The Boston Red Stockings were formed in 1871 by Boston businessman and Ashburnham

Ashburnham

Ashburnham may refer to:*Ashburnham, Carmarthenshire, Wales*Ashburnham and Penhurst, East Sussex, England*Ashburnham, Massachusetts, United States*Earl of Ashburnham*John Ashburnham *Ashburnham BaronetsCategory:Surnames...

 native Ivers Whitney Adams

Ivers Whitney Adams

Ivers Whitney Adams was an American baseball executive and businessperson, and founder of the first professional baseball team in Boston, the Boston Red Stockings.- Baseball :...

. The team was composed of former players of the defunct Cincinnati Red Stockings

Cincinnati Red Stockings

The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first fully professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players 1867–1870, a time of a transition that ambitious Cincinnati,...

 franchise, who were brought to Boston and kept the name with them. Led and managed by baseball pioneer Harry Wright

Harry Wright

William Henry "Harry" Wright was an English-born American professional baseball player, manager, and developer. He assembled, managed, and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings...

, the new Boston team would join the newly formed National Association of Professional Base Ball Players

National Association of Professional Base Ball Players

The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...

 for the 1871 season and finish the year in third place with a record of 20-10.

Pitcher Al Spalding

Albert Spalding

Albert Goodwill Spalding was a professional baseball player, manager and co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company.-Biography:...

 started all 31 of the Red Stockings' games and led the NA with 19 wins. Catcher Cal McVey

Cal McVey

Calvin Alexander McVey was a professional baseball player during the 1860s and 1870s. McVey's importance to the game stems from his play on two of the earliest professional baseball teams, the original Cincinnati Red Stockings and the National Association Boston Red Stockings...

 finished second in the league batting race with a .431 average. From this team, Harry Wright, Al Spalding, and shortstop George Wright have all been elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...

.

Roster

1871 Boston Red Stockings
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C		29	153	66	.431	0	43
1B		31	151	43	.285	2	32
2B		31	157	63	.401	0	34
SS		16	80	33	.413	0	11
3B		31	149	42	.282	0	28
OF		19	77	20	.260	0	16
OF		29	152	46	.303	0	24
OF		31	147	44	.299	0	26

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
	18	86	13	.151	0	11
	16	76	17	.224	0	11

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	31	257.1	19	10	3.36	23

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	9	18.2	1	0	6.27	0