1881 Major League Baseball season
| 1881 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 30 – September 30, 1881 |
| Games | 84 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Pennant winner | |
| NL champions | Chicago White Stockings |
| NL runners-up | Providence Grays |
The 1881 major league baseball season was contested from April 30 through September 30, 1881, and saw the Chicago White Stockings as the pennant winner of the sixth season of the National League. There was no postseason.
The 1881 season is most known for featuring the first major league grand slam. Roger Connor of the Troy Trojans hit the walk-off home run at Riverside Park (Greenbush) against the Worcester Worcesters on September 10, leading to an 8–7 victory.
Over the off-season, the National League dropped the Cincinnati Stars because the team refused to sign a league pledge that banned alcohol in league parks and forbade clubs from renting their parks out on Sundays. The team was replaced by the Detroit Wolverines.
1881 would be the final season of the first National League monopoly-era, as the American Association would be established in 1882.