About Ross Barnes
Charles Roscoe Barnes was one of the stars of baseball's National Association (1871–1875) and the early National League (1876–1881), playing second base and shortstop. He played for the dominant Boston Red Stockings teams of the early 1870s, along with Albert Spalding, Cal McVey, George Wright, Harry Wright, Jim O'Rourke, and Deacon White. Despite playing for these star-studded teams, many claim that Ross was the most valuable to his teams. However, injuries limited his power in his peak and his professional career ended at the age of 31. Barnes's new team finished first in the NL's first season with a 55–12 record, while Boston fell to fourth. Despite playing for these star-studded teams (for which he won five consecutive league pennants), many claim that Ross was the most valuable to his teams. In the 1876 season, Barnes also established the single-season record for runs per game (1.91), a mark which still stands. Barnes also has the distinction of having hit the first home run in National League history, on May 2, 1876.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.