1871 Season

9 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1871 Major League Baseball season was played by 9 teams. Levi Meyerle, Lip Pike, and Fred Treacey led with 4 home runs, Rynie Wolters led with 44 RBI, and Cal McVey led with 66 hits. This page carries the 1871 standings, league leaders, and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

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⚾ Batting Leaders

1871 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 89 plate appearances at 29 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Levi Meyerle .492 2 Cal McVey .431 3 Ross Barnes .401 4 Steve King .396 5 Jimmy Wood .378

OPS qualified

1 Levi Meyerle 1.200 2 Lip Pike 1.054 3 Ross Barnes 1.027 4 Cal McVey .991 5 Jimmy Wood .988

Home Runs all players

1 Levi Meyerle 4 2 Lip Pike 4 3 Fred Treacey 4 4 John Bass 3 5 Ned Cuthbert 3

RBI all players

1 Rynie Wolters 44 2 Cal McVey 43 3 Levi Meyerle 40 4 Lip Pike 39 5 Ross Barnes 34

Hits all players

1 Cal McVey 66 2 Levi Meyerle 64 3 Ross Barnes 63 4 Joe Start 58 5 Steve King 57

Runs all players

1 Ross Barnes 66 2 Dave Birdsall 51 3 Ned Cuthbert 47 4 John Radcliff 47 5 Fred Waterman 46

Stolen Bases all players

1 Mike McGeary 20 2 Jimmy Wood 18 3 Ned Cuthbert 16 4 Dave Eggler 14 5 Andy Leonard 14
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1871 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 29 innings at 29 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 George Zettlein 2.73 2 Al Spalding 3.36 3 Rynie Wolters 3.43 4 Al Pratt 3.77 5 Cherokee Fisher 4.35

WHIP qualified

1 George Zettlein 1.34 2 Rynie Wolters 1.36 3 Al Spalding 1.44 4 Dick McBride 1.46 5 Asa Brainard 1.51

Wins all pitchers

1 Al Spalding 19 2 Dick McBride 18 3 George Zettlein 18 4 Rynie Wolters 16 5 Asa Brainard 12

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Al Pratt 34 2 Al Spalding 23 3 Rynie Wolters 22 4 George Zettlein 22 5 Bobby Mathews 17

Saves all pitchers

1 Harry Wright 3 2 Ed Pinkham 1 3 George Bechtel 0 4 Asa Brainard 0 5 Bob Ferguson 0
View Complete Pitching Stats →

The 1871 season in brief

Levi Meyerle and Lip Pike shared the home run lead at 4. Among qualified hitters, Levi Meyerle had the top batting average, .492, with Cal McVey next at .431. The board counts only hitters with 89 or more plate appearances, which is what 29 team games require. The batting tiles keep returning to Levi Meyerle, first in batting average, OPS, and home runs. Among qualified pitchers, George Zettlein had the lowest ERA, 2.73; Al Spalding followed at 3.36. The other 1871 pitching tiles are led by Al Spalding in wins (19) and Al Pratt in strikeouts (34). Mike McGeary had the most stolen bases, 20. Full batting and pitching tables are on the 1871 leaders page.

1871 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

How many teams played in 1871?
9 teams played in the 1871 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1871?
Levi Meyerle, Lip Pike, and Fred Treacey tied for the lead with 4 home runs in 1871.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1871?
Rynie Wolters led with 44 RBI in 1871.
Who led MLB in hits in 1871?
Cal McVey led with 66 hits in 1871.
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