The History of Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball has many distinct features. It is the oldest professional sports league in the world, which means it has gone through many changes. With this collection of articles, I plan on going over each aspect of baseball, and the history behind it. So far, I have written about Teams, Stadiums, Special Games, and Trading Cards, along with more to come. Let’s dive in to the In Depth History of Baseball.

Teams

Major League Baseball is in the midst of their 156th season right now, and throughout the last century and a half, there have been numerous teams across the nation. Right now, I am going to go over the history of how they have risen and fallen.

The Beginning of Pro Baseball

Our story starts in 1869, when the Cincinnati Base Ball Club was formed as a professional baseball team. They were known as the Red Stockings, and they became the first ever professional baseball organization. They would play the Great Westerns of Cincinnati on May 4th, 1869, marking the first ever professional baseball game between two teams, with the Stockings winning 45-9 (Yes, seriously).

However, they are not the first team to join MLB. That distinction goes to the Boston Red Stocking, who are known today as the Atlanta Braves. They would be founded in 1871, along with nine other teams. The Chicago White Stockings were one of them, and today, they go by the Cubs. They are the oldest team in MLB history to never move to a new city. In that inaugural 1871 season, the Philadelphia Athletics (Not the same Athletics that are in Sacramento today) would be crowned champs, going 21-7. In these first years of professional baseball, seasons were far shorter, did not play the same amount of games, and even had two games end in a tie.

New Teams Being Added

The Red Stockings, who actually now go by just the Reds, were one of six teams to join the league in 1882. Three of those teams still exist in 2025: The aforementioned Red Stockings, the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (Now the Pirates), and the St Louis Brown Stockings (Now the Cardinals. You’ll notice that multiple teams would just be named after the color of their stockings. Around this time, teams were so informal that their socks were some of their biggest forms of distinction. Fun fact, it's also how the Arizona Cardinals got their name, by the Cardinal Red of their jerseys, but I’m getting off topic. By the 1890s, the Philadelphia Quackers (Phillies), New York Gothams (San Francisco Giants) , and the Brooklyn Atlantics (Los Angeles Dodgers).

The Merger

In 1892, the American Association of Baseball and the National League would merge into one league. It would remain steady until the turn of the century, when it would add in the American League to be a direct competitor of the National League, setting the stage for the future of the sport. With the addition of the AL, seven teams would be added that would stick around more than a century: The Boston Americans (Boston Red Sox), the Chicago White Stockings (Now just the White Sox), Cleveland (Who have since added the Guardians name), the Detroit Tigers, the Milwaukee Brewers (Now the Baltimore Orioles), the Washington Senators (Who are now the Minnesota Twins), and finally the resurgence of the Philadelphia Athletics, who have since set out westward to California. In 1903, the Baltimore Orioles (An independent minor league team) would be instated into the league as the New York Highlanders, changing their name to the Yankees in 1914, and becoming the most storied MLB team in the last 100 years.

Early 1900s

After the Yankees, no teams were added to the league until 1961. Between then, teams were moving around and changing their names a lot. In case you didn’t notice, the first teams were all clumped up together around the north-east of the United States, since ways of travel were far more limited. The Athletics would be the first team to move west in 1955, when aviation became an option for teams. They moved to Kansas City, and stayed there for a few years before moving out to Oakland, California. However, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved to Cali only three years after the A’s moved for the first time. The Dodgers took Los Angeles, the Giants went north to San Francisco. And in 1961, the first team to be founded on the western side of the nation would be made in the Los Angeles Angels.

Late 1900s

Another team was founded in ‘61 as well, being the Texas Rangers. The Rangers began as the Washington Senators, which had already been a team. However, the previous Senators had moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to become the Twins, so DC was left teamless. The new Senators would play in the Nations Capitol until 1972, when they moved to Arlington, Texas.

The next season, two more teams would be rewarded. This time, to New York and Houston. The Houston franchise would go by the Colt .45s for their first few years, before switching over to the Astros, in honor of the city’s advances in astronomy. The team in New York, the Mets, would be unique with their branding. They would take on an Orange and Blue color scheme, in honor of the rivalry that had left the city a few years back, the Dodgers and Giants.

In 1969, the centennial of the first pro baseball team, four teams would be introduced to the league: The Kansas City Royals, the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Pilots, and the Montreal Expos. The Seattle Pilots would quickly move to Milwaukee and take the Brewers name. The Expos would be the first team in the league’s history to be based internationally. However, in 2004, they would play their last game as the Expos, as they would move to Washington DC and go by the Nationals, finally giving DC a permanent MLB team. Seattle would not get a new team until 1977, when the Mariners were established. They would join the league alongside the Toronto Blue Jays, who are the only team remaining in Canada. This round of team additions would also be the first time that teams added have never changed their identity. Both the Mariners and the Blue Jays would never alter their identity permanently.

After 1969, there would be no more additions to the league until the 90s, when four teams would join the league. The Florida Marlins, who now go by Miami, the Colorado Rockies, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who have dropped the Devil, and the Arizona Diamondbacks brought the league up to thirty teams. Fifteen teams per league, three divisions with five teams in each. That is how the league has been divided since the 1998 expansion. Recently, there have been rumors about additions to the league, but nothing has been made official. Some of the cities that have been thrown out have been Portland, Nashville, Orlando, Charlotte, or the revival of a team in Oakland or Montreal. However, as of right now, that's how the league stands.

Stadiums

Baseball stadiums are some of the most well known attractions in the nation. However, where did they get their inspiration from? And what was the first stadium? Let’s look into it

The Beginning of Ballparks

The oldest record of a baseball game being played in a stadium is in Hoboken, New Jersey. The residents of the city call the stadium the “Birthplace of Baseball”. Elysian Field was built in the early 1800s as a simple recreational park, but it would be home to the first professional baseball games. In 1876, A stadium would be built in New York, which would be one of most notorious stadiums of all time to continuously host professional baseball: The Polo Grounds. It would be abandoned in 1963, and demolished a year later. Demolition will be the most common outcome of many stadiums.

Some of the classic stadiums of the league would be built and used in the early 1900s, including Forbes Field and Ebbets Field. Ebbets would be demolished in 1960, and Forbes would follow suit in 1971. However, in 1912, a stadium in Boston would be built, and it would stand the test of time: Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox are the inhabitants of the park, as they have made renovations many times to make sure the oldest MLB stadium stays in use. However, two years later, the Chicago Cubs would move into the stadium now known as the Friendly Confines: Wrigley Field. Wrigley, recently announced to be the host of the 2026 All Star Festivities, is well known for its classic feel, with its most unique attribute being the ivy covering the outfield wall.

Better & More Advanced

For the next 50 years, there would not be any stadiums built to see today. Stadiums like Tigers Stadium, Sportsmans Park, Shibe Park, and Yankees Stadium would all be built, but none are still in use to this day. The third oldest stadium in the league was actually moved into in 1961: Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers after their move across the nation. Two other stadiums would be built in that decade that would see the 2020s. Angels Stadium has been the home of the Angels since 1966, and it’s the 4th oldest stadium. The Oakland Coliseum was moved into in 1968, however it was abandoned after the 2024 season by the Athletics, who are preparing to move to Las Vegas.

Between the 1970s and the 1980s, many stadiums would be in use, but only two would be built to survive. The Royals moved into Kauffman Stadium in 1973, however they have recently begun looking into moving into a more modern stadium. The Toronto Blue Jays moved into the Rogers Centre in 1989, and it has some of the most unique features. Of course, it’s the only stadium used for Major League games outside of the united states, but it also has a literal hotel in deep center field, where fans can get a birdseye view of the game.

Modern Day

The 1990s would be the decade of the stadiums. Seven different teams are in their stadium that they built in this decade. The most well known one is Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Orioles. It is widely regarded as the Stadium that Forever Changed Baseball. The first ‘Retro Classic’ stadium, with many original features now widespread across the league. Besides Camden Yards, the other six stadiums are Rate Field in South Chicago, Progressive Field in Cleveland, Coors Field in Denver, T-Mobile Park in Seattle, and Tropicana Field and Chase Field, built for the expansion Devil Rays and Diamondbacks.

In the 2000s, more than half of the teams moved into new stadiums. I am not going to go over them all, just the most influential ones.

Three teams found new homes in y2k, with one of them now being widely considered the best stadium in the league: Oracle Park in San Francisco. The bayside park attracts fans from across the nation. The Pittsburgh Pirates would move from Three River Stadium to PNC Park the next season, which is another highly regarded ballpark. Two teams would get new homes in 2004, those being the Padres with Petco Park, and the Phillies, who set up shop at Citizens Bank Park. 2009 would see New York upgrade both of its stadiums, with the Mets moving into Citi Field from Shea Stadium, and the Yankees would build a new stadium right nextdoor from Yankees Stadium named, conveniently, Yankees Stadium, although people will typically refer to the original stadium as Old Yankees Stadium. Old Yankees Stadium is also the venue that hosted an MLB team for the longest time that is not in use anymore.

Only 4 teams have new venues since the Yankees and the Mets, with the most recent being the Texas Rangers moving into their new stadium next door, moving from Globe Life Park to Globe Life Field. However, two teams in 2025 are playing in different stadiums than last year. The previously mentioned Athletics are playing in a minor league park for the next few seasons until their new home in Vegas is ready for baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium was damaged this offseason by Hurricane Milton, resulting in the destruction of their stadium’s roof. They are playing their home games, at least for this season, in the Yankees Spring Training facility, George M. Steinbrenner Park. However, over the last few seasons, the Rays have brought up ideas for relocation anyway, so it’s not certain as to if they will even move back into Tropicana Field.

So there it is! The brief history of MLB Parks. Of course, teams will continue to move for years and years to come, so this will very quickly become inaccurate. However, for the time being, this is how the league is laid out.

Seasons

When it comes to baseball, there is a lot more outside of just the 162 game regular season from March to October. Throughout the decades, MLB has had games pre-season, post-season, and mid-season. Let’s look into them.

Pre-Season

Spring Training, the MLB’s form of a pre-season, takes place in either Arizona or Florida, depending on where the team is located. Fifteen teams go to each state. However, when the Chicago White Stockings and Cincinnati Red Stockings were getting ready for the season in 1870, they were playing in New Orleans. This is the first record of games between two clubs being played pre-season in the south. However, many believe the Washington Capitals of the National League were the first to have organized spring practice in the south, as they held a four-day camp in Jacksonville in 1888. By the 1900s, most teams were doing something like this, often playing local teams, such as collegiate or independent league teams. In 1910, it would be made official, as the Grapefruit League would be established in Florida. Teams did not always go to Florida, however. Many would go west, and become barnstorming teams on their way home.

However, it was around the 1950s that teams truly saw the economic potential of having organized spring games, so they all started going south before the season began. Today, spring training is far more relaxed than the regular season. For example, ties are allowed. Also, teams will use this time to let some prospects join the club, and they will get to play alongside, and against, Major League Stars. MLB also experimented with Spring Training. Last Year, they introduced Spring Breakout, where each team will assemble a full squad of just prospects, and they will face off against other teams. The most recent addition was the ABS, or Automatic Ball-Strike System, where machines will determine if pitches are strikes or not, and teams can challenge the call. MLB has stated that this system could be made mainstream as early as 2026.

Mid-Season

In July of 1933, MLB broke ground. In Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the best players from the American League and the National League would face off in an exhibition game. Stats would not be counted, and wins would not be rewarded. The All-Star Game. The first of its kind in not just baseball, but across the United States. Every season since, a different stadium has hosted it. The New York City metropolitan has hosted the most, with nine (Four to the Yankees, Two to the Mets and Giants, and One to the Dodgers), with Citi Field being the most recent in 2013.The American League has the upper hand over the NL all time, being 48-44-2. The two ties came in 1961 and 2002. In 1961, the game ended due to rain, and in 2002, the 11-inning game dragged on so long that each team ran out of pitchers.

In addition to the All Star Game, that week is filled with other special events, dubbed the All-Star Week. The second-most notable being the Home Run Derby, which consists of eight of the best power hitters from across the league being selected to face off against one another. The rules have varied multiple times since the first one in 1985, however the concept hasn’t. Along with the Home Run Derby, there is the Futures Game, where the best-of-the-best prospects get to travel out to the host stadium to play against each other. The final on-field event during All-Star-Week is the Celebrity Softball Game, which has a lot of influencers, actors, singers, comedians, and even former players, competing in a fun game. But the final event to take place during the week is the MLB First Year Player Draft. The first 18 selections are randomized amongst the teams who did not reach the playoffs. This season, the Nationals will be selecting first overall. It spans two days, with the first two rounds on Day 1, and the last 17 rounds the day after.

Throughout the season, MLB will include fun games outside of the normal 30 stadiums. For example, MLB has hosted many international games, including Seoul, London, and Mexico City. Additionally, there have been games in Rickwood Field, A recreation of the Field of Dreams, and there are plans to play in Bristol Motor Speedway and a recreation of the Polo Grounds.

Post-Season

Now onto the big games. The best teams of the league will face off until one is crowned champion. In each league, the team with the best record in each division will get an automatic spot in the playoffs, with the two with the best records getting an automatic pass into the quarter finals, or the Division Series (DS). The third team will be the highest seed in the Wild Card, along with three other teams with the best records getting in. The Wild Card is a best out-of-three, the Division Series is out-of-five, and the Semifinals (Championship Series [CS]) and World Series are out-of-seven. The highest seed gets home-field advantage for the first two games of each series (Besides the Wild Card, where the higher seed gets to host each game).

That’s all I’ve got on the Unique games played before, during, and after the season! Onto Trading Cards!

Cards

When you think of sports collections, some may think of hats, perhaps photos or pins. However, sports cards are one of the oldest collectables in sports history, bringing in millions upon millions of dollars for leagues. However, how far back can they be traced? Let's look at baseball cards, one of the first forms of sports cards.

The Original Cards

The history of baseball cards can be traced back 150 years. The first known baseball “card” is dated to 1865, when the Brooklyn Atlantics gave out team cards, known as “carte de visite”, to fans as souvenirs. Four years later, Peck & Snyder would produce team cards of the Cincinnati Red Stockings. However, these cards were simply made to advertise the New York-based company.

However, it was before the Civil War that the Goodwin Tobacco Company would be founded, and they would be credited with creating the first baseball card set in 1886, named the Old Judge baseball cards. These cards would also hold the honor of showing singular players on each card for the first time. These cards go for a lot of money, and finding one in any good condition is extremely rare.

Companies Emerging

Today, the top companies for baseball cards are Topps and Panini. However, at the turn of the 20th century, these tobacco companies were the big card dealers. It would not be until 1938 that Topps would join the Card business. However, they were not able to begin in time for some of the earliest legends, like Christy Mathewson or Honus Wagner. Wagner currently has one of the most praised cards of all time, as in 1909, his T206 card would be printed. Only around 60 are known to exist today. The company Goudey would be printing as well around this time, and they have the honor of printing cards during the legendary careers of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio

In the 1940s, Leaf would be the top company, as their cards of rookie Stan Musial and rookie Jackie Robinson are some of the most elite cards to own. However, it was in 1950 that the Topps Chewing Gum company would print cards for the first time. Their 1952 set is the one to hold the holy grail of cards: The Mickey Mantle card. Highly regarded as his rookie card, however he had a card in the 1951 set for Topps and Bowman. The 50s would be home to many famous cards printed by Topps, including ‘54 Hank Aaron, ‘55 Roberto Clemente, and ‘59 Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax.

Innovating

Throughout the remainder of the 1900s, there would be many different variations of baseball cards, as companies would try and innovate. In the 80s, glossy cards would begin production. Players getting their first professional card would begin getting the ‘Rated Rookie’ title on their Donruss cards. Donruss would make history again in 1991, when they released the first ever numbered cards. Eight cards that were given a serial number out of 10,000. Today, ‘numbered’ cards are higher than the year the card is produced (in 2025, Topps makes certain cards numbered /2025). A year earlier in 1990, Upper Deck would put autographed cards of Reggie Jackson in random packs, marking the first time autographed cards were pre-signed in packs. Upper Deck would innovate again in 1996, when they created Jersey Cards. These cards would encase a piece of the specific player’s uniform as a relic. Then, one year later, Flair Showcase would produce certain cards with a purple parallel, which would only be printed once per player. These “Masterpiece” cards would mark the first ever One-of-One cards.

Today, cards are sought after across the world, as they will hold autographs of hall-of-famers, pieces of the game outside of the jersey, and more. Lately, cards have innovated once again, as Leaf has created cards with “cut autos”, with autographs cut out of other documents of deceased people, including John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, and other legends of the sport. The card business will continue to innovate and thrive for as long as it survives, so we are just getting started.

So there you have it! The first points in the History of Baseball! If you have any more suggestions for what I write next, be sure to shoot me an email (oriolephanatic@gmail.com), or message me on Instagram. Thanks for reading!