On May 4th, the Red Stockings opened the season playing the cross-town St. Louis Brown Stockings at Compton Park. The Brown Stockings defeated their hosts 15-9 after carrying a 14-1 lead into the eighth inning. Given the difference in experience between the two clubs, the outcome was hardly unexpected. Play-by-Play

First Inning
Browns Stockings
Cuthbert grounded out to Redmond.
Peace bounced out to Blong.
Pike tripled.
Chapman grounded out to Houtz unassisted.

Red Stockings
Blong grounded out Pearce to Dehl.
Dillon flied out to Battin.
Morgan grounded out to Battin.

Second Inning
Browns Stockings
Hague grounded to Redmond, who threw wild to first, Hague reaching third.
Hague scored on a passed ball.
Bradley grounded out to Redmond.
Battin grounded out to Redmond.
Dehlman singled to right, advanced to second as Oran threw in to first base.
Miller popped to Redmond behind third, who muffed the ball, Dehlman scoring.
Cuthbert beat out a grounder that Flint fumbled at third.
Pearce flew out to Morgan.

Red Stockings
Houtz flied out to Chapman.
Sweasy flew out to Bradley on a foul bound.
Redmond hit a fly ball to Cuthbert, who dropped it.
Oran doubled, Redmond advancing to third.
Croft out to Miller on a foul bound.

Third Inning
Browns Stockings
Pike flew out to Croft in center field.
Chapman doubled to left on a 'fair foul hit'.
Hague sent a baby fly back of first, which Houtz should have got, but he didn't, Chapman to third, Hague to second.
Chapman scored on a wild pitch.
Bradley gounded out to Sweasy.
Battin grounded out to Redmond.
Red Stockings
Flint singled to short left.
Blong hit to Battin, forcing Flint.
Dillon grounded to Bradley, forcing Blong, but was safe on Battin's wild throw to first.
Morgan grounded to Pearce.

Fourth Inning
Browns Stockings
Flint and Morgan changed places in the fourth
Miller singled to center field.
Morgan (now at third) dropped a fly from Cuthbert; Miller advanced to second.
Pearce hit a grounder to Sweasy, forcing Cuthbert, Miller to third, Pearce safe at first.
Miller scored on a wild pitch.
Pike "was juggled badly" by Sweasy?
Chapman grounded out to Morgan.

Red Stockings
Houtz singled to left.
Sweasy grounded into a double play to Battin; Battin fielded a grounder by Sweasy and threw him out at first; Delman then threw to Pearce at seond to catch Houtz.
Redmond and Oran reached base on hard hits that Battin could only stop them.
Croft grounded out to Battin.

Fifth Inning
Browns Stockings
Hague grounded out to Redmond.
Bradley grounded out to Redmond.
Battin flew out to Flint (one-handed catch).
"In this inning Battin sebt a long fly to left field, which looked perfectly safe, but Flint, who was playing left, gave a jump for it, and took it out of the sun with one hand." (Globe Democrat)

Red Stockings
Flint reached on a missed third strike by Miller.
Blong singled to short center.
Morgan hit a grounder to Hague forcing Flint at third.
Dillon was retired by Miller on a foul bound.
Houtz grounded out to Pearce.

Sixth Inning
Browns Stockings
Dehlman singled to right center and stole second base.
Miller grounded out to Morgan at third.
Dehlman tried to advance to third on play, and ran into Morgan as Morgan was trying to take the throw back from Houtz at first.
Dehlman scored on the play.
Cuthbert reached on error by Sweasy.
Pearce singled.
Pike doubled.
Hague reached on an error by Morgan.
Bradley singled.
Battin singled.
Dehlman hit to Morgan, who threw low to first and the result was that all runners scored.
Chapman grounded to Redmond.
Miller grounded out to Blong.
Dillon had passed balls and Blong wild pitches helping the scoring.

Red Stockings
Sweasy out on foul bound to Miller.
Redmond singled past Pearce.
Oran singled after Miller faailed to catch a foul bound.
Croft flew out to Pike.
Flint singled past third, scoring Redmond.
Blong flied out to Pearce.

Seventh Inning
Browns Stockings
Cuthbert and Pearce made clean hits and scored.
Assised by Pike's out at first, a wild pitch.
Hague grounded out to Redmond, "a brillian bit of fielding".
Bradley struck out.

Red Stockings
Dillon grounded out to Pearce.
Morgan grounded out to Pike.
Houtz grounded out to Miller.

Eighth Inning
Browns Stockings
Battin and Miller both grounded out to Redmond.
Delhman out to Dillon on a foul bound.

Red Stockings
Sweasy lined out to Bradley.
Redmond, Oran and Croft got hits, one run scoring on Croft's hit over Cuthbert's head.
Flint struck out.
Blong, Dillon and Morgan all doubled.
Houtz singled.
Sweasy scored after Hague threw wildly.
Redmond flew out to Chapman.

Ninth Inning
Browns Stockings
Pearce beat out a single in front of home plate, scored on a series of passed balls.
Cuthbert grounded out to Redmond.
Pike grounded out to Houtz.
Chapman was retired by Dillon.

Red Stockings
Oran grounded out to Bradley.
Hague grounded out to Hague.
Flint grounded to Miller.