1879 National League Debuts

Willie Mays played his first Major League game on May 25, 1951, and went 0-for-5 at the plate. He started his career 1-for-25 and told his manager, "I can't do it, Mr. Leo. You better bench me."

Casey Stengel played his first Major League game on July 27, 1912, and went 4-for-4 at the plate. He commented later in his life, "I broke in with four hits and the writers promptly decided they had seen the new Ty Cobb. It took me only a few days to correct that impression."

Both Mays and Stengel would continue their Major League careers down separate paths of greatness, but each still had to appear in that memorable first Major League game. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present what Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone once described as, "His first Major League debut."
"There is a certain amount of fascination to the big league debut of any athlete. Sometimes they are incredible successes. Sometimes they are frenetic failures." - Sportswriter Arthur Daley
National League Debuts

1879

n/a Ed Cogswell 1879 Boston Red Caps 07-11-1879 25
n/a Curry Foley 1879 Boston Red Caps 05-13-1879 23
n/a Bill Hawes 1879 Boston Red Caps 05-01-1879 25
n/a Sadie Houck 1879 Boston Red Caps 05-01-1879 0
n/a John O'Rourke 1879 Boston Red Caps 05-01-1879 29
n/a Lee Richmond 1879 Boston Red Caps 09-27-1879 22
n/a Jim Tyng 1879 Boston Red Caps 09-23-1879 23
n/a Pud Galvin 1879 Buffalo Bisons 05-22-1879 22
n/a Joe Hornung 1879 Buffalo Bisons 05-01-1879 21
n/a Steve Libby 1879 Buffalo Bisons 05-10-1879 25
n/a Bill McGunnigle 1879 Buffalo Bisons 05-02-1879 24
n/a Hardy Richardson 1879 Buffalo Bisons 05-01-1879 24
n/a Jack Rowe 1879 Buffalo Bisons 09-06-1879 22
n/a Oscar Walker 1879 Buffalo Bisons 05-01-1879 25
n/a Tom Dolan 1879 Chicago White Stockings 09-30-1879 24
n/a George Gore 1879 Chicago White Stockings 05-01-1879 21
n/a John Stedronsky 1879 Chicago White Stockings 09-25-1879 29
n/a Mike Burke 1879 Cincinnati Reds 05-01-1879 25
n/a Pete Hotaling 1879 Cincinnati Reds 05-01-1879 22
n/a John Magner 1879 Cincinnati Reds 07-14-1879 0
n/a Jack Neagle 1879 Cincinnati Reds 07-08-1879 21
n/a Barney Gilligan 1879 Cleveland Blues 05-01-1879 23
n/a Jack Glasscock 1879 Cleveland Blues 05-01-1879 21
n/a Fred Gunkle 1879 Cleveland Blues 05-17-1879 21
n/a Hickey Hoffman 1879 Cleveland Blues 05-10-1879 22
n/a John Kelly 1879 Cleveland Blues 06-07-1879 20
n/a Doc Kennedy 1879 Cleveland Blues 05-01-1879 25
n/a Bill Phillips 1879 Cleveland Blues 05-01-1879 22
n/a Billy Riley 1879 Cleveland Blues 05-01-1879 24
n/a Len Stockwell 1879 Cleveland Blues 05-17-1879 19
n/a George Strief 1879 Cleveland Blues 05-01-1879 22
n/a Emil Gross 1879 Providence Grays 08-13-1879 21
n/a Rudy Kemmler 1879 Providence Grays 07-26-1879 19
n/a Dan O'Leary 1879 Providence Grays 09-03-1879 22
n/a Denny Sullivan 1879 Providence Grays 08-25-1879 21
n/a Bill White 1879 Providence Grays 06-21-1879 19
n/a George Adams 1879 Syracuse Stars 06-14-1879 0
n/a Jack Allen 1879 Syracuse Stars 05-01-1879 23
n/a Hick Carpenter 1879 Syracuse Stars 05-01-1879 23
n/a Frank Decker 1879 Syracuse Stars 06-25-1879 23
n/a Jack Farrell 1879 Syracuse Stars 05-01-1879 21
n/a Kick Kelly 1879 Syracuse Stars 05-01-1879 22
n/a Jimmy Macullar 1879 Syracuse Stars 05-05-1879 24
n/a Mike Mansell 1879 Syracuse Stars 05-01-1879 21
n/a Harry McCormick 1879 Syracuse Stars 05-01-1879 23
n/a Charlie Osterhout 1879 Syracuse Stars 06-23-1879 23
n/a Blondie Purcell 1879 Syracuse Stars 05-01-1879 0
n/a Red Woodhead 1879 Syracuse Stars 05-01-1879 28
n/a Dan Brouthers 1879 Troy Trojans 06-23-1879 21
n/a Ed Caskin 1879 Troy Trojans 05-01-1879 27
n/a Aaron Clapp 1879 Troy Trojans 05-01-1879 22
n/a Jake Evans 1879 Troy Trojans 05-01-1879 22
n/a Gid Gardner 1879 Troy Trojans 08-23-1879 20
n/a Fred Goldsmith 1879 Troy Trojans 05-01-1879 27
n/a Al Hall 1879 Troy Trojans 05-01-1879 0
n/a Thorny Hawkes 1879 Troy Trojans 05-01-1879 26
n/a Tom Mansell 1879 Troy Trojans 05-01-1879 24
n/a Pat McManus 1879 Troy Trojans 05-22-1879 19
n/a Charlie Reilly 1879 Troy Trojans 05-01-1879 0
n/a Harry Salisbury 1879 Troy Trojans 08-28-1879 24
n/a John Shoupe 1879 Troy Trojans 05-03-1879 27
n/a Sandy Taylor 1879 Troy Trojans 08-11-1879 0
1879 National League Debuts


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Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the National League during the 1879 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

When Christy Mathewson made his Major League debut the newspaper wrote, "The untried semi-professional possessed great speed and plenty of confidence in himself, but could not control his curves."

Five-for-five debuts? Believe it or not it has happened twice: On June 30, 1894 Fred Clarke of the Louisville Colonels and on May 16, 1933, Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators made their Major League debuts and both went five-for-five at the plate.
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