Claim: The 1872 Middletown Mansfields season marks the only time that the club was part of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, and they finished with 34 fewer wins than the season's top club, the Boston Red Stockings.
Evidence: The Middletown Mansfields played their first and only season in 1872 as a member of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. 39 Boston Red Stockings Middletown Mansfields 5 The 1872 Boston Red Stockings season was the second season of the franchise. They won the National Association championship.