Here’s the card:
Bradley was the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in Major League history, doing so on July 15th, 1876 against the Hartford Dark Blues, winning 2-0.
In that inaugural season, he posted a 45-19 record with a 1.23 earned run average as he completed 63 of his 64 starts.
He also pitched what is STILL a record 16 shutouts (since tied by Grover Cleveland Alexander), and threw 573 innings for the St. Louis Brown Stockings.
Though he played eleven seasons of pro ball, spanning the days of the National Association through to the Union Association and American Association, he played for ten different teams.
He also played a variety of positions during his career, from pitcher to infield to the outfield.
As a pitcher he ended up with a 171-151 record with a .243 ERA and 33 shutouts over 347 appearances, 325 of which were starts, between 1875 and 1884.
As a fielder/batter, he finished with a .229 career average with 518 hits over 2258 at-bats, which lasted through the 1888 season.
Nevertheless he left his mark on the history of the game, leading to a virtual card some 140 years later on some guy’s blog...
