on april 22, 1876, wright became the first batter in national league history, and grounded out to the shortstop. boston trailed badly in the first nl season after the defection of its big four western players to chicago, but rebounded to win again both 1877 and 1878. george wright had played an even decade for harry's teams. another 1869 hire, andy leonard, was present for all but the 1871 second-place finish.