JANUARY

29th

A. G. Spalding arrives in England where he will call on sporting editors and athletes pursuing his plan to bring 2 baseball clubs to England this summer and exhibit American baseball and to play some cricket matches.

FEBRUARY

27th

The first match of American baseball ever played in England takes place at the Kennington Oval Cricket Field in London. The match is arranged by Mr. C. Alcock, the cricket editor of the London Sportsman, and the participants include several well-known cricketers. Mr. Spalding and Mr. Briggs, of the Beacon Club of Boston, choose up sides and play a 6-inning game.

MARCH

2nd

The 4th meeting of the Professional Association takes place at the United States Hotel in Boston. Seven clubs send delegates: Athletics, Chicago, Hartford, Philadelphias, Mutuals, and Boston. The Atlantics are not represented but will play this year. Charles H. Porter of the Bostons is elected president. New rules include the adoption of the batter's box and the prohibition of any player betting on his own team (expulsion) or any other team (forfeiture of pay). The 10-man, 10-inning proposition favored by Chadwick is defeated.

14th

A. G. Spalding comes home from his visit to England after arranging the tour of the Athletic and Boston teams this summer. Plans call for the teams to depart from the U.S. on July 16, play baseball and cricket matches in England during August, and leave Liverpool for home on August 26th. The full number of championship matches during the regular baseball season will be played.

APRIL

16th

The first championship match of the 1874 season is played in Philadelphia, with the Athletics defeating the Philadelphias (now referred to as the Pearls) 14-5.

22nd

The first game of the season in Baltimore finds the home team shut out by the Philadelphias and future Hall of Famer Arthur "Candy" Cummings.

MAY

5th

Tommy Bond pitches for the Atlantics in their 1874 opener. It is his first appearance in the National Association. Bond would later win 40 or more games in 3 consecutive seasons in the NL. Today he limits Baltimore to 4 hits as the Atlantics win the game, played at the Union Grounds, 24-3.

9th

The Mutuals meet the Athletics at the Union Grounds before 1,000 fans. Another 1,000 wait outside the gate for the end of the 3rd inning when they will be admitted for half price. The Mutuals commit 11 errors in the last half of the 6th inning, but still win 8-5.

13th

The first professional championship match in Chicago, by a Chicago team, since the Great Fire of 1871 is played before 4,000 spectators. George Zettlein and the White Stockings defeat the Athletics of Philadelphia 4-0. The Athletics have 10 hits and 21 base runners and yet fail to score.

JUNE

15th

Candy Cummings strikes out 6 consecutive Chicago White Stocking batters during an 8-6 victory at Philadelphia.

18th

One of the poorest games of baseball ever played between 2 professional clubs occurs in New York as the Mutuals defeat the Chicago White Stockings 38-1. Of the 33 hits collected by the Mutes, Tom Carey makes 6 and scores 6 runs. Chicago had two hits and commits 36 errors.

27th

The visiting Chicago Whites lose to the Boston Reds 29-6. P Al Spalding collects 6 hits for the winners.

JULY

4th

Chicago celebrates its return home after a 4-week eastern trip by defeating the league-leading Boston Red Stockings 17-16 before 10,000 spectators.

10th

Joe Start, the Mutual 1B, misses the train to Hartford, and the Mutes are forced to play with only 8 players. Hartford wins 13-4.

16th

The Boston and Athletic teams sail from Philadelphia for England. Roundtrip tickets for baseball enthusiasts can be obtained for $100.

AUGUST

3rd

The American visitors play their first game of baseball in London at the Lord's Cricket Grounds as Boston defeats the Athletics 24-7. In the morning, a cricket match between the Americans and the Maryleborne Club is started. At the completion of the match on the 4th, the Americans are victorious 107-105. The American ballplayers will play in 7 cricket matches during the tour and will win all 7. However, the Americans field 18 players while their opponents use 12.

24th

The American tourists arrive in Dublin, Ireland, where they play a baseball game, won by Boston 12-7. They then start a cricket game, finishing tomorrow with the U.S. winning 165-88.

SEPTEMBER

9th

The stockholders of the Philadelphias baseball club vote 26-15 to expel player John J. Radcliffe. Umpire William McLean has testified that Radcliffe approached him before the game at Chicago on July 15th and offered him $175 if he would help Chicago win the game. Four other players were in on the plot: Candy Cummings, Nat Hicks, Bill Craver, and Denny Mack.

12th

Boston's return home after the tour is spoiled by a victory for the Athletics 6-5. Boston still leads the pennant race with a 31-9 record followed by the Mutuals with 29 victories and 17 losses.

14th

To the surprise of 1,000 Boston spectators, Chicago bats Spalding all over the lot with 10 runs on 22 hits while George Zettlein limits the Reds to no runs on 4 hits. Boston's George Wright makes 3 errors.

16th

The Globes, Louisville's first black baseball team, play a charity game for yellow fever sufferers, shaming a pair of local white clubs into following suit to avoid, in the words of the Louisville Courier-Journal, being "outdone by the darkly-complected portion of the human race."

OCTOBER

9th

Five thousand people watch the last match game of the season between the Mutuals and the Boston Reds. Spalding allows only 5 hits, but the Reds lose 4-3. The winning runs score on Joe Start's double and a throwing error.

20th

Tommy Bond, whom Henry Chadwick says "bids fair to be a second Creighton," shuts out the Mutual club on 2 hits as the Atlantics win 5-0.

NOVEMBER

1st

The season ends today with the Boston Red Stockings being declared the champions with a record of 43-17. Boston actually had a record of 52-18 but the Committee throws out the Baltimore games because the team did not complete their schedule.