1884: The Richmond Virginians began the season in the Eastern League, as a minor league baseball club. When the Washington Nations dropped out of the American Association, they were invited to complete the Nationals schedule. The Richmond team was much more competitive than the Washington club had been. In 42 games, Richmond won just as many games that Washington won in 63 games. Still they lost more than they won, posting a record of 12-30. Mike Mansell was Richmond’s top hitter posting an average of .301, while Pete Meegan at 7-12 with an ERA of 4.32 was the team’s top pitcher. Following the season, the AA decided to take a step back, eliminating four teams to reduce the number of league members back to eight from 12. Richmond one of the four teams cut by the American Association returned to playing minor league baseball in the Eastern League.