Two days after his near no-hitter, on May 25, Borden and the Red Caps faced the Reds again; this time against Cherokee Fisher, resulting in a scoreless game through nine innings. The Red Caps scored four runs in tenth inning for a 4–0 victory. Unfortunately for Borden, his pitching effectiveness declined rapidly after this, and at one point he reportedly lost his temper during a game in response to his own ineffectiveness, admonishing his teammates, even the well-liked and good-natured future Hall of famer George Wright. Due to his erratic pitching and behavior, he was released from the team by August. In 29 games pitched during the 1876 season, he started 24, completed 16, and recorded two shutouts. Additionally, he had an 11–12 win–loss record, a 2.89 earned run average in 218⅓ innings pitched, and led the league in allowing 51 bases on balls.