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56-581: Many of organized baseball's earliest historical events took place at the park throughout the 1860s and early 1870s. The most notable event came on June 14, 1870, when the Atlantics defeated the Cincinnati Red Stockings to end their historic 84-game winning streak. Fred Goldsmith successfully demonstrated his curve ball at the grounds in 1870, a pitch previously thought to have been only an optical illusion. In an 1865 game, Ned Cuthbert

112-422: A ball over the structure, they were presented with a bottle of Champagne . Along Putnam Avenue, two rows of stables were established for the patrons' horses. Other amenities included a bandstand , clubhouses , and sitting rooms for the female patrons. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle regarded the new park as "the finest, most extensive, and complete ball grounds in the country". The business ran year around; flooding

168-517: A balloon, accompanied by a reporter named Newton Grimwood. The balloon never made it to the far shore; Grimwood's body washed up on shore weeks later, but Donaldson was never seen again. In Darryl Brock 's 1990 novel, If I Never Get Back: A Novel , the main character is transported back in time to 1869, where he joins the Cincinnati Red Stockings on their quest to remain undefeated. The Red Stockings travelled to Brooklyn to play

224-613: A centennial of professional baseball in 1969. Thanks partly to their on-field success and the continental scope of their tours, the Red Stockings established styles in team uniforms and team nicknames that have some currency even in the 21st century. They also established the color red as the color of Cincinnati (continuing with the modern Cincinnati Reds ), and they were the origin of the "Red Sox" in Boston Red Sox . The Cincinnati Base Ball Club, or simply Cincinnati Club,

280-480: A city block bounded by Halsey Street, Marcy Street, Putnam Avenue, and Nostrand Avenue . The pond area was first conceived as an ice skate park , which began in the winter of 1862–1863. (Marcy also bordered the Union Grounds, less than 2 1/2 miles north of Capitoline Grounds.) It was designed to be a competitor to the nearby Union Grounds , where the first enclosed baseball field opened earlier in 1862. With

336-618: A few years later. The only season of Major League Baseball at the Capitoline Grounds was in 1872. The Atlantics, then of the National Association, won the final major league game there 6–3 over Boston, but left for the Union Grounds in 1873. The Capitoline Grounds continued to host lesser matches, as well such events as P. T. Barnum 's circus, whose final show at Capitoline came in April 1880. John B. Day, who owned

392-523: A full season regularly. Andy Leonard rejoined Gould, the Wrights, and McVey in Boston for 1872, the first of four consecutive championship seasons there. After one miss Harry won his last two championships as a non-playing manager in 1877–1878 with Leonard and brother George still among his regulars. Gould and McVey left in 1873, although McVey returned for 1874–75 only. Before Cincinnati hired its team for

448-490: A man, but he both developed and imported players to represent the club in competitive play for the 1868 season. The first team won 16 matches with regional opponents, losing only to the touring Nationals from Washington. As for most hosts on that tour, it was a "bad loss" on the scorecard but an instructive one for Cincinnati: the players, the club, the fans, and perhaps the local newspapers. Everyone learned advanced points of play and, from their different perspectives, witnessed

504-474: A match described both as the "greatest game of the year", and "the finest game ever played" took place. With approximately 20,000 people in attendance, Harry Wright and the Cincinnati Red Stockings attempted to extend their 84-game winning streak against the Atlantics in Brooklyn. The Red Stockings had been undefeated in 1869, with a record of 57–0, and had won their first 27 games of the 1870 season. The game

560-595: A substitute. Among them only Gould was a Cincinnati native; the others were from the East, presumably compensated somehow by club members if not by the clubs. (The Association first permitted professional clubs for 1869.) Meanwhile, George Wright and McVey played in New York and Indianapolis, primarily at shortstop and pitcher. For 1871 the Nine split between two teams in the new all-professional National Association : Gould,

616-610: Is credited with inventing the slide when he tried avoiding a tag when attempting to steal a base against the Athletic of Philadelphia . In addition to baseball, the grounds hosted various events and exhibitions; most notably in 1873, when Washington H. Donaldson and two reporters attempted to fly a gas balloon across the Atlantic Ocean . The attempt turned tragic when the balloon crashed in Connecticut killing one of

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672-483: The Atlantic Ocean in a hot-air balloon . Sponsored by the Daily Graphic , the launch was to take place from the Capitoline Grounds, with Wise planning to use a balloon 49 meters (160 feet) tall with a two-compartment enclosed car, but decided to end his involvement with the project. Donaldson persisted, acquiring a smaller balloon with an open boat for the car. Donaldson's Atlantic attempt, launched from

728-620: The Jefferson Street Grounds . Their top-hitting regular was left fielder George Hall , who batted .366 with a slugging percentage of .545. Another strong batter on the team was third baseman Levi Meyerle , who hit .340. The best pitcher on the team was Lon Knight , who won 10 games, lost 22, and had an ERA of 2.62. Championship matches with professional teams (1869–1870) and with professional leagues (1871–1876) Source for season records: Wright (2000) has published records for dozens of NABBP teams each season, relying on

784-772: The New York Metropolitans in 1880, was frustrated about having to play at the ill-kept Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn, which was not yet a borough of New York City , and the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge had not yet been completed, so the fans of the Mets had to cross the East River by ferry to see their team play. Day's shoe shine boy suggested a site in Manhattan , a place where polo matches were being played. That piece of ground later became

840-811: The New York Mutuals , the Hartford Dark Blues , and the Boston Red Stockings . Three NA clubs still in business were excluded: the Philadelphia Whites , Brooklyn Atlantics , and the New Haven Elm Citys . The Athletics and Mutuals were selected rather than the Whites and Atlantics, as the new National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs granted exclusive territories to all member clubs. New Haven

896-515: The Philadelphia Athletics ) was a prominent National Association , and later National League , professional baseball team that played in the second half of the 19th century. The city of Philadelphia "had been a baseball town from the earliest days of the game", fielding amateur teams since at least the early 1830s. In 1860, James N. Kerns formed a club, simply named "Athletic Base Ball Club", that soon dominated amateur play in

952-425: The 1869 season, the strongest clubs were located from Washington to Troy, New York . In 1867 and 1868, Cincinnati was beaten only by clubs from that eastern corridor, winning 16 and 29 games without defeat against western opponents. Championship matches with professional teams 1869–1870 Athletic of Philadelphia Navy, white     The Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia (also known as

1008-580: The 1869–1870 Red Stockings. On June 14, 1870, after 81 consecutive wins since assembling as the first openly professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings lost 8–7 to the Brooklyn Atlantics before a crowd of 20,000 at the Capitoline Grounds . Bob Ferguson scored the winning run in the 11th inning on a hit by pitcher George Zettlein . The Executive Board now led by President A.P.C. Bonte recommended on November 21, 1870, that

1064-644: The Athletics' final season. Chicago's William Hulbert , assisted by player Albert Spalding and sportswriter Lewis Meacham , moved at the same time to organize a new league. Hulbert recruited first the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the National Association , independent clubs from Louisville and Cincinnati (the Louisville Grays and Cincinnati Reds ), and four eastern clubs: the Athletics,

1120-699: The Atlantic club and the New York Mutuals was played on the Capitoline Grounds before a crowd of 10‚000. The Atlantics were ahead in the seventh before the game was stopped due to rain. Later, on September 6, the Eckford Club began a championship series for the pennant with the Atlantic club at the Capitoline Grounds. With 8‚000 spectators on hand, the Atlantics defeated the Eckfords 45–25‚ supported by Joe Start 's four home runs . Due to other local competitors opening area that could hold more ballfields,

1176-532: The Atlantics at the Capitoline Grounds. Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 were baseball 's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867–1870, a time of a transition that ambitious Cincinnati businessmen and ballplayer Harry Wright shaped as much as anyone. Major League Baseball recognized those events officially by sponsoring

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1232-449: The Capitoline Grounds accompanied by reporters Alfred Ford and George Lunt, ended up being forced down by a rainstorm, to land on a Connecticut farm. Donaldson and Ford successfully abandoned the runaway balloon, but Lunt stayed with the balloon for a distance until he finally jumped into a tree, sustaining serious injuries from which he died six months later. Donaldson later disappeared in 1875 when he tried to fly across Lake Michigan in

1288-458: The Capitoline Grounds split their field into two fields to accommodate more amateur clubs. The first instance of two high-profile teams to begin a season with a practice game happened at the grounds on April 21, 1870. A crowd of 1‚200 paid $ .25 apiece to watch the Atlantics and the Union of Morrisania play; the Atlantics won the game 24–10. The game played at the Capitoline Grounds on June 14, 1870,

1344-705: The Cincinnati Red Stockings, despite reorganization and defections in the early years. The distinct Boston Red Stockings, beginning business with half of the Cincinnati team, both followed the young tradition and spread it to Boston. Eventually, the Boston Red Stockings evolved into the Boston Braves ; the club is now based in Atlanta, and retain red as one of their uniform colors. The Boston Red Sox , established in 1901, adopted their version of

1400-591: The Enterprise and the Excelsior clubs refused to play the Atlantics, but they played a number of matches together, mixing their best nines and their "muffin" nines of club novices. The Atlantics won the NABBP championship in 1864 with an undefeated record. In early November 1865, the Atlantics played the Athletic of Philadelphia in a two-game, season-ending series. Brooklyn came into the series undefeated, and this

1456-518: The NA, winning the other four pennants, the Athletics and New York Mutuals also fielded teams every year, with Philadelphia winning a few more games overall but never challenging Boston. Dick McBride served as regular pitcher for more than a decade and as captain throughout the NA seasons, which gives him manager credit today. Other star players include Al Reach in the 1860s and Cap Anson , who played from 1872 to 1875 (Anson took over as captain near

1512-606: The Red Stockings posted a perfect 57–0 record, the only perfect season in professional baseball history . This was the first team to play on the East and West coasts in the same season. More than 2,000 people greeted the team when it arrived in San Francisco at 10:00 p.m. "They really helped nationalize the game and put Cincinnati on the map as a baseball town," said Greg Rhodes, a Reds historian who wrote The First Boys of Summer (Road West Publishing Company, 1994), along with Cincinnati Enquirer reporter John Erardi, about

1568-689: The Wright brothers, and McVey with the Boston Red Stockings ; Brainard, Allison, Sweasy, Waterman, and Leonard with the Washington Olympics . Substitute Hurley is also a "major leaguer" for his brief play with the Olympics in 1872, although that club went out of business midseason and he did not return to the league. The leading substitute in the second season, Harry Deane joined the Fort Wayne Kekiongas in 1871 and later played

1624-483: The area (Jordan 1999). Harper's Weekly chronicled a match between Athletic and Atlantic of Brooklyn for the baseball championship in 1866. A famous Harper ' s illustration shows the Athletic players in uniforms with the familiar blackletter "A" on front. When newspapers developed stand-alone game scores and league standings, the club was termed Athletic ( Base Ball Club being dropped in any case). In prose

1680-479: The area during the winter for skating, then draining the park in the spring for baseball matches. The first team to use the grounds as their home field was the Atlantics of Brooklyn , baseball's most successful team since the formation of the National Association of Base Ball Players in 1857. The club had won the most games in 1857, then won the league's first three championships from 1859 to 1861. On May 5, 1864,

1736-607: The baseball club's success. The ball club's first home field was at a location stated as "the foot of Ninth Street, in the Mill Creek bottoms."[Cincinnati Enquirer , October 4, 1939, p.32] After playing four matches that first summer, Cincinnati joined the NABBP for 1867 and concluded an agreement to play at the Union Cricket Club grounds (just west of Lincoln Park, a site now occupied by Cincinnati Union Terminal ). George Ellard's son says that "a great number of

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1792-399: The club not employ a nine for 1871, for that had become too expensive. The spokesmen anticipated "a development of the amateur talent of our club, such as has not been displayed since we employed professionals." The officers subsequently decided to disband the company (the players having disbanded via the market) and a public meeting of the members put that decision into effect. Harry Wright

1848-483: The cricket club members" joined and so "the team was greatly strengthened and interest in baseball gained a new impetus." Plans for a new clubhouse and "more substantical" enclosing fence were approved in April and the commercial basis was approved in June: members of both clubs admitted free to all matches; otherwise "ten cents for home matches and twenty-five cents for foreign matches. Ladies free." (Ellard 23–27). The team

1904-477: The end of the season, the financially troubled team refused to make a western road trip, finishing with 35 games played at home and 25 away. Mutual of New York also refused, owing the western teams nine home games. Both clubs were expelled from the National League, which simply contracted from eight to six for the 1877 season. The 1876 Athletics were managed by Al Wright and played their home games at

1960-506: The first baseball game at Capitoline was a match between the Atlantics and a field of nine players from other Brooklyn teams chosen by sportswriter Henry Chadwick . The Atlantic club defeated the field of nine, 45–11. Later, Atlantic defeated Nassau of Princeton 42–7 in the field's first scheduled club match. The Enterprise of Brooklyn used the grounds as their home field 1864, and the Excelsior of Brooklyn later moved there in 1866. Both

2016-524: The future site of the Polo Grounds . The Capitoline Grounds was demolished later in 1880. By the late winter of 1880–1881, the property had been cut through by Jefferson Avenue and Hancock Street, and residential lot development had begun. In September 1873, Washington Donaldson , a professional balloonist who had formerly worked for P.T. Barnum as a circus performer, along with fellow balloonist John Wise, collaborated on an attempt to cross

2072-496: The game. Henry Chadwick wrote an account that on August 16, 1870, Fred Goldsmith demonstrated a new pitch, the curve ball , at the Capitoline Grounds. Chadwick observed: "That which had up to this point been considered an optical illusion and against all rules of philosophy was now an established fact." By the 1930s, the established baseball community had given the discovery credit to Candy Cummings , and due to Chapman's age, determined that his demonstration has most likely occurred

2128-533: The gulf in playing strength. About half of the 1868 Red Stockings were eastern imports, presumably compensated somehow. The two leading batsmen, John Hatfield and Fred Waterman , arrived from the New York Mutuals , one of the strongest teams anywhere and another team pushing the bounds of the amateur code. Asa Brainard had been the Brooklyn Excelsiors ' regular pitcher for four seasons, succeeded in 1867 by Candy Cummings . Catcher Doug Allison

2184-417: The major leagues after the 1876 season. The Athletics were one of the most successful National Association teams, winning the first pennant with a record of 21 wins and 7 losses (.750), two games ahead of the Boston Red Stockings and Chicago White Stockings. Actually, the race was much closer: the primary official criterion then was neither games nor winning percentage, but wins, and the three clubs finished in

2240-519: The old nickname in 1908. Ten men composed the 1869 team and the First Nine returned for 1870 in the same roles. From 1867 Harry Wright fulfilled the duties of modern field managers, general managers, and traveling secretaries. In 1868 he and Brainard shared the pitcher and second base positions with Allison, Gould, and Waterman already manning the other bases. For the crosstown rival Buckeye club, Sweasy and Leonard played second and third with Hurley

2296-486: The order given with 21, 20, and 19 victories. The final game of the season, played on October 30 in Brooklyn, saw Athletic defeat Chicago, 4–1, clinching the title. Chicago had become a road team following the Great Chicago Fire . ( Nate Berkenstock , a 40-year-old amateur who played right field for Philadelphia that day due to injuries, made his only big-league appearance in that game.) While Boston dominated

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2352-652: The reporters. Reuben S. Decker inherited a portion of his grandfather's farm land and along with Hamilton A. Weed initially opened the Capitoline Skating pond, named in reference to Capitoline Hill , one of the Seven Hills of Rome . The location of the grounds were in the Bedford area of Brooklyn , New York , an area now known as the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. The grounds encompassed

2408-402: The success that the Union Grounds experienced by charging admission, Decker and Weed chose to enclose the Capitoline Grounds as well. The Capitoline Grounds opened for baseball in 1864, consisting of two sets of bleachers that were backed by Nostrand Avenue and Halsey Street, and had an approximate capacity of 5,000 people. In right field stood a circular brick outhouse , and if any player hit

2464-550: The summer of 1875, the Chicago White Stockings moved decisively to improve its team by recruiting six stars then playing in Boston and Philadelphia. Four Red Stockings players ( catcher Deacon White , infielders Cal McVey and Ross Barnes , and pitcher Al Spalding ) and Philadelphia Athletics third baseman Cap Anson would play for Chicago in 1876, with Ezra Sutton remaining in Philadelphia for

2520-486: The team in 1869, was its best player, maybe the best of his time. The professional Cincinnati Red Stockings played their first game May 4, 1869, with a 45–9 win over the Great Westerns of Cincinnati. The team won 57 games and lost zero, counting only matches with Association clubs. They played over 60 games counting outside teams. Their commercial tour of continental scope, visiting both Boston and San Francisco,

2576-563: The team was commonly called the Athletics , plural, and later generations have usually called both club and team the "Philadelphia Athletics". The Athletics turned professional in the late 1860s and helped establish the first league, National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA), which began play in 1871. Their home field had been at 15th and Columbia, an otherwise unnamed venue informally called "the Athletic grounds." For 1871 they relocated to Jefferson Street Grounds , playing most of their home games there until being expelled from

2632-467: The very end of the 1875 season). The Athletics also played one game in Dover, Delaware on June 24, 1875. They played at Fairview Park Fair Grounds . During their five-year existence the Athletics won 165 games and lost only 86 for a winning percentage of .657. Notable players on their roster included Hall of Famer Cap Anson , infielder Ezra Sutton , and pitcher / manager Dick McBride. During

2688-452: The western teams but losing seven of 43 matches in all. When the NABBP permitted professional members for 1869, Harry Wright and probably George Ellard organized a fully professional team: ten men on salary for eight months, March 15 to November 15. Wright played center field and coordinated the team defense, a novelty from any position. Younger brother and shortstop George Wright , new to

2744-472: Was considered a play for the league's championship. The games were played one week apart, the first occurred in Philadelphia , which resulted in a 21–15 victory for Brooklyn. In the second game, played in Brooklyn in front of a crowd of approximately 15,000 spectators, the Atlantics prevailed, this time 27–24. The Atlantics won the championship again in 1866. On June 28, 1869, a championship match between

2800-486: Was established July 23, 1866, at a downtown law office, drawing up a constitution and by-laws and electing officers including Alfred T. Goshorn as president. A few years later Goshorn earned international fame as Director-General of the (U.S.) Centennial Exposition held 1876 in Philadelphia. Founding member George B. Ellard also led the Union Cricket Club, and the relationship between them proved decisive for

2856-482: Was from the Geary club of Philadelphia, one of the stronger clubs in that city. There was one local recruit, too, from the rival Buckeye club: Charlie Gould at first base. Harry Wright remained the first pitcher, sharing that position and second base with Brainard, and three other incumbents remained in the outfield and at shortstop. The 1868 team played a heavy schedule including a late eastern tour, once again dominating

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2912-462: Was hired by Boston businessman Ivers Whitney Adams to organize a new pro club in Boston. Wright persuaded three Cincinnati teammates to join the 1871 Boston Red Stockings in the first professional league, as it turned out. Ex-Cincinnati Red Stockings moved around some (see the note on Team members) but Boston retained both Wright brothers throughout the five years of the National Association . The current Cincinnati Reds club identifies itself with

2968-432: Was soon nicknamed "Red Stockings" in reference to the main feature of the uniforms designed by Ellard; long stockings were then a novelty in team uniforms. Harry Wright had migrated from New York in 1866 for a job as "club pro" at the Union Cricket Club. Next year he picked up similar baseball duties, but the lingo is commonly stretched to call him a baseball "manager" from that time. His first team may have been local to

3024-412: Was tied 5–5 at the end of the ninth inning, when the Atlantics offered to let the game end since the regulation nine innings had been played, but Wright turned down the proposal, wishing to take the game into extra innings. In the top of the 11th inning‚ the Red Stockings scored two runs, giving themselves a 7–5 lead, but the Atlantics countered with three of their own in the bottom half of the 11th, winning

3080-572: Was too small a city and the club had declined to travel west in 1875, playing only three home games apiece with Chicago and St. Louis. On Saturday, April 22, 1876, the Athletics played in the first game in the history of Major League Baseball , losing to the Boston Red Caps , 6–5. After having spent 15 years as a strong and stable club, the Athletics fared poorly in the new National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs , finishing seventh with 14 wins in 60 games, 38 wins behind Chicago. Near

3136-663: Was unprecedented and may be essentially unrepeated. The first season ended November 6 at home with the Cincinnatis beating the Mutuals of New York 17–8. With the same regular nine, the 1870 team continued to win regularly, perhaps 24 games before losing 8–7 in eleven innings to the Brooklyn Atlantics in Brooklyn , June 14. The Red Stockings remained one of the few strongest teams on the field, losing only six games, but attendance declined badly, especially at home. In 1869,

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