1882 Major League Baseball season
| 1882 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Association (AA) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | May 2 – October 1, 1882 (AA) May 1 – October 2, 1882 (NL) |
| Games | 80 (AA) 84 (NL) |
| Teams | 14 (6 in AA, 8 in NL) |
| Pennant winner | |
| AA champions | Cincinnati Red Stockings |
| AA runners-up | Philadelphia Athletics |
| NL champions | Chicago White Stockings |
| NL runners-up | Providence Grays |
The 1882 major league baseball season was contested from May 1 through October 2, 1882. It was the inaugural season for the American Association (AA) and seventh season for the National League (NL). The Cincinnati Red Stockings won the AA pennant, while the Chicago White Stockings won the NL pennant. There was no postseason.
The American Association was established as a six-team league in cities not represented by the National League. The AA was established with the expectation that it would have more of a "liberal policy" and better labor relations, threatening the puritanical NL, which itself had formal behavior codes with associated policies and procedures and a blacklist for players who did not comply to said rules. The AA also refused to recognize the NL's reserve lists.
Three of the six teams of the American Association survive to this day as National League teams; the Cincinnati Red Stockings, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, and St. Louis Brown Stockings are today's Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals.
The 1882 season was the last for the Troy Trojans and Worcester Worcesters.
Schedule
The 1882 schedule consisted of 80 games for all teams in the six-team American Association, and 84 games for all teams in the eight-team National League. Each American Association team was scheduled to play 16 games against the other five teams, while each National League was scheduled to play 12 games against the other seven teams. The 80-game format was unique to the American Association's 1882 season. Meanwhile, the National League had been playing their 84-game schedule, since 1879, though 1882 would be their last. The following season would see both leagues take on a 98-game format, playing 14 games each against their seven opponents.
National League Opening Day took place on May 1 featuring all eight teams, while American Association Opening Day took place on May 2, featuring all six teams. The National League would see its final day of the regular season on October 2 featuring a game between the Boston Red Caps and Providence Grays, while the American Association would see its final day of the regular season on October 1, featuring a game between the Louisville Eclipse and St. Louis Brown Stockings.
Rule changes
The 1882 season saw the following rule changes:
- While the National League determined its championship by number of wins, the American Association would determine its championship by winning percentage.[1]
- Pitchers were now allowed to throw sidearm.[2]
- Seven balls is now considered a base on balls (BB); previously, eight balls were considered base on balls.[3]
Teams
An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at
- ^ In today's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- ^ In today's Rensselaer, New York.
Standings
American Association
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Red Stockings | 55 | 25 | .688 | — | 31–11 | 24–14 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 41 | 34 | .547 | 11½ | 21–18 | 20–16 |
| Louisville Eclipse | 42 | 38 | .525 | 13 | 26–13 | 16–25 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 39 | 39 | .500 | 15 | 17–20 | 22–19 |
| St. Louis Brown Stockings | 37 | 43 | .463 | 18 | 24–20 | 13–23 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 19 | 54 | .260 | 32½ | 7–25 | 12–29 |
National League
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Stockings | 55 | 29 | .655 | — | 35–10 | 20–19 |
| Providence Grays | 52 | 32 | .619 | 3 | 30–12 | 22–20 |
| Boston Red Caps | 45 | 39 | .536 | 10 | 27–15 | 18–24 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 45 | 39 | .536 | 10 | 26–13 | 19–26 |
| Cleveland Blues | 42 | 40 | .512 | 12 | 21–19 | 21–21 |
| Detroit Wolverines | 42 | 41 | .506 | 12½ | 24–18 | 18–23 |
| Troy Trojans | 35 | 48 | .422 | 19½ | 22–20 | 13–28 |
| Worcester Worcesters | 18 | 66 | .214 | 37 | 12–30 | 6–36 |
Tie games
5 tie games (1 in AA, 4 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season (though in the National League, standings were determined by total wins, not winning percentage).[5]
American Association
The Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Alleghenys had one tie game each.
- September 9, Pittsburgh Alleghenys vs. Baltimore Orioles, tied at 7.[6]
National League
The Detroit Wolverines had three tie games. The Cleveland Blues and Troy Trojans had two tie games each. The Boston Red Caps had one tie game.
- June 3, Detroit Wolverines vs. Boston Red Caps, tied at 4.[7]
- August 31, Troy Trojans vs. Detroit Wolverines, tied at 9.[8]
- September 19, Troy Trojans vs. Cleveland Blues, tied at 5.[9]
- September 30, Detroit Wolverines vs. Cleveland Blues, tied at 7.[9]
Managerial changes
Off-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Caps | Harry Wright | John Morrill |
| Cleveland Blues | John Clapp | Jim McCormick |
| Providence Grays | Tom York | Harry Wright |
| Worcester Worcesters | Harry Stovey | Freeman Brown |
In-season
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Blues | Jim McCormick | Fred Dunlap |
| Worcester Worcesters | Freeman Brown | Tommy Bond |
| Tommy Bond | Jack Chapman |
League leaders
Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season.
American Association
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Pete Browning (LOU) | .378 |
| OPS | Pete Browning (LOU) | .940 |
| HR | Oscar Walker (STL) | 7 |
| RBI | Hick Carpenter (CIN) | 67 |
| R | Ed Smartwood (PIT) | 87 |
| H | Hick Carpenter (CIN) | 120 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Will White (CIN) | 40 |
| L | Doc Landis (BAL/PHA) | 29 |
| ERA | Denny Driscoll (PIT) | 1.21 |
| K | Tony Mullane (LOU) | 170 |
| IP | Will White (CIN) | 480.0 |
| SV | Eddie Fusselback (STL) | 1 |
| WHIP | Guy Hecker (LOU) | 0.769 |
National League
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Dan Brouthers (BUF) | .368 |
| OPS | Dan Brouthers (BUF) | .950 |
| HR | George Wood (DET) | 7 |
| RBI | Cap Anson (CHI) | 83 |
| R | George Gore (CHI) | 99 |
| H | Dan Brouthers (BUF) | 129 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Jim McCormick (CLE) | 36 |
| L | Lee Richmond (WOR) | 33 |
| ERA | Larry Corcoran (CHI) | 1.95 |
| K | Charles Radbourn (PRO) | 201 |
| IP | Jim McCormick (CLE) | 595.2 |
| SV | John Ward (PRO) | 1 |
| WHIP | Larry Corcoran (CHI) | 0.967 |
Milestones
Batters
Cycles
- Curry Foley (BUF):
- Foley hit for his first cycle, first in franchise history, and first in major league history, on May 25 against the Cleveland Blues.[14]
Pitchers
No-hitters
- Tony Mullane (Louisville Eclipse):
- Mullane threw his first career no-hitter, first no-hitter in franchise history, and the first no-hitter in American Association history, by defeating the Cincinnati Red Stockings 2–0 on September 11.[15]
- Guy Hecker (Louisville Eclipse):
- Hecker threw his first career no-hitter and the second no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Pittsburgh Alleghenys 3–1 on September 19.[15]
- Larry Corcoran (Chicago White Stockings):
- Corcoran threw his second career no-hitter and the second no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Worcester Worcesters 5–0 on September 20.[15]
Venues
The 1882 season saw the formation of the American Association, and with it, saw six new major league teams in six ballparks:
- The Baltimore Orioles played at Newington Park.
- The Cincinnati Red Stockings played at the Bank Street Grounds, at the home of the former Cincinnati Stars.
- The Louisville Eclipse played on Eclipse Park.
- The Philadelphia Athletics played on Oakdale Park.
- The Pittsburgh Alleghenys played on Exposition Park.
- The St. Louis Brown Stockings played on Sportsman's Park.
The Troy Trojans leave Haymakers' Grounds (where they played for two seasons) and move to the Troy Ball Clubs Grounds, where they would play until they folded at the end of the season.
The Troy Trojans continue to host a few games at Riverside Park in nearby Greenbush, New York, playing their first three home games of the season, May 16–18, as well as a fourth game on game 1 of a doubleheader May 30 at the park.[16]
The 1882 season saw three teams play their final games at respective ballparks, before moving to new ballparks for the 1883 season.
- The Baltimore Orioles would play their final game at Newington Park on September 30 against the Philadelphia Athletics, moving to Oriole Park.
- The Cincinnati Red Stockings would play their final game at the Bank Street Grounds on September 28 against the Louisville Eclipse, moving to American Park.
- The Pittsburgh Alleghenys would inadvertently play their final home game at the first Exposition Park in a doubleheader on September 23 against the Louisville Eclipse, as the venue caught fire and was flooded over the offseason. They would temporarily move to the second iteration of Exposition Park for the start of the next season, though would return to the original park shortly.
See also
References
- ^ McAvoy, Michael. "1881 Winter Meetings: The American Association – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ "MLB Rule Changes | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- ^ admin. "1888 Winter Meetings: The Wide World of Sports – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved March 26, 2025.
- ^ "1882 Major League Managers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "The 1882 Season". Retrosheet. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "1882 Baltimore Orioles Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- ^ "1882 Boston Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- ^ "1882 Detroit Wolverines Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- ^ a b "1882 Cleveland Blues Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- ^ "1882 American Association Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1882 American Association Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1882 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "1882 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ "Cycles". Retrosheet.org. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Catchers Who Caught No Hitters". bb_catchers.tripod.com. Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ "1882 Log For Riverside Park in Greenbush, NY". Retrosheet. Retrieved March 12, 2026.