Join SABR’s Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter on May 31 for a vintage ballgame to celebrate 150 years of baseball
MAY 26, 2025 — All baseball fans are invited to celebrate 150 years of major league baseball in St. Louis with the Bob Broeg SABR Chapter!
To celebrate, the local SABR chapter is hosting an 1875-style vintage baseball game and living history festivities beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 31 at Lindell Field in Forest Park, Missouri. The event is open to everyone.
The Missouri History Museum, St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, and other vendors will have historical and memorabilia exhibits on display. Pregame festivities and live music begins at 12:00 p.m., with the ballgame starting at 1:00 p.m.
On May 4, 1875 the St. Louis Brown Stockings took on the St. Louis Red Stockings at a ballpark on South Compton Avenue. Both teams were newly formed entrants in the National Association, the first organized major league. When they met on the baseball field, it marked the first time a major league baseball game took place in St. Louis. The Browns’ most notable victory came at home on June 5 when they beat the champion Boston Red Stockings, 5-4, to end Boston’s 26-game winning streak. The Red Stockings only lasted in the league for 19 games but the Brown Stockings completed the season and were invited to join the newly formed National League in 1876. They played two seasons in the NL until financial issues and a gambling scandal put them out of business.
Five years later, in 1882, a different club called the Brown Stockings was the next major-league team to represent St. Louis, in the newly formed American Association. After the American Association shut down a decade later, this team joined the National League for the 1892 season and in 1900 changed its nickname to the St. Louis Cardinals that we know today.
Listen to SABR Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter president Brian Flaspohler discuss the vintage baseball event in an interview on the St. Louis Cardinals Radio Network.
Originally published: May 26, 2025. Last Updated: May 27, 2025.