Managed by George Bradley, the team attained first place on May 9, approximately three weeks into the season, in the midst of a 12-game winning streak.

The Blues stayed atop the standings for over a month, but were weakened by the resignation of Bradley on May 17 and the sale of ace pitcher Al Maul on June 13.

After losing nearly $18,000, the directors chose to cut their losses and withdraw from the Southern League rather than spend the $6,000 needed to play the season to its completion.

George Bradley, Jim Clinton, Larry Corcoran, and Jackie Hayes all came to Nashville with considerable big league experience.

Nashville was represented by local baseball magnates John Morrow, who was elected to serve as the league's president, and William Cherry.

[7] The Nashville Base Ball Association, a corporation which would operate and finance the local team with $15,000 of capital stock, met on December 21 to elect William M. Duncan as its president.

[17] The most seasoned members of the roster were Bradley,[10] Jim Clinton,[18] Larry Corcoran,[19] and Jackie Hayes,[20] who had each appeared in at least 275 big league games.

[21] Their spring training regimen included several series of exhibition games against amateur, minor, and major league teams, many of which traveled south to prepare for their seasons in a warmer climate.

[36][37] The Nashville Blues were slated to open the Southern League championship season of 1887 at Sulphur Spring Park on April 16.

[37] Playing against the Charleston Quakers in the season opener, the Blues got out to a promising start with two runs in the first inning, but both teams would go on to score often in the game in which they had 27 hits and 11 errors between them.

The error led to a Charleston batter reaching second base and later scoring, which resulted in an Opening Day loss for the Nashvilles, 9–8.

Tied 9–9 in the ninth inning of another game featuring much offense, Maul prevented the visitors from scoring any additional runs with the catch of a sharply hit fly ball to right field.

What made the otherwise routine play spectacular was that he had to back halfway up the embankment and then fell down but reached up just in time to catch the ball for the out.

[45] A group of 35 ministers met two days later and resolved to circulate a petition among citizens demanding that the government enforce the law forbidding Sunday baseball.

[46] The Davidson County grand jury later indicted the involved players as well as the directors and officers of the Nashville Base Ball Association.

[53] Knowing the importance of his position as captain and aware that he would miss several games, he chose to vacate his captaincy, and Clinton assumed the role.

[56] The directors of the club fined Corcoran $50 for his drunkenness and unsatisfactory play, suspended him indefinitely, and eventually sold him to the National League's Indianapolis Hoosiers for $500 on May 9.

[58] On May 7, competing for the first time in 10 days since his injury, Matthias was severely injured again when a Mobile Swamp Angels player collided with him at second base as he attempted to turn a double play in the third inning.

[59][60] Shorthanded from this injury and with Bradley and Mountjoy temporarily sidelined by illnesses, former Vanderbilt Commodores pitcher Perian Smith was recruited for the May 11 game versus Mobile in which he held opposing batters to four runs on nine hits in the 10–4 Nashville victory.

[61] Mortimer Hogan, on the sick list since before Opening Day, found it his duty to play against doctors' orders and help his teammates,[61] making his debut in right field on May 12.

[63] A 10-day break in the schedule began on May 17 with Bradley resigning as manager, but retaining his playing position, thinking it best for his own health and that of the club.

[75] His 9–3 record and 2.91 earned run average notwithstanding,[76] with no protection granted to Southern League players the offer was too grand for the club to pass up.

[78] Even with the managerial change and several roster moves, the Blues maintained their hold on first place through their return to Sulphur Spring Park on June 15.

[85] Poor outings by Kelly and Masran and a failure on the part of the team's directors to bring in new twirlers seemed to hint at Nashville's fate.

[86] Rumors began to circulate through the city that the ball club would disband before hitting the road, but the team's directors met and resolved to play the season through to the end.

[93] On August 6, the directors of the Nashville Base Ball Association decided to withdraw from the Southern League after having lost nearly $18,000 on the venture.

[93] Nashville baseball magnates desired to field a team in 1888, but their decision to do so hinged on their ability to play Sunday games.

[3] Located in Sulphur Springs Bottom, the land had hitherto been little more than solely a baseball field and required improvements to make it suitable for professional teams.

[99] The main Jackson Street entrance led past the ticket booth and into the grandstand's reserved seats behind home plate and a screen backstop.

[46] The April 17 edition of The Daily American also mentioned the shirts having white lettering and lauded the outfits as "most striking and picturesque.