first professional league season. The team did win about half of about thirty games against NA opponents, including some late summer games picked up after the Fort Wayne Kekiongas went out of business. For 1872 Eckford paid the $10 entry fee and assembled a team but it was a woefully weak one that lost all of its 11 games played to July 9, with average score 5-22. Five of the league's eleven teams would drop out by late August but the Eckfords survived. Fortified by seven players from Troy and Cleveland, including both pitchers and three other regulars, they returned to the field August 9. The strengthened team won three of 18 games with average score 5-9. The old amateur rivals Atlantic and Eckford won only four and three of their last 18 games in the much stronger six-team league from mid-August. In four matches they each won two and scored 37 runs. They may have been equals on the field once again, but Eckford went out of business while Atlantic improved its team and moved in to share the Union Grounds with the Mutuals for the last three National Association seasons. Record Year W L T Games Rank in games (in wins) 1856 2 0 2 1857 2 5 7 4 1858 6 0 6 8 (5th in wins) 1859 10 2 12 2 (tie 2nd) 1860 15 2 17 2 (2nd) 1861 8 4 12 1 (tie 1st) 1862 14 1 15 1 (tie 1st) 1863 10 0 10 5 (tie 1st in wins) 1864 1 4 5 17 1865 8 6 14 7 (7th) 1866 9 8 17 6 (tie 8th) 1867 6 16 1 23 10 1868 23 12 35 6 (6th) 1869 47 8 55 2 (2nd) 1870 13 16 1 30 16 Championship matches with professional teams 1869-1870 1869 15 8 23 2 (tie 2nd in wins) 1870 2 12 1 15 11 Professional leagues 1871 non-member 1872 3 26 29 6 (did not finish) Source for season records: Wright (2000) has published records for dozens of NABBP teams each season, relying on a mix of game and season records in contemporary newspapers and guides. Dozens of leading clubs by number of matches are included, as are many others. The records do not consistently cover either all games played or all championship matches between NABBP members. Ballparks Lowry, Phil. Green Cathedrals. Benson, Michael. Baseball