Shown: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER: Chicago's (light blue) collapse becomes complete: Providence (gray) wins Charged Run over Boston (dark blue).

The eight team look returned to the National League when Buffalo (light green) and Syracuse, the teams that brought the 1878 International Association pennant race down to the final day, both signed up. The IA, a rival league that looked stronger than the NL in 1877, destroyed it's own reputation in July of 1878 when its judiciary committee voted to let Bill Craver play for the Troy club. Craver had been one of the four Louisville players expelled for selling games in 1877. Within days of that ruling the NL had pick-of-the-litter of any IA franchise.

A new Troy club, created by Troy proponents who opposed the activation of Craver, was also admitted to the NL in the place of Indianapolis. Indy had thrown in the towel after a money losing season in which owner Bill Perritt blamed ace pitcher Edward "The Only" Nolan for throwing games. Nolan walked off the team August 9th and found himself as expelled as the Louisville four, although this penalty would be rescinded in 1879. Another new team was Cleveland, a "non-championship" member if the IA, admitted in place of the Milwaukee franchise which was so rocked by financial woes in 1878 that the unpaid players actually gave major league baseball it's first player strike, September 5th.

Insofar as the pennant race is concerned, 1879 was supposed to be Chicago's year. A new team captain in the body of big, bull-headed first-baseman Adrian Anson led the team to 18-2 and 35-12 standings. First place was theirs by a comfortable margin from season's start to August 11. Their 18-2 start has been matched in the National League only by the 1887 Detroits, the 1918 New York Giants, and the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. The team was completely remade and, like the 1975 Yankees, had bought the best players from several other teams. Like the 1975 Yankees, they'd have to wait one more year and pick up a few more stars.

They signed 1878 NL bat champ Abner Dalrymple and ex-captain shortstop John Peters from disbanded Milwaukee; stocky Ned Williamson, catcher Silver Flint, second baseman Joe Quest, and eccentric rightfielder Orator Shaffer from disbanded Indianapolis; outfielder George Gore came from Frank Bancroft's independent New Bedford team; and Frank Hankinson, a skinny utility man with gritty Brooklyn semi-pro experience. Anson, pitcher Terry Larkin, and old Brooklynite Jack Remsen were the only 1878 hold-overs.

The first signs of trouble came in early July when Larkin complained of a sore arm. Hankinson filled the pitchers position admirably going 7-2 in nine starts. After Larkin came back, the season shockwave came August 5th when Anson benched himself due to a pain in his side which he had been playing through for about one month. Anson's "liver condition" came at the tail end of a one-month long homestand. Ned Williamson was made interim captain but was replaced by Silver Flint on August 12; the day they lost their lead.

Chicago was crashing through a 2-8 slide, the final loss of which is visible on the graph on August 19 and shows Chicago one and one-half games behind. The slide began August 5th when Chick Fulmer of hard-charging Buffalo drilled a tenth inning game-winning rbi-triple and ended only after team owner William Hulbert gave an emotional pre-game speech, August 20: Hankinson replacing Larkin as the team's primary pitcher that day. Hankinson was good for another spurt of wins which kept them one and a-half back of Providence for the next two weeks. On September 3, Chicago began their eastern road trip with three games in Providence and were slaughtered 1-8, 3-10, and 5-11 which effectively ended their season. These are clearly visible on the graph above. The third loss, on Saturday, September 6th, is the one that dipped Chicago one game below Boston for third place.

Providence was led by George Wright, the greatest shortstop in baseball. In 1878, George played his 11th season under the leadership of Harry Wright, his older brother. For 1879 George took an offer to finally manage on his own and left Boston. George built his dream team around experience and five former team captains played under him including ex-Chicago 36-year old first-baseman Joe Start. These veterans played behind the under-age battery of phenomenal pitcher John Ward and Lew Brown. Ward, the 18 year old ace Providence "stole" from Binghamton in 1878 was so unhittable in his rookie year that for 1879 the NL changed the rules to disallow his delivery (his back turned to the batter before delivery). Ward snuck in a high-arm delivery and posted his league-leading 24th win July 12, an amount of work that nearly destroyed his frail 140 pound, five-foot nine-inch body. Over the next few days Ward lost big against weak opponents and Providence, at the start of a six week road trip, looked to collapse just as Chicago in 1878 and Louisville in 1877.

Instead, Wright purchased pitcher Bobby Mathews from total obscurity. A 153-game winner over nine seasons, Mathews had been ineffective since 1874 and suffered through a 3-12 season with Cincinnati in 1877 and an 8-15 half-year with Worcester in 1878. Mathews was four inches shorter than Ward, drank inexcusably, cavorted with gamblers, and had a playing weight that sometimes dipped below 120 pounds. Wright signed Mathews for one reason alone: on August 15, 1878, Mathews, pitching for Worcester, shut-out Wright's high-flying Bostons 1-0 with a two hitter. It was said Mathews put everything he had into that game in an effort to impress Harry Wright. As it turned out, he impressed George.

What Wright didn't know ws that Mathews had spent all of 1879 practicing with the curve-ball. Now Mathews had a major-league version of his old "spinner". He won eight of ten and Ward came back strong August 11th while Chicago was losing. But Wright did something new. Rather than go with one pitcher as had been nineteenth century custom, Wright alternated the two pitchers. At first Mathews did a week, and then Ward did a week. However, beginning September 9th, Wright used his two pitchers as follows: MWMMMMWMWMW. It's quaint, but it was the first use of the pitching rotation in National League history.

Prior to this event rotations had been used by Bob Ferguson of Springfield (Larry Corcoran and Fred Goldsmith) and Ted Sullivan of Dubuque (Laurie Reis and Charles Radbourne). In 1880, Chicago actually purchased the Springfield pitchers Corcoran and Goldsmith and you'll often read about how Anson "invented" the pitching rotation. In fact it was pushed upon him by management and throughout early 1880 he claimed he was giving the two pitchers an extended "tryout".

Providence finished the year 32-7 blowing past Chicago August 19th and outpacing a valiant late season effort by Boston. However, on September 13th, Boston's ace Tommy Bond blew out his arm and Providence built a three game lead with nine to play. The last six games matched up Providence and Boston, the two brothers ending the season as contenders. Here Harry Wright pulled the surprise starter of the century by borrowing windmill underhander Jimmy Tyng from the Beacon, Massachusetts, team for the first game of that series. Tyng five-hit the Grays and won 7-3. Tyng then lost the next two with Providence clinching in his second loss, September 26. Paul Hines slammed an rbi-single in the bottom of the ninth inning, a hit often incorrectly remembered as a pennant winning double.

Satisfied with his championship in his first year of management, George Wright quit baseball, opened a sporting goods store in Boston, and played cricket on Saturdays well into the 1920's.