
July 11, 1886: The Cincinnati Beer Glass Riot
A riot was the last thing John Hauck needed.
Five months earlier,…

July 19, 1886: Washington’s plucky ‘Pony’ Madigan is a phenom at 17, out of the majors at 18
William J. Madigan, nicknamed “Pony” for his youth and…

July 21, 1886: “A Glorious Victory”: Cuban Giants beat the Red Stockings
Formed by Frank P. Thompson, headwaiter of the Argyle Hotel in…

July 24, 1886: Adonis Terry throws a no-hitter for Brooklyn … or does he?
On July 24, 1886, Adonis Terry hurled a 1-0 no-hitter for the…

August 8, 1886: Louisville Slugger Pete Browning has his ‘batting clothes on’ and hits for a natural cycle
One of the rarest occurrences in baseball is the natural cycle.…

August 15, 1886: Guy Hecker: hitting pitcher
At a game on a pleasant afternoon at Eclipse Park in Louisville,…

August 21, 1886: Jack Rowe hits for the cycle as Wolverines extend first-place lead over White Stockings
The Chicago White Stockings had won the 1885 National League…

September 23, 1886: Chippy McGarr hits for the cycle as Athletics upset first-place Browns
At close of play on September 20, 1886, the St. Louis Browns…

October 3, 1886: Matt Kilroy, strikeout king
In 1886 the pitcher’s box was made a foot deeper and the rule…

October 6, 1886: Days after strikeout record, rookie Matt Kilroy pitches Orioles’ first no-hitter in American Association
Matt Kilroy was just 19 years old when he made his major-league…

October 18, 1886: Chicago’s John Clarkson ‘calcimines’ the Browns in World Series opener
The 1886 Chicago White Stockings successfully defended their…

October 23, 1886: Curt Welch’s winning slide
After the 1885 season the two major-league pennant winners, the…

April 16, 1887: Mike Griffin becomes first major-league player to homer in his first at-bat — or does he?
The American Association commenced its sixth season as a major…

April 16, 1887: George Tebeau stakes a claim to being first major-league player to homer in his first at-bat
For more than a century, the correct answer to the baseball trivia…

April 30, 1887: Tip O’Neill homers twice and hits for the cycle as St. Louis Browns bash Cleveland Blues
The American Association was already two weeks into its 1887…

May 2, 1887: The first African-American battery
Catchers have been prized from baseball’s beginning, as evidenced…

May 2, 1887: Pittsburgh’s Fred Carroll completes natural cycle in first four at-bats of the season
On April 30, 1887, their Opening Day and National League debut…

July 14, 1887: The color line is drawn in baseball
On the morning of July 15, 1887, the New York Herald boldly titled…

August 6, 1887: Bud Fowler joins the Montpelier Capital Citys
Black baseball pioneer and 2022 Hall of Famer Bud Fowler played…

August 9, 1887: Radbourn, Beaneaters receive a pummeling by Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Alleghenys had a terrible first three months of…

August 10, 1887: Dave Orr hits for second career cycle, but Orioles prevail in walk-off win
Down by a run in the final inning, the Baltimore Orioles “succeeded…

August 24, 1887: Phillies edge Hoosiers amid ‘base ball fever’ in Philadelphia
“The base ball fever was never more contagious than it is at…

August 26, 1887: Bid McPhee hits for the cycle as Cincinnati, Baltimore combine for 30-run ‘fusillade’
On August 26, 1887, the Baltimore Orioles started a three-game…

October 21, 1887: Sam Thompson’s triple trouble
Sam Thompson may have been the best hitter in baseball in 1887.…