Notable alumni
- Lip Pike, four-time Major League Baseball home run champion
- Lee Richmond, first player to throw a perfect game
| Worcester Worcesters | |
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| Years 1879–1882 | |
| Based in Worcester, Massachusetts | |
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The Worcester Worcesters were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team from 1880 to 1882 in the National League. [1] The team is referred to, at times, as the Brown Stockings [2] or the Ruby Legs; [1] however, no contemporary sources from the time exist that support the use of either name. [3] The team played their home games at the Worcester Driving Park Grounds in the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds, located south of Highland Street between Sever Street and Russell Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. [4]
In 1879, Worcester played in the National Association, a league consisting of teams in the Northeast. The National League was interested in Worcester as a potential replacement for the failed Syracuse Stars franchise primarily based on the performance of their ace pitcher, Lee Richmond, who pitched several exhibition games against National League opponents and went 6–2. He also pitched and won one game for the Boston Red Stockings. To admit Worcester to the National League, the league's board of directors waived the requirement that league cities have a population of at least 75,000 (Worcester's population was 58,000). To raise the capital to support their entry into the major leagues, the team sold shares for $35 (with the price including a season ticket), sponsored a walking race that attracted 3,000 people, arranged for discount packages of train fare and baseball tickets for fans from outside the city, and held benefit concerts and dramatic performances. [5]
In December 1879, Worcester became the first professional baseball team to visit Cuba. The trip was a financial failure, as they were only able to play two games against Cuban teams. [6]
On June 12, 1880, pitcher Lee Richmond threw the first perfect game in Major League history, against the Cleveland Blues. [7] The team made history again on August 20 of the same year by becoming the first team to be no-hit at home, when Pud Galvin of the Buffalo Bisons defeated them 1–0. [7]
According to Lee Allen, Cincinnati writer and eventual director of the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Worcester club impacted the National League in another way in 1880; it was instrumental in having the Cincinnati Reds expelled from the league after the season, due to violations of the league rules against selling beer at the ballpark. In his 1948 book, The Cincinnati Reds (published by Putnam), Allen took some satisfaction in pointing out that the Reds re-formed in 1882, initially as a member of the American Association, the same year that Worcester's days as a major league franchise, as well as their influence, came to an end.
The Worcester team was dropped from the league shortly before the end of the 1882 season, as Worcester was seen as too small to support major league sport; the team was encouraged to finish out its schedule as a lame duck team. Their last two games of the season against the Troy Trojans (also expelled from the NL for the same reasons) drew only 6 and 25 fans respectively; the attendance of six is a record low attendance for all league games open to spectators. [8] [9]
Needing an eighth team to balance the schedule, the National League granted an expansion franchise to Philadelphia which became the Philadelphia Phillies (who were also alternatively known as the Quakers until 1890). Many sources suggest that the Worcester club was moved to Philadelphia; however, only the Worcester's former NL spot was moved. All available evidence suggests there is no direct link between the two teams (most significantly, no players from the 1882 Worcester club ended up with the 1883 Phillies).
| Worcester Worcesters Hall of Famers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Inductee | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
| John Clarkson | P | 1882 | 1963 |
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 sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) of 1871–1875, the NL is sometimes called the Senior Circuit, in contrast to MLB's other league, the American League, which was founded 25 years later and is called the "Junior Circuit". Both leagues currently have 15 teams.
The following is a list of United States Major League Baseball teams that played in the National League during the 19th century. None of these teams, other than Athletic and Mutual, had actual names during this period; sportswriters however often applied creative monickers which are still, mistakenly, used today as "team names" following a convention established in 1951.
The American Association of Base Ball Clubs (AA) was a professional baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from 1882 to 1891. Together with the National League (NL), founded in 1876, the AA participated in an early version of the World Series seven times versus the champion of the NL in an interleague championship playoff tournament. At the end of its run, several AA franchises joined the NL. After 1891, the NL existed alone, with each season's champions being awarded the Temple Cup (1894–1897).
John Alexander "Bid" McPhee was an American 19th-century Major League Baseball second baseman. He played 18 seasons in the majors, from 1882 until 1899, all for the Cincinnati Reds franchise. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. Known more for his fielding than his hitting, McPhee was the last second baseman to play without a glove.
John Lee Richmond was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Boston Red Stockings, Worcester Worcesters, Providence Grays, and Cincinnati Red Stockings, and is best known for pitching the first perfect game in Major League history. After retiring from baseball, he became a teacher.
Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds was a 20-acre (8.1 ha) site in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. The grounds are mainly known for having hosted the Worcester Worcesters, a professional baseball team of the National League from 1880 to 1882. As a major-league ballpark, the site is usually referred to as Agricultural County Fair Grounds or Worcester Driving Park.
Jefferson Street Grounds was a baseball field located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was also known as Jefferson Park and Athletics Park. It was home to three different professional baseball teams, competing in three different leagues. Notably, it was the venue for the first game in National League history, played on April 22, 1876.
The Bank Street Grounds is a former baseball park located in Cincinnati. The park was home to three major league baseball teams. The National League Cincinnati Stars club in 1880, the current Cincinnati Reds franchise from 1882 to 1883 and the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds of the Union Association in 1884. It succeeded the Avenue Grounds as the home site for professional ball in the Queen City.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1882 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1912 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1881 throughout the world.
George Albert Wood, also known as "Dandy" Wood, was a Canadian-born professional baseball player and manager whose career spanned from 1878 to 1896. He played 13 seasons of Major League Baseball, primarily as an outfielder, for the Worcester Ruby Legs (1880), Detroit Wolverines (1881–85), Philadelphia Quakers (1886–89), Philadelphia Athletics (1890–91), Baltimore Orioles, and Cincinnati Reds (1892). In 1891, he served as both a player and the manager of the Athletics.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1880 throughout the world.
The Washington Nationals of the 1870s were the first important baseball club in the capital city of the United States. They competed briefly in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the first fully-professional sports league in baseball. The Nationals are considered a major-league team by those who count the National Association as a major league. Several other baseball clubs based in Washington, D.C., have also used the historic name Nationals.
George W. Creamer, born George W. Triebel, was an American Major League Baseball second baseman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played with four teams in two leagues: the Milwaukee Grays (1878), the Syracuse Stars (1879), the Worcester Ruby Legs (1880–1882), and the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (1883–1884).
William Henry "Bollicky Bill" Taylor was a pitcher, outfielder, and catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Worcester Ruby Legs, Detroit Wolverines, Cleveland Blues, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, St. Louis Maroons, Philadelphia Athletics, and Baltimore Orioles during the 1880s. Taylor was 5' 11" and weighed 204 lb.
The 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings season was a season in American baseball. It was the first season for the team as a member of the American Association. This team took the nickname from the previous National League team that played during 1876–1879, but was otherwise unrelated. The Red Stockings won the first American Association championship this season.
The Worcester Worcesters, sometimes referred to as the Brown Stockings or the Ruby Legs, were a Major League Baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Though the team's alternate names appear in many modern sources, no contemporary records from the time exist that support the use of names other than "Worcester". They existed in the National League (NL) from 1880 to 1882, and played their home games at the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds.
Justus Thorner was a German-born American businessman, the owner of three professional baseball teams; the Cincinnati Stars in 1880, the Cincinnati Red Stockings during 1882 and 1883, and the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds in 1884.
The 1880 Cincinnati Stars season was the first and only season for the Cincinnati Stars, a professional baseball franchise competing in the National League (NL). The club replaced the defunct Cincinnati Reds that had competed in the NL during 1876–1879. The Stars finished last in the eight-team NL with a record of 21–59, 44 games behind the Chicago White Stockings.
worcester ruby legs.