1st

Rookie John Hamill holds Brooklyn (AA) to 5 singles as Washington wins its opener 12-0. But Washington will win only 11 more games (losing 51) before disbanding in early August, and Hamill will record only one more win (against 17 losses) in his only ML season.

Following Cincinnati's Opening Day loss to Columbus (AA) at the new Cincinnati ballpark, a section of bleachers collapses, injuring many exiting fans, one fatally. This location will be used by Cincinnati ML teams until mid-1970, when the Reds move into Riverfront Stadium.

Moses Fleetwood Walker becomes the first black in the ML when he plays for the Toledo club in the American Association. He goes 0-for-3 in his ML debut, allowing 2 passed balls and committing 4 errors, as his team bows to Louisville 5-1. He will do better in 41 subsequent games before injuries force Toledo to release him in late September. Racial bigotry will prevent his return to ML ball. In July he is joined by his brother Welday, an OF. No other black player appears in a ML uniform until Jackie Robinson in 1947.

2nd

New York (AA) fails to take advantage of Jack Lynch's 14 strikeouts and 6-hit pitching and loses to Baltimore 8-3. In 166 innings this year Lynch will total only 32 K's for the Metropolitans.

3rd

Charlie Sweeney gets off to a good start by throwing a one-hitter to lead Providence (NL) to a 3-0 win over Buffalo.

Buck Ewing gets a triple, a double, and 3 singles as New York (NL) defeats Detroit 11-3.

5th

After pitching in St. Louis on May 4, Tony Mullane of Toledo (AA) is enjoined from playing ball in Missouri until defense of his contract jumping from the St. Louis UA club can be heard in court.

6th

Rookie P Larry McKeon of Indianapolis (AA), whose 41 losses will top the major leagues in 1884, pitches a 6-inning no-hitter. Rain halts the game with the score 0-0.

Buffalo P Pud Galvin allows only a first-inning double, but must wait until the 9th before his teammates produce the winning run in a 3-2 battle against Boston.

7th

Jack Lynch's one-hitter is enough for victory as the Mets whip Allegheny 8-1.

8th

Chicago (UA) stuns the Keystones of Philadelphia with an 8-run rally in the 9th to take an 11-10 win.

10th

Washington (AA) C Alex Gardner's first ML game is also his last, as he allows 12 passed balls, a ML record that still stands. Washington loses the game to New York's Mets 11-3.

Altoona (UA) wins its first ML game after 11 straight losses 9-4 over Boston. They will win only 5 more times before disbanding at the end of May.

13th

C Thomas "Pat" Deasley of the St. Louis Browns (AA) is arrested for drunkenness and for making insulting comments to ladies. He is released but 6 days later he will be seriously injured in a fight, and his wife will be asked to join the team on its trip to keep him in line.

New York (NL) buries Buffalo 20-5. It is the last pitching win of John Montgomery Ward's ML career, as the one-time teenage ace shifts to the IF and OF.

14th

P Charles Radbourn gets 5 hits--the same number he allows Detroit--to spur a 25-3 rout, the most decisive victory in the NL this year. Detroit contributes to its own demise by committing 18 errors, including 5 by RF Fred Wood, whose ML career will total only 13 games.

16th

When a foul tip from a Detroit (NL) batter sticks in the mask of Boston C Mike Hines, umpire Van Court calls the batter out on a foul catch. NL Secretary Nick Young will later instruct league umpires not to rule an out in such cases.

18th

Hugh Daily of Chicago (UA) throws his 2nd consecutive one-hitter against the Nationals of Washington. He adds to the Nationals' embarrassment today by recording 15 strikeouts.

23rd

Larry Corcoran limits Cleveland (NL) to one hit in a 5-0 shutout for Chicago.

24th

Against Pittsburgh, Philadelphia Athletics (AA) P Al Atkinson hits the leadoff batter, Ed Swartwood, who steals 2B, takes 3B on a putout, and scores on a passed ball. But Atkinson sets down the next 27 Alleghenies for a near-perfect, no-hit 10-1 win.

After 20 consecutive wins St. Louis (UA) finally falls 8-1 to Boston. The Maroons will finish the season with a .832 percentage, the highest in ML history.

29th

Taking advantage of a ground rule change which scores balls hit over the close RF Chicago (NL) fence as HRs (instead of doubles), 5 players hit HR's in the White Stockings' home opener against Detroit. Chicago will hit 142 HRs during the 112-game season (more than 90 percent of them at home) to set a record that will be broken by the 1927 New York Yankees.

Ed Morris (Columbia AA) no-hits Pittsburgh 5-0, allowing only one walk.

30th

In the afternoon game of Chicago's doubleheader with Detroit (NL), White Stocking Ned Williamson doubles and hits a ML record 3 HRs as Chicago overwhelms the Wolverines 12-2. Williamson's HRs are his first of 27 (25 at home), which will set a ML season record not broken until Babe Ruth hits 29 in 1919.

31st

The Altoona club disbands, the first casualty of the UA, and is replaced by a new club formed in Kansas City.

CF Oscar Walker's 6-for-6 spark a 16-1 Brooklyn (AA) romp over the St. Louis Browns.