[BaseballMan]

1874 season recap

The Wright Decision

The Boston Red Stockings dominated the National Association Baseball league in 1874, finishing the season with a remarkable record of 55 wins and 16 losses, winning the pennant by 7 games. The team led the league in runs scored (656) and allowed (426). Player-manager Harry Wright, who played center field and batted .256 with 3 home runs and 50 RBIs, was the leader of the team. The lineup included standout players such as Ross Barnes, with an average of .377 and 69 RBIs, George Wright with an average of .330 and 69 RBIs, and Deacon White, batting .325 with 73 RBIs. The team's pitching was anchored by ace Al Spalding, who also played first base and batted .346, finishing the season with a record of 46-12 and a 1.75 ERA.
The Philadelphia White Stockings finished in second place with a record of 36 wins and 22 losses, followed by the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago White Stockings. The Philadelphia White Stockings had the best pitching in the league, allowing an average of 5.5 runs per game, with a team ERA of 2.24. The team scored 392 runs and allowed 317 runs during the 1874 season. Bill Craver was the standout player for the team that year, playing in 58 games and batting .281 with 9 doubles, 6 triples, and 31 RBIs. Dave Eggler was another strong contributor for the team, batting .317 with 8 doubles, 9 triples, and 50 RBIs in 58 games.
In the 1874 season, the league played a total of 464 games, with a total of 3,262 runs scored and 320 home runs hit. The league batting average was .273, and the league ERA was 3.07.
At the start of the World Championship Series, Harry Wright made a controversial decision to sit the best pitcher in the game and take the mound himself. The decision appeared to backfire as the Red Stockings lost 7-6. In game 2, Wright started again and was able to pull out a win. Fans were beginning to worry if Al Spalding had suffered a major injury, as injuries were not reported to the league at the time. Boston fans were relieved when Spalding took the mound for games 3 and 4. Wanting to give his workhorse some more rest to save him for a game 7, Harry took the mound again in game 6. The Red Stockings won game 6 by a score of 5-2 to claim their 2nd championship.
Harry Wright proved that his decision to start himself 3 time s in the series was right decision by going 2-1 with an ERA of 2.00 and batting .381, earning him the MVP for the series. Ross Barnes and Deacon White also contributed significantly to Boston's 2nd World Championship, batting .379 and .333, respectively.
The League seemed to have found a more stable foundation, as only the Baltimore Canaries folded up shop. However, the League needed to keep the same teams for a few years and build up a stable fan base to ensure profitable expansion in the future. Unfortunately, as the offseason came, six new teams formed and paid the team entry fee of $100, much to the disgust of William Hulbert.