Notable Debut – Society for American Baseball Research

September 21, 1861: Harry Wright plays his first base ball game as a professional

October 7, 1867: Candy Cummings debuts the curve

July 23, 1870: The first ‘Chicago’ game

April 6, 1871: Boston Red Stockings take the field for the first time

July 3, 1877: Louisville’s Charley Snyder becomes first major leaguer to wear a catcher’s mask

August 8, 1877: Brown Stockings’ Mike Dorgan wears a catcher’s mask and widespread adoption soon follows

John "Bud" Fowler, SABR's 2020 Overlooked 19th Century Legend who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2022 (NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME LIBRARY)

May 17, 1878: Bud Fowler becomes the first Black player in Organized Baseball

June 2, 1879: Lee Richmond’s no-hit debut

June 21, 1879: The cameo of William Edward White

September 29, 1880: Metropolitan club opens new Polo Grounds with a win

May 2, 1882: The Beer and Whiskey League: Day One

May 1, 1883: Mickey Welch wins first game in New York Giants franchise history

May 1, 1884: Fleet Walker’s major-league debut

October 23-25, 1884: The first “World Series”

August 14, 1888: Tim Keefe finally loses and “Casey at the Bat” premieres

April 19, 1890: Debut of the Players League

August 6, 1890: Farm boy Cy Young arrives in major leagues

August 26, 1891: John McGraw beats back butterflies to ignite game-winning rally in debut

September 7, 1891: Washington’s Kid Carsey becomes major leagues’ youngest umpire, later pinch-hits in game

October 4, 1891: Theodore Breitenstein of St. Louis Browns throws no-hitter in his first major-league start

June 27, 1893: Chicago welcomes Brooklyn to World’s Fair and new ballpark

Rube Waddell (Trading Card DB)

September 8, 1897: A battery is born: Waddell, Schrecongost cross paths for first time in major-league debuts

September 17, 1898: Chicago’s Bill Phyle shuts out Washington in historic debut as first Native American pitcher

April 24, 1901: White Stockings thump Cleveland as American League turns from minor to major