- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Stockings
- League: National League
Martin C. Sullivan (1862-1894) played outfield for four teams over five years from 1887-91. His first two seasons were with the Chicago White Stockings where he got into 190 games and even pitched in relief in one. He moved on to the Indianapolis Hoosiers in 1889, spent part of the next two seasons with the Beaneaters before ending his ML tenure with one game for the Cleveland Spiders.
- His lifetime BA is variously reported as .256, .273 and .288 showing the variance in data in that era
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Stockings
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Albert Goodwill Spalding (1850-1915) was an elite pitcher who retired at age 27 and proceeded to influence the game as few others have. He helped organize the NL, co-founded A.G. Spalding sporting goods, published the game’s first official rules, traveled the world to promote baseball, owned the White Stockings and led an Olympics, leaving one of the great legacies in sport.
- Was a five-time pennant winner with the Boston Red Stockings and Chicago White Stockings
- Career 252-65 record with a .796 winning percentage
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1939
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Stockings
- League: National League
“Piano Legs” (1857-1933). An outfielder for 4 teams over 14 major league seasons, Gore was an excellent hitter who played on 7 pennant winning teams and in 4 World Series. His alcoholism oftentimes put him at odds with teammates, fans, and managers.
- All-time leader in OF errors: 368
- Stole 7 bases in 1 game; a record
- Had 5 extra-base hits in 1 game: a record he achieved by hitting 3 doubles & 2 triples against Old Hoss Radbourn
- Won NL batting title: 1880
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Toledo
- Team: White Stockings
- League: Western League
Francis Isaiah Foreman (1863-1957) played hardball for 28 pro franchises over a career that began with the Lancaster, PA Ironsides in 1884 and ended with the Meriden, CT Silverites in 1905. Such longevity suggests the big guy (over six feet) knew how to pitch and how to protect his arm in an era when so many burned out quickly. Fifty-four of his 96 career wins in the majors came in a three year streak with Baltimore, Cincinnati and Washington from 1889-91. Foreman could hit, too, at least when the fences came in. On July 4, 1895 Frank pitched the nightcap for his Reds in Chicago. The local officials wanted to accommodate the expected crowd and moved the fences in a hundred feet. Umps ruled balls in seats would be HRs. Frank hit two, but surrendered six, losing 9-5.
- Frank’s brother Brownie joined him with the Reds in ‘96 putting the Foremans on a list of nearly 100 brother-teammates in big league history
- Frank coached at Gettysburg College in the off-season and showed his eye for talent when he urged his friend Connie Mack to sign a kid named Eddie Plank in 1901
- Series: Pioneer Portraits II: 1875-1899
- City: Chicago
- Team: White Stockings
- League: National League
Abner Dalrymple (1857-1939) was one of the most prolific hitters of the fledgling NL. He was the leadoff batter for 8 straight years (with 5 pennants) for the Chicago White Stockings, contributing to a team home run record in 1884 that stood until eclipsed by the ’27 Bronx Bombers. He hit over .300 six times.
- Still shares a record for 4 doubles in 4 at-bats, July 3, 1883
- A.G. Spalding paid $2500 (!) to get Dalrymple from the Milwaukee Grays in 1878
- Dalrymple earned that confidence, winning the NL batting title in his rookie year
- In 1881 became first ever batter to be intentionally walked with bases loaded
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