1883 Major League Baseball season

The 1883 major league baseball season was contested from May 1 through September 30, 1883. It was the second season for the American Association (AA) and eighth season for the National League (NL). The Philadelphia Athletics won the AA pennant, while the Boston Beaneaters won the NL pennant. There was no postseason, although there was a canceled exhibition series between the two pennant winners.

Prior to the season, the Troy Trojans and Worcester Worcesters of the National League folded. In its place, the league enfranchised two teams: the New York Gothams and Philadelphia Quakers (today's San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies). It was decided that the six-team American Association would expand to eight teams and saw the minor league New York Metropolitans join and the enfranchisement of the Columbus Buckeyes.

Prior to the season, the Boston Red Caps and St. Louis Brown Stockings renamed as the Boston Beaneaters and St. Louis Browns, respectively.

The American Association and the National League, along with the Northwestern League, sign the Tripartite Agreement (also known as the National Agreement). This agreement binds the leagues to respect each other's valid player contracts as well as increasing the size of the reserve list from 6 to 11 players.

The 1883 schedule consisted of 98 games for all teams in the American Association and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 14 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This format was unique to the 1883 season. Previously, the National League had played an 84-game schedule, with 12 games against each team being played, while a pre-expansion six-team American Association had played an 80-game schedule, with 16 games against each team being played. The following season would see the National League play a 112-game schedule (increase of 14 to 16 games each), while the American Association would expanded again, this time to twelve teams, for a 110-game schedule (of 10 games against each of the other eleven teams).

Opening Day took place on May 1 featuring all sixteen teams. American Association would see its final day of the regular season on September 30 featuring four teams, while the National League would see its final day of the regular season on September 29, featuring all eight teams.

The 1883 season saw the following rule changes:

• Championships were to be decided on a percentage basis.^[1]
• All throws except for overhand throws are legal. The American Association further specified this rule, and considered all overhand throws a balk, which resulted in both any runner on base and batter to be awarded an extra base (balks today do not advance the batter).^[2]
• The National League abolishes the "foul bound catch" rule, which was when a fielder caught a foul ball on its first bounce. The American Association would follow this abolition in 1885.^[3]

An asterisk (*) denotes the ballpark a team played the minority of their home games at

6 tie games (1 in AA, 5 in NL), which are not factored into winning percentage or games behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.

• Lon Knight (PHA):
  • Knight hit for his first cycle, first in franchise history, first in American Association history, and the first natural cycle in major league history on July 30 against the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.^[13][14]
• John Reilly (CIN):
  • Reilly hit for his first cycle and first in franchise history, on September 12 against the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.^[13]
  • Reilly hit for his second cycle and second in franchise history only a week after his first, on September 19 against the Philadelphia Athletics.^[13]

• John Montgomery Ward (NYG):
  • Became the first pitcher to hit two home runs in one game.
• Chicago White Stockings:
  • Set a Major League record for most doubles in a single game, hitting 14 doubles in a 31–7 over the Buffalo Bisons on July 3.^[15]
  • Set a Major League record for most hits in a nine inning game, with 66 hits in a 31–7 over the Buffalo Bisons on July 3.^[16]

• Charles Radbourn (PRO):
  • Radbourn threw his first career no-hitter and the second no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Cleveland Blues 8–0 on July 25.^[17]
• Hugh Daily (CLE):
  • Daily threw his first career no-hitter and the first no-hitter in franchise history, by defeating the Philadelphia Quakers 1–0 on September 13.^[17]

• John Coleman (PHI):
  • Set a Major League record for most losses in a single season, losing 48 games.^[18]

• Rudy Kemmler (COL):
  • Set a Major League record for passed balls in a single season, allowing 114 balls to pass him.^[19]

The 1883 season saw the American Association and National League each with two new teams, all playing at new venues:

• American Association:
  • The Columbus Buckeyes played at Recreation Park (Columbus).
  • The New York Metropolitans played at the Polo Grounds.
• National League:
  • The New York Gothams played at the Polo Grounds.
  • The Philadelphia Quakers played at Recreation Park (Philadelphia).

The Polo Grounds, home of the New York Metropolitans and Gothams, featured two baseball fields, at the southeast and southwest of the grounds. The Gothams played entirely at the southeast grounds, while the Metropolitans moved alternated. The played ten games at the southeast diamond to start the season, before moving to the southwest diamond on May 30. The southwest diamond was of worse quality than the southeast diamond, so games at the southwest diamond did not last long. They played only ten games (aside from a one-off at the southeast diamond on June 13) before returning to the southeast diamond in July. They did play three more games at the southwest diamond on August 30, 31, and September 4 due to scheduling conflicts with the Gothams.^[20][21]

Following a fire and a flood of their home at Exposition Park, the Pittsburgh Alleghenys had to move into a newly built venue, a second iteration of Exposition Park, which was built immediately south.^[22] However, after only 17 games, they played their last game there on June 9 and returned to the first Exposition Park on June 12.^[23][24]

The 1883 season saw two teams relocate to new ballparks:

• The Baltimore Orioles leave Newington Park (where they played their inaugural season the previous year) and move to Oriole Park, where they would go on to play for six seasons through 1889.
• The Philadelphia Athletics leave Oakdale Park (where they played their inaugural season the previous year) and move to the Jefferson Street Grounds, where they would go on to play for eight seasons through 1890, where they would fold thereafter.

The 1883 season saw four teams play their final games at respective ballparks, before moving to new ballparks for the 1884 season:

• The Buffalo Bisons would play their final game at Riverside Park on September 8 against the Cleveland Blues, moving to Olympic Park.
• The Cincinnati Red Stockings would play their final game at Bank Street Grounds on September 29 against the New York Metropolitans, moving to American Park.
• The New York Metropolitans would play their final home game of the season at the Polo Grounds southeast diamond on September 6 against the Louisville Eclipse, moving to Metropolitan Park. However, would eventually return to the Polo Grounds by August of the following season.
• The Pittsburgh Alleghenys would play their final game at Exposition Park on September 6 against the Cincinnati Red Stockings, moving to Recreation Park.

• 1883 in baseball (Events, Births, Deaths)

• 1883 Major League Schedule at Baseball Reference