Cincinnati Red Stockings Coverage in the Elyria Independent Democrat Newspaper – 1870

To end this week, here’s something of interest to you baseball fans courtesy of regular blog contributor Rick Kurish – although it’s really more for devotees of the Cincinnati Reds than our Cleveland Indians.

Rick enjoys researching, and contacted me a few weeks ago with some baseball lore that he dug up – namely some very early baseball coverage as reported by one of our local newspapers.

He wrote, "Since the opening day of the 2017 baseball season is rapidly approaching I thought I would share one of the earliest reportings of a baseball game that I have come across in the local newspapers. The attached article is taken from the Elyria Independent Democrat of June 29, 1870, and relates the local fervor over the result of a game played between the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Philadelphia Athletics on June 22nd.

"As most baseball fans are aware, the Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first professional baseball team, going professional for the 1869 season. As a result, they went undefeated that year, finishing with a perfect 65-0 record.

"The next year they continued their dominance, stretching their consecutive win streak to 84 games. Finally on June 14, 1870 they were defeated by the Brooklyn Atlantics by the score of 8 to 7 in 11 innings at Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn. The following week they were scheduled to play the Philadelphia Athletics, another baseball powerhouse, in Philadelphia.

"Since Philadelphia had recently defeated the Brooklyn Atlantics by the lopsided score of 19 to 3, they harbored the idea that perhaps they were the better team. The game played on June 22nd between Cincinnati and Philadelphia for baseball supremacy proved to be a slugfest that ended in a Cincinnati victory by the score of 27 to 25.

"The attached article details the importance of the game to excited local fans and affirmed Cincinnati's claim to be the best team in baseball.

"I have also attached a photo of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings baseball team. The photo is from a web site devoted to the team and is in the public domain."

In closing, Rick expressed his hope for a good season for our favorite local team. "Lets hope the Cleveland Indians can run off several winning streaks this year,” he noted. "I would even settle for something less than 84 straight wins. Go Tribe!!!!”

Amen to that. Thanks for sharing, Rick!