1883 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

1883

n/a Mert Hackett 1883 Boston Beaneaters 05-02-1883 23
n/a Mike Hines 1883 Boston Beaneaters 05-01-1883 0
n/a Paul Radford 1883 Boston Beaneaters 05-01-1883 21
n/a Edgar Smith 1883 Boston Beaneaters 06-20-1883 22
n/a Ed Cushman 1883 Buffalo Bisons 07-06-1883 31
n/a Dell Darling 1883 Buffalo Bisons 07-03-1883 21
n/a Jim Lillie 1883 Buffalo Bisons 05-17-1883 21
n/a Tony Suck 1883 Buffalo Bisons 08-09-1883 24
n/a Billy Sunday 1883 Chicago White Stockings 05-22-1883 20
n/a Cal Broughton 1883 Cleveland Blues 05-02-1883 22
n/a Charlie Cady 1883 Cleveland Blues 09-05-1883 18
n/a Lem Hunter 1883 Cleveland Blues 09-01-1883 20
n/a Will Sawyer 1883 Cleveland Blues 07-21-1883 18
n/a Dick Burns 1883 Detroit Wolverines 05-03-1883 19
n/a Ben Guiney 1883 Detroit Wolverines 09-04-1883 24
n/a Jack Jones 1883 Detroit Wolverines 07-09-1883 22
n/a Frank McIntyre 1883 Detroit Wolverines 05-16-1883 23
n/a George Radbourn 1883 Detroit Wolverines 05-30-1883 27
n/a Dupee Shaw 1883 Detroit Wolverines 06-18-1883 24
n/a Myron Allen 1883 New York Gothams 07-19-1883 29
n/a Dick Cramer 1883 New York Gothams 05-11-1883 0
n/a John Humphries 1883 New York Gothams 07-07-1883 21
n/a Tip O'Neill 1883 New York Gothams 05-05-1883 24
n/a Dave Orr 1883 New York Gothams 05-17-1883 23
n/a Art Benedict 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 05-14-1883 21
n/a Alonzo Breitenstein 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 07-07-1883 25
n/a John Coleman 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 05-01-1883 20
n/a Conny Doyle 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 06-23-1883 0
n/a Sid Farrar 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 05-01-1883 23
n/a Buck Gladmon 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 07-07-1883 19
n/a Art Hagan 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 06-30-1883 20
n/a Hardie Henderson 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 05-02-1883 20
n/a Charlie Hilsey 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 09-27-1883 19
n/a Charlie Kelly 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 06-14-1883 0
n/a Jim Pirie 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 09-25-1883 30
n/a Frank Ringo 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 05-01-1883 22
n/a Piggy Ward 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 06-12-1883 16
n/a Bill White 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 06-01-1883 23
n/a Abe Wolstenholme 1883 Philadelphia Phillies 06-04-1883 22
n/a Joe Mulvey 1883 Providence Grays 05-31-1883 24
n/a Edgar Smith 1883 Providence Grays 05-25-1883 20
1883 National League Debuts


 

Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the National League during the 1883 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

On the final day of the 1930 season, Dizzy Dean was called up and pitched a three-hitter. In Spring Training the following year, Dean had a fight with catcher Gabby Street and the franchise left him in the Minor Leagues all season long.

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."
     

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