Photo of the pavilion area outside of Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Image Credit: David Wilson (CC BY 2.0)

Its been 150 years since America’s first professional baseball team began play in Cincinnati, Ohio; the Cincinnati Red Stockings. In honor of the 150th anniversary, the Cincinnati Reds dedicated an area near Great American Ball Park last weekend that will be called the “1869 Red Stockings Pavilion”. The pavilion will be located just outside of the Cincinnati Reds Hall-of-Fame which sits along Joe Nuxhall Way.

Atop the pavilion are bronze busts recognizing the 1869 club’s nine salaried players, an alternate player, as well as the team’s President and secretary. The names of those individual include

  • Asa Brainard (pitcher)
  • Doug Allison (catcher)
  • Charlie Gould (1st base)
  • Charlie Sweasy (2nd base)
  • Fred Waterman (3rd base)
  • George Wright (short stop)
  • Andy Leonard (left field)
  • Harry Wright (center field, pitcher)
  • Cal McVey (right field)
  • William “Dick Hurley (alternate player)
  • Aaron Champion (team president)
  • John Joyce (secretary)

The bronze busts were designed by Tom Tsuchiya, a local sculptor. Tsuchiya also designed the Hall of Fame player statues outside of Great American Ball Park including the Pete Rose statue. The 1869 team’s first game took place on May 4, 1869; a 45-9 victory over the Great Westerns of Cincinnati Baseball Club. That game took place at a small stadium called Union Grounds which was located not far from Cincinnati’s Union Terminal on the western edge of downtown. During that season, the Cincinnati Red Stockings finished an astonishing 57-0 and traveled all over the United States to face opposing teams.

In honor of the anniversary, the Cincinnati Reds players wore throwback uniforms vs. the San Francisco Giants. The uniforms were similar to those worn during the 1902 and 1911 Cincinnati Red Stockings seasons. The Cincinnati Reds will wear a total of 15 different throwback uniforms in honor of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings during the 2019 season. The 1869 Red Stockings Pavilion will be open to all ticketed fans at Great American Ball Park on game days. The pavilion will be open to the general public on all other days.

 

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