The American Association’s Red Stockings deal rookie catcher Jack Boyle and $400 to the Browns in exchange for outfielder Hugh Nicol. The transaction is the first recorded trade in major league history.
1881 – The American Association is founded in Cincinnati, OH with the motto “Liberty to All.” The members are the Brooklyn Atlantics, Cincinnati Red Stockings, Louisville Colonels, Philadelphia Athletics, Pittsburgh Alleghenys and St. Louis Brown Stockings. The Brooklyn team will be replaced by the Baltimore Orioles before the start of the first season. This AA will be considered a major league.
June 20 – A new team is formed in Cincinnati after the demise of the previous Cincinnati Reds team. This new club will succeed and become the modern-day Cincinnati Reds.
1872 – Albert Thake‚ 22-year-old LF of the Brooklyn Atlantics‚ drowns off Fort Hamilton‚ in New York Harbor‚ while fishing. A benefit game is arranged by Bob Ferguson between the old Brooklyn Atlantics and members of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings.