Cincinnati Red Stockings open the first fully professional baseball season

Background. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and competed in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) from 1867 to 1870. This period marked a transition shaped by ambitious businessmen and ballplayer Harry Wright. The club initially played at the Union Cricket Club grounds, a site now occupied by Cincinnati Union Terminal, before the NABBP permitted professional members for 1869.

Organization. Harry Wright and George Ellard organized a fully professional team for 1869, consisting of ten men on salary for eight months. Wright fulfilled duties similar to modern field managers and traveling secretaries. The roster included players from the East, presumably compensated by club members, as well as Cincinnati natives like Gould.

Roster. The 1869 team featured ten players, including Asa Brainard, who had been the Brooklyn Excelsiors' regular pitcher. George Wright, new to the team in 1869, was considered its best player. The roster included eastern imports and local talent, with only Gould being a Cincinnati native among the key players mentioned.

Season. The professional Cincinnati Red Stockings played their first game on May 4, 1869, winning 45-9 against the Great Westerns of Cincinnati. The season ended on November 6 with a 17-8 victory over the Mutuals of New York. The team posted a perfect 57-0 record, the only perfect season in professional baseball history.