1871_Philadelphia_Athletics_season
1871 Philadelphia Athletics season
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players team season
With the debut of the first professional baseball league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the Athletic Baseball Club of Philadelphia was one of the first clubs to join.
The Athletics had been around since 1860 as an amateur club. Led by their captain and pitcher, Dick McBride, the team went 21–7 and won the first NA title during the 1871 season. Philadelphia's third baseman, Levi Meyerle, led the league with a .492 batting average.