Iron Batter",was an American star of 19th-century baseball in the United States. His brother,Israel Pike,played briefly for the Hartford Dark Blues during the 1877 season.
William Henry "Harry" Wright was an American professional baseball player,manager,and developer. He assembled,managed,and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team,the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings. He is credited with introducing innovations such as backing up infield plays from the outfield and shifting defensive alignments based on hitters' tendencies. For his contributions as a manager and developer of the game,he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953 by the Veterans Committee.
Calvin Alexander McVey was an American professional baseball player during the 1860s and 1870s. McVey's importance to the game stems from his play on two of the earliest professional baseball teams,the original Cincinnati Red Stockings and the National Association Boston Red Stockings. He also played on the inaugural National League pennant-winning team,the 1876 Chicago White Stockings.
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The following are the baseball events of the year 1869 throughout the world.
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Charles Harvey Gould,nicknamed "The Bushel Basket",was an American Major League Baseball player during the 1860s and 1870s. He was the first baseman for the original Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 and 1870,the first team consisting entirely of professional players. He was the only native Cincinnatian on the club.
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