View source for 1880 in baseball

{{Year in baseball top | this year = 1880 |}}
{{Year nav sports topic5|1880|baseball|sports}}

==Champions==
*[[National League (baseball)|National League]]: [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|Chicago White Stockings]]
*[[National Association (1879–1880)|National Association]]:  [[Washington Nationals (minor league)|Washington Nationals]]

Inter-league playoff:  Washington (NA) def. Chicago (NL), 4 games to 3 (1 tie game)

==National League final standings==
{{1880 National League standings}}

==Statistical leaders==
{| cellpadding="1" width="450px" style="font-size: 90%; border: 1px solid gray;"
|- align="center" style="font-size: larger;"
| colspan=3 | '''[[National League (baseball)|National League]]'''
|- style="background:lightblue;"
| '''Type''' || '''Name''' || '''Stat'''
|- align="center" style="vertical-align: middle;" style="background:lightblue;"
|-
| [[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]] || [[George Gore]] [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|CHI]] || .360
|-
| [[Home run|HR]] || [[Jim O'Rourke (baseball)|Jim O'Rourke]] [[Boston Braves|BOS]]<br>[[Harry Stovey]] [[Worcester Ruby Legs|WOR]] || 6
|-
| [[Run batted in|RBI]] || [[Cap Anson]] [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|CHI]] || 74
|-
| [[Win (baseball)|Wins]] || [[Jim McCormick (pitcher)|Jim McCormick]] [[Cleveland Blues (National League)|CLE]] || 45
|-
| [[Earned run average|ERA]] || [[Tim Keefe]] [[Troy Trojans (National League)|TRO]] || 0.86
|-
| [[Strikeout]]s || [[Larry Corcoran]] [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|CHI]] || 268
|}

==Events==

===January–March===
*February 5 – The [[Worcester Ruby Legs]] are admitted to the [[National League (baseball)|National League]].
*March 31 – The [[Worcester Ruby Legs]] offer the [[Providence Grays]] $1,000 for negotiating rights with Providence player-manager [[George Wright (sportsman)|George Wright]].  The Grays refuse the offer and Wright remains the reserved property of Providence.

===April–June===
*April 21 – [[George Wright (sportsman)|George Wright]] turns down the [[Providence Grays]] final contract offer.  As a reserved player obligated to Providence, Wright has no other option but to sit out the season (although he does mysteriously appear in 1 game on May 29 for the [[Boston Braves|Boston Red Caps]]).
*April 28 – [[Lew Brown (baseball)|Lew Brown]], catcher for the [[Boston Braves|Boston Red Caps]], arrives drunk for an exhibition game and is suspended for the entire season by the Red Caps.
*May 1 – The [[Cincinnati Stars]] make their major league debut with a 4–3 loss to the [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|Chicago White Stockings]] at [[Bank Street Grounds]].
*May 1 – [[Roger Connor]] and [[Mickey Welch]] make their debuts for the [[Troy Trojans (National League)|Troy Trojans]].  Troy loses 13–1 to the [[Worcester Ruby Legs]], who win their first [[National League (baseball)|National League]] game.
*May 1 – [[Ned Hanlon (baseball)|Ned Hanlon]] makes his debut for the [[Cleveland Blues (National League)|Cleveland Blues]] in a losing effort.  Hanlon will be elected to the Hall-of-Fame in {{by|1996}}.
*May 5 – [[Charles Radbourn|Charley "Old Hoss" Radbourn]] debuts for the [[Providence Grays]].
*May 20 – [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|Chicago White Stockings]] manager [[Cap Anson]] begins alternating [[Larry Corcoran]] and [[Fred Goldsmith (baseball)|Fred Goldsmith]] to form the first pitching rotation in major league history.
*May 29 – The [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|Chicago White Stockings]] set a [[National League (baseball)|National League]] record by winning their 13th consecutive game, a record they will shatter in 4 weeks.
** George Wright is acquired by the Boston Red Stockings from the [[Providence Grays]].  
*June 10 – {{by|1879}} home run champ [[Charley Jones]] of the [[Boston Braves|Boston Red Caps]] becomes the first player to hit 2 homers in one inning in a Boston victory over the [[Buffalo Bisons (National League)|Buffalo Bisons]].
*June 12 – [[Lee Richmond]] of the [[Worcester Ruby Legs]] pitches the first perfect game in professional history in a 1–0 victory over the [[Cleveland Blues (National League)|Cleveland Blues]].
*June 17 – [[John Montgomery Ward]] of the [[Providence Grays]] pitches the 2nd perfect game in 6 days as the Grays defeat [[Pud Galvin]] and the [[Buffalo Bisons (National League)|Buffalo Bisons]] 5–0.  The [[National League (baseball)|National League]] would not see another perfect game until {{by|1964}}.

===July–September===
*July 8 – The [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|Chicago White Stockings]] win their 21st consecutive game.  This record will stand until {{by|1916}} when it is broken by the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]].  It still stands as the 2nd longest winning streak in major league history.
*July 11 – The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' publishes runs batted in for the first time.
*July 17 – [[Harry Stovey]] of the [[Worcester Ruby Legs]] hits his first big league home run.  Stovey will become the first player in history to reach 100 career home runs.
*August 6 – [[Tim Keefe]] makes his major league debut with the [[Troy Trojans (National League)|Troy Trojans]], pitching a 4-hitter in defeating the [[Cincinnati Stars]].  Keefe will end up with 342 career wins and be elected to the Hall-of-Fame in {{by|1964}}.
*August 19 – [[Larry Corcoran]] of the [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|Chicago White Stockings]] pitches a no-hitter against the [[Boston Braves|Boston Red Caps]].
*August 20 – [[Pud Galvin]] pitches a no-hitter for the [[Buffalo Bisons (National League)|Buffalo Bisons]] against the [[Worcester Ruby Legs]].  It is the 2nd day in a row that the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] has seen a no-hitter.
*August 27 – Bill Crowley of the [[Buffalo Bisons (National League)|Buffalo Bisons]] records 4 assists from the outfield for the second time this season, having done it previously on May 24.  Crowley remains the only outfielder to ever have 4 assists in one game on two separate occasions.
*September 1 – [[Charley Jones]] of the [[Boston Braves|Boston Red Caps]] refuses to play after the club fails to pay him $378 in back pay.  The team responds by suspending, fining and black-listing him.  Jones will never again play in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]], although he will appear  again beginning in {{by|1883}} in the [[American Association (1882–1891)|American Association]].
*September 2 – The first night game is played in [[Nantasket Beach]], [[Massachusetts]]. The Jordan Marsh and R. H. White department stores from [[Boston]] play to a 16–16 tie.
*September 8 – The [[Polo Grounds]] in New York City are leased by a new Metropolitan team being led by [[Jim Mutrie]].
*September 9 – [[Buck Ewing]] makes his debut for the [[Troy Trojans (National League)|Troy Trojans]].
*September 15 – [[John O'Rourke (baseball)|John O'Rourke]], older brother of [[Jim O'Rourke (baseball)|Jim O'Rourke]], becomes the first player to hit 4 doubles in one game.
*September 15 – The [[History of the Chicago Cubs#Chicago White Stockings/Chicago Colts|Chicago White Stockings]] clinch the pennant with a 5–2 win over the [[Cincinnati Stars]].
*September 29 – The [[Polo Grounds]] hosts its first baseball game as the newly formed New York Metropolitans defeat the National Association champion Washington Nationals 4–2.  Approximately 2,500 people attend the game, the largest crowd to see a game in New York City in several years.
*September 30 – The last place [[Cincinnati Stars]] win their final game 2–0 in front of 183 fans.  This will be the last game for this troubled franchise, although the city will see the current version of the [[Cincinnati Reds|Reds]] begin play in {{by|1882}}.

===October–December===
*October 4 – The [[National League (baseball)|National League]] prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages in member parks and also prohibits member parks from being rented out on Sundays.  These rulings are directly aimed at the [[Cincinnati Stars]] club who routinely did both in order to raise additional money for their continual struggling finances.
*October 6 – The [[Cincinnati Stars]] refuse to abide by the new rules set down and are immediately kicked out of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]].
*December 8 – The [[National League (baseball)|National League]] rejects the Washington Nationals bid for membership and accepts the [[Detroit Wolverines]] as its newest member.
*December 9 – The [[National League (baseball)|National League]] re-elects [[William Hulbert]] as president and adopts several new rules for {{by|1881}}.  Among the new rules are reducing called balls for a walk down to 7 and moving the pitching box back 5 feet to the new distance of 50 feet.

==Births==

===January–April===
*January 5 – [[Dutch Jordan]]
*January 13 – [[Goat Anderson]]
*January 21 – [[Emil Batch]]
*January 22 – [[Bill O'Neill (baseball)|Bill O'Neill]]
*January 23 – [[Julián Castillo]]
*January 27 – [[Sleepy Bill Burns|Bill Burns]]
*February 6 – [[Frank LaPorte]]
*February 7 – [[Dave Williams (20th century pitcher)|Dave Williams]]
*February 14 – [[Claude Berry]]
*February 16 – [[Carl Lundgren]]
*March 2 – [[Danny Hoffman]]
*March 10 – [[Judge Nagle]]
*March 22 – [[Ernie Quigley]]
*April 12 – [[Addie Joss]]
*April 18 – [[Sam Crawford]]
*April 20 – [[Charlie Smith (pitcher)|Charlie Smith]]

===May–August===
*May 7 – [[Mickey Doolan]]
*June 12 – [[Matty McIntyre]]
*June 30 – [[Davy Jones (baseball)|Davy Jones]]
*July 4 – [[George Mullin (baseball)|George Mullin]]
*July 14 – [[Ed Hug]]
*July 22 – [[George Gibson (baseball)|George Gibson]]
*July 27 – [[Jack Doscher]]
*July 27 – [[Irish McIlveen]]
*July 27 – [[Joe Tinker]]
*July 29 – [[Chief Meyers]]
*August 12 – [[Christy Mathewson]]
*August 30 – [[Charlie Armbruster]]

===September–December===
[[File:Barney Pelty.jpg|thumb|180px|[[Barney Pelty]]]]
*September 10 – [[Harry Niles]]
*September 10 – [[Barney Pelty]]
*September 12 – [[Boss Schmidt]]
*September 23 – [[Heinie Wagner]]
*September 29 – [[Harry Lumley (baseball)|Harry Lumley]]
*October 3 – [[Henry Thielman]]
*October 12 – [[Pete Hill]]
*October 21 – [[Jack Hayden (baseball)|Jack Hayden]]
*October 25 – [[Weldon Henley]]
*October 25 – [[Bill Brennan (umpire)|Bill Brennan]]
*November 20 – [[George McBride]]
*November 21 – [[Simmy Murch]]
*November 25 – [[Frank Corridon]]
*December 2 – [[Tom Doran]]
*December 17 – [[Cy Falkenberg]]
*December 23 – [[Doc Gessler]]

==Deaths==
*November 23 – [[Jack McDonald (baseball)|Jack McDonald]], 36?, right fielder who hit .258 with the {{by|1872}} [[Brooklyn Atlantics]].

==External links==
*[https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1880.shtml 1880 season at Baseball-Reference.com]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090319073312/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=1880 Charlton's Baseball Chronology at BaseballLibrary.com]
*[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/yearly/yr1880n.shtml Year by Year History at Baseball-Almanac.com]
*[http://retrosheet.org/ Retrosheet.org]

{{Year in baseball|this year=1880}}