Cal McVey was born in rural Montrose, Iowa and moved to Indianapolis at 11, where he learned baseball and soon excelled at the game, playing for the Western and Active clubs in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP). With McVey usually pitching, the Actives in 1868 defeated local rivals, lost to the three strong Eastern teams that toured the West, and won one game in six against Cincinnati teams. Despite a lopsided 7–54 defeat by the Cincinnati Red Stockings, that club later hired him to play in 1869 for $700 and he served as the regular right fielder for both of its storied seasons.\n', '

The Cincinnati Daily Times described Cal McVey in this way: "He is powerfully built, with broad shoulders and barrel chest...handsome though shy, and is a favorite of the ladies. He is very conscientious and a hard worker...a good fielder, but his strength is with the ash in his hands...he is a long...good thrower...and he doesn\'t drink."\n', '

McVey was in the middle of the most controversial game of the Red Stockings\' reported 84-game winning streak in 1869 and 1870. Playing the Troy Haymakers, with the game tied 17 to 17, McVey fouled off a pitch the catcher claimed to have caught on the first bounce. That would have been an out but the umpire disagreed. In the ensuing argument, Troy left the field and the game was awarded to Cincinnati on forfeit.\n', '

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