A.G. Spalding was the premier pitcher of the 1870s and an organizational genius during baseball's formative years. He led the league in pitching victories in each of his six full seasons in Organized baseball (1871 to 1876). His 47 victories led the '76 Chicago White Stockings to the first-ever National League championship. With the success of the sporting goods business he founded in 1876, Spalding left the playing field for an executive role with the White Stockings; as team president from 1882 to 1891, he directed the club to three pennants.