The 1869 Red Stockings

The rules of baseball changed for the 1869 season, making it legal for teams to pay players. All of the leading clubs in the East decided not to take advantage of the new rule. They were afraid the public would not accept “professionals.” However, the Cincinnati Red Stockings Club immediately understood the advantages the new rule offered. By guaranteeing a salary, it could attract top players, and it could require that the players practice and stay in shape.

The club re-hired five of its players from the 1868 club and recruited four new players. Its payroll was approximately $10,500.

Captain Harry Wright (who was also the center fielder and relief pitcher) practiced his nine daily, and in April they played exhibition games against local players. In May, they began playing official games against other Midwest clubs, but Wright knew that all the good teams were in the East. If the Red stockings were to be tested, they had to travel to New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

In early June, the Red Stockings departed Cincinnati and headed East on a month-long road trip. They played 20 games in 30 days and won every one. Suddenly, the Red Stockings were the biggest sensation in baseball. They returned to a welcome-home parade through downtown Cincinnati that was attended by thousands of admirers. Several of the leading Eastern teams traveled to Cincinnati over the summer and the Red Stockings defeated each of them as well.

In September, the Red Stockings traveled to California on the recently-completed transcontinental railroad and easily won every contest they played on this Western tour. When their season came to its conclusion after their cross-country trip, the Red Stockings’ record stood at a perfect 57-0. They reigned as the undisputed champions of baseball.

The undefeated season of the 1869 Red Stockings was headline news throughout the country and the club’s games drew over 200,000 spectators, a remarkable number for the period. The incredible on-field success of Cincinnati’s first professional nine validated the professional model that dominates the world of sports to this day.