Joseph Start (October 14, 1842 - March 27, 1927), sometimes called "Old Reliable", was one of the biggest stars of baseball's earliest era, and certainly the top first baseman of his time. He started his career before the American Civil War and continued to play professionally until 1886, when he was 43. October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years). ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). ... 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Baseball is a team sport, in which a fist-sized ball is thrown by a defensive player called a pitcher and hit by an offensive player called a batter with a round, smooth stick called a bat. ... The position of the first baseman First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that players team. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... See also: 1885 in sports, 1887 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Cambridge Football (Soccer) FA Cup - Blackburn Rovers beat West Bromwich Albion 0-0 (aet); 2-0. ...

Born in New York City, he led the Brooklyn Atlantics, the team he joined in 1862, to undefeated seasons in 1864 and 1865. In 1871, he joined the new National Association's New York Mutuals, hitting a career-high .360 in his first season with the team, when he was age 28. When the National League was formed in 1876, the Mutuals joined, bringing Start with them. After spending 1877 with the Hartford Dark Blues and 1878 with the Chicago White Stockings, he found his next home with the Providence Grays. From 1879 until 1885, when he was 42, Start held down first base for the Grays and continued to hit well. Unfortunately, 1885 was Providence's last season in the NL, so in 1886, he moved to the Washington Nationals for what would be his last season. Start only played 31 games for the Nationals and didn't hit well, even for a 43 year-old. Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... ... See also: 1861 in sports, 1863 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Oxford Events First ski jumping competition held in Trysil Births Death Jim Creighton (1841-1862), US baseball player from New York City Categories: 1862 ... See also: 1863 in sports, 1865 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Oxford Cricket Overarm bowling becomes legal. ... See also: 1864 in sports, 1866 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Oxford Births Deaths Categories: 1865 ... See also: 1870 in sports, 1872 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Cambridge Events Rugby Football Union formed in England At a meeting in London, the Football Association decide to hold a challenge cup competition the next year. ... The National Association of Professional Baseball Players, or simply the National Association, was founded in 1871 and lasted through the 1875 season, after which its stronger teams created the National League. ... The New York Mutuals were a 19th century baseball club. ... This article refers to the American baseball league. ... See also: 1875 in sports, 1877 in sports and the list of years in sports. Baseball February 2 - The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs is formed in New York at the Grand Central Hotel in New York City. ... See also: 1876 in sports, 1878 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Dead Heat Cricket Australia defeats England in the first ever Test match by 45 runs Football (Soccer) FA Cup Wanderers FC beat Oxford University 2-1 (aet) Tennis... The Hartford Dark Blues were a 19th century baseball team. ... See also: 1877 in sports, 1879 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Oxford Football (Soccer) FA Cup - Wanderers FC beat Royal Engineers 3-1, their fifth and final title. ... The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Providence Grays were a 19th century baseball team. ... See also: 1878 in sports, 1880 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Cambridge Cricket 2 January-4 January, Sydney - Only Test between Australia and England. ... See also: 1884 in sports, 1886 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Oxford Football (Soccer) FA Cup - Blackburn Rovers beat Queens Park (Glasgow) 2-0 Births Deaths Categories: 1885 ... See also: 1885 in sports, 1887 in sports and the list of years in sports. Boat race Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - Cambridge Football (Soccer) FA Cup - Blackburn Rovers beat West Bromwich Albion 0-0 (aet); 2-0. ...

1878 was probably Start's best season with the bat. He led the league with 100 hits and 125 total bases. He came close to the league lead with his 12 doubles, 5 triples, and a single home run. His 58 runs that year were second in the league. These statistics all came in only 285 at bats, and at the age of 35, long after most players have begun to decline. Start ended his career with 1418 hits, 854 runs, and 544 RBI in National League and National Association play. He had a .299 batting average, a .322 on base percentage, and a .367 slugging percentage. These numbers ignore the first 11 years of his career and, since they were achieved in much shorter seasons than today's professionals play, they only show a portion of his value to his teams. In addition, his career spanned many important rule changes that changed the game in many ways, but Start continued to play at a high level through all of them. Start's 1879 Providence team won the National League, and in 1884 they won a World Series, beating the New York Metropolitans. In baseball statistics, a hit (denoted by H), sometimes called a base hit, is credited to a batter when he safely reaches first base after batting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielders choice. ... In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i. ... In baseball, a double is the act of a batter safely reaching second base by striking the ball and getting to second before being made out, without the benefit of a fielders misplay (see error) or another runner being put out on a fielders choice. ... In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base by striking the ball and getting to third before being made out, without the benefit of a fielders misplay (see error) or another runner being put out on a fielders choice. ... For other uses of the phrase see Home run (disambiguation) In baseball, a home run is a base hit in which the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring a run himself (along with a run for each runner who was already on... In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances safely around all three bases and returns safely to home plate. ... In baseball statistics, an at bat (AB) is used to calculate other data such as batting average. ... In baseball statistics, a run batted in (RBI) is given to a batter for each run scored as the result of a batters plate appearance. ... Batting average is a statistic in both baseball and cricket measuring the performance of baseball hitters and cricket batsmen, respectively. ... In baseball statistics, on base percentage (OBP) (sometimes referred to as on base average (OBA)) is a measure of how often a batter gets to first base for any reason other than a fielding error or a fielders choice. ... In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the power of a hitter. ... In baseball, the World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball in North America, played in October after the end of the regular season between the pennant winner of the American League and the pennant winner of the National League. ... The Metropolitan Club (NOT New York Metropolitans) were the first professional baseball team to play in New York City. ...

Start was also regarded as an excellent fielder, although at 5'9" he was a much smaller player than would later be typical at his position. Some even say that he originated the modern positioning of the first baseman, being the first to play away from the bag. Just like every other player of his time, Start never fielded with a glove, as modern players do, making his fielding contributions more impressive.

Start died in Providence, Rhode Island at the age of 84. Motto: What Cheer Nickname: Beehive of Industry Location in Rhode Island Founded  -Incorporated  1636  1832 County  Providence County Mayor  David N. Cicilline (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water  53. ...

External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - statistics and analysis
• BaseballLibrary.com - biography and highlights