With the start of my 5th season working for the Indy Indians, I've embarked on a baseball appreciation phase. It was the first sport I ever enjoyed as a kid and always holds a dear place in my heart. In this post I want to study the history of the game as well as the establishment of the Major League. I especially want to focus on it's developing years and what made it such an American pastime.
The Birth of Baseball
The origins of the game can of course be disputed, and there isn't exactly one person who can be credited with it's establishment. The name Abner Doubleday often comes up as one of the key founders of today's game. In 1839 it is believed that he introduced the game's format at a farm in Cooperstown, New York. Abner then went on to become a Civil War General. He fired the first shot at Fort Sumter, and lead the Union Army to victory at Gettysburg. His service for the Union in Civil War made him a national hero and a fitting founder to America's new game. However this claim that he solely invented the game is most likely a myth, fabricated because of Abner's heroic life.
The birth of baseball was most likely the evolution of previous sports such as rounders or cricket. These popular games originated in England in the 1500s, and consisted of batting a ball with a stick while others fielded it. By the 1830s, people in America, specifically in small towns near New York, began adapting their own form of this game. By 1845, Alexander Cartwright, a member of a gentlemen's club in New York, established the Knickerbocker Rules. This became the earliest format of the game of baseball.
The birth of the MLB
By the 1850s, the game spread from the streets of New York to become a national craze. Clubs and teams started forming throughout the cities. In 1857 the National Association of Baseball Players was established in New York as the first American baseball governing body. It consisted of 16 teams that marked the beginning of professional baseball in America (with teams such as the Brooklyn Atlantics, Brooklyn Eckfords, New York Knickerbockers, New York Mutuals, Philadelphia Athletic, and the Chicago White Stockings)
After the Civil War, baseball continued to thrive. In 1871 the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was formed as the 1st professional baseball league. It consisted of teams outside of New York such as the dominant Boston Red Stockings, the Washington Nationals, and the Fort Wayne Kekiongas (I never new my home ground of Fort Wayne Kekionga had such a rich baseball history) The league was however disbanded after only 5 years and was replaced in 1876 by the National League.
By 1876 there were many professional baseball leagues in America. The National League found itself competing with other professional leagues such as the American Association League, the Western League, and many Negro Leagues. However the two biggest rivals were the National League and the American Association League. In 1901 the American Association League was replaced by the American League. In 1903 the National League and American League came to an official agreement of recognizing each other. The World Series was inaugurated that year, as the champion of the American League faced the champion of the National League. This was the start of the MLB in America.
The Classic National League Teams
With the Agreement of 1903 there were a total of 16 teams in contention for the World Series; 8 teams representing the National League and 8 teams representing the American League. This format remained intact until 1952. Here are the Classic Eight teams of the National League.
- Boston Beaneaters (later known as Boston Braves, Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves)
- Brookyln Superbas (later known as Brookyln Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers)
- Chicago Orphans (later known as Chicago Cubs)
- Cincinnati Reds
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- New York Giants (later known as the San Fransisco Giants)
- Philadelphia Phillies
- St. Louis Cardinals
The Classic American League Teams
- New York Highlanders (later known as New York Yankees)
- Boston Americans (later known as Boston Red Sox)
- Chicago White Stockings (later known as Chicago White Sox)
- Cleveland Blues (later known as the Cleveland Indians)
- Detroit Tigers
- Milwaukee Brewers (later known as the St. Louis Browns, Baltimore Orioles)
- Philadelphia Athletics (later known as Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics)
- Washington Senators (later known as Minnesota Twins)
The World Series
The first World Series was held in 1903 as the best of a nine game series. It matched the Boston Americans against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The stadiums of Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston and Exposition Park in Pittsburgh saw an overflow of crowds for these games. Some rules had to be altered due to spectator interference. However the series still went on for 8 games and the Boston Americans claimed the first ever World Series Championship.
The following year the National League champions, the New York Giants, refused to face the American league champions, the Boston Americans in the 2nd World Series of 1904. This boycott was due to the Giants owner John T Brush, refusing to recognize the American League as their equals. By 1905 Brush worked with the National Commission to reorganize the World Series' finances, which made him more inclined to participate. In 1905 his Giants went on to win the National League, and defeat the American League Champions, Philadelphia Athletics in the 2nd World Series. From that point on the World Series was held every year until 1994.
The Black Sox Scandal
Beginning with the inception of professional baseball there was always problems with gambling and corruption throughout the game. This was in part due to the rise of organized crime throughout the early 1900s (which is better explained in this post I wrote last year,
American Mafia). The influence of New York Crime on baseball took it's greatest toll during the infamous 1919 Black Sox Scandal.
It is believed the crime was initiated by New York businessman/mobster, Arnold Rothstein. He fixed the 1919 World Series match by paying members of the Chicago White Sox to throw the game. The Cincinnati Reds went on to win the Series thanks the lack of effort from 8 bribed White Sox players. One of these players was the superstar outfielder, Shoeless Joe Jackson. When the crime was discovered, the 8 players were banned from baseball and a major league commissioner was put in place to clean up the game.
The rise of Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees
In the early decades of the Major Leagues, the game was dominated by the pitchers, such as Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators or Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants. Offensive strategy consisted of "small-ball" tactics such as place-hitting, walks, bunts, and stolen bases. Ty Cobb from the Detroit Tigers, was one of the first major superstars of these offensive tactics. However in 1920, the Major League Commission made some changes to the game, such as the size of the ball and distance of the fence, which favored hitters.
By the early 1920s, the dead-ball era of baseball had ended and the age of the home-run hitting "live ball era" had begun. One of the most famous of these home-run hitters was the legendary Babe Ruth. He first rose to prominence with the Boston Red Sox and was traded to the New York Yankees in 1919 where he found enormous success. This of course lead to the infamous Curse of the Bambino, where the Red Sox would not win a series until 2004. Nonetheless with the new live-ball rules in tact, Babe Ruth went on to do great things for the New York Yankees.
In 1923 the New York Yankees went on to win their first World Series and many more after, thanks to their newly acquired power hitter, Babe Ruth. By the mid 1920s, Ruth's name had became synonymous with the home-run. Ticket sales reached new heights to witness his at-bats. In 1927 he set a record of 60 homeruns in a season (which would stand for nearly 30 years until it was broken by Roger Maris). By the late 1920s the Yankees had acquired other power hitters such as Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, and Bob Meusel and had become one of baseball's new dynasties. From 1920 to 1964 the Yankees played in 29 World Series and won 20 of them.
Jackie Robinson and Racial Integration
In the 1940s interest in baseball began to decline due to WWII. Many players left their teams to serve in the army. The general public had more important things on their mind then baseball. In order to keep the public's interest, owners began trying new things; such as establishing a professional women's league as well a new minor league farming system. In 1946 Brookyln Dodgers owner, Branch Rickey, took this example a step further by breaking the color barrier laws, to sign the first ever negro baseball player; Jackie Robinson.
Dating back to it's inception, there was a strict rule against allowing blacks to play in the National or American. Therefore professional negro leagues were formed. One of the most successful of these leagues was the Negro National League, formed in 1920 by Rube Foster. Yet at the end of WWII white owners such as Bill Veeck and Branch Rickey began a new iniatitive to sign black players onto their team. The idea was supported by the newly elected comissioner, Happy Chandler, who felt since blacks fought alongside whites in the war, they deserved to play baseball alongside each other. Therefore in the fall of 1945 Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Robinson had been one of the standout players in the Negro leagues for his team the Kansas City Monarchs. Following his signing to the Dodgers, he spent a year with their minor league affiliate, the Montreal Monarchs. In the spring of 1947, Robinson bravely made his debut for the Dodgers, to become the first black baseball player in the Major Leagues. He faced racism from fans and teammates alike, however kept a steady composure to hold back his emotions. He went on to flourish during his first season, and became the first ever Rookie of the Year.
Robinson was later joined by Larry Doby, who was signed to the Cleveland Indians by Bill Veeck. Both Robinson and Doby went on to excel on the field, and the world quickly realized that they could play as good as the whites. Soon after the minor leagues were gradually integrated and began feeding into the majors. At this point Latin Americans began to appear in the major leagues. Roberto Clemente, a Puerto Rican, was signed to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955. By 1959 the Boston Red Sox became the last team to sign a black player. The Negro leagues were no longer needed as the Major Leagues were now fully integrated with the best of the best.
Expansion Age
By the early 1960s, professional baseball began to find new competition from professional football and basketball leagues. Once again in order to recapture the nation's attention, they expanded their game to the west coast. In 1958 the inner city rivals of the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers were moved to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In 1961 the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota to become the Twins, while a new Washington Senators team was formed. This expansion and relocation era would steadily continue until the 1990s. By 1998 the last two teams were added to round the field at 30 total teams in the Major Leagues. The American and National divisions were also organized in 3 groups of 5 teams based on location.
Expansion teams
- Los Angeles Angels (formed in 1961)
- Washington Senators (formed in 1961) became Texas Rangers in (1972)
- Houston Colt 45s (formed in 1962) became Houston Astros in (1965)
- New York Mets (formed in 1962)
- Kansas City Royals (formed in 1969)
- Montreal Expos (formed in 1969) became Washington Nationals in (2005)
- San Diego Padres (formed in 1969)
- Seattle Pilots (formed in 1969) became Milwaukee Brewers in (1970)
- Seattle Mariners (formed in 1977)
- Toronto Blue Jays (formed in 1977)
- Colorado Rockies (formed in 1993)
- Florida Marlins (formed in 1993) became Miami Marlins in (2012)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (formed in 1998)
- Tamp Bay Devil Rays (formed in 1998) became Tampa Bay Rays in (2008)
Other changes to the league's format included; a new playoff series that lead to the World Series, a designated hitter for the American league, inter league play, wild-card series, smaller strike zone, and many other new rules. New stars and record breakers emerged such as Hank Aaron and Pete Rose. From the 1970s to the 1990s major league attendance was at record highs. All until the baseball strike of 1994. This was the first time in 100 years that there was not a world series.
Modern Years
In 1995 the MLB resumed with it's growing format. The attendance and interest continue to grow in 1998 thanks to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa's home run race. That season McGwire broke Roger Maris single season record and set the mark at 70. A few years later the record was broke again by Barry Bonds who set it at 73. In 2007 Bonds would go on to break Hank Aaron's all time home-run record. However by the early 2000s, there had been new reports of steroid usage and many of the great players of the time such as (Sosa, McGwire, Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, etc) were found guilty of using illegal strength enhancements. This has ultimately brought their performance and records into question.
However despite the recent steroid controversies, the MLB has continued to thrive to this day. It averages over 30,000 fans per game. It is currently the highest total attendance of any league in the world. And is 2nd highest in revenue only to the NFL. While the NFL has now become America's favorite sport, the MLB will always be it's first sport. It is an American pastime that has spread throughout the world, bringing players from all races and nationalities. Only the game of soccer can compare to the cultural meshing of baseball. The MLB was one of my first aspirations and will always have my attention.
MLB World Series Champs
I followed the stats and the standings in the newspapers, long before there was internet or social media. I even set a goal in my early teenage years to visit every professional stadium. So far I have been to 6 (Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field, New York Yankees Stadium, SF Giants Candlestick Park, SF Giants AT&T Park, Montreal Expos Olympic Stadium, Cincinnati Reds Riverfront Stadium)
2. San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Oakland Athletics vs San Francisco Giants ("Bay Bridge Series")
7. Chicago Cubs vs Chicago White Sox ("The Crosstown Classic")
8. New York Mets vs New York Yankees ("The Subway Series")
9. New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies 
10. Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros ("The Lonestar Series")
2. San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers
8. New York Mets vs New York Yankees ("The Subway Series")
9. New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies 
