# 1874 in baseball

The following are the baseball events of the year 1874 throughout the world.

## Champions

* National Association: Boston Base Ball Club

## National Association final standings

| National Association | W | L | GB | Pct. |
| Boston Red Stockings | 52 | 18 | – | .743 |
| New York Mutuals | 42 | 23 | 7.5 | .646 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 33 | 22 | 11.5 | .600 |
| Philadelphia White Stockings | 29 | 29 | 17.0 | .500 |
| Chicago White Stockings | 28 | 31 | 18.5 | .474 |
| Brooklyn Atlantics | 22 | 33 | 22.5 | .400 |
| Hartford Dark Blues | 16 | 37 | 27.5 | .302 |
| Baltimore Canaries | 9 | 38 | 31.5 | .191 |

## Statistical leaders

National Association :
| Type | Name | Stat |
| AVG | Levi Meyerle CHI | .394 |
| HR | Jim O'Rourke BOS | 5 |
| RBI | Cal McVey BOS | 71 |
| Wins | Al Spalding BOS | 52 |
| ERA | Dick McBride PHI | 1.64 |
| Strikeouts | Bobby Mathews NYM | 101 |

## Notable seasons

* Boston Red Stockings pitcher Al Spalding has a record of 52–16, leading the NA with 52 wins and 617.1 innings pitched. He has a 1.92 earned run average and a 111 ERA+.
* Chicago White Stockings second baseman Levi Meyerle leads the NA with a .394 batting average, a .889 OPS, and a 183 OPS+. He has 65 runs scored and 45 runs batted in.

## Events
### January–March

* January 29 – Albert Spalding arrives in England to set up a tour for the Boston and Athletic Clubs to demonstrate American baseball to the English.

### April–June

* May 5 – Tommy Bond makes his professional debut, throwing a 4-hitter and defeating Lord Baltimore.
* May 6 – Dick McBride of Athletic throws a 1-hitter in a win against crosstown rival Philadelphia.
* May 13 – The Chicago Club plays the first professional game in Chicago by a Chicago team since the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The "White Stockings" win 4–0 over Athletic before 4,000 fans.
* June 18 – Playing without suspended pitcher George Zettlein, the Chicagos are humiliated by Mutual 38-1. The Mutuals collect 33 hits, but are outdone by Chicago defensive miscues as they commit 36 errors in the game.

### July–September

* July 10 – Jimmy Wood, player-manager for several teams in the NA, has his right leg amputated above the knee due to infection. Wood would be re-hired by Chicago to replace Fergy Malone and be on the bench managing 5 weeks after the amputation.
* July 16 – The Boston and Athletic Clubs depart from Philadelphia for England for their baseball exhibition tour.
* September 9 – John Radcliff is dismissed from the Philadelphia Club after umpire William McLean testified that Radcliff had offered him $175 to fix a game.
* September 9 – Boston and Athletic return from their England trip, arriving in New York.

### October–December

* October 20 – The Boston Base Ball Club win their 3rd consecutive pennant with a 14–7 victory over Athletic of Philadelphia.

## Births

* January 14 – Jack Taylor
* January 22 – Jay Hughes
* February 1 – Harry Bemis
* February 22 – Bill Klem
* February 23 – Billy Lauder
* February 24 – Honus Wagner
* March 12 – Charles Weeghman
* March 16 – Bill Duggleby
* March 18 – Nixey Callahan
* March 24 – Roy Thomas
* April 7 – John Ganzel
* April 8 – Bert Myers
* May 8 – Eddie Boyle
* June 5 – Jack Chesbro
* June 5 – Frank Huelsman
* June 20 – Win Mercer
* June 26 – Topsy Hartsel
* July 8 – Jay Parker
* July 9 – Jack Powell
* July 13 – William G. Bramham
* July 14 – Jesse Tannehill
* September 5 – Nap Lajoie
* September 17 – Willie Sudhoff
* September 21 – Grant "Home Run" Johnson
* October 12 – Jimmy Burke
* October 15 – Emil Frisk
* October 19 – Tom McCreery
* October 31 – Harry Smith

## Deaths

* April 9 – Charlie Mills, age 29, catcher for the 1871 New York Mutuals.