1878 Season

6 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1878 Major League Baseball season was played by 6 teams. Paul Hines led with 4 home runs, Paul Hines led with 50 RBI, and Joe Start led with 100 hits. This page carries the 1878 standings, league leaders, postseason results 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

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

⏳ Browse Seasons

1873 1877 1878 1879 1883 1888

⚾ Batting Leaders

1878 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting Average

1 Paul Hines 0.358 2 Abner Dalrymple 0.354 3 Bob Ferguson 0.351 4 Joe Start 0.351 5 Cap Anson 0.341

Home Runs

1 Paul Hines 4 2 Charley Jones 3 3 Russ McKelvy 2 4 Cal McVey 2 5 Charlie Bennett 1

RBI

1 Paul Hines 50 2 Lew Brown 43 3 Cap Anson 40 4 Bob Ferguson 39 5 Charley Jones 39

Stolen Bases

1 Cap Anson 0 2 Charlie Bennett 0 3 Tommy Bond 0 4 Lew Brown 0 5 Jack Burdock 0

Hits

1 Joe Start 100 2 Abner Dalrymple 96 3 Paul Hines 92 4 Bob Ferguson 91 5 Dick Higham 90

Runs

1 Dick Higham 60 2 Joe Start 58 3 Tom York 56 4 Cap Anson 55 5 Abner Dalrymple 52
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1878 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA

1 John Ward 1.51 2 Jim McCormick 1.69 3 Will White 1.79 4 Sam Weaver 1.95 5 Tommy Bond 2.06

Wins

1 Tommy Bond 40 2 Will White 30 3 Terry Larkin 29 4 John Ward 22 5 The Only Nolan 13

Strikeouts

1 Tommy Bond 182 2 Will White 169 3 Terry Larkin 163 4 The Only Nolan 125 5 John Ward 116

Saves

1 Tom Healey 1 2 Tommy Bond 0 3 Mike Golden 0 4 Terry Larkin 0 5 Jim McCormick 0

WHIP

1 Sam Weaver 1.02 2 John Ward 1.02 3 Terry Larkin 1.07 4 Bobby Mitchell 1.09 5 Will White 1.12
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

National League

Boston Red Caps ★ 41-19 Cincinnati Reds 37-23 Providence Grays 33-27 Chicago White Stockings 30-30 Indianapolis Blues 24-36 Milwaukee Grays 15-45

1878 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

How many teams played in 1878?
6 teams played in the 1878 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1878?
Paul Hines led with 4 home runs in 1878.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1878?
Paul Hines led with 50 RBI in 1878.
Who led MLB in hits in 1878?
Joe Start led with 100 hits in 1878.
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