1875 Baseball Game

The Bob Broeg Chapter of SABR is celebrating 150 years of baseball in St. Louis by exhibiting a baseball game played by 1875 rules in (mostly) period costumes. The game will be at Lindell Field in Forest Park. The history and memorabilia exhibits will be available at 11AM, the pre-game festivities and live music starts at Noon, and the game itself will start about 1PM. The History Museum and Cardinal Hall of Fame and Museum are also both participating.

On May 4, 1875 the St. Louis Brown Stockings took on the St. Louis Red Stockings at a ballpark on south Compton Avenue. Both teams were newly formed entrants in the National Association, the major league of the day. When they met on the baseball field, it marked the first time a major league baseball game took place in St. Louis. The Red Stockings only lasted in the league for 19 games but the Brown Stockings completed the season and were invited to join the newly formed National League in 1876. They played two seasons in the NL until financial issues and a gambling scandal put them out of business.

Five years later, the new Brown Stockings were a next major league team to represent St. Louis. They were in the new major league American Association. 10 years later they would join the National League and in 1900 would start being referred to as the St. Louis Cardinals.

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