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Boston Red Stockings Cigar Label Digital Download | Etsy

The Boston Red Stockings were one of the founding members of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA), the first professional baseball league in history. The team was formed in 1871 by Harry Wright, a former player and manager of the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who brought several of his former teammates to Boston. The team adopted the same name and uniform as the Cincinnati club, which had disbanded after the 1870 season.

The Boston Red Stockings quickly established themselves as one of the dominant teams in the NA, winning four consecutive pennants from 1872 to 1875. The 1875 season was their most impressive, as they finished with a record of 71–8–3, 15 games ahead of their closest rival, the Philadelphia Athletics. The team had a remarkable .899 winning percentage, the highest ever achieved by a professional baseball team.

The Red Stockings were led by Harry Wright, who served as both player and manager. Wright was a pioneer of baseball strategy and organization, and he assembled a talented roster that included his brother George Wright, one of the best shortstops of his era; Al Spalding, a star pitcher who won 54 games in 1875; Cal McVey, a powerful hitter who led the league with a .355 batting average and 87 runs batted in; Ross Barnes, a second baseman who hit .364 and stole 75 bases; Jim O’Rourke, an outfielder who hit six home runs, the most in the league; and Deacon White, a catcher who hit .367 and threw out 24 baserunners.

The Red Stockings dominated their opponents with both offense and defense. They scored 843 runs, an average of 11.4 per game, and allowed only 351 runs, an average of 4.7 per game. They outscored their opponents by a margin of 492 runs, or 6.7 per game. They had a team batting average of .325 and a team earned run average of 1.95. They also played excellent defense, committing only 194 errors in 82 games.

The Red Stockings’ season was not without challenges, however. They had to deal with injuries, illnesses, bad weather, travel difficulties, and hostile crowds. They also faced stiff competition from other teams, especially the Philadelphia Athletics, who had won the first NA pennant in 1871 and had several future Hall of Famers on their roster. The Red Stockings and the Athletics played each other 12 times in 1875, with Boston winning eight games and Philadelphia winning four.

The Red Stockings’ season was also historic for another reason: it was the last season of the NA, which dissolved after the 1875 campaign due to financial problems and lack of organization. The Red Stockings joined the newly formed National League in 1876, along with three other NA teams: the Chicago White Stockings (now Cubs), the St. Louis Brown Stockings (now Cardinals), and the Hartford Dark Blues. The Red Stockings changed their name to the Boston Red Caps in 1876 to avoid confusion with the Chicago team.

The Boston Red Stockings of 1875 are widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in baseball history. According to the FiveThirtyEight ELO rating system, they are the best team of all time. Four of their players—Harry Wright, George Wright, Al Spalding, and Jim O’Rourke—are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Their legacy lives on in the Atlanta Braves franchise, which traces its roots to the original Boston club.