Boston Braves, 1871–1952

Before Milwaukee. Before Atlanta. There were more than eight decades of professional baseball in Boston.

Before They Were the Braves

Boston's National League franchise was old enough to collect more than a few names.

Red Stockings.
Red Caps.
Beaneaters.
Doves.
Rustlers.
Braves.
Bees.
Braves again.

The franchise began in 1871 as the Boston Red Stockings and became a charter member of the National League in 1876.

In 1912, the team officially adopted the Braves name for the first time.

The Miracle Braves

Nothing defines the Boston Braves quite like the summer of 1914.

The team stumbled to a 4–18 start. By July 4, Boston was 26–40 and sitting in last place, 15 games behind the first-place New York Giants.

Then everything changed.

From July 6 through September 5, the Braves went 41–12. By early September, they had taken over first place.

Boston went on to win the National League pennant and entered the World Series as an underdog against Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics.

The Braves swept them in four games.

Last place in July. World champions in October.

They became known as the Miracle Braves.

Braves Field

The success of 1914 helped inspire the construction of a new home.

Braves Field opened in August 1915 with approximately 40,000 seats, making it the largest major league ballpark at the time.

The Braves remained there through their final season in Boston.

Parts of the old ballpark survive today as Boston University's Nickerson Field.

One More Pennant

The Braves returned to the top of the National League in 1948.

Led by pitchers Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain, Boston won 91 games and captured the National League pennant.

The pitching duo became so closely associated with the team's success that the phrase about relying on Spahn, Sain and rain became part of baseball folklore.

Boston faced Cleveland in the World Series and lost in six games.

It would be the Braves' final World Series appearance as a Boston team.

How It Ended

Attendance declined sharply in the seasons after 1948.

The Braves played their final home game in Boston on September 21, 1952, losing 8–2 to the Brooklyn Dodgers at Braves Field.

In March 1953, owner Lou Perini received permission to move the franchise to Milwaukee.

After more than 80 years of professional baseball in Boston, the Braves were gone.

The name continued in Milwaukee and, beginning in 1966, in Atlanta.