19th-century National League teams explained

The following is a list of United States Major League Baseball teams that played in the National League during the 19th century. None of these teams, other than Athletic and Mutual, had actual names during this period; sportswriters however often applied creative monickers which are still, mistakenly, used today as "team names" following a convention established in 1951.

Surviving teams

Major league

• Boston: "Red Stockings, "Red Caps," "Beaneaters" 1876–1900 – now Atlanta Braves
• Brooklyn: "Grays," "Bridegrooms," "Grooms," "Superbas," "Robins," "Trolley Dodgers" 1890–1900 – transferred from the American Association; now Los Angeles Dodgers
• Chicago "White Stockings": 1876–1900 – now known as the Cubs
• Cincinnati: "Red Stockings" or "Reds" 1890–1900 – transferred from the American Association
• New York: occasionally "Gothams," more often "Giants" 1883–1900 – later the New York Giants and now San Francisco Giants
• Philadelphia 1883–1900 – very occasionally tagged "Quakers" 1883–1890, most often "Philadelphias" in the style of the day, shortened to "Phillies."
• Pittsburgh: 1887–1900 founded as Allegheny (a Pittsburgh suburb) and referred to in typical manner as "Alleghenys" 1883-1890, dubbed "Pirates" from 1891 – transferred from the American Association
• St. Louis "Brown Stockings or "Browns," later "Red Stockings" or "Reds" 1892–1900 – transferred from the American Association; now known as the Cardinals.

Minor league

• Buffalo Bisons 1879–1885 – moved to the minors in 1886 and played in Buffalo until 1970 before several moves. Suspended operations in 1973. A current minor league team bearing the "Buffalo Bisons" name, dating to 1979, claims this team as part of their official history.

Defunct teams

• Baltimore Orioles 1892-1899 - transferred from the American Association
• Cincinnati Red Stockings 1876–1879
• Cleveland Blues 1879–1884
• Cincinnati Stars 1880
• Cleveland Spiders 1889–1899 – transferred from the American Association; the 1899 Cleveland Spiders hold the record for the worst winning percentage in the history of Major League Baseball
• Detroit Wolverines 1881–1888
• Hartford Dark Blues 1876–1877 – transferred from National Association; based in Brooklyn in 1877
• Indianapolis Blues 1878
• St. Louis Maroons/Black Diamonds/Indianapolis Hoosiers 1885–1889 – transferred from the Union Association in 1885; moved to Indianapolis where often called Hoosiers in 1887
• Kansas City Cowboys 1886
• Louisville Grays 1876–1877
• Louisville Colonels 1892–1899 – transferred from the American Association
• Milwaukee Grays (or Cream Citys) 1878
• Minneapolis Millers 1888
• Mutual of New York 1876 – transferred from National Association
• Athletic of Philadelphia 1876 – transferred from National Association
• Providence Grays 1878–1885
• St. Louis Brown Stockings 1876–1877 – transferred from National Association
• Syracuse Stars 1879
• Troy Trojans 1879–1882
• Washington Nationals (1886–1889)
• Washington Senators (1891–1899)
• Worcester Ruby Legs 1880–1882

Timeline

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Period = from:1855 till:1910TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyyScaleMajor = start:1860 increment:10 gridcolor:majorGridColor

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bar:MNY # Mutual of New York bar:AOP # Athletic of Philadelphia bar:CHC # Chicago White Stockings / Colts / Orphans / Cubs bar:ATL # Boston Red Stockings / Beaneaters / Doves / Rustlers / Braves / Bees / Milwaukee Braves / Atlanta Braves bar:HAR # Hartford Dark Blues / Brooklyn Hartfords bar:SLBS # St. Louis Brown Stockings / Browns bar:CINR # Cincinnati Red Stockings /Reds bar:LOU # Louisville Grays bar:IND # Indianapolis Blues bar:MILG # Milwaukee Grays bar:PRO # Providence Grays bar:BUF # Buffalo Bisons bar:CLEB # Cleveland Blues bar:SYR # Syracuse Stars bar:TRY # Troy Trojans bar:WRC # Worcester Worcesters bar:DETW # Detroit Wolverines bar:SF # New York Giants / San Francisco Giants bar:PHI # Philadelphia Phillies bar:SLM # St. Louis Maroons / Black Diamonds / Indianapolis Hoosiers bar:KCC # Kansas City Cowboys bar:WSHN # Washington Nationals bar:PIT # Pittsburgh Pirates bar:MIN # Minneapolis Millers bar:CLES # Cleveland Spiders bar:CIN # Cincinnati Reds bar:LAD # Brooklyn Dodgers / Los Angeles Dodgers bar:BALO # Baltimore Orioles (AA) bar:LOUC # Louisville Cardinals bar:STL # St. Louis Browns / Cardinals bar:WSHS # Washington Senators

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1. --- Charter NL Franchises in 1876

bar:MNY from:1857 till:1871 color:nl1 text:"(NABBP)" bar:MNY from:1871 till:1876 color:nl1 text:"(NA)" bar:MNY from:1876 till:1877 color:green text:"Mutual of New York" $Right bar:AOP from:1860 till:1871 color:nl1 text:"(NABBP)" bar:AOP from:1871 till:1876 color:nl1 text:"(NA)" bar:AOP from:1876 till:1877 color:blue text:"Athletic of Philadelphia" $Right bar:ATL from:1871 till:1876 color:nl1 text:"(NA)" bar:ATL from:1876 till:end color:red text:"Boston (Braves)" textcolor:white bar:CHC from:1870 till:1871 color:nl1 text:"(NABBP)" $Left bar:CHC from:1871 till:1872 color:nl1 bar:CHC from:1874 till:1876 color:nl1 text:"(NA)" bar:CHC from:1876 till:end color:darkblue text:"Chicago (Cubs)" textcolor:white bar:CINR from:1876 till:1881 color:red text:"Cincinnati" $Right bar:HAR from:1874 till:1876 color:nl1 text:"(NA)" bar:HAR from:1876 till:1877 color:darkblue text:"Hartford" $UpRight bar:HAR from:1877 till:1878 color:skyblue text:"Brooklyn" $DownRight bar:LOU from:1876 till:1878 color:gray text:"Louisville" $Right bar:SLBS from:1875 till:1876 color:nl1 text:"(NA)" $Left bar:SLBS from:1876 till:1878 color:brown text:"St. Louis" textcolor:white $Right

1. --- 1878

bar:IND from:1878 till:1879 color:blue text:"Indianapolis" $Right bar:MILG from:1878 till:1879 color:gray text:"Milwaukee" $Right bar:PRO from:1878 till:1885 color:skyblue text:"Providence"

1. --- 1879

bar:BUF from:1879 till:1886 color:gray2 text:"Buffalo" bar:CLEB from:1879 till:1885 color:navy text:"Cleveland" textcolor:white bar:SYR from:1879 till:1880 color:yellow text:"Star of Syracuse" $Right bar:TRY from:1879 till:1883 color:green text:"Troy" textcolor:yellow

1. --- 1880

bar:WRC from:1880 till:1883 color:brown text:"Worcester" $Right

1. --- 1881

bar:DETW from:1881 till:1889 color:vegasgold text:"Detroit"

1. --- 1883

bar:SF from:1883 till:end color:orange text:"New York (Giants)" bar:PHI from:1883 till:end color:red2 text:"Philadelphia (Phillies)" textcolor:white

1. --- 1884

bar:SLM from:1884 till:1885 color:nl1 text:"(UA)" $Left bar:SLM from:1885 till:1886 color:darkred text:"St. Louis" textcolor:white $UpRight bar:SLM from:1886 till:1887 color:black text: bar:SLM from:1887 till:1890 color:darkblue text:"Indianapolis" $Right

1. --- 1886

bar:KCC from:1886 till:1887 color:oceanblue text:"Kansas City" $Right bar:WSHN from:1886 till:1890 color:darkblue text:"Washington" textcolor:white

1. --- 1887

bar:PIT from:1882 till:1887 color:nl1 text:"(AA)" bar:PIT from:1887 till:end color:yelloworange text:"Pittsburgh (Pirates)"

1. --- 1888

bar:MIN from:1888 till:1889 color:orange text:"Minneapolis"

1. --- 1889

bar:CLES from:1887 till:1889 color:nl1 text:"(AA)" bar:CLES from:1889 till:1900 color:black text:"Cleveland" textcolor:white

1. --- 1890

bar:CIN from:1882 till:1890 color:nl1 text:"(AA)" bar:CIN from:1890 till:end color:red text:"Cincinnati (Reds)" textcolor:white bar:LAD from:1884 till:1885 color:nl1 bar:LAD from:1885 till:1888 color:nl1 text:"(AA)" bar:LAD from:1888 till:1890 color:nl1 bar:LAD from:1890 till:end color:darkblue text:"Brooklyn (Dodgers)" textcolor:white

1. --- AA Merger

bar:BALO from:1882 till:1892 color:nl1 text:"(AA)" bar:BALO from:1892 till:1900 color:yellow text:"Baltimore" bar:LOUC from:1882 till:1892 color:nl1 text:"(AA)" bar:LOUC from:1892 till:1900 color:gray text:"Louisville" textcolor:white bar:STL from:1882 till:1892 color:nl1 text:"(AA)" bar:STL from:1892 till:end color:red2 text:"St. Louis (Cardinals)" textcolor:white bar:WSHS from:1891 till:1892 color:nl1 text:"(AA)" $Left bar:WSHS from:1892 till:1900 color:darkblue text:"Washington" textcolor:white

Franchises by Year

• 1876
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Cincinnati
  • Hartford
  • Louisville
  • Mutual
  • Athletic
  • St. Louis
• Between 1876 and 1877 seasons
  • Drop: Mutual and Athletic
• 1877
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Cincinnati
  • Hartford (played most games in Brooklyn)
  • Louisville
  • St. Louis
• Between 1877 and 1878 seasons
  • Drop: Hartford, Louisville and St. Louis
  • Add: Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Providence
• 1878
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Cincinnati
  • Indianapolis
  • Milwaukee
  • Providence
• Between 1878 and 1879 seasons
  • Drop: Indianapolis and Milwaukee
  • Add: Buffalo, Cleveland, Syracuse and Troy
• 1879
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Cincinnati
  • Providence
  • Buffalo
  • Cleveland
  • Syracuse
  • Troy
• Between 1879 and 1880 seasons
  • Drop: Syracuse
  • Add: Worcester
• 1880
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Cincinnati
  • Providence
  • Buffalo
  • Cleveland
  • Troy
  • Worcester
• Between 1880 and 1881 seasons
  • Drop: Cincinnati
  • Add: Detroit
• 1881
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Providence
  • Buffalo
  • Cleveland
  • Troy
  • Worcester
  • Detroit
• Between 1881 and 1882 seasons
  • Drop:none
  • Add: none
• 1882
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Providence
  • Buffalo
  • Cleveland
  • Troy
  • Worcester
  • Detroit
• Between 1882 and 1883 seasons
  • Drop: Troy and Worcester
  • Add: New York and Philadelphia
• 1883
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Providence
  • Buffalo
  • Cleveland
  • Detroit
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
• Between 1883 and 1884 seasons
  • Drop: none
  • Add: none
• 1884
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Providence
  • Buffalo
  • Cleveland
  • Detroit
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
• Between 1884 and 1885 seasons
  • Drop: Cleveland
  • Add: St. Louis from the Union Association
• 1885
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Providence
  • Buffalo
  • Detroit
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • St. Louis
• Between 1885 and 1886 seasons
  • Drop: Buffalo and Providence
  • Add: Kansas City and Washington
• 1886
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Detroit
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • St. Louis
  • Kansas City
  • Washington
• Between 1886 and 1887 seasons
  • Drop: Kansas City
  • Add: Pittsburgh (from the American Association)
  • Move: St. Louis to Indianapolis
• 1887
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Detroit
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Washington
  • Indianapolis
  • Pittsburgh
• Between 1887 and 1888 seasons
  • Drop: none
  • Add: Minneapolis
• 1888
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • Detroit
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Washington
  • Indianapolis
  • Pittsburgh
  • Minneapolis
• Between 1888 and 1889 seasons
  • Drop: Detroit
  • Add: Cleveland from the American Association
• 1889
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Washington
  • Indianapolis
  • Pittsburgh
  • Cleveland
• Between 1889 and 1890 seasons
  • Drop: Indianapolis and Washington
  • Add: Brooklyn and Cincinnati (both from the American Association)
• 1890
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Pittsburgh
  • Cleveland
  • Brooklyn
  • Cincinnati
• Between 1890 and 1891 seasons
  • Drop: none
  • Add: none
• 1891
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Pittsburgh
  • Cleveland
  • Brooklyn
  • Cincinnati
• Between 1891 and 1892 seasons
  • Drop: none
  • Add: Baltimore, Louisville, St. Louis and Washington (all from the American Association)
• 1892–1899
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Pittsburgh
  • Cleveland
  • Brooklyn
  • Cincinnati
  • Baltimore
  • Louisville
  • St. Louis
  • Washington

This lineup of teams remained the same from 1892 to the end of the 1899 season. After the 1899 season Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville and Washington were dropped from the National League.

• 1900
  • Boston
  • Chicago
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Pittsburgh
  • Brooklyn
  • Cincinnati
  • St. Louis

This lineup remained the same until Boston relocated to Milwaukee in 1953.

See also

• List of National League pennant winners
• History of baseball team nicknames

References

• Book: Thorn , John . Palmer, Pete. 1999. Total Baseball. 6th. Total Sports. 978-1-892129-03-1. etal.