Joseph Start,nicknamed "Old Reliable",was one of the most durable regulars of baseball's earliest era,and one of the top first basemen of his time. He began his playing career in 1859,before the formation of organized leagues and before ballplayers received payment for their services. He continued to play regularly until 1886,when he was 43. Start's career spanned countless innovations that transformed the game in fundamental ways,but he adjusted and continued to play at a high level for almost three decades. Baseball historian Bill Ryczek said that Start "was the last of the pre–Civil War players to hang up his cleats."
The St. Louis Brown Stockings were a professional baseball club based in St. Louis,Missouri,from 1875 to 1877,which competed on the cusps of the existences of two all-professional leagues—the National Association (NA) and the National League (NL). The team is the forerunner of,but not directly connected with,the current St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball team. After the conclusion of the 1877 season,a game-fixing scandal involving two players the Brown Stockings had acquired led the team to resign its membership in the NL. The club then declared bankruptcy and folded.
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.
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.
Robert Vavasour Ferguson was an American infielder,league official,manager and umpire in the early days of baseball,playing both before and after baseball became a professional sport. In addition to playing and managing,he served as president of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players from 1872 through 1875,the sport's first entirely professional league. His character and unquestioned honesty were highly regarded during a period in baseball history where the game's reputation was badly damaged by gamblers and rowdy behavior by players and fans. However,his bad temper and stubbornness were traits that created trouble for him at times during his career,and caused him to be disliked by many. His nickname,"Death to Flying Things",was derived from his greatness as a defensive player.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1888 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1886 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1885 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1884 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1881 throughout the world.
John Joseph Burdock,nicknamed "Black Jack",was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for several teams over a 20-year playing career. Burdock was known as a skilled fielder,and he recorded the first known out on a major-league hidden ball trick. He was player-manager for the 1883 Boston Beaneaters when they won a league pennant.
Samuel Jackson Kimber was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched one full season,for the 1884 Brooklyn Atlantics of the American Association,and one game for the 1885 Providence Grays of the National League.
Winfield Scott Hastings was a Major League Baseball player and manager in the late 19th century. Primarily a catcher and outfielder,Hastings also appeared as a first baseman,second baseman,and shortstop over the course of his career.
George Zettlein was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played six seasons in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1876 for the Chicago White Stockings,Troy Haymakers,Brooklyn Eckfords,Philadelphia White Stockings of the National Association (NA),and the Philadelphia Athletics (1860–1876) of the National League.
Charles W. Householder was an American Major League Baseball played mainly as a first baseman and catcher for the Baltimore Orioles in 1882 and the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1884.
William Frederick Krieg was a Major League Baseball player from 1884 to 1887. He won three batting titles in the minor leagues.
Thomas Jefferson Sullivan was an Irish born catcher in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "Sleeper" and "Old Iron Hands",Sullivan played for the National League's Buffalo Bisons,the American Association's St. Louis Brown Stockings and Louisville Eclipse,and the Union Association's St. Louis Maroons during the 1880s. Sullivan stood at 5' 7" and weighed 175 lb.
Thomas H. Barlow (1852–?) was an American Major League Baseball player who played as a catcher and shortstop for three different teams in his entire four-year career,spent entirely in the National Association. Barlow is credited as the pioneer of the bunt.
Charles W. Reipschlager was an American Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1883 to 1887 with the New York Metropolitans and the Cleveland Blues in the American Association. He batted and threw right-handed.
Charles Hodes was an American professional baseball player who played as a catcher,infielder,and outfielder in the National Association for three seasons from 1871 to 1874. A Brooklyn native,Hodes played one season each for the Chicago White Stockings,Troy Haymakers,and Brooklyn Atlantics. He had a career batting average of .231 in 63 total games before dying from tuberculosis in 1875.
