The first openly professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was formed in 1869. This complaint was published more than a decade before that!
h/t to Richard Hershberger, a fellow SABR member and author of the just-published Strike Four: The Evolution of Baseball, which (according to the publisher), examines "the national pastime's development, from the reasoning behind new rules and innovations to the consequences of these changes—both intended and unintended—that often led to a new round of modifications. Topics examined include the dropped third strike, foul territory, nine innings, tagging up, balls and strikes, tie games, equipment, the infield fly rule, and many more".