Now Here's a Reds Team That Was Not a Contender

[redsmetz]

Curious about what the worst losing streak the Reds ever had to end a season (we closed losing six games last year), I came across the woeful 1876 Cincinnati Reds from the inaugural NL season. Technically this club is considered a precursor to the present franchise, being ejected from the league following the 1880 season because they sold beer and played on Sundays. Our current Reds trace their history from the American Association club in 1881, winning that year's championship.

But this 1876 team; oh my goodness, they were not a winning club. They finished last with a 9-56 record (no that's not a typo). They started the season 3-2 and proceeded to only win six more games, only winning back to back once in July. Here's the Baseball-Reference link for the team.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1876.shtml

I've attached an account from the July 11, 1876 Enquirer reporting on a game played the preceding day against a New Haven team which wasn't in the league. The article suggested that the "New Havens" would be in the league, but that did not happen. The team had just beat the Athletics two games in a row, their 5th & 6th victory and they'd only win three more times for the remainder of the season. The account is typical of how stories back then were told. It really makes Redszone sound like sunshine and lollipops. I think folks will enjoy.

For those of you who have Cincinnati library cards, the Enquirer archives from 1841 to 1922 are available to read the research link, then choose Genealogy. I've filled in a number of genealogy questions from there (even find a sister my grandmother had who died before my Grandma was born). But it's been fun to read some of the Reds stories.

Enjoy. I know this year's club will be much better than this.

[redsmetz]

A story in the Enquirer later in the season, August 25, 1876, said this:

The rain which visited this section of the country yesterday afternoon prevented the Cincinnati Reds and the Louisvilles from playing their eighth championship game. By the grace of the weather clerk, this game will come off this afternoon at three o'clock. A rumor was current last evening that the Reds had made up their minds to go in and beat those Louisville fellows to-day, but we were unable to trace the rumor to a reliable source.

And they did win in Louisville that day, their first since the back to back wins in Philly, ending an 18 game losing streak (not counting the non-league loss against New Haven). They'd win two more games, nearly back to back in mid-September, splitting a win against New York with one against the Athletics.

I assume that any league game was considered a "championship game" with the season's championship being determined from the season's play.

[redsmetz]

And here is the final news story about the last game, an 11-0 shellacking by the Hartford Dark Blues, dated October 10, 1876.

It begins, perhaps in a lament similar to some folks' plea about this offseason:

We have been laboring pretty zealously all fall and part of the summer to impress the manager of the Red Stockings that he was without the aid of an effective pitcher, and that unless he secured a man for that position who could fill it with a least some sort of success, he had better nail up the gates of the Base-ballPark, pay off his club, and let the boys go home to their families, or get positions in clubs where they would not have to play against the opposing club and their own pitcher both.

[RedsManRick]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/2003.shtml

That team's best SP would not crack the 2014 rotation.

[redsmetz]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/2003.shtml

That team's best SP would not crack the 2014 rotation.

Just curious, did you mean to link to the 2003 team?

[RedsManRick]

Just curious, did you mean to link to the 2003 team?

Yes. Didn't mean to detract from your post -- just thinking we had teams of more recent vintage that were definitely not contenders.

[KYBatsFan]

...and only 100 short years later Cinci fielded one of the best teams of all time.

[redsmetz]

Yes. Didn't mean to detract from your post -- just thinking we had teams of more recent vintage that were definitely not contenders.

Oh, no, no problem from my end. I'm sure many of us could come up with squads that were fairly pitiful. What jumped out at me about that 2003 club was the sheer number of pitchers who got starts that season. The main four accounted for 92 of them, but the remaining 70 games were spread among about 13 other pitchers. Whew!

[TOBTTReds]

Curious about what the worst losing streak the Reds ever had to end a season (we closed losing six games last year), I came across the woeful 1876 Cincinnati Reds from the inaugural NL season. Technically this club is considered a precursor to the present franchise, being ejected from the league following the 1880 season because they sold beer and played on Sundays. Our current Reds trace their history from the American Association club in 1881, winning that year's championship.

But this 1876 team; oh my goodness, they were not a winning club. They finished last with a 9-56 record (no that's not a typo). They started the season 3-2 and proceeded to only win six more games, only winning back to back once in July. Here's the Baseball-Reference link for the team.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1876.shtml

I've attached an account from the July 11, 1876 Enquirer reporting on a game played the preceding day against a New Haven team which wasn't in the league. The article suggested that the "New Havens" would be in the league, but that did not happen. The team had just beat the Athletics two games in a row, their 5th & 6th victory and they'd only win three more times for the remainder of the season. The account is typical of how stories back then were told. It really makes Redszone sound like sunshine and lollipops. I think folks will enjoy.

For those of you who have Cincinnati library cards, the Enquirer archives from 1841 to 1922 are available to read the research link, then choose Genealogy. I've filled in a number of genealogy questions from there (even find a sister my grandmother had who died before my Grandma was born). But it's been fun to read some of the Reds stories.

Enjoy. I know this year's club will be much better than this.

We could have won had they just called an IF Fly Rule (didn't become a rule until 1895).

[RedlegJake]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/2003.shtml

That team's best SP would not crack the 2014 rotation.

I had almost succeeded in forgetting just how horrible those early aughts pitching staffs were!

[jojo]

A story in the Enquirer later in the season, August 25, 1876, said this:

The rain which visited this section of the country yesterday afternoon prevented the Cincinnati Reds and the Louisvilles from playing their eighth championship game. By the grace of the weather clerk, this game will come off this afternoon at three o'clock. A rumor was current last evening that the Reds had made up their minds to go in and beat those Louisville fellows to-day, but we were unable to trace the rumor to a reliable source.

And they did win in Louisville that day, their first since the back to back wins in Philly, ending an 18 game losing streak (not counting the non-league loss against New Haven). They'd win two more games, nearly back to back in mid-September, splitting a win against New York with one against the Athletics.

I assume that any league game was considered a "championship game" with the season's championship being determined from the season's play.

That's the problem with kids these days. Everyone gets to play in the championship game. What's next, all kids get to go to school and laws will be created making child labor illegal? One wonders if the prairie would've been subdued if it were up to the modern child.

[Beatlessp]

RE: the 2003 team...pretty sad three relievers had more wins than three of the starters did. didn't watch much baseball back then, had just finished college and was moving around a bit, but wow...didn't remember the '03 team being THAT bad.....

[LaFlamaBlanca]

We should've been sent to AAA for fielding a starting rotation like that.. But that lineup though.

[bob jones]

Brian Reith was a great pitcher

[757690]

Looks like the 1876 team was just BABIP unlucky. I'm projecting them to bounce back with better numbers in 1877