September 21, 1861: Harry Wright plays his first base ball game as a professional
In the early 1860s, issues of the New York Clipper, the self-proclaimed…
May 12, 1866: Atlanta’s first recorded game of base ball
Photo entitled “Famous Gate City Baseball Club of 1867”…
February 4, 1861: Brooklyn Atlantics win a baseball game on ice
“Yesterday the hazardous feat of playing a match of base ball…
September 3, 1869: Inter-racial baseball in Philadelphia
Frederick Douglass said no city was more prejudiced against colored…
August 26, 1869: Cincinnati Red Stockings: Unbeaten, But Tied
By August 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings had become the top…
June 15, 1869: A cunning play saves Cincinnati’s streak
Tuesday dawned gray and damp in New York City. But the sun broke…
October 7, 1867: Candy Cummings debuts the curve
One of the oldest, most venerable weapons in the pitcher’s…
October 3, 1867: “The First Colored Baseball Championship”
"Championship” is often a fluid concept when applied to 19th-century…
July 25, 1867: The most important game in baseball history?
After the famous tour of the Brooklyn Excelsiors in 1860, which…
October 1866: A return on their investment
The Brooklyn vs. New York All-Star series held in Flushing during…
July 16, 1866: Lipman Pike’s home run record
On July 16, 1866, the Athletics of Philadelphia played a ballgame…
September 28, 1865: The first fixed baseball game
The crowd at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, assembled…
October 14, 1862: The Martyrdom of Jim Creighton
He has been called baseball’s first superstar, its first professional,…
September 18, 1862: The ‘Silver Ball’ Game
By 1862, the unofficial title of “champion” senior club in…
July 4, 1862: The Civil War POW Game
The ballfield was surrounded by stately oak trees, sweet-water…
September 1860: The Grand Excursion, part 2: Excelsiors of South Brooklyn
Following the success of their July 1860 swing through upstate…
July 24, 1860: The first enclosed ballpark
Determining the first enclosed baseball field is a matter for…
August 23, 1860: No gentlemen’s game, Excelsior vs. Atlantic
The unofficial concept of a local “champion” among the senior…
July 1860: The Grand Excursion of the South Brooklyn Excelsiors
In the spring of 1860, the Excelsior Club of South Brooklyn laid…