Year In Review : 1877 National League

Off the Field…

American inventor Thomas Edison patented a machine called "The Phonograph" that reproduced sound by means of a needle in contact with a grooved rotating disk. The original "record playing" instrument consisted of a spinning cylinder covered with indented paraffin above a thin plate carrying a needle. As the plate vibrated under the influence of noise, the needle made minute undulations in the soft material to reproduce the sound.

In the National League…

Syracuse Stars catcher Pete Hotaling became the first professional catcher to wear a mask. Harvard captain Fred Thayer originally designed the device to protect his teammate Jim Tyng.

The National League experienced its first scandal after accusations were reported by the Louisville Courier Journal of a fix involving their Louisville Grays. After compiling a 27-12 record, the Grays lost eight in a row with Boston winning thirteen out of fifteen for the pennant. Despite a thorough investigation and several suspensions, the crime was never actually proven to have taken place.