~ The Old Sachem ~ The Boston Red Stockings

By Bill Stewart

You probably have heard of Spalding Sporting Goods, but did you ever hear the whole story?

On January 20, 1871, the Boston Red Stockings were incorporated by Ashburnham native Ivers Whitney Adams with $15,000 and the help of Harry Wright, known as the “Father of professional baseball.” Wright founded and managed the first professional baseball team in America, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. They moved from Cincinnati for the 1871 season when the Cincinnati team was disbanded.

The Red Stockings were part of the National Association, which included the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Stockings, Washington Olympics, New York Mutuals, Troy Haymakers, Fort Wayne Kekiongas, Cleveland Forest Citys and Rockford Forest Citys. The teams finished as I listed them with Boston in third place with 20 wins, 10 losses and a tie.

The Boston players were pitcher Albert Spalding, catcher Cal McVey, and George Wright, who are all members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Other team members were pitcher Harry Wright, who was also the manager; infielders Ross Barnes, Charlie Gould, Sam Jackson and Harry Schafer; and outfielders Frank Burrows, Dave Birdsall and Fred Cone. Gould was the only player to hit home runs; he swatted two in the season. Al Spaulding was the starting pitcher with 19 wins, 10 losses, an ERA of 3.35 and 23 strikeouts. Harry Wright was the reliever with 1 win, no losses and an ERA of 6.27. McVey batted .431 and George Wright batted .413.

The team had two home fields: South End Grounds and Union Grounds. The team was also known as the Unions.

The team practiced for three weeks and played their first preseason game on April 6, 1871. The game was between the Red Stockings and strong amateur players in the area. The Harvard Advocate wrote, “Of course the Picked Nine were defeated.” There is a plaque mounted near Northeastern University marking the place of the first game of the South End Grounds.

Al Spaulding started all of the games for the team. The team won their first two games on the road, then their first home game against Troy was a disaster – they lost 20-14. Over their next four years, the team won 87% of their home games, winning 113 and losing 17.

Al Spaulding was a pitcher, manager and executive of baseball who founded the Sporting Goods company after his baseball years. He was first to wear a baseball glove. After retirement from playing, he was active with the Chicago White Stockings as president and part-owner. During the 1880s he took players on the first world tour of baseball. Along with William Hulbert, Spaulding founded the National League, and was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

This is a series of professional baseball in Boston that will include Boston Reds (1876), Boston Beaneaters (1883), Boston Doves (1897), Boston Rustlers (1911), Boston Braves (1912), Boston Bees (1936) and the Boston Braves again in 1941. The Boston Red Sox were incorporated in 1901.

  (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.)