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The following are the baseball events of the year 1879 throughout the world.
[edit] Champions
[edit] National League final standings
[edit] Statistical leaders
[edit] Notable seasons
- Tommy Bond of the Boston Red Caps finishes 2nd in the National League with 43 wins. It is the 3rd consecutive season that Bond has won 40 games, a feat that has never been matched in major league history. Bond also wins his second ERA title, finishing at 1.96, and leads the league for the third straight season in shutouts with 11.
[edit] Events
[edit] January-March
[edit] April-June
- April 1 - The Northwest League is formed and refuses to affiliate with National League or the National Association (formerly International League). The league consists of 4 teams; Davenport, Omaha, Dubuque and Rockford.
- April 4 - The Providence Grays announce the creation of a "bull pen", to be located in center field, where fans may purchase tickets for 15¢ beginning in the 5th inning.
- May 2 - Rookie Mike Mansell of the newly-formed Troy Trojans, in attempting to break up a double play, sprains the neck of star player Ross Barnes of the Cincinnati Reds. As this is not yet an accepted style of play, Mansell is censured for his actions.
- May 17 - With no available regular catchers, the Cleveland Blues (NL) give Fred Gunkle a try. Midway through the game, after 3 errors and 7 passed balls, Gunkle is mercifully moved to right field. It is the only game he will ever play in the majors.
- May 20 - After catcher Pop Snyder cuts his hand in the 8th inning, Boston Red Caps pitcher Tommy Bond is forced to ease up on his pitching. The Chicago White Stockings take advantage of the slower speed and score 4 in the 9th to beat the Red Caps 9-5.
- June 6 - Charley Jones of the Boston Red Caps, who will lead the league in home runs, hits one that is estimated to travel 500 feet in the air.
- June 14 - Silver Flint of the Chicago White Stockings hits a ball over the left field fence in the 9th inning against the Troy Trojans. Flint chooses to stop at third base for a triple so that the catcher will have to play closer to the batter, thus giving him a better hitting opportunity. Flint does score, but the White Stockings lose 10-9.
- June 20 - Oscar Walker, of the Buffalo Bisons, becomes the first major league player to strike out 5 times in a 9-inning game.
- June 21 - William Edward White plays first base for the Providence Grays in their 5-3 win over the Cleveland Blues. White is believed by some to have been the first black player to play in the major leagues.
- June 22 - The New York Times reports on the death of a player named Alexander Taylor. The article states that Taylor, while catching, set up too close to the batter as he swung and was hit in the head by the bat, smashing his skull.
- June 23 - Dan Brouthers makes his debut with the Troy Trojans.
- June 26 - Boston catcher Pop Snyder starts a triple play by dropping a third strike with the bases loaded and no outs to help the Red Caps beat the Providence Grays 3-2. The dropped third strike rule will not be implemented until 1887.
[edit] July-September
[edit] October-December
- October 1 - The Cincinnati Reds release all of their players and are unable to pay them their final month's salary.
- October 2 - The Troy Trojans complain that new "reserve system" has already been violated with the Chicago White Stockings signing of Troy pitcher Fred Goldsmith.
- October 16 - Mike "King" Kelly, released by the Cincinnati Reds, sign on with the Chicago White Stockings while touring with them in California.
- October 24 - The Cincinnati Reds formally withdraw from the National League.
- November 24 - Taking advantage of the new reserve rule, the Providence Grays offer reserved player-manager George Wright a 15 percent paycut from his $2,000 salary, after he guided the Grays to the pennant. Wright refuses and, as a named reserve player, will receive no offers from any other National League club.
- December 3 - At the league meetings, the National League re-admits the Cincinnati Reds, who are now under new ownership.
- December 4 - The National League reduces the number of balls needed for a walk down to 8. The league also institutes a rule stating that the team batting last in the inning does not need to finish their at-bat or bat at all in the final inning if they are ahead.
- December 6-18 - The American College Baseball Association is founded in Springfield, MA.
[edit] Births
[edit] Deaths
[edit] External links
