Events in Sport
- 1876-02-02 Baseball's National League forms at the Grand Central Hotel, NYC with teams in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia and St Louis
- 1876-04-22 1st official National League baseball game is played; Boston Red Caps beat Philadelphia Athletics, 6-5 at the Jefferson Street Grounds, Philadelphia
- 1876-04-22 Philadelphia native Tim McGinley of the Boston Red Caps scores baseball National League's 1st run, in Philadelphia
- 1876-05-02 Ross Barnes hit 1st home run in National League
- 1880-06-17 Providence Grays MLB pitcher John M. Ward throws a perfect game beating the Buffalo Bisons, 5-0; second perfect game in National League in 6 days; next one takes 84 years
- 1882-06-24 National League expels umpire Richard Higham from baseball for dishonesty after his links with gambling on games are confirmed
- 1883-05-01 First National League baseball game in Philadelphia since 1876, Providence Greys beat Philadelphia Quakers, 4-3
- 1903-07-02 National League MLB batting champion Ed Delahanty, disappears after being removed intoxicated from a train by force; found dead at bottom of Niagara Falls 2 weeks later
- 1909-07-30 John Heyder becomes president of baseball's National League
- 1909-12-15 Thomas J. Lynch becomes president of baseball's National League
- 1913-12-09 John K. Tener becomes president of baseball's National League
- 1918-12-10 John Heyder becomes president of baseball's National League for the 2nd time
- 1920-02-13 Baseball Hall of Famer “Rube” Foster and 7 other team owners create the first Negro National League (NNL) at a meeting in a Kansas City YMCA
Baseball Record
1922-09-24 St Louis Cardinals future Baseball Hall of Fame infielder Rogers Hornsby sets National League HR mark at 42
- 1926-07-22 Cincinnati Reds right fielder Curt Walker ties National League record of 2 triples in an inning in a 13-1 rout of the Boston Braves
- 1928-12-01 National League President John Heydler first to propose a baseball rule change calling for a 10th man, or 'designated hitter', to bat in place of the pitcher; ironically, the NL vote in favour of proposal, but the American League turn it down
- 1931-02-04 National League adopts a deader baseball
- 1934-12-11 Ford C. Frick becomes president of baseball's National League
Sports History
1938-11-01 NL batting champion Ernie Lombardi of the Cincinnati Reds is named National League MVP; first catcher to win award; Boston Red Sox 1st baseman Jimmie Foxx takes AL award
- 1943-02-09 National League of Baseball seeks a buyer for the Philadelphia Phillies as owner Gerry Nugent falls in arrears
- 1948-11-30 Baseball's Negro National League disbands
- 1950-04-20 Baltimore, Maryland's Memorial Stadium opens - Orioles of International League
- 1951-09-16 US National League umpire Frank Dascoli clears the Dodgers bench, ejecting 15 players
- 1951-09-20 MLB owners elect National League President Ford Frick as 3rd Baseball Commissioner for a 7-year term at a then massive $65,000 per annum
Sports History
1951-11-01 Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella wins first of his 3 National League MVP awards
- 1953-03-18 MLB National League approves Boston Braves move to Milwaukee (1st shift since 1903)
Contract of Interest
1956-03-14 50-year-old baseball pitching star Satchel Paige signs a contract to play for and manage the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro National League
Baseball History
1960-05-19 SF Giants rookie Juan Marichal beats Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0 on debut at Candlestick Park; first National League hurler since 1900 to debut with a one-hitter
- 1962-02-01 MLB's National League releases its first 162-game schedule due to expansion (18 games between opponents)
- 1962-11-23 LA Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills is named National League MVP
- 1963-10-12 Final event at Polo Grounds, New York City; 14,235 attend 1st (and only) "Latino All-Star Game" - National League wins 5-2 over American League; festivities include a concert by Tito Puente [1]
Baseball History
1966-10-02 Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax wins his 27th game of the season, 6-3 v Philadelphia Phillies; clinches Dodgers 3rd National League pennant in 4 years
- 1968-10-14 MLB National League expansion draft: Snaan Diego Padres pick San Francisco Giants outfielder 'Downtown' Ollie Brown & Montreal Expos pick Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Manny Mota 1st as they choose 30 players each
- 1969-10-04 MLB holds first league championship games; National League Championship Series: New York Mets beat Atlanta Braves, 9-5; Baltimore Orioles beat Minnesota Twins, 4-3 in American League Championship Series
- 1970-01-01 Charles "Chub" Feeney becomes president of baseball's National League
Sports History
1972-11-02 Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton is unanimously selected National League Cy Young Award winner; wins 27 games for Phillies, who as a team win only 59 games
- 1977-11-02 Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton wins his second Cy Young Award, outpointing Tommy John of the LA Dodgers; Carlton leads National League with 23 wins and posts 2.64 ERA
- 1979-05-16 MLB National League approves sale of Houston Astros by Ford Motors to John J McMullen for $19M
NL MVP Shared
1979-11-13 Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Willie Stargell and St Louis Cardinals first baseman Keith Hernandez share National League MVP Award
- 1980-04-26 MLB Philadelphia Phillies Steve Carlton pitches his 6th 1-hitter, in 7-0 win over St. Louis Cardinals, at Veterans Stadium; 1st National League to record 6 1-hitters
Valenzuela NL Rookie
1981-12-02 Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela becomes 3rd consecutive LA Dodgers player to be named National League Rookie of the Year; Rick Sutcliffe 1979, Steve Howe 1980
Sports History
1985-02-21 National League baseball player Tim Raines is awarded a $1.2 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator
- 1986-06-10 A. Bartlett Giamatti succeeds Chub Feeney as President of baseball's National League
- 1989-02-03 Baseball's National League announces Yanks' broadcaster Bill White will its 1st African American President
- 1990-04-21 National League umpire is arrested for stealing baseball cards
Sports History
1993-11-03 Greg Maddux becomes first pitcher since Sandy Koufax to win the National League's Cy Young Award in successive MLB seasons and the first in successive seasons with different teams; Cubs 1992, Braves 1993
- 1999-09-04 MLB's Cincinnati Reds set a National League record with 9 home runs as they rout the Philadelphia Phillies, 22-3
- 2023-10-12 Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos becomes 1st MLB player to hit multiple home runs in consecutive post-season games, with 2 solos shots in 3-1 win over Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and advance to National League Championship Series
Birthdays in Sport
- 1832-10-23 William Hulbert, American Baseball HOF executive (President Chicago White Stockings; National League 1877-82), born in Burlington Flats, New York (d. 1882)
- 1855-02-19 John Morrill, American baseball first baseman and manager (National League pennant: 1877, 78, 83; Boston Red Caps/Beaneaters), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1932)
- 1879-09-17 Rube Foster, American Baseball HOF manager and executive (Negro National League pennant 1920–22, 26; Chicago American Giants), born in Calvert, Texas (d. 1930)
- 1896-05-28 Warren Giles, American Baseball HOF executive (President National League 1951-69; GM Cincinnati Reds 1937–51), born in Tiskilwa, Illinois (d. 1979)
- 1899-12-06 John "Jocko" Conlan, American Baseball HOF umpire (National League 1941-65), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1989)
- 1921-08-31 Charles "Chub" Feeney, American MLB executive (President of the National League), born in Orange, New Jersey (d. 1994)
- 1930-03-13 Doug Harvey, American Baseball HOF umpire (NL 1962-92; 5 x World Series; 7 x MLB All-Star games; career total 4,673 games), born in South Gate, California (d. 2018)
- 1934-09-07 Bill Giles, American baseball owner (Philadelphia Phillies 1981-2013; honorary National League President), born in Rochester, New York
Deaths in Sport
- 1882-04-10 William Hulbert, American Baseball HOF executive (President Chicago White Stockings; National League 1877-82), dies from a heart attack at 49
- 1930-12-09 Rube Foster, American Baseball HOF manager and executive (Negro National League pennant 1920–22, 26; Chicago American Giants), dies from insanity at 51
- 1932-04-02 John Morrill, American baseball first baseman and manager (National League pennant: 1877, 78, 83; Boston Red Caps/Beaneaters), dies of pneumonia at 77
- 1979-02-07 Warren Giles, American Baseball HOF executive (President National League 1951-69; GM Cincinnati Reds 1937–51), dies at 82
- 1989-04-16 John "Jocko" Conlan, American Baseball HOF umpire (National League 1941-65), dies after heart surgery at 89
- 1994-01-10 Charles "Chub" Feeney, American MLB executive (President of the National League), dies at 72
- 2018-01-13 Doug Harvey, American Baseball HOF umpire (NL 1962-92; 5 x World Series; 7 x MLB All-Star games; career total 4,673 games), dies at 87