~ The Old Sachem ~ Baseball days of the Boston Red Caps

By Bill Stewart

Last week we saw the beginning of professional baseball in Boston when the Cincinnati Red Stockings folded and moved to Boston. After 1875 the National Association folded and the team became known as the Boston Red Caps in the newly formed National League. It was the sixth season of the franchise. The Boston team became the Red Caps because Cincinnati was again a pro team.

The Boston team finished second to the Chicago White Stockings with a record of 52 wins and 18 losses in the new league. Harry Wright was still the manager and his brother George at shortstop and still with the team. George had a top team batting average of .333, led in home runs with 5 and runs batted in with 49. Deacon White, the catcher, batted .367 with 103 hits and 29 doubles. Tommy Bond was the pitcher, replacing Al Spaulding, who became a manager with another team.

They had a very strong start to the season, as they won 18 of their first 20 games. They were in first place until they lost four straight games to Chicago, which pushed Boston to second place. Chicago finished with a record of 52 wins and 14 losses, six games ahead of Boston.

The league had some events that sullied its reputation. First was the Louisville Grays, who were accused of throwing games, as they received payoffs from gamblers. The players were banned for life from professional baseball by league President William Hulbert, and he expelled the franchise from the league.

Another problem was with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who refused to play on Sunday for religious reasons. The other teams rejected the situation as the Red Stockings violated the league schedule, forfeiting games. The president sided with Cincinnati and allowed them to reschedule the Sunday games to other days. After the president’s affirmation, some of the clubs answered with resentment, especially St. Louis, who felt that Hulbert treated them unfairly.

Over the next decade the Boston franchise would win six pennants while changing their name several times. They were the Boston Beaneaters in 1883, the Boston Doves in 1907, the Boston Rustlers in 1911, the Boston Braves in 1912, the Boston Bees in 1935 and again the Boston Braves in 1941 until they left for Milwaukee in 1952.

Beans have been associated with the region for a long time before the baseball squad made the transition. Beantown was a nickname for Boston before baseball. The name is still carried in sports with the Beanpot Hockey Tournament among the local colleges, including my Boston University.

The team had many Hall of Famers on their squad – Kid Nichols, Bobby Lowe and John Clarkson, who each pitched over 300 innings over their careers. King Kelly was considered one of the greatest hitters ever. Hugh Duffy had a batting average of .440, Fred Tenney played for 22 seasons, and Billy Hamilton was among the greatest base stealers ever. George Wright won eight Fielding Bible Awards, the highest award for defensive players at the time. Frank Selee after his playing days created minor league systems to further the pro baseball teams. Vic Willis was inducted into the Hall of Fame after winning 20 or more games over four seasons from 1901 to 1905.

Next week we pick up with the Boston Doves followed by the Rustlers and the Braves.

  (Editor’s Note: Bill Stewart, who is better known to Saugus Advocate readers as “The Old Sachem,” writes a weekly column – sometimes about sports. He also opines on current or historical events or famous people.)