On March 15, 1869, professional baseball came into existence as Cincinnati attorney Aaron Champion hires former cricket player Harry Wright to organize, manage and play for the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The organization of the club comes shortly after the National Association of Baseball Players, which had previously banned the payment of players (although many believe that most notable club is in violation of amateurism in some manner), decides to allow open professionalism after the close of the 1868 season.
The Red Stockings proved their worth in victories that season – an astounding 64-0 (including exhibitions); 57-0 in the season and 29-0 against other professional teams!! Baseball was still in the underhand pitch iteration of the sport, so the team routinely scored dozens of runs, even winning a game against the Buckeye of Cincinnati, 103-8.
Harry Wright, armed with about $10,000 to assemble the best team money could buy, signed his younger brother, George Wright, to a team-high $1,400 salary. George, a shortstop who was considered to be the best baseball player around, was well worth the investment as he reportedly hit .630, hit 49 home runs and averaged six runs per game.
In addition to managing, Harry played center field and pitcher, and was the second-highest paid player on the roster with a $1,200 salary. He is now known as the “Father of Professional Baseball.” Harry and George Wright were both inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as well – with the latter’s coming in 1937 and the former’s in 1953.
In a statement made to UConn Today, Major League Baseball’s official historian, John Thorn, described the Red Stockings’ impact by saying, “This did not just make the city famous, it made baseball famous.”