# 1884 Major League Baseball season

The 1884 major league baseball season began on April 17, 1884. The National League and American Association's regular seasons ended on October 15, with the Providence Grays and New York Metropolitans as the NL and AA pennant winners, respectively. The newly founded Union Association regular season ended on October 19, with the St. Louis Maroons as the UA pennant winner. The postseason between the AA and NL began with Game 1 of the first World's Championship Series (the first inter-league championship game of its kind in the Major Leagues) on October 23 and ended with Game 3 on October 25, in what was a best-of-five-playoff. The Grays swept the Metropolitans in three games, capturing their first World's Championship Series.
Prior to the 1884 season, in September 1883, the Union Association was formed, in direct contravention to the reserve rule (that a ballplayer could be reserved by a team) of the 1883 National Agreement (a.k.a. Tripartite Agreement) signed between the National League, American Association, and minor league Northwestern League. In response to formation of the UA, the AA expanded their league from an eight teams to twelve teams to undermine the week footing the UA had, as UA teams were mostly in cities that already had established AA and NL teams.
The American Association expansion saw the minor league Brooklyn Grays of the Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball Clubs join as the Brooklyn Atlantics (today's Los Angeles Dodgers) and the Toledo Blue Stockings join from the minor league Northwestern League, as well as the establishment of the Indianapolis Hoosiers and Washington Nationals. The latter played their last game on August 2, and were replaced by the minor league Eastern League's Richmond Virginians to finish Washington's schedule.
The Union Association was largely unstable throughout its only year in existence (though confidence in the league remained high), as three of its founding teams would not make it to the end of the season. The Altoona Mountain Citys folded on May 31, and were replaced by the Kansas City Cowboys on June 7. The Philadelphia Keystones folded on August 7, and were replaced by the Eastern League's Wilmington Quicksteps. The Chicago Browns relocated to Pittsburgh as the Pittsburgh Stogies following their August 21 game. The Quicksteps would fold on September 15, while the Stogies would fold just three days later. On September 27, the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Paul Apostles (now renamed the St. Paul Saints) were recruited from the Northwestern League to finish the Philadelphia / Wilmington and Chicago/Pittsburgh schedules, respectively.

## Schedule

The 1884 schedule consisted of 110 games for all teams in the American Association, which had twelve active teams, and 112 games for all teams in the National League and Union Association, each of which had eight active teams. Each AA team was scheduled to play 10 games against the other eleven teams in their league, and each of NL & UA teams were scheduled to play 16 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. The National League increased its total games per team from 98 to 112, 14 games to 16 games per seven opponents. The new Union Association copied this format. Meanwhile, the American Association, expanding from eight to twelve teams, changed from the 98-game format to the 110-game format. The National League would continue to use their 112-game format through the following season, while the American Association would copy the NL format.
Union Association Opening Day took place on April 17 featuring six teams, while American Association and National League Opening Days took place on May 1, featuring all twelve and all eight teams, respectively. The Union Association would see its final day of the regular season on October 19 featuring four teams, while the American Association and National League would see their final day of the regular season on October 15 featuring all twelve teams and four teams, respectively. The 1884 World's Championship Series took place between October 23 and October 25.

## Rule changes

The 1884 season saw the following rule changes:
* In the National League all restrictions on the delivery of a pitcher were removed. This lifting of restrictions enabled pitchers to throw above the shoulder during pitch delivery. The American Association would follow suit the following year.
* In the National League, six balls became a base on balls, down from eight. The American Association keeps the rule at eight balls.

## Teams

An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at A dagger (†) denotes a team that folded mid-season A double dagger (‡) denotes a team joined mid-season
| League | Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Manager |
| American Association | Baltimore Orioles | Oxford, Maryland | Oriole Park | 5,000 | Billy Barnie |
| American Association | Brooklyn Atlantics | Brooklyn, New York | Washington Park | 3,000 | George Taylor |
| American Association | Cincinnati Red Stockings | Cincinnati, Ohio | American Park | 3,000 | Will White |
| American Association | Cincinnati Red Stockings | Cincinnati, Ohio | American Park | 3,000 | Pop Snyder |
| American Association | Columbus Buckeyes | Columbus, Ohio | Recreation Park (Columbus) | Unknown | Gus Schmelz |
| American Association | Indianapolis Hoosiers | Indianapolis, Indiana | Seventh Street Park | Unknown | Jim Gifford |
| American Association | Indianapolis Hoosiers | Indianapolis, Indiana | Seventh Street Park | Unknown | Bill Watkins |
| American Association | Louisville Eclipse | Louisville, Kentucky | Eclipse Park | 5,860 | Mike Walsh |
| American Association | New York Metropolitans | New York, New York | Metropolitan Park | 5,000 | Jim Mutrie |
| American Association | New York Metropolitans | New York, New York | Polo Grounds* | 20,709* | Jim Mutrie |
| American Association | Philadelphia Athletics | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Jefferson Street Grounds | 15,000 | Lon Knight |
| American Association | Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Recreation Park (Pittsburgh) | 17,000 | Denny McKnight |
| American Association | Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Recreation Park (Pittsburgh) | 17,000 | Bob Ferguson |
| American Association | Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Recreation Park (Pittsburgh) | 17,000 | Joe Battin |
| American Association | Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Recreation Park (Pittsburgh) | 17,000 | George Creamer |
| American Association | Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Recreation Park (Pittsburgh) | 17,000 | Horace Phillips |
| American Association | Richmond Virginians‡ | Richmond, Virginia | Virginia Base-Ball Park | Unknown | Felix Moses |
| American Association | St. Louis Browns | St. Louis, Missouri | Sportsman's Park | 6,000 | Jimmy Williams |
| American Association | St. Louis Browns | St. Louis, Missouri | Sportsman's Park | 6,000 | Charles Comiskey |
| American Association | Toledo Blue Stockings | Toldeo, Ohio | League Park | Unknown | Charlie Morton |
| American Association | Washington Nationals (AA)† | Washington, D.C. | Athletic Park (Washington) | 6,000 | Holly Hollingshead |
| American Association | Washington Nationals (AA)† | Washington, D.C. | Athletic Park (Washington) | 6,000 | John Bickerton |
| National League | Boston Beaneaters | Boston, Massachusetts | South End Grounds | 3,000 | John Morrill |
| National League | Buffalo Bisons | Buffalo, New York | Olympic Park | 5,000 | Jim O'Rourke |
| National League | Chicago White Stockings | Chicago, Illinois | Lakefront Park | 5,000 | Cap Anson |
| National League | Cleveland Blues | Cleveland, Ohio | National League Park | Unknown | Charlie Hackett |
| National League | Detroit Wolverines | Detroit, Michigan | Recreation Park (Detroit) | Unknown | Jack Chapman |
| National League | New York Gothams | New York, New York | Polo Grounds | 20,709 | John Ward |
| National League | New York Gothams | New York, New York | Polo Grounds | 20,709 | Jim Price |
| National League | Philadelphia Quakers | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Recreation Park | 6,500 | Harry Wright |
| National League | Providence Grays | Providence, Rhode Island | Messer Street Grounds | 6,000 | Frank Bancroft |
| Union Association | Altoona Mountain Citys† | Altoona, Pennsylvania | Columbia Park | Unknown | Ed Curtis |
| Union Association | Baltimore Monumentals | Baltimore, Maryland | Belair Lot | Unknown | Bill Henderson |
| Union Association | Boston Reds | Boston, Massachusetts | Dartmouth Street Grounds | 4,575 | Tim Murnane |
| Union Association | Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies† | Chicago, Illinois | South Side Park | Unknown | Ed Hengel |
| Union Association | Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies† | Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Exposition Park | Unknown | Joe Battin |
| Union Association | Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies† | Allegheny, Pennsylvania | Exposition Park | Unknown | Joe Ellick |
| Union Association | Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | Bank Street Grounds | 3,000 | Dan O'Leary |
| Union Association | Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | Bank Street Grounds | 3,000 | Sam Crane |
| Union Association | Kansas City Cowboys | Kansas City, Missouri | Athletic Park | 4,000 | Harry Wheeler |
| Union Association | Kansas City Cowboys | Kansas City, Missouri | Athletic Park | 4,000 | Matthew Porter |
| Union Association | Kansas City Cowboys | Kansas City, Missouri | Athletic Park | 4,000 | Ted Sullivan |
| Union Association | Milwaukee Brewers‡ | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Wright Street Grounds | 5,300 | Tom Loftus |
| Union Association | Philadelphia Keystones† | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Keystone Park | Unknown | Fergy Malone |
| Union Association | St. Louis Maroons | St. Louis, Missouri | Union Base Ball Park | 10,000 | Ted Sullivan |
| Union Association | St. Louis Maroons | St. Louis, Missouri | Union Base Ball Park | 10,000 | Fred Dunlap |
| Union Association | St. Paul Saints‡ | Saint Paul, Minnesota | West Seventh Street Park | Unknown | Andrew Thompson |
| Union Association | Washington Nationals (UA) | Washington, D.C. | Capitol Grounds | 6,000 | Michael Scanlon |
| Union Association | Wilmington Quicksteps‡† | Wilmington, Delaware | Union Street Park | Unknown | Joe Simmons |
* ^ In today's Barclay, Baltimore.

## Standings
### American Association

vteAmerican Association :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| New York Metropolitans | 75 | 32 | .701 | — | 42‍–‍9 | 33‍–‍23 |
| Columbus Buckeyes | 69 | 39 | .639 | 6½ | 38‍–‍16 | 31‍–‍23 |
| Louisville Eclipse | 68 | 40 | .630 | 7½ | 41‍–‍14 | 27‍–‍26 |
| St. Louis Browns | 67 | 40 | .626 | 8 | 38‍–‍16 | 29‍–‍24 |
| Cincinnati Red Stockings | 68 | 41 | .624 | 8 | 40‍–‍16 | 28‍–‍25 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 63 | 43 | .594 | 11½ | 42‍–‍13 | 21‍–‍30 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 61 | 46 | .570 | 14 | 38‍–‍16 | 23‍–‍30 |
| Toledo Blue Stockings | 46 | 58 | .442 | 27½ | 28‍–‍25 | 18‍–‍33 |
| Brooklyn Atlantics | 40 | 64 | .385 | 33½ | 23‍–‍26 | 17‍–‍38 |
| Richmond Virginians | 12 | 30 | .286 | 30½ | 5‍–‍15 | 7‍–‍15 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 30 | 78 | .278 | 45½ | 18‍–‍37 | 12‍–‍41 |
| Indianapolis Hoosiers | 29 | 78 | .271 | 46 | 15‍–‍39 | 14‍–‍39 |
| Washington Nationals | 12 | 51 | .190 | 41 | 10‍–‍20 | 2‍–‍31 |

### National League

vteNational League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Providence Grays | 84 | 28 | .750 | — | 45‍–‍11 | 39‍–‍17 |
| Boston Beaneaters | 73 | 38 | .658 | 10½ | 40‍–‍16 | 33‍–‍22 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 64 | 47 | .577 | 19½ | 37‍–‍18 | 27‍–‍29 |
| New York Gothams | 62 | 50 | .554 | 22 | 34‍–‍22 | 28‍–‍28 |
| Chicago White Stockings | 62 | 50 | .554 | 22 | 39‍–‍17 | 23‍–‍33 |
| Philadelphia Quakers | 39 | 73 | .348 | 45 | 19‍–‍37 | 20‍–‍36 |
| Cleveland Blues | 35 | 77 | .312 | 49 | 22‍–‍34 | 13‍–‍43 |
| Detroit Wolverines | 28 | 84 | .250 | 56 | 18‍–‍38 | 10‍–‍46 |

### Union Association

vteUnion Association :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| St. Louis Maroons | 94 | 19 | .832 | — | 49‍–‍6 | 45‍–‍13 |
| Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | 69 | 36 | .657 | 21 | 35‍–‍17 | 34‍–‍19 |
| Baltimore Monumentals | 58 | 47 | .552 | 32 | 29‍–‍21 | 29‍–‍26 |
| Boston Reds | 58 | 51 | .532 | 34 | 34‍–‍22 | 24‍–‍29 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 8 | 4 | .667 | 35½ | 8‍–‍4 | 0‍–‍0 |
| St. Paul Saints | 2 | 6 | .250 | 39½ | 0‍–‍0 | 2‍–‍6 |
| Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies | 41 | 50 | .451 | 42 | 21‍–‍19 | 20‍–‍31 |
| Altoona Mountain Citys | 6 | 19 | .240 | 44 | 6‍–‍12 | 0‍–‍7 |
| Wilmington Quicksteps | 2 | 16 | .111 | 44½ | 1‍–‍6 | 1‍–‍10 |
| Washington Nationals (UA) | 47 | 65 | .420 | 46½ | 36‍–‍27 | 11‍–‍38 |
| Philadelphia Keystones | 21 | 46 | .313 | 50 | 14‍–‍21 | 7‍–‍25 |
| Kansas City Cowboys | 16 | 63 | .203 | 61 | 11‍–‍23 | 5‍–‍40 |

#### Union Association eight-team standings

Union Association :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| St. Louis Maroons | 94 | 19 | .832 | — | 49–6 | 45–13 |
| Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | 69 | 36 | .657 | 21 | 35–17 | 34–19 |
| Baltimore Monumentals | 58 | 47 | .552 | 32 | 29–21 | 29–26 |
| Boston Reds | 58 | 51 | .532 | 34 | 34–22 | 24–29 |
| Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies / St. Paul Saints | 43 | 56 | .434 | 43 | 21–19 | 22–37 |
| Washington Nationals (UA) | 47 | 65 | .420 | 46½ | 36–27 | 11–38 |
| Philadelphia Keystones / Wilmington Quicksteps / Milwaukee Brewers | 31 | 66 | .320 | 55 | 23–31 | 8–35 |
| Altoona Mountain Citys / Kansas City Cowboys | 22 | 82 | .212 | 67½ | 17–35 | 5–47 |

## Postseason
### Bracket

| World's Championship Series | World's Championship Series | World's Championship Series | World's Championship Series | World's Championship Series |
| AA | New York Metropolitans | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| NL | Providence Grays | 6 | 3$^7$ | 12$^6$ |

## Managerial changes
### Off-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Cincinnati Red Stockings | Pop Snyder | Will White |
| Cleveland Blues | Frank Bancroft | Charlie Hackett |
| Columbus Buckeyes | Horace Phillips | Gus Schmelz |
| Louisville Eclipse | Joe Gerhardt | Mike Walsh |
| New York Gothams | John Clapp | John Ward |
| Philadelphia Quakers | Blondie Purcell | Harry Wright |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Joe Battin | Denny McKnight |
| Providence Grays | Harry Wright | Frank Bancroft |
| St. Louis Browns | Charles Comiskey | Jimmy Williams |

### In-season

| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
| Altoona Mountain Citys | Ed Curtis | Team folded mid-way through the season |
| Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies | Ed Hengel | Joe Battin |
| Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies | Joe Battin | Joe Ellick |
| Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies | Joe Ellick | Team folded mid-way through the season |
| Cincinnati Outlaw Reds | Dan O'Leary | Sam Crane |
| Cincinnati Red Stockings | Will White | Pop Snyder |
| Indianapolis Hoosiers | Jim Gifford | Bill Watkins |
| Kansas City Cowboys | Team enfranchised mid-season | Harry Wheeler |
| Kansas City Cowboys | Harry Wheeler | Matthew Porter |
| Kansas City Cowboys | Matthew Porter | Ted Sullivan |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Team transferred from minor league Northwestern League mid-way through the season | Tom Loftus |
| New York Gothams | John Ward | Jim Price |
| Philadelphia Keystones | Fergy Malone | Team folded mid-way through the season |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Denny McKnight | Bob Ferguson |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Bob Ferguson | Joe Battin |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | Joe Battin | George Creamer |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | George Creamer | Horace Phillips |
| St. Louis Browns | Jimmy Williams | Charles Comiskey |
| St. Louis Maroons | Ted Sullivan | Fred Dunlap |
| St. Paul Saints | Team transferred from minor league Northwestern League mid-way through the season | Andrew Thompson |
| Washington Nationals (AA) | Holly Hollingshead | John Bickerton |
| Wilmington Quicksteps | Team transferred from minor league Eastern League mid-way through the season | Joe Simmons |
| Wilmington Quicksteps | Joe Simmons | Team folded mid-way through the season |

## League leaders

Any team shown in small text indicates a previous team a player was on during the season. Any team shown in italics indicates a team a player was on from a different league. Any stat from said different league is not calculated to determine the league leader.

### American Association

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Dave Orr (NYM) | .354 |
| OPS | John Reilly (CRS) | .918 |
| HR | John Reilly (CRS) | 11 |
| RBI | Dave Orr (NYM) | 112 |
| R | Harry Stovey (PHA) | 124 |
| H | Dave Orr (NYM) | 162 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Guy Hecker$^1$ (LOU) | 52 |
| L | Larry McKeon (IND) | 41 |
| ERA | Guy Hecker$^1$ (LOU) | 1.80 |
| K | Guy Hecker$^1$ (LOU) | 385 |
| IP | Guy Hecker (LOU) | 670.2 |
| SV | Thomas Burns (BLO/WIL) Frank Mountain (COL) Hank O'Day (TOL) | 1 |
| WHIP | Guy Hecker (LOU) | 0.868 |
$^1$ American Association Triple Crown pitching winner

### National League

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | King Kelly (CHI) | .354 |
| OPS | Dan Brouthers (BUF) | .941 |
| HR | Ed Williamson (CHI) | 27 |
| RBI | Cap Anson (CHI) | 102 |
| R | King Kelly (CHI) | 120 |
| H | Jim O'Rourke (BUF) Ezra Sutton (BSB) | 162 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Charles Radbourn$^{23}$ (PRO) | 60 |
| L | John Harkins (CLE) | 32 |
| ERA | Charles Radbourn$^2$ (PRO) | 1.38 |
| K | Charles Radbourn$^2$ (PRO) | 441 |
| IP | Charles Radbourn (PRO) | 678.2 |
| SV | John Morrill (BSB) | 2 |
| WHIP | Charlie Sweeney (SLM/PRO) | 0.824 |
$^2$ National League Triple Crown pitching winner $^3$ All-time single-season wins record

### Union Association

Hitting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | .412 |
| OPS | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | 1.069 |
| HR | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | 13 |
| RBI | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| R | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | 160 |
| H | Fred Dunlap (SLM) | 185 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Bill Sweeney (BLM) | 40 |
| L | Jersey Bakley (KC/WIL/PHK) | 30 |
| ERA | Jim McCormick (COR/CLE) | 1.54 |
| K | Hugh Daily (WSU/CHB-PIS) | 483 |
| IP | Bill Sweeney (BLM) | 538.0 |
| SV | Billy Taylor (SLM) | 4 |
| WHIP | Jim McCormick (COR/CLE) | 0.786 |