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NL Philadelphia Athletics

Frank Fleming
Author: 
Frank Fleming
9 mins
November 1st, 2023
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  1. First Game Played May 20, 1871

  2. Last Game Played September 16, 1876

Historical Moments

1860-1870:The Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia were one of the dominant teams of the area. Philadelphia had been one of the first cities to have baseball games played by local amateurs. The Athletic Club first gained attention, when Harper’s Weekly chronicled a match between Athletic and Atlantic of Brooklyn for the amateur baseball championship in 1866. A famous Harper’s illustration shows the Athletic players in uniforms with the familiar blackletter “A” on front. As newspapers began covering baseball, they were referred to as the Philadelphia Athletics.

1871:With the growth of baseball, came the first professional league the National Association, naturally the Philadelphia Athletics would be one the formally amateur teams to join. Managed by Dick McBride, the Athletics were one of the National Association’s strongest teams that inaugural season. Leading the way was Third Baseman Levi Meyerle, who led the league with an incredible .492 average with four home runs and 40 RBI in 28 games. Philadelphia had the best hitting team in the league, with Ned Cuthbert hitting three homers with 30 RBI, while Al Reach hit .353 with 34 Runs Batted In. Pitching was left to Dick McBride, who won 18 games as the Philadelphia Athletics won the league’s first championship with a record of 21-7.

1872:As the baseball continued to grow, the National Association began playing a fuller schedule. The Philadelphia Athletics played fewer games than the rest of the league, but continued to be one of the stronger teams, posting the second highest win percentage with a record of 30-14. Cap Anson was the Athletics leading hitter, with a .415 average as Dick McBride continued to serve as manager and pitcher.

1873:Cap Anson continued to develop into the best player of the 19th Century, posting a batting average of .398 with 36 RBI, while Wes Fisler drove in 41 runs, with Cherokee Fisher knocking home 37. However, the offense was not enough to lift the Philadelphia Athletics beyond fifth place, as they finished with a record of 28-23.

1874:Pitcher-Manager Dick McBride has his finest season, with an ERA of 1.64, pitching every inning of every game to lead the Philadelphia Athletics to a third place finish at 33-22. The Athletics leading hitter was John McMullin who had a .346 average with two home runs and 32 RBI, while Cap Anson hit .335 with 37 Runs Batted In.

1875:The Philadelphia Athletics remained one of the National Association’s best teams, finishing in second place with a record of 53-20. George Hall has a big season, batting .299 with four home runs and a team best 62 RBI, while Cap Anson took over as manager in the middle of the season, posting an average of .325 with 58 RBI. It would be the final season of the National Association, as the ownership of the Chicago White Stockings sought to create a league with more structure.

1876:The Philadelphia Athletics would join the new more structured National League, but took a big blow when they lost Cap Anson to the Chicago White Stockings. A strong contender in the National Association, the Athletics struggled in the new league posting a record of 14-45 and finishing seventh among the eight teams in the National League’s first year. Levi Meyerle, who hit .340 was Philadelphia’s top hitter, while Lon Knight, posted a record of 10-22 with an ERA of 2.62. Financially troubled the Athletics refused to take part in a Western road trip leading to the expulsion from the National League and eventually the folding of the franchise.

1882: Named after the early team that played in the National Association, the Philadelphia Athletics began play as a barnstorming team in 1880. After two seasons on the road, the Philadelphia Athletics became a charter franchise in the American Association. Playing their games at Oakdale Park, the Athletics managed by Juice Latham posted a record of 41-34, good enough for third place. Catcher Jack O’Brien was the team’s leading hitter with a .30 average and three home runs, while Sam Weaver was the top pitcher, winning 26 games, with an ERA of 2.74.

1883: Lon Knight takes over the managerial reigns as the Philadelphia Athletics move to the Jefferson Street Grounds where the original Athletics had played. Philadelphia was one of the top teams in the American Association as it competed for fans, against a new National League team christened the Philadelphia Quakers. The Athletics would win a three-way battle for the AA pennant, posting a record of 66-32 to finish one game better than the St. Louis Browns and five games better than the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Mike Moynahan was the Athletics top hitter, with an average of .310, with one home run and 67 RBI, while Harry Stovey supplied the power, hitting .304 with 14 home runs and 66 RBI. On the mound Bobby Matthews was the star, posting a record of 30-13 with a 2.46 ERA.

1884: The Philadelphia Athletics are unable to defend their crown as the top team in the American Association, as they slip to seventh place, despite a solid record of 61-46. Harry Stovey was Philadelphia’s top hitter, batting .326, with ten home runs and 83 RBI. On the mound Bobby Matthews won 30 games again, while Al Atkinson threw a No Hitter, defeating the Pittsburgh Alleghenys 10-1 on May 24th.

1885: Harry Stovey takes over the managerial reigns for the Philadelphia Athletics and remained one of the club’s top hitter, batting .315 with 13 home runs and 75 RBI, while Henry Larkin led the team with a .329 average with eight home runs and 88 RBI. On the mound, Bobby Matthews won 30 games for the third straight season. However, the Athletics struggled all season posting a losing record for the first time, while finishing in fourth place with a record of 55-57.

1886: The Philadelphia Athletics struggle again, finishing in sixth place with a record of 63-72. Henry Larkin has another solid season, leading the team with a .319 average, while hitting a pair of home runs and driving in 74 runs. On the mound, Al Atkinson leads the way, posting a record of 25-17, with an ERA of 3.95. On May 1st, Atkinson provided the highlight of the season throwing his second career no hitter against the New York Metropolitans.

1887: The Philadelphia Athletics suffer their third straight losing season, finishing in fifth place with a record of 64-69. Denny Lyons emerges as the team’s top hitter, posting a .367 average, with six home runs and 102 RBI. On the mound, Philadelphia got solid seasons from Ed Seward who went 25-25 and Gus Weyhing who posted a record of 26-28. After the season, the team is sold to H. C. Pennypacker and William Whittaker.

1888: Under new management, the Philadelphia Athletics post a solid season, finishing just ten games out of first place, while finishing third with a record of 81-52. Denny Lyons again leads the team in hitting with a .296 average, with six home runs and 83 RBI. Henry Larkin also had a big year hitting .269, with seven home runs and 101 RBI, while Harry Stovey had nine home runs and 65 RBI. On the mound, Ed Seward led the way, winning 35 games, while Gus Weyhing won 28 games. Both pitchers threw No Hitters in a five day stretch, with Seward allowing no hits against the Cincinnati Red Stockings on July 26thm while Weyhing No Hit the Kansas City Cowboys on July 31.

1889: The Philadelphia Athletics finish in third place again, posting a record of 75-58. Harry Stovey had one of the best power seasons 19th Century, hitting .306 with 19 home runs and 119 RBI. While Denny Lyons led the club in hitting, with an average of .329 with nine home runs and 82 RBI. On the mound Guy Weyhing led the way, winning 30 games.

1890: Baseball was surrounded in turmoil; a third major league was established founded by dissatisfied players. No team in the American Association was hit harder than the Philadelphia Athletics, who lost several key players to the new league. The Athletics would finish in seventh place, posting a record of 54-78. As the season went on and money ran short Owners H. C. Pennypacker and William Whittaker began selling off the team’s top players, leaving behind a team that at the end of the season was unable to compete, losing their final 21 games. This would lead to the Philadelphia Athletics being expelled from the AA. Adding insult to injury as the Player’s League folded after one season, the Philadelphia Quakers from the PL were invited to join the AA, taking the Athletics name. Before they were sold off Denny Lyons led the team in hitting with a .354 average with seven home runs and 73 RBI, while Sadie McMahon won 29 games on the mound.

Championship Teams

Athletics Stadiums

Awesome Athletics

Ned Cuthbert

1871-1872

Levi Meyerle

1871-1872, 1876

Cherokee Fisher

1873

Count Sensenderfer

1871-1874

Mike McGeary

1872-1874

John McMullin

1873-1874

Tim Murnane

1873-1874

Dick McBride

1871-1875

Al Reach

1871-1875

Cap Anson

1872-1875

John Clapp

1873-1875

Wes Fisler

1871-1876

Ezra Sutton

1873-1876

Lon Knight

1875-1876

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Author

Frank Fleming
Frank Fleming founded the Sports Ecyclopedia in 2001 & is a passionate Devils fan.