
June 12, 1880: Baseball perfection by Lee Richmond
“The most wonderful game on record.”[fn]Sunday Herald (unidentified…

June 17, 1880: Perfection revisited by John Ward
Two perfect games within a week defies all odds.[fn]According…

August 19, 1880: Larry Corcoran throws first career no-hitter
“The Reds were woefully weak with the willow, not being able…

September 2, 1880: Night baseball at Nantasket Beach
Today many major league baseball games are played under artificial…

September 29, 1880: Metropolitan club opens new Polo Grounds with a win
The first professional baseball game played in Manhattan took…

June 25, 1881: George Gore’s theft spree
The Chicago White Stockings were the most powerful team in the…

June 26, 1881: Mullane vs. Reccius for 18 innings
For sheer head-to-head doggedness, few pitching matchups in baseball…

September 10, 1881: Roger Connor’s 'ultimate' grand slam
Nearly half a century before baseball borrowed the expression…

May 2, 1882: The Beer and Whiskey League: Day One
The inaugural American Association season opened on May 2, 1882,…

May 10, 1882: Pittsburgh hosts its first major-league game
The charter Allegheny club of the fledgling American Association…

May 25, 1882: Buffalo's Curry Foley completes first cycle in major leagues with grand slam
The first cycle — single, double, triple, and home run —…

July 18, 1882: Tony Mullane goes both ways
You have to wonder what kind of mind-altering substance could…

August 17, 1882: Radbourn The Slugger
Harry Wright had seen dozens of electrifying games over the years,…

September 11, 1882: Tony Mullane throws the first no-hitter in American Association
If you had mentioned the name Tony Mullane to his teammates and…

September 13, 1882: The innovative mind of King Kelly
In his year-end assessment of baseball in 1882, Henry Chadwick…

September 19, 1882: Guy Hecker throws Louisville's second no-hitter of season
When Guy Hecker tossed a no-hitter against the Alleghenys of…

October 6, 1882: The first meeting of champions
It’s hard to imagine big-league baseball without a series at…

May 1, 1883: Mickey Welch wins first game in New York Giants franchise history
Two major-league teams based in New York City debuted in 1883.…

May 1, 1883: Philadelphia returns to National League for first game in Phillies franchise history
At the end of the 1876 National League season the Philadelphia…

July 30, 1883: Philadelphia's Lon Knight is first player to hit for a 'natural' cycle
In 1883, Lon Knight was the right fielder and manager for the…

August 10, 1883: Cap Anson vs. Fleet Walker
The beginning of the end of African American participation…

September 10-13, 1883: Grasshopper Jim Whitney snatches the pennant
In September 1883 a key late-season series in Boston pitted perennial…

September 13, 1883: One hand, no hits for Hugh Daily
Cleveland fans had good reason for optimism heading into the…

September 21-23, 1883: St. Louis Browns dynasty nipped at the wire
The 1883 American Association season had the closest major-league…