Boston Red Stockings (Beaneaters)

 

 

Boston Red Stockings were a charter member of NAPBBP and they are at times called the Red Caps. Led and managed by baseball pioneer Harry Wright, the new Boston team would join the newly formed National Association of Professional Base Ball Players for the 1871 season and finish the year in third place with a record of 20-10. The Boston red stockings later went to become the Beaneaters in the year 1883 but still retained the teams color.

 

Although it was stripped of talent in the inaugural year of the national league, the team bounced back and won the 1977 as well as the 1878 pennants.  Beaneaters was one of the dominant teams in the national league during the 19th century and won a total of 8 pennants at that time; their manager was Frank Selee who was the first manager who did not double up as a player. In 1898, the team finished 102-47 which was a club record for wins which stood for almost a century.

 

Boston red stockings was decimated when the new Boston Entry – American league’s, set up shop in the year 1901. Many of the Red stockings stars switched to the new fit which was offering better contracts that Beaneaters’ owners couldn’t match. In that season, they managed only one winning season that was from 1900 – 1913 in which they lost 100 games 5 times.  In 1907, Beaneaters temporarily eliminated their last bit from their team uniform – stockings. This is because the manager thought that red eye could cause infection in wounds.

 

The team’s name was later changed by its American club owner, Charles Taylor, who named it to Red Sox. Consequently, their nickname changed to Doves in 1907 then Rustlers in 1911, but never changed their luck at the national league. In 1912, the team became the Braves for the first time. Their owner at the time, James Gaffney, was a member of the New York City political machine – Tammany Hall which was using an Indian chief as the symbol.

 

In 1914, (two years later) the team put up one of the most memorable seasons in history of baseball. After having a dismal 4-18 start, they were seen to be on their way to last place finish, but on 4th July 1914, their lost both games of doubleheader to Brooklyn Dodgers. Consecutive loses put them at 26-40, which put them in last place and 15 games adrift league leaders – New York Giants. After a day off, they started putting together hot winning streak from 6th July – 5th September in which they won 41 games with only 12 losses.