The 1877 Louisville Grays were the victim of Major League Baseball's first gambling scandal. Pitcher Jim Devlin, outfielder George Hall, utility player Al Nichols and shortstop Bill Craver were accused of throwing games at the end of the season. All four were banned from baseball for life. The team was unable to continue and folded after the season.
Regular season After a spectacular start that included a 27–13 record to begin the season, the Grays mysteriously lost seven games in a row. Players bobbled the ball, seemed to slow between bases, and swung suspiciously wide. The result was that the Grays lost the pennant. More recent historical analysis has shown that there is no evidence the Grays sold the pennant. Instead, the club went into a collective hitting slump while the Boston Red Stockings won 20 of their final 21 games to take the pennant.Jones, Wendell Lloyd, The Louisville Grays and the Myth of Baseball's First Great Scandal, McFarland, 2024.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Roster 1877 Louisville Grays Roster Pitchers
Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager
Player stats
Batting
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 61 248 64 .258 2 28 1B 59 278 81 .291 0 22 2B 59 250 76 .304 1 35 3B 59 263 70 .266 1 24 SS 57 238 63 .265 0 29 OF 61 269 87 .323 0 26 OF 61 260 74 .285 3 34 OF 61 238 67 .282 1 23
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 6 19 4 .211 0 0 4 17 1 .059 0 0 1 4 0 .000 0 0 1 3 0 .000 0 0
Pitching
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 61 559.0 35 25 2.25 141
References 1877 Louisville Grays season at Baseball Reference