Shown: JULY - AUGUST: Boston (dark blue) Charged Run outpaces Chicago (light blue). By that period's "most wins" Chicago actually led for nine days following July 16th.

This pennant race was a nail-biter from mid-June to August when Boston pulled away. The contenders were the old 1876 standbys: Boston, Chicago, and rebuilt Cincinnati. Rainouts in May gave Boston fewer games played than other teams, hence, while Boston appears to lead credibly by "games ahead" with Game Dots, in fact they were in second place by "most wins" for seven days in the above graph: July 16 to July 22.

Surprise team Cincinnati opened the year 10-2 and held first place until July 11. Bolstered by off-season acquisitions that included captain Cal McVey, the stalwart 1869 Cincy veteran; second baseman Joe Gerhardt from Louisville; and the White brother battery from Boston: little used pitcher Will and catcher James the "Deacon", who had nearly won the 1877 triple crown. Billy Geer, from the Syracuse International team, played shortstop. But Mike Kelly, from the Hornellsville Internationals, gave the team its winning edge. Kelly, although still afraid of the fastball, combined enough power, baserunning dare, and verbal aplomb to make a national reputation for himself. Chicago's Cap Anson protested games based on Kelly's "out-of-baseline" Willie Mays-like turns.

In the first key series against Boston, Cincy won the first two games of three in Cincinnati starting July 16. For Will White, who had been Boston's exhibition game pitcher of 1877, it was a coming of age moment. On Saturday, July 20, the teams squared off for the third game with Cincinnati in second place, one win ahead. Boston won 1-0 when White self-destructed. The only run scored on his own fourth inning error after ex-Red Jack Manning drilled a double. Boston and Cincinnati moved their games to the Hub, Monday, for a new four game series with the teams tied at 21 victories apiece. Cincinnati's run would end here.

In the Monday game that broke the Cincy-Boston tie, the winning run scored when McVey himself pulled the Statue of Liberty play: arguing an O'Rourke single was foul while George Wright scored with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Cincy lost 7-8. Tuesday, Boston blasted seven first inning runs en route to a rout. Thursday came the win that put Boston three victories ahead. This was a 9-9 game after nine innings thanks to a barehanded over-the-shoulder catch by left-fielder Lew Dickerson with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and a 5-4-2 triple play pulled by Boston in the top of the eighth. In the eleventh inning, Cincinnati catcher Mike Kelly's hands were getting sore and Jack Burdock went from first to third on two passed balls before scoring on a fly ball. This game effectively put Cincy 5.5 games back with twenty-two to play, a deficit overcome only by Boston in 1873 (the other Phillie collapse), New York in 1951 (the Brooklyn collapse), St. Louis in 1964 (the Phillie collapse), and Seattle in 1995 (the Angel collapse).

Breaking free of Cincinnati meant only a Boston-Chicago dogfight remained.

Chicago, supremely confident of pennant victory, was the de-facto Hartford team of 1878. Captain Bob Ferguson had signed five of Hartford's regulars during 1877 to "personal contracts" with him - not with any team. Ferguson had planned to use these contracts to leverage himself into a part-owner position in a proposed new New York team. But William B. Ogden, a Chicago resident and owner of Brooklyn's Union Grounds, died during negotiations and executors of his estate quickly sold the property on behalf of his heirs. A Chicago connection put Ferguson in touch with Spalding. Ferguson's regulars included veteran first baseman Joe Start and pitcher Terry Larkin. Jack Remsen in centerfield had been with Hartford in '75 and '76 and thirdbaseman Frank Hankinson was signed from the roster of the Brooklyn semi-pro "Alaskas". Mid-western flavor was supplied by left-fielder Adrian Anson and rookie second baseman Bill McClellan who was well known as the star switch-hitting shortstop of the St. Paul "Red Caps". For most fans, the omission of Al Spalding from the regular lineup was topic of discussion the entire year.

Chicago was still under .500 seven weeks into the season but put on an offensive spurt led by Joe Start who put together a twenty-seven game hitting streak. On the Fourth of July, Chicago, Boston, and Cincinnati were all tied with sixteen wins. Undisputed first place came to Chicago, July 16, even though sloppiness ruled this streak. They made eight errors in the 6th inning of a 10-15 loss hosting Indianapolis, July 25, and, in a key moment during a six run, eighth inning rally four days later, Remsen scored from second base on a dropped third strike before three straight Chicago batters smacked two-out, rbi hits to win 12-9. Chicago gained a tie for first place with Boston, July 30, and maintained that tie with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning the next day to squeak past Indianapolis, 10-9. Catcher and leadoff batter Bill Harbidge pulled an rbi-single down the rightfield line with two outs to win. At the same time, late inning, game-winning rbi's by Boston's cleanup batter Jack Manning helped the Hub sweep Milwaukee while Chicago had seven off days.

When Chicago arrived in Boston early August for a three game series, Boston was considered in first place by two wins. However, Boston still had not made up their early season rainouts so standings reflected what would be considered a modern three and one-half game lead: Boston 28-10, Chicago 26-15. Chicago was a steamrolling juggernaut which had just scored ninety-one runs in the last nine games, but Boston administered a sweep that proved to be the knockout blow of the year. Three heart-stopping wins, superb performances by Boston ace Tommy Bond, ended 2-1, 3-0 (five innings rain), and 2-1. Chicago collapsed into the second division and finished a .500 team.

Boston won in the ninth inning of the first game. Tied 1-1, first baseman Joe Start fumbled an Andy Leonard roller and Leonard zipped to thirdbase on a passed ball. With two outs, the game ended when Manning rolled a slow one to second base which McClellan botched comically. Burdock's two-rbi line single to left in the first inning of game two was all the support Bond needed in spinning a shutout in the second game. And, tied 1-1 in the eleventh inning of game three, John Morrill singled and stole second base. On the play Morrill bowled over McClellan and the ball bounced through to center-field. Anson, filling in at center for a sick Remsen, bent over but the ball rolled straight through his legs and Morrill scored the sweep-winning run.

Boston swept Chicago again, in Chicago, in a three game series starting August 27th, the third and final win of which eliminated the Bruins. Chicago's barehanded catcher Bill Harbidge, hands pounded out of shape after the first Boston series, was now benched after making twenty-one errors in six games, Anson tried catching without success before Ferguson put himself behind the plate in the second game of that final Boston series. Ferguson made eleven errors in one game and then signed tiny Phil Powers, a popular Brooklyn semi-pro, to close the season with. Still thinking Chicago had a chance, legendary pitcher Al Spalding, who was Chicago's team secretary, activated himself to play second base August 31 in place of McClellan who "couldn't stop a barrel". It was for naught. Chicago was eliminated. The highlight of this final sweep came in the bottom of the tenth inning of game two. Chicago had scored three runs in the top of the tenth and seemed poised to win when, with one out, Leonard tapped to thirdbase for a game ending double-play. However, thirdbaseman Frank Hankinson pumped once and pumped twice but never threw the ball: Anson, now playing second base, forgot to cover. Still down by three runs in the bottom of the tenth, Bob Ferguson fit five errors into two plays before clutch hitting Ezra Sutton drilled a game winning three-run homerun.

Only three NL teams remained from the eight of 1876 and they were filled with old early 1870's National Association talent. The best new teams were members of a rival league: Jimmy Williams' International Association. In the Spring of 1878 that thirteen team Association looked bigger and better than the NL. Louisville had quit the NL in the red, April 2, despite the fact that they had saved thousands of dollars by declaring four big player contracts void in 1877. St. Louis and Hartford, the teams with which those players had signed for 1878, also quit the league: St. Louis "throwing up the sponge" two days before Christmas, 1877, and Hartford joining Williams' International Association, June 3. Boston, Chicago, and a rebuilt Cincinnati franchise were themselves joined by three independent teams that had been affiliated with the International Association as non-championship clubs.

Indianapolis, a good geographic partner for Cincinnati, had gone 53-37 against strong opponents in 1877 led by a high-arming speed-ball pitcher named Ed Nolan. Nolan referred to himself in the third person by inventing "The Only" as his moniker, often batted cleanup, and had a secret weapon "drop-curve". Team owner Bill Perritt, thinking his team would run away with the NL pennant, flooded Indianapolis that Spring with 18" x 24" photos of "The Only Nolan" and his catcher "The Champion Catcher of America". Nolan kept the team at .500 until his arm blew out in July and the losing began. Perritt, unable to process the concept of a sore arm, repeatedly accused Nolan of selling games to gamblers without proof until Nolan simply walked off the team August 8th preferring to bartend in Paterson, New Jersey. Perritt expelled Nolan within hours of the jump and had him blacklisted. Nolan finished the year 13-22 but his catcher, Silver Flint, did go on to live up to his advertised portrait.

Milwaukee, a good geographic partner for Chicago, went 18-13 in a limited number of 1877 games against strong opponents. They featured future stars like outfielders Abner Dalrymple and Dave Rowe, catcher Charlie Bennett, and pitcher Sam Weaver. To that mix they added star captain/shortstop John Peters who bolted Chicago the previous Fall when he signed with the eventually non-existent St. Louis club. Peters, as it turned out, found himself released September 1st with Milwaukee deep in last place after a fourteen game losing streak, however, the other Milwaukee players refused to play without him and he was re-instated.

Providence, a good geographic partner for Boston, was only 21-28 against selected competition but was the best eastern team unaffiliated with the International Association. Perhaps because of it's weaker reputation, Providence was nearly completely remade with players cast off by the dissolution of Hartford, St. Louis and Louisville. Only captain/second baseman Charlie Sweasy remained as a regular joined by such veterans as Dick Higham, Tom York, and Paul Hines, just to name a few. From the 1877 roster, future NL regulars Jake Evans, Henry Kessler, and Fred Corey were discarded along with old-timer Dickey Pearce. The 1878 franchise highlight was stealing Binghamton's skinny eighteen year old pitcher, John M. Ward, who went 22-13 over the season's second half, leading the team to second place and setting up their 1879 world's championship. I'd still call Mike Kelly 1878's "rookie of the year".

By the way, Harry Wright's sideline coaching was so revolutionary that on December 4th the National League passed a rule that managers would no longer be allowed on the field of play. Wright became a celebrity in the grandstand for the next fifteen years running teams with winks and nods and setting the fashion pace with muttonchops, English top coats, and a haberdashery's inventory. Managers would be allowed back on the field of play in 1891, but Wright never won another pennant.

Another interesting rule change made 1878 that last of the "third out overlap" era. That reading of the rules meant that the third out of every inning was charged to a place in the batting order. The next batter, by place in the batting order, would lead off the next inning. Consider the May 15th game, Boston 5 at Providence 24. Sweasy, the ninth batter for Providence, singled in the top of the seventh inning with one out. Dick Higham the fouled out for the second out and Tom York singled. Sweasy tried scoring from first base on York's hit but was the third out at home plate. When Providence batted again, Dick Higham led off the top of the eighth inning. SABR member Andy Singer, a careful nineteenth century baseball researcher, has a good compilation of events like these.