1882 American Association 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
American Association Debuts

1882

n/a Ed Brown 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 08-19-1882 0
n/a Frank Burt 1882 Baltimore Orioles 05-02-1882 0
n/a John Doyle 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 07-26-1882 0
n/a Bill Farrell 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-03-1882 0
n/a Harry Jacoby 1882 Baltimore Orioles 05-02-1882 0
n/a Bill Jones 1882 Baltimore Orioles 05-17-1882 0
n/a Chappy Lane 1882 Pittsburgh Alleghenys 05-16-1882 0
n/a Bill Morgan 1882 Pittsburgh Alleghenys 05-04-1882 0
n/a Jimmy Say 1882 Louisville Eclipse 07-22-1882 0
n/a John Schappert 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 05-03-1882 0
n/a Jake Seymour 1882 Pittsburgh Alleghenys 09-23-1882 0
n/a Bill Sweeney 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 06-27-1882 0
n/a Ed Whiting 1882 Baltimore Orioles 05-02-1882 0
n/a Tug Arundel 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-23-1882 19
n/a Jimmy Wolf 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-02-1882 19
n/a Pete Browning 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-02-1882 20
n/a Bert Dorr 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 08-24-1882 20
n/a Harry East 1882 Baltimore Orioles 06-17-1882 20
n/a Eddie Hogan 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 07-05-1882 20
n/a Bill Kienzle 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 09-15-1882 20
n/a Harry Maskrey 1882 Louisville Eclipse 09-21-1882 20
n/a Phil Reccius 1882 Louisville Eclipse 09-25-1882 20
n/a Ren Wylie 1882 Pittsburgh Alleghenys 08-11-1882 20
n/a Tom Brown 1882 Baltimore Orioles 07-06-1882 21
n/a Ed Merrill 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-05-1882 21
n/a Jack O'Brien 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-02-1882 21
n/a Bill Wise 1882 Baltimore Orioles 05-02-1882 21
n/a Charlie Comiskey 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 05-02-1882 22
n/a Joe Crotty 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-04-1882 22
n/a Ed Halbriter 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-23-1882 22
n/a Bid McPhee 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings 05-02-1882 22
n/a Gracie Pierce 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-02-1882 22
n/a John Reccius 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-02-1882 22
n/a Cub Stricker 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-02-1882 22
n/a Bill Gleason 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 05-02-1882 23
n/a John Mansell 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-09-1882 23
n/a Harry McCaffery 1882 Louisville Eclipse 06-15-1882 23
n/a Nick Scharf 1882 Baltimore Orioles 05-18-1882 23
n/a Charlie Strick 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-18-1882 23
n/a Bill Tierney 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings 05-02-1882 23
n/a Monk Cline 1882 Baltimore Orioles 07-04-1882 24
n/a Charlie Reynolds 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-18-1882 24
n/a John Russ 1882 Baltimore Orioles 07-04-1882 24
n/a Lewis Smith 1882 Baltimore Orioles 09-07-1882 24
n/a Dan Sullivan 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-02-1882 24
n/a Eddie Fusselback 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 05-03-1882 25
n/a Bill Greenwood 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 09-16-1882 25
n/a Tug Thompson 1882 Cincinnati Red Stockings 08-31-1882 25
n/a Jud Birchall 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-02-1882 26
n/a Bob Blakiston 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-02-1882 26
n/a Charlie Bohn 1882 Louisville Eclipse 06-20-1882 26
n/a Guy Hecker 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-02-1882 26
n/a Bill Smiley 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 05-02-1882 26
n/a Harry Arundel 1882 Pittsburgh Alleghenys 07-19-1882 27
n/a Doc Landis 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 05-02-1882 27
n/a Charlie Morton 1882 Pittsburgh Alleghenys 05-02-1882 27
n/a Bill Schenck 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-29-1882 27
n/a Charlie Householder 1882 Baltimore Orioles 05-02-1882 28
n/a Leech Maskrey 1882 Louisville Eclipse 05-02-1882 28
n/a Jumbo McGinnis 1882 St. Louis Brown Stockings 05-02-1882 28
n/a John Dyler 1882 Louisville Eclipse 07-22-1882 30
n/a Tom Evers 1882 Baltimore Orioles 05-25-1882 30
n/a John Shetzline 1882 Baltimore Orioles 05-02-1882 30
n/a Morrie Critchley 1882 Pittsburgh Alleghenys 05-08-1882 32
n/a George Snyder 1882 Philadelphia Athletics 09-30-1882 34
1882 American Association Debuts


 

Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the American Association during the 1882 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

Ray Jansen (four for five in his first game), Aubrey Epps (three for four in his first game) and Ed Irvin (two for three in his first game) all finished their career with lifetime batting averages which were greater than their career fielding percentages.

Ted Cox made his Major League debut in 1977 with the Boston Red Sox and over two games on September 18 and 19, Cox went six for six before he made an out.
     

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