In the past few decades throwback uniforms have become popular. The New York Knickerbockers were the first baseball team to use uniforms, taking the field on April 4, 1849, in pants made of blue wool, white flannel shirts (jerseys) and straw hats.
See respective team articles for more information. ==History== ===Founding=== In the 1860s, aided by soldiers playing the game in camp during the Civil War, "New York"-style baseball expanded into a national game and spawned baseball's first governing body, The National Association of Base Ball Players.
By 1867, more than 400 clubs were members.
The league is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. Baseball's first openly all-professional team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who were founded in 1869.
For professional baseball's founding year, MLB uses the year 1869—when the first professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was established. A schism developed between professional and amateur ballplayers after the founding of the Cincinnati club.
. The New York Times, The Complete Book of Baseball: A Scrapbook History, 1980, Bobbs Merrill. ==External links== 1869 establishments in the United States Baseball governing bodies in the United States Professional sports leagues in Canada Professional sports leagues in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1869 Sports organizations established in 1869 Multi-national professional sports leagues
There were several challenges to MLB's primacy in the sport, with notable attempts to establish competing leagues occurring during the 1870s, in 1916 with the short-lived Federal League, and in 1960 with the aborted Continental League. The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner, currently Rob Manfred.
The modern Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves franchises trace their histories back to the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in the 1870s. In 1876, the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (later known as the National League or NL) was established after the NA proved ineffective.
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, often known as the National Association (NA), was formed in 1871.
The NL and AL were formed in 1876 and 1901, respectively.
This document has undergone several incarnations since its creation in 1876.
The modern Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves franchises trace their histories back to the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in the 1870s. In 1876, the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (later known as the National League or NL) was established after the NA proved ineffective.
The first game in the NL—on Saturday, April 22, 1876 (at the Jefferson Street Grounds, Philadelphia)—is often pointed to as the beginning of MLB. The early years of the NL were tumultuous, with threats from rival leagues and a rebellion by players against the hated "reserve clause", which restricted the free movement of players between clubs.
In what was later referred to as "The Noble Experiment", Robinson was the first black baseball player in the International League since the 1880s, joining the Dodgers' farm club, the Montreal Royals, for the 1946 season. The following year, the Dodgers called up Robinson to the major leagues.
This rule was soon abandoned as impractical. In the late 1880s, the Detroit Wolverines and Washington Nationals of the National League and the Brooklyn Bridegrooms of the American Association were the first to wear striped uniforms.
Teams came and went; 1882 was the first season where the league's membership was the same as the preceding season's, and only four franchises survived to see 1900.
Under the 1882 uniform rules, players on the same team wore uniforms of different colors and patterns that indicated which position they played.
The two leagues merged in 1892 as a single 12-team NL, but the NL dropped four teams after the 1899 season.
The two leagues merged in 1892 as a single 12-team NL, but the NL dropped four teams after the 1899 season.
The Astros (known as the "Colt .45s" during their first three seasons) became the first southern major league franchise since the Louisville Colonels folded in 1899 and the first franchise to be located along the Gulf Coast.
Teams came and went; 1882 was the first season where the league's membership was the same as the preceding season's, and only four franchises survived to see 1900.
Louis club was owned by the league's president and it was the only club that was close to major-league caliber. ===Dead-ball era=== The period between 1900 and 1919 is commonly referred to as the "dead-ball era".
By 1900, both home and away uniforms were standard across the major leagues. ==Season structure== ===Spring training=== Spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season.
The NL and AL were formed in 1876 and 1901, respectively.
From 1901 to 1960, the American and National Leagues fielded eight teams apiece. In the 1960s, MLB expansion added eight teams, including the first non-U.S.
This led to the formation of the American League in 1901 under AL president Ban Johnson, and the resulting bidding war for players led to widespread contract-breaking and legal disputes. The war between the AL and NL caused shock waves throughout the baseball world.
At a meeting at the Leland Hotel in Chicago in 1901, the other baseball leagues negotiated a plan to maintain their independence.
In 1901, the NL adopted the foul strike rule, and the AL followed suit in 1903. After the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds, baseball was rocked by allegations of a game fixing scheme known as the Black Sox Scandal.
Not counting the short-lived Federal League, Montreal is the only city granted an MLB franchise since 1901 that does not currently host a team. ==Uniforms== A baseball uniform is a type of uniform worn by baseball players, and by some non-playing personnel, such as field managers and coaches.
While the NA continues to this day (known as Minor League Baseball), at the time Ban Johnson saw it as a tool to end threats from smaller rivals who might expand in other territories and threaten his league's dominance. After 1902, the NL, AL, and NA signed a new National Agreement which tied independent contracts to the reserve-clause contracts.
Beginning in 1903, the two leagues cooperated but remained legally separate entities until 2000 when they merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball.
Teams play 162 games each season and five teams in each league advance to a four-round postseason tournament that culminates in the World Series, a best-of-seven championship series between the two league champions that dates to 1903.
In 1901, the NL adopted the foul strike rule, and the AL followed suit in 1903. After the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds, baseball was rocked by allegations of a game fixing scheme known as the Black Sox Scandal.
As of 2020, there have been zero female MLB players. ===Relocation and expansion=== From 1903 to 1953, the major leagues consisted of two eight-team leagues whose 16 teams were located in ten cities, all in the northeastern and midwestern United States: New York City had three teams and Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St.
There were several challenges to MLB's primacy in the sport, with notable attempts to establish competing leagues occurring during the 1870s, in 1916 with the short-lived Federal League, and in 1960 with the aborted Continental League. The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner, currently Rob Manfred.
Professional baseball in the United States survived a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series, which came to be known as the Black Sox Scandal.
Louis club was owned by the league's president and it was the only club that was close to major-league caliber. ===Dead-ball era=== The period between 1900 and 1919 is commonly referred to as the "dead-ball era".
In 1901, the NL adopted the foul strike rule, and the AL followed suit in 1903. After the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds, baseball was rocked by allegations of a game fixing scheme known as the Black Sox Scandal.
The period before 1920 is known as the dead-ball era, during which players would rarely hit [run]s.
The sport rose in popularity in the 1920s and survived potential downturns during the Great Depression and World War II.
It operates out of studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, and also has editorial independence from the league. ==League organization== In 1920, the weak National Commission, which had been created to manage relationships between the two leagues, was replaced with the much more powerful Commissioner of Baseball, who had the power to make decisions for all of professional baseball unilaterally.
Despite being acquitted, all were permanently banned from Major League Baseball. ===Rise in popularity=== Baseball's popularity increased in the 1920s and 1930s.
The 1920 season was notable for the death of Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians.
(In 1921 use of this pitch was restricted to a few pitchers with a grandfather clause).
This is due in large part to the 1922 U.S.
New York: Villard, 1985 (with many subsequent editions). Lanigan, Ernest, Baseball Cyclopedia, 1922, originally published by Baseball Magazine. Lansch, Jerry, Glory Fades Away: The Nineteenth Century World Series Rediscovered, Taylor Publishing, 1991.
Yankees slugger Babe Ruth had set the single-season home run record in 1927, hitting 60 home runs; a few years earlier, Ruth had set the same record with 29 home runs. Affected by the difficulties of the Great Depression, baseball's popularity had begun a downward turn in the early 1930s.
Despite being acquitted, all were permanently banned from Major League Baseball. ===Rise in popularity=== Baseball's popularity increased in the 1920s and 1930s.
By the end of the 1930s, the team had appeared in 11 World Series, winning eight of them.
Yankees slugger Babe Ruth had set the single-season home run record in 1927, hitting 60 home runs; a few years earlier, Ruth had set the same record with 29 home runs. Affected by the difficulties of the Great Depression, baseball's popularity had begun a downward turn in the early 1930s.
By 1932, only two MLB teams turned a profit.
Since 2010, the DH rule has been in effect regardless of venue. The first official All-Star Game was held as part of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, and was the idea of Arch Ward, then sports editor for The Chicago Tribune.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McLain won 31 games, making him the only pitcher to win 30 games in a season since Dizzy Dean in 1934.
These rules limited traveling and night games to the point that the 1942 season nearly had to be canceled.
On January 14, 1942, MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis wrote a letter to U.S.
And that means that they ought to have a chance for recreation and for taking their minds off their work even more than before." With the approval of President Roosevelt, spring training began in 1942 with few repercussions.
Rose was the first person to receive a lifetime ban from baseball since 1943.
In what was later referred to as "The Noble Experiment", Robinson was the first black baseball player in the International League since the 1880s, joining the Dodgers' farm club, the Montreal Royals, for the 1946 season. The following year, the Dodgers called up Robinson to the major leagues.
On April 15, 1947, Robinson made his major league debut at Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623 spectators, including more than 14,000 black patrons.
In 2002, it was renamed the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award.) Beginning in 1947, the eight position players in each team's starting lineup have been voted into the game by fans.
Color is not one of them." That year, Robinson won the inaugural Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award (separate NL and AL Rookie of the Year honors were not awarded until 1949). Less than three months later, Larry Doby became the first African-American to break the color barrier in the American League with the Cleveland Indians.
Shortly after the war, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of club expansion and relocation for the AL and NL.
After a half-century of stability, starting in the 1950s, teams began to move out of cities with multiple teams into cities that hadn't had them before.
Dutton & Company, 1951. Cohen, Richard M., Neft, David, Johnson, Roland T., Deutsch, Jordan A., The World Series, 1976, Dial Press. Deutsch, Jordan A., Cohen, Richard M., Neft, David, Johnson, Roland T., The Scrapbook History of Baseball, Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1975. King, Corretta.
C., The Official Encyclopedia of Baseball, 1951, A.S.
Satchel Paige was signed by the Indians and the Dodgers added star catcher Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe, who was later the first winner of the Cy Young Award for his outstanding pitching. ===Women in baseball=== MLB banned the signing of women to contracts in 1952, but that ban was lifted in 1992.
As of 2020, there have been zero female MLB players. ===Relocation and expansion=== From 1903 to 1953, the major leagues consisted of two eight-team leagues whose 16 teams were located in ten cities, all in the northeastern and midwestern United States: New York City had three teams and Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St.
In three consecutive years from 1953 to 1955, three teams moved to new cities: the Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves, the St.
In three consecutive years from 1953 to 1955, three teams moved to new cities: the Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves, the St.
Stoneham was considering moving the Giants to Minnesota, but he was convinced to join O'Malley on the West Coast at the end of 1957.
The fan voting was discontinued after a 1957 ballot-box-stuffing scandal in Cincinnati: seven of the eight slots originally went to Reds players, two of whom were subsequently removed from the lineup to make room for Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.
Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles, and the Philadelphia Athletics became the Kansas City Athletics. The 1958 Major League Baseball season was perhaps the pivotal season in making Major League Baseball a nation-wide league.
From 1959 to 1962, two games were held each season, one was held in July and one was held in August.
Shortly after the war, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of club expansion and relocation for the AL and NL.
There were several challenges to MLB's primacy in the sport, with notable attempts to establish competing leagues occurring during the 1870s, in 1916 with the short-lived Federal League, and in 1960 with the aborted Continental League. The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner, currently Rob Manfred.
From 1901 to 1960, the American and National Leagues fielded eight teams apiece. In the 1960s, MLB expansion added eight teams, including the first non-U.S.
The Mets established a reputation for futility by going 40–120 during their first season of play in the nation's media capital—and by playing only a little better in subsequent campaigns—but in their eighth season (1969) the Mets became the first of the 1960s expansion teams to play in the postseason, culminating in a World Series title over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles. In 1966, the major leagues moved to the "Deep South" when the Braves moved to Atlanta.
Subsequently, no new teams were added until the 1990s and no teams moved until 2005. ===Pitching dominance and rule changes=== By the late 1960s, the balance between pitching and hitting had swung in favor of the pitchers.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1960.
The Dodgers set a single-game MLB attendance record in their first home appearance with 78,672 fans. In 1961, the first Washington Senators franchise moved to Minneapolis–St.
The games, which were the first regular-season MLB games held in Europe, were played on June 29–30 at London Stadium with the Yankees winning both games. Together with the World Baseball Softball Confederation, MLB sponsors the World Baseball Classic, an international baseball tournament contested by national teams. ==Steroids in baseball== In 1998, both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa hit more [run]s than the record of 61 set by Yankees right fielder Roger Maris in 1961.
The NL added the Houston Astros and the New York Mets in 1962.
From 1959 to 1962, two games were held each season, one was held in July and one was held in August.
Ward's contribution was recognized by Major League Baseball in 1962 with the creation of the "Arch Ward Trophy", given to the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player each year.
After Willie Mays hit 52 home runs in 1965, only one player (George Foster) reached that mark until the 1990s. ===Scandals and a changing game=== During the 1980s, baseball experienced a number of significant changes the game had not seen in years.
The Mets established a reputation for futility by going 40–120 during their first season of play in the nation's media capital—and by playing only a little better in subsequent campaigns—but in their eighth season (1969) the Mets became the first of the 1960s expansion teams to play in the postseason, culminating in a World Series title over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles. In 1966, the major leagues moved to the "Deep South" when the Braves moved to Atlanta.
New York: MacMillan, 1966.
In 1968, the Kansas City Athletics moved west to become the Oakland Athletics.
In 1968—later nicknamed "the year of the pitcher"—Boston Red Sox player Carl Yastrzemski won the American League batting title with an average of just .301, the lowest in the history of Major League Baseball.
From 1969 through 1993, each league consisted of an East and West Division.
In 1969, the American and National Leagues both added two expansion franchises.
New stadiums and artificial turf surfaces began to change the game in the 1970s and 1980s.
Two teams (the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays) were also added in the 1970s.
(In 1970, it was renamed the Commissioner's Trophy, until 1985, when the name change was reversed.
Fan voting was reinstated in 1970 and has continued ever since, including Internet voting in recent years. The 2002 contest in Milwaukee controversially ended in an 11-inning tie when both managers ran out of pitchers.
World Publishing Company, 1970. Buchanan, Lamont, The World Series and Highlights of Baseball, E.
The NL added the first Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos, as well as the San Diego Padres. In 1972, the second Washington Senators moved to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex to become the Texas Rangers.
Dutton & Company, 1951. Cohen, Richard M., Neft, David, Johnson, Roland T., Deutsch, Jordan A., The World Series, 1976, Dial Press. Deutsch, Jordan A., Cohen, Richard M., Neft, David, Johnson, Roland T., The Scrapbook History of Baseball, Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1975. King, Corretta.
Dutton & Company, 1951. Cohen, Richard M., Neft, David, Johnson, Roland T., Deutsch, Jordan A., The World Series, 1976, Dial Press. Deutsch, Jordan A., Cohen, Richard M., Neft, David, Johnson, Roland T., The Scrapbook History of Baseball, Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1975. King, Corretta.
In 1977, baseball expanded again, adding a second Canadian team, the Toronto Blue Jays, as well as the Seattle Mariners.
New stadiums and artificial turf surfaces began to change the game in the 1970s and 1980s.
After Willie Mays hit 52 home runs in 1965, only one player (George Foster) reached that mark until the 1990s. ===Scandals and a changing game=== During the 1980s, baseball experienced a number of significant changes the game had not seen in years.
The Astros were fined the maximum allowable $5 million and forfeited their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. ===Steroid era, further expansion and near contraction=== Routinely in the late 1990s and early 2000s, baseball players hit 40 or 50 home runs in a season, a feat that was considered rare even in the 1980s.
. The New York Times, The Complete Book of Baseball: A Scrapbook History, 1980, Bobbs Merrill. ==External links== 1869 establishments in the United States Baseball governing bodies in the United States Professional sports leagues in Canada Professional sports leagues in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1869 Sports organizations established in 1869 Multi-national professional sports leagues
Teams instead focused on building their rosters around speed and defense. The 1981 Major League Baseball strike from June 12 until July 31 forced the cancellation of 713 total games and resulted in a split-season format. In 1985, Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, and in 1989 Rose received a lifetime ban from baseball as a result of betting on baseball games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
Revised edition, New York: William Morrow, 1984. Ross, Brian.
Teams instead focused on building their rosters around speed and defense. The 1981 Major League Baseball strike from June 12 until July 31 forced the cancellation of 713 total games and resulted in a split-season format. In 1985, Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, and in 1989 Rose received a lifetime ban from baseball as a result of betting on baseball games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
(In 1970, it was renamed the Commissioner's Trophy, until 1985, when the name change was reversed.
New York: Villard, 1985 (with many subsequent editions). Lanigan, Ernest, Baseball Cyclopedia, 1922, originally published by Baseball Magazine. Lansch, Jerry, Glory Fades Away: The Nineteenth Century World Series Rediscovered, Taylor Publishing, 1991.
National League home games use the traditional rules with each team's pitchers batting. ==International play== Since 1986 an All-Star team from MLB is sent to a biennial end-of-the-season tour of Japan, dubbed as MLB Japan All-Star Series, playing exhibition games in a best-of format against the All-Stars from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) or recently as of 2014 their national team Samurai Japan. In 2008, MLB played the MLB China Series in the People's Republic of China.
New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. James, Bill.
Teams instead focused on building their rosters around speed and defense. The 1981 Major League Baseball strike from June 12 until July 31 forced the cancellation of 713 total games and resulted in a split-season format. In 1985, Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, and in 1989 Rose received a lifetime ban from baseball as a result of betting on baseball games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
The designated-hitter rule was used in the All-Star Game for the first time in 1989.
Home runs dominated the game during the 1990s, and media reports began to discuss the use of anabolic steroids among MLB players in the mid-2000s.
Subsequently, no new teams were added until the 1990s and no teams moved until 2005. ===Pitching dominance and rule changes=== By the late 1960s, the balance between pitching and hitting had swung in favor of the pitchers.
After Willie Mays hit 52 home runs in 1965, only one player (George Foster) reached that mark until the 1990s. ===Scandals and a changing game=== During the 1980s, baseball experienced a number of significant changes the game had not seen in years.
The Astros were fined the maximum allowable $5 million and forfeited their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. ===Steroid era, further expansion and near contraction=== Routinely in the late 1990s and early 2000s, baseball players hit 40 or 50 home runs in a season, a feat that was considered rare even in the 1980s.
New York: Villard, 1985 (with many subsequent editions). Lanigan, Ernest, Baseball Cyclopedia, 1922, originally published by Baseball Magazine. Lansch, Jerry, Glory Fades Away: The Nineteenth Century World Series Rediscovered, Taylor Publishing, 1991.
Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century: The Official Major League Baseball Guide, 1991. Ritter, Lawrence.
Satchel Paige was signed by the Indians and the Dodgers added star catcher Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe, who was later the first winner of the Cy Young Award for his outstanding pitching. ===Women in baseball=== MLB banned the signing of women to contracts in 1952, but that ban was lifted in 1992.
From 1969 through 1993, each league consisted of an East and West Division.
In 1993, the National League expanded with two teams, the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies, to even up the number of teams in both leagues.
It has since become apparent that at least some of this power surge was a result of players using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. In 1993, the NL added the Florida Marlins in the Miami area and the Colorado Rockies in Denver.
A third division, the Central Division, was formed in each league in 1994.
Regular-season interleague play was introduced in 1997. In March 1995, two new franchises, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now known as the Tampa Bay Rays), were awarded by MLB, which began play in 1998.
Until 1996, the two leagues met on the field only during the World Series and the All-Star Game.
Regular-season interleague play was introduced in 1997. In March 1995, two new franchises, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now known as the Tampa Bay Rays), were awarded by MLB, which began play in 1998.
In early 1997, MLB decided to assign one new team to each league: Tampa Bay joined the AL and Arizona joined the NL.
The Milwaukee Brewers agreed in November 1997 to move from the AL to the NL, thereby making the NL a 16-team league.
The channel covered baseball beginning on its opening night in 1997, but for financial reasons, the decision was made not to pick up MLB for the 2009 season.
Regular-season interleague play was introduced in 1997. In March 1995, two new franchises, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now known as the Tampa Bay Rays), were awarded by MLB, which began play in 1998.
However, it was unclear at the time if the interleague play would continue after the 1998 season, as it had to be approved by the players' union.
In 1998, the Brewers switched leagues by joining the National League, and two new teams were added: the NL's Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix and the American League's Tampa Bay Devil Rays in St.
The games, which were the first regular-season MLB games held in Europe, were played on June 29–30 at London Stadium with the Yankees winning both games. Together with the World Baseball Softball Confederation, MLB sponsors the World Baseball Classic, an international baseball tournament contested by national teams. ==Steroids in baseball== In 1998, both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa hit more [run]s than the record of 61 set by Yankees right fielder Roger Maris in 1961.
McGwire later admitted that he used a steroid hormone that was still legal in baseball during the 1998 season.
Beginning in 1903, the two leagues cooperated but remained legally separate entities until 2000 when they merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball.
Interleague play is now held throughout the season. In 2000, the AL and NL were dissolved as legal entities, and MLB became a single, overall league de jure, similar to the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL)—albeit with two components called "leagues" instead of "conferences".
The Astros were fined the maximum allowable $5 million and forfeited their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. ===Steroid era, further expansion and near contraction=== Routinely in the late 1990s and early 2000s, baseball players hit 40 or 50 home runs in a season, a feat that was considered rare even in the 1980s.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Petersburg, Florida. After the 2001 season, the team owners voted in favor of contraction.
Barry Bonds topped the record in 2001 with 73 home runs.
Plans for MLB contraction were halted when the Twins landlord was awarded a court injunction that required the team to play its 2002 home games at their stadium.
In 2002, it was renamed the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award.) Beginning in 1947, the eight position players in each team's starting lineup have been voted into the game by fans.
Fan voting was reinstated in 1970 and has continued ever since, including Internet voting in recent years. The 2002 contest in Milwaukee controversially ended in an 11-inning tie when both managers ran out of pitchers.
Baseball's original steroid testing policy, in effect from 2002 to 2005, provided for penalties ranging from a ten-game suspension for a first positive test to a one-year suspension for a fourth positive test.
In response, starting in 2003 the league which wins the All-Star game received home-field advantage in the World Series: the league champion hosted the first two games at its own ballpark as well as the last two (if necessary).
The National League did not win an All-Star game and thus gain a home-field advantage until 2010; it was able to overcome this disadvantage and win in three of the seven World Series from 2003 to 2009.
Congress made negative comments about both the effectiveness and honesty of MLB's drug policies and Commissioner Selig. The day before the Mitchell Report was to be released in 2007, Selig said, "I haven't seen the report yet, but I'm proud I did it." The report said that after mandatory random testing began in 2004, HGH treatment for athletic enhancement became popular among players, as HGH is not detectable in tests.
Subsequently, no new teams were added until the 1990s and no teams moved until 2005. ===Pitching dominance and rule changes=== By the late 1960s, the balance between pitching and hitting had swung in favor of the pitchers.
MLB owners agreed to hold off on reducing the league's size until at least 2006. The Montreal Expos became the first franchise in over three decades to move when they became the Washington Nationals in 2005.
Baseball's original steroid testing policy, in effect from 2002 to 2005, provided for penalties ranging from a ten-game suspension for a first positive test to a one-year suspension for a fourth positive test.
Minor League News, April 6, 2005.
In 2006, an investigation produced the Mitchell Report, which implicated many players in the use of performance-enhancing substances, including at least one player from each team. Today, MLB is composed of 30 teams: 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.
MLB owners agreed to hold off on reducing the league's size until at least 2006. The Montreal Expos became the first franchise in over three decades to move when they became the Washington Nationals in 2005.
Players were tested at least once per year, with the chance that several players could be tested many times per year. A 2006 book, Game of Shadows by San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, chronicled alleged extensive use of performance enhancers, including several types of steroids and growth hormone by baseball superstars Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, and Jason Giambi.
Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell was appointed by Selig on March 30, 2006 to investigate the use of performance-enhancing drugs in MLB.
Congress made negative comments about both the effectiveness and honesty of MLB's drug policies and Commissioner Selig. The day before the Mitchell Report was to be released in 2007, Selig said, "I haven't seen the report yet, but I'm proud I did it." The report said that after mandatory random testing began in 2004, HGH treatment for athletic enhancement became popular among players, as HGH is not detectable in tests.
In 2007, TBS began its exclusive rights to any tiebreaker games that determine division or wild card champions; However, in 2018, the two tiebreaker games were broadcast on ESPN.
New York: Smithsonian Books, 2007.
National League home games use the traditional rules with each team's pitchers batting. ==International play== Since 1986 an All-Star team from MLB is sent to a biennial end-of-the-season tour of Japan, dubbed as MLB Japan All-Star Series, playing exhibition games in a best-of format against the All-Stars from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) or recently as of 2014 their national team Samurai Japan. In 2008, MLB played the MLB China Series in the People's Republic of China.
Since 2008, Fox Sports has broadcast MLB games on Fox Saturday Baseball throughout the entire season; Fox previously only broadcast games from May to September.
The National League did not win an All-Star game and thus gain a home-field advantage until 2010; it was able to overcome this disadvantage and win in three of the seven World Series from 2003 to 2009.
In 2009, allegations surfaced against Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for banned substances.
TBS carries the League Championship Series that are not included under Fox's television agreement; TBS shows the NLCS in odd-numbered years and the ALCS in even-numbered years. In January 2009, MLB launched the MLB Network, featuring news and coverage from around the league, and airing 26 live games in the 2009 season.
The channel covered baseball beginning on its opening night in 1997, but for financial reasons, the decision was made not to pick up MLB for the 2009 season.
Since 2010, the DH rule has been in effect regardless of venue. The first official All-Star Game was held as part of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, and was the idea of Arch Ward, then sports editor for The Chicago Tribune.
The National League did not win an All-Star game and thus gain a home-field advantage until 2010; it was able to overcome this disadvantage and win in three of the seven World Series from 2003 to 2009.
The games were an effort to popularize baseball in China. MLB played the MLB Taiwan All-Star Series in Taiwan in November 2011.
At the end of the 2011 season, it was announced that the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics would play their season openers in Japan.
In early April 2011, Ramirez retired from baseball rather than face a 100-game suspension for his second positive steroid test.
In April 2011, TSN2 began carrying ESPN Sunday Night Baseball in Canada. ===Blackout policy=== MLB has several blackout rules.
He would later unretire, having the suspension dropped to 50 games, and would serve those in 2012. ==Media coverage== ===Television=== Several networks televise baseball games, including Fox, ESPN, and MLB Network.
Later, when the Houston Astros changed ownership prior to the 2013 season, the team moved from the NL Central to the AL West, resulting in both leagues having three divisions of five teams each and allowing all teams to have a more balanced schedule.
Before 2013, interleague play was structured differently: there would be one weekend in mid-May and another period consisting typically of the last two-thirds of June in which all teams played interleague games (save for two NL teams each day), and no interleague games were scheduled outside those dates.
(Before 2013, season-long interleague play was not necessary, because each league had an even number of teams.
In 2013, the Houston Astros moved to the American League, so that each league would have 15 teams.) Over the course of a season, teams compete for the five playoff berths in their respective leagues.
In October 2013, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune wrote that MLB was considering postseason all-star tours in Taiwan and Korea; baseball is increasing in popularity in both countries. The Arizona Diamondbacks opened the 2014 season against Los Angeles Dodgers on March 22–23 in Australia.
Mitchell acknowledged that his "tight relationship with Major League Baseball left him open to criticism", but he said that readers who examine the report closely "will not find any evidence of bias, of special treatment of the Red Sox". On January 10, 2013, MLB and the players union reached an agreement to add random, in-season HGH testing.
They also agreed to implement a new test to reveal the use of testosterone for the 2013 season.
ESPN continues to broadcast MLB games through 2013 as well, beginning with national Opening Day coverage.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Bouton, Jim.
National League home games use the traditional rules with each team's pitchers batting. ==International play== Since 1986 an All-Star team from MLB is sent to a biennial end-of-the-season tour of Japan, dubbed as MLB Japan All-Star Series, playing exhibition games in a best-of format against the All-Stars from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) or recently as of 2014 their national team Samurai Japan. In 2008, MLB played the MLB China Series in the People's Republic of China.
In October 2013, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune wrote that MLB was considering postseason all-star tours in Taiwan and Korea; baseball is increasing in popularity in both countries. The Arizona Diamondbacks opened the 2014 season against Los Angeles Dodgers on March 22–23 in Australia.
Eight players—Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, Claude "Lefty" Williams, George "Buck" Weaver, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, Fred McMullin, Charles "Swede" Risberg, and Oscar "Happy" Felsch—intentionally lost the World Series in exchange for a ring worth $100,000 ($1,064,705.88 in 2016 dollars).
This was discontinued after the 2016 season. MLB All-Stars from both leagues have worn uniforms from their respective teams at the game with one exception.
MLB has the highest total season attendance of any sports league in the world with more than 69.6 million spectators in 2018. MLB also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises lower-tier teams affiliated with the major league clubs.
In 2007, TBS began its exclusive rights to any tiebreaker games that determine division or wild card champions; However, in 2018, the two tiebreaker games were broadcast on ESPN.
The games counted as home games for the Diamondbacks, so they played 79 home games at Chase Field. In 2019, the Red Sox were the home team in a regular-season two-game series against the Yankees.
As of 2020, there have been zero female MLB players. ===Relocation and expansion=== From 1903 to 1953, the major leagues consisted of two eight-team leagues whose 16 teams were located in ten cities, all in the northeastern and midwestern United States: New York City had three teams and Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St.
The Astros were found guilty in January 2020 and while no active players faced any repercussions, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager A.
Hinch were suspended for the entire 2020 season.
The Astros were fined the maximum allowable $5 million and forfeited their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. ===Steroid era, further expansion and near contraction=== Routinely in the late 1990s and early 2000s, baseball players hit 40 or 50 home runs in a season, a feat that was considered rare even in the 1980s.
The Astros were fined the maximum allowable $5 million and forfeited their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. ===Steroid era, further expansion and near contraction=== Routinely in the late 1990s and early 2000s, baseball players hit 40 or 50 home runs in a season, a feat that was considered rare even in the 1980s.
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