Year In Review : 1876 National League
Off the Field…
General George Armstrong Custer was killed along with two-hundred sixty-four Union Calvary troopers after engaging the Sioux tribe at Little Big Horn. Not realizing the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Native Americans, the 7th Calvary had made a crucial tactical error by dividing their forces into three separate divisions. A Civil War hero, Custer had fought at the first battle of Bull Run, distinguished himself in both the Peninsular campaign as well as Gettysburg and was selected as the Union officer to receive the Confederate flag of truce at Appomattox Courthouse.
In the National League…
The National League of Professional Baseball was formed with an eight-team circuit consisting of the Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings, Cincinnati Red Legs, Hartford Dark Blues, Louisville Grays, Philadelphia Athletics, Brooklyn Mutuals and St. Louis Browns. All owners agreed to play a seventy game schedule between April 22 and October 21.
In April, the Chicago White Stockings debuted the first shutout in baseball history with a 4-0 effort over the Louisville Grays. On May 25th, the Philadelphia Athletics matched the Grays 2-2 for the first tie in Major League history.
On June 14th, George Hall of the Philadelphia Athletics became the first player ever to hit for the cycle.
The White Stockings went on to win the first National League pennant after defeating the Hartford Dark Blues by six games. They finished the season 52-14 followed by Hartford, St. Louis, Boston, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia and Cincinnati.
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