1878 Cincinnati Reds season

The 1878 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. The team finished second in the National League with a record of 37–23, four games behind the Boston Red Caps.

1878 Cincinnati Reds
Major League affiliations
National League (since 1876)
Location
Avenue Grounds (since 1876) Cincinnati (since 1876)
Other information
Manager(s)	Cal McVey
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Regular season

After finishing their first two seasons in the National League in last place, the Reds were hoping for some improvement in the 1878 season. Cincinnati signed Cal McVey of the Chicago White Stockings to become the team's new third baseman, and new manager. Catcher Deacon White of the Boston Red Caps signed with Cincinnati. White led the National League with a .387 batting average, 103 hits, eleven triples, 49 RBI, and a .545 slugging percentage with the Red Caps in 1877. White also led the National League with 60 RBI while playing for the White Stockings in 1876. On the mound, 23-year-old Will White was signed by the Reds. White appeared in three games with the Boston Red Caps in 1877, going 2–1 with a 3.00 ERA.

Charley Jones had another very solid season with the Reds, as he had a .310 batting average, along with a team high three home runs and 39 RBI. White saw his production slip, however, he still hit .314 with 29 RBI. Player-manager McVey was solid with a .306 average and two home runs along with 28 RBI. Rookie King Kelly hit .283 with 27 RBI. White had a spectacular season, going 30–21 with a 1.79 ERA in 468 innings pitched.

Season summary

The Reds opened the season with a six-game winning streak, and stayed hot in their first twenty games, going 15–5, and were sitting in first place in the National League. Cincinnati then went on a six-game losing streak, falling to 15–11, and out of first place. The Reds never reclaimed first place; however, they finished the season strong, including a nine-game winning streak late in the year, to finish in second place with a 37–23 record, five games behind the first place Boston Red Caps.

Season standings

National League	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Boston Red Caps	41	19	0.683	—	23–7	18–12
Cincinnati Reds	37	23	0.617	4	25–8	12–15
Providence Grays	33	27	0.550	8	17–13	16–14
Chicago White Stockings	30	30	0.500	11	17–18	13–12
Indianapolis Blues	24	36	0.400	17	10–17	14–19
Milwaukee Grays	15	45	0.250	26	7–18	8–27

Record vs. opponents

1878 National League Records Sources:
Team	BOS	CHI	CIN	IND	MIL	PRV
Boston	—	8–4	6–6	10–2	11–1	6–6
Chicago	4–8	—	2–10	8–4	10–2	6–6–1
Cincinnati	6–6	10–2	—	4–8–1	8–4	9–3
Indianapolis	2–10	4–8	8–4–1	—	8–4–1	2–10–1
Milwaukee	1–11	2–10	4–8	4–8–1	—	4–8
Providence	6–6	6–6–1	3–9	10–2–1	8–4	—

Roster

Lip Pike

1878 Cincinnati Reds
Roster
Pitchers Bobby Mitchell Will White Catchers Deacon White		Infielders Billy Geer Joe Gerhardt Cal McVey Chub Sullivan		Outfielders Buttercup Dickerson Charley Jones King Kelly Lip Pike		Manager Cal McVey

Player stats

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	Deacon White	61	258	81	.314	0	29
1B	Chub Sullivan	61	244	63	.258	0	20
2B	Joe Gerhardt	60	259	77	.297	0	28
3B	Cal McVey	61	271	83	.306	2	28
SS	Billy Geer	61	237	52	.219	0	20
OF	Charley Jones	61	261	81	.310	3	39
OF	King Kelly	60	237	67	.283	0	27
OF	Lip Pike	31	145	47	.324	0	11

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
Buttercup Dickerson	29	123	38	.309	0	9

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
Will White	52	468	30	21	1.79	169
Bobby Mitchell	9	80	7	2	2.14	51

External links

• 1878 Cincinnati Reds season at Baseball Reference