1881 Major League Baseball season
| 1881 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 30 – September 30, 1881 |
| Games | 84 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Pennant winner | |
| NL champions | Chicago White Stockings |
| NL runners-up | Providence Grays |
The 1881 major league baseball season was contested from April 30 through September 30, 1881, and saw the Chicago White Stockings as the pennant winner of the sixth season of the National League. There was no postseason.
The 1881 season is most known for featuring the first major league grand slam.[a] Roger Connor of the Troy Trojans hit the walk-off home run at Riverside Park (Greenbush) against the Worcester Worcesters on September 10, leading to an 8–7 victory.[1]
Over the off-season, the National League dropped the Cincinnati Stars because the team refused to sign a league pledge that banned alcohol in league parks and forbade clubs from renting their parks out on Sundays. The team was replaced by the Detroit Wolverines.
1881 would be the final season of the first National League monopoly-era, as the American Association would be established in 1882.
Schedule
The 1881 schedule consisted of 84 games for all eight teams of the National League. Each team was scheduled to play 12 games against the other seven teams in the league. This continued the format put in place since 1879 and would be used until 1883.
Opening Day took place on April 30 featuring four teams. The final day of the season was on September 30, featuring all eight teams.[2]
Rule changes
The 1881 season saw the following rule changes:
- The pitching distance from the front of the pitcher's box to the center of home base from 45 feet to 50 feet.[3]
- The number of "fair balls" the batter could choose to take without lowering the number of "unfair balls" in a base on balls was reduced from four to three.[3]
- Temporary substitute runners were prohibited.[3]
- Runners were now required to return to their occupied base or risk being putout:[3]
- Before the umpire called time on any play.
- When a foul ball was not ruled an out and returned to the pitcher.
- Umpires must now use their best judgement on the legitimacy of a catch by a fielder, whereas previously, an umpire could take the testimony of bystanders nearest the player attempting the catch to make his decision.[3]
Teams
An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at
| League | Team | City | Ballpark | Capacity | Manager[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National League | Boston Red Caps | Boston, Massachusetts | South End Grounds | 3,000 | Harry Wright |
| Buffalo Bisons | Buffalo, New York | Riverside Park (Buffalo) | Unknown | Jim O'Rourke | |
| Chicago White Stockings | Chicago, Illinois | Lakefront Park | 5,000 | Cap Anson | |
| Cleveland Blues | Cleveland, Ohio | National League Park | Unknown | Mike McGeary | |
| John Clapp | |||||
| Detroit Wolverines | Detroit, Michigan | Recreation Park | Unknown | Frank Bancroft | |
| Providence Grays | Providence, Rhode Island | Messer Street Grounds | 6,000 | Jack Farrell | |
| Tom York | |||||
| Troy Trojans | Lansingburgh, New York[A] | Haymakers' Grounds | Unknown | Bob Ferguson | |
| Greenbush, New York[B] | Riverside Park (Greenbush)* | Unknown* | |||
| Worcester Worcesters | Worcester, Massachusetts | Agricultural County Fair Grounds | Unknown | Mike Dorgan | |
| Harry Stovey |
Standings
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Stockings | 56 | 28 | .667 | — | 32–10 | 24–18 |
| Providence Grays | 47 | 37 | .560 | 9 | 23–20 | 24–17 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 45 | 38 | .542 | 10½ | 25–16 | 20–22 |
| Detroit Wolverines | 41 | 43 | .488 | 15 | 23–19 | 18–24 |
| Troy Trojans | 39 | 45 | .464 | 17 | 24–18 | 15–27 |
| Boston Red Caps | 38 | 45 | .458 | 17½ | 19–22 | 19–23 |
| Cleveland Blues | 36 | 48 | .429 | 20 | 20–22 | 16–26 |
| Worcester Worcesters | 32 | 50 | .390 | 23 | 19–22 | 13–28 |
Tie games
Two tie games, which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind occurred throughout the season (though standings were determined by total wins, not winning percentage).[5]
The Cleveland Blues, Providence Grays, Troy Trojans, and Worcester Worcesters had one tie game each.
- August 18, Providence Grays vs. Worcester Worcesters, tied at 8.[6]
- September 15, Cleveland Blues vs. Troy Trojans, tied at 6.[7]
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bisons | Sam Crane | Jim O'Rourke |
| Cincinnati Stars | John Clapp | Team folded |
| Cleveland Blues | Jim McCormick | Mike McGeary |
| Providence Grays | Mike Dorgan | Jack Farrell |
| Worcester Worcesters | Frank Bancroft | Mike Dorgan |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Blues | Mike McGeary | John Clapp |
| Providence Grays | Jack Farrell | Tom York |
| Worcester Worcesters | Mike Dorgan | Harry Stovey |
League leaders
Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Cap Anson (CHI) | .399 |
| OPS | Cap Anson (CHI) | .952 |
| HR | Dan Brouthers (BUF) | 8 |
| RBI | Cap Anson (CHI) | 82 |
| R | George Gore (CHI) | 86 |
| H | Cap Anson (CHI) | 137 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Larry Corcoran (CHI) Jim Whitney (BSN) |
31 |
| L | Jim Whitney (BSN) | 33 |
| ERA | George Weidman (DET) | 1.80 |
| K | George Derby (DET) | 212 |
| IP | Jim Whitney (BSN) | 552.1 |
| SV | Bobby Mathews (BSN/PRO) | 2 |
| WHIP | George Weidman (DET) | 1.043 |
Milestones
Miscellaneous
- George Gore (CHI):
- Set a Major League record for most stolen bases in a single game, stealing seven bases against the Providence Grays on June 25.[10]
Venues
The Detroit Wolverines join the National League and play at Recreation Park in Detroit, Michigan.
The Troy Trojans would play their final game at Haymakers' Grounds on September 30 against the Detroit Wolverines, moving to the Troy Ball Clubs Grounds for the start of the 1882 season.
The Troy Trojans continue to host a few games at Riverside Park in nearby Greenbush, New York, playing on June 15 and September 10.[11]
Notes
- ^ Charlie Gould of the 1871 Boston Red Stockings of the National Association (NA) hit a grand slam, the NA is not considered a major league by Major League Baseball.
See also
References
- ^ Husman, John R. "September 10, 1881: Roger Connor's 'ultimate' grand slam – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ "1881 Major Leagues Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Pajot, Dennis. "1880 Winter Meetings: 'The Most Harmonious of all the League Meetings' – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ^ "1881 Major League Managers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "The 1881 Season". Retrosheet. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "1881 Worcester Ruby Legs Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- ^ "1881 Troy Trojans Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- ^ "1881 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1881 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "MLB Stolen Bases Records | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "1881 Log For Riverside Park in Greenbush, NY". Retrosheet. Retrieved March 12, 2026.