The following are the baseball events of the year 1888 throughout the world.
Champions
Major League Baseball final standings
National League final standings
American Association final standings
Statistical leaders
National League Statistical Leaders
American Association Statistical Leaders
Notable seasons
Events
January-March
April-June
- April 3 - The Chicago White Stockings sell star pitcher John Clarkson to the Boston Beaneaters for $10,000 after Clarkson tells the club he only wants to play near his Boston home.
- April 7 - The The Washington Evening Star publishes an article about Dummy Hoy in which they explain how Hoy is given hand signals by teammates to inform him of ball and strike calls due to his deafness. This will become one of several theories on the introduction of hand signals given by umpires.
- April 18 - Umpire John Gaffney of the American Association becomes the first umpire to stand behind the pitcher when there are men on base. Umpires in both leagues will quickly follow suit.
- April 23 - Tommy McCarthy of the St. Louis Browns becomes the first player ever to steal 2nd, 3rd and home in a single time on base. McCarthy's theft of home is the game-winner in the Browns' 3-2 victory.
- April 29 - Charlie Ferguson, the 25 year old star pitcher of the Philadelphia Quakers dies of typhoid fever. Ferguson had won 20 or more games in each of his first 4 seasons.
- May 1 - Tim Keefe of the New York Giants wins his first start after holding out for a $4,000 contract.
- May 5 - The game between the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Quakers is not counted in the official standings after Gid Gardner plays for the Quakers after Washington trades him, but Cupid Childs refuses to play for the Nationals. After the trade is nullified, Childs is sent to the minors and will not appear in the National League again until 1891.
- May 9 - Roger Connor of the New York Giants blasts 3 home runs in an 18-4 win.
- May 9 - Elton "Icebox" Chamberlain switch-pitches in a victory over the Kansas City Cowboys.
- May 18 - In his major league debut, George Borchers of the Chicago White Stockings pitches a shutout in a game shortened to 5 innings. It is the only shutout of Borcher's career.
- May 22 - Ed Delahanty makes his major league debut for the Philadelphia Quakers.
- May 25 - The Boston Beaneaters open their new grandstand at the South End Grounds. The new facility is known as "The Grand Pavilion" and features a double-decked grandstand. It will be one of the finest parks in baseball until it is destroyed by a fire in 1894.
- May 27 - Adonis Terry pitches his 2nd career no-hitter in a 4-0 win over the Kansas City Cowboys.
- June 3 - The poem Casey at the Bat is first published in the San Francisco Examiner. It will soon be made famous by DeWolf Hopper reciting it during vaudeville performances and Broadway curtain calls.
- June 4 - Pud Galvin of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys becomes the founding member of the 300-win club, if four wins for the National Association St. Louis Brown Stockings in 1875 aren't counted.
- June 6 - Henry Porter of the Kansas City Cowboys pitches a no-hitter in a 4-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
- June 18 - The game between the Cleveland Blues and the Philadelphia Athletics is the first regular season game to be officiated by two umpires.
- June 20 - Jake Beckley makes his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.
- June 30 - The Philadelphia Quakers receive permission from the National League to reduce ticket prices to .25¢. The Quakers average attendance will jump from 1,100 per game to over 4,000 with the price reduction.
July-September
October-December
- October 1 - With darkness looming, the Indianapolis Hoosiers score 3 runs in the top of the 9th inning to take a 4-2 lead over the Washington Nationals when Washington catcher Connie Mack suddenly develops an "injury" to his finger. The delay causes the game to be called because of darkness with the score reverting back to the last completed inning, resulting in a 2-1 Washington victory.
- October 3 - The New York Giants and the St. Louis Browns each clinch their respective league pennants.
- October 5 - Pud Galvin of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys becomes the first pitcher to record 300 career wins with a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.
- October 13 - The National League season comes to a close with the champion New York Giants setting a league attendance record by drawing 305,000 fans for the season.
- October 16 - Rumours abound of the Detroit Wolverines dropping out of the National League and being replaced by the Cleveland Blues of the American Association after they sell star players Sam Thompson, Dan Brouthers and 30 game winner Pete Conway.
- October 16 - The World Series opens with the New York Giants beating the St. Louis Browns 2-1.
- October 17 - The Browns even the series by taking a 3-0 victory over the Giants.
- October 18 - New York wins Game 3 4-2 over the Browns.
- October 19 - New York takes a 3-1 series advantage with a 6-3 win over St. Louis.
- October 20 - The Giants score 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to take a 6-4 victory and a 4-1 lead in the series.
- October 22 - New York wins again in Game 6 by a score of 12-5.
- October 24 - The Browns get a must-win by scoring 4 in the 8th to beat the Giants 7-5.
- October 25 - The New York Giants clinch the series with an 11-3 win over the St. Louis Browns. The final 2 games will be played for revenue purposes with St. Louis winning both contests for an overall series result of 6 games to 4 in favor of the Giants.
- November 20 - The Joint Rules Committee reduces the number of balls needed for a walk to 4. With the 4 ball, 3 strike at-bat and overhand pitching rules now in place, baseball in 1889 will be played very similar to the game of today.
- November 21 - The National League formally admits the Cleveland Blues from the American Association. The Blues are the 2nd team to leave the AA for the NL, following the Pittsburgh Alleghenys who made the switch after the 1886 season.
- November 22 - The National League adopts a 5-tier salary structure based on a player's on-field abilities and off-field personal habits, with the salary scale ranging from $1,500-2,500 in each tier. The Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players is incensed by the classification system and it will be the impetus for the organization of the Players League in 1890.
- November 23 - The World Champion New York Giants announce the sale of star player and leader of The Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players, John Montgomery Ward, to the Washington Nationals for $12,000. The deal will fall through after Ward refuses to abide by the sale.
- December 5 - The Columbus Solons are admitted to the American Association to replace the departed Cleveland Blues.
Births
Deaths
- February 5 - Martin Powell, 31, first baseman with a .283 career batting average from 1881-1884. Led the National League in games played in 1883.
- February 19 - Live Oak Taylor, 37, played center field for the 1884 Pittsburgh Alleghenys.
- March 24 - Bill Collver, 21, played in 1 game in 1885 for the Boston Red Stockings.
- March 30 - Frank Bahret, 29?, played 2 games in 1884 for the Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association.
- April 10 - Denny Mack, 36?, infielder from 1871-1883; led the National Association in walks in 1872.
- April 29 - Charlie Ferguson, 25, pitcher who won 99 games in his first 4 seasons, including a no-hitter, for the Philadelphia Quakers since 1884; was 30-9 for the 1886 team.
- June 28 - Joe Brown, 29, pitcher in 1884-1885.
- July 16 - , 27?, catcher for the 1885-87 Louisville Colonels, succeeded by his brother Lave.
- July 27 - Ed Cogswell, 34, first baseman who batted over .300 in both 1879 and 1880.
- August 12 - Favel Wordsworth, 37, shortstop for the 1873 Elizabeth Resolutes.
- September 25 - John Bass, 40?, batted .303 as the regular shortstop for the Cleveland Forest Citys in 1871, his only full season.
- October 16 - Ed Duffy, 44?, regular shortstop for the 1871 Chicago White Stockings.
- November 7 - Rit Harrison, 39, went 2-4 in his only career game for the 1875 New Haven Elm Citys.
- November 10 - John Glenn, 38?, played from 1871-1877 with a .267 career average.
- November 19 - Len Sowders, 27, center fielder who hit .263 for the Baltimore Orioles in his only season in 1886.
- December 29 - Asa Brainard, 47, pitcher for the undefeated 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings.
External links