History Of The Mlb

By Author: Reynaldo Paige
Total Articles: 7
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For well over a century, Major League Baseball has been an important aspect of American culture. The sport of baseball originated from the English game of rounders and was tweaked and added to until it became the beautiful game we have today. Its popularity grew rapidly, and eventually several professional leagues came about.

Major League Baseball currently consists of two leagues - the American League and the National League. There were several other defunct leagues that are considered a part of Major League Baseball, and their stats and records are included with those of the two current Major Leagues.

Major League Baseball uses 1869 as its official founding year. That was the year of the first professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Many others believe the MLB began with the founding of the National League in 1876. The American League wasn't founded until 1901.

Before the NL came into existence, players were not bound by contracts and could jump at any time to higher-paying clubs. Teams were not required to play the full schedule of games and would often forfeit if they were no longer ...
... in the running for the league championship.

There were dozens of other competing baseball leagues in the early days of the NL. The NL was considered major because it held a dominant position in the major cities, particularly New York City. With relatively more fan support than their small-town counterparts, the big city clubs of the NL could raise more revenue to sign the best players.

The most successful of the competing leagues prior to the founding of the AL was the American Association that lasted from 1881 to 1891. For several years, the National League and American Association champions met in a postseason championship series. This was the first attempt at a World Series, and the tradition continued with the American League replacing the American Association a few years later.
Despite being separate leagues with different rules, the AL and the NL gradually began a joint organizational structure and essentially operated as a single league.

In the early days of the MLB, games tended to be low scoring and were dominated by pitchers such as Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Mordecai Brown, and Grover Cleveland Alexander. The period from 1900 to 1919 is commonly referred to as the dead-ball era. The term came about because of the practice of using the same baseball throughout each game. By the end of the game, the baseball would be misshapen and soft and as a result it became much harder to hit it very far.

Everything changed in the 1920s when Babe Ruth emerged as the best hitter baseball had ever seen. After spending a few years with the Boston Red Sox, Ruth was acquired by the New York Yankees. In his first year with the Yankees, he hit 54 home runs and batted .376. His .847 slugging percentage was a MLB record until 2001. He hit more home runs than any other team except for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ruth's hitting prowess is credited with furthering the popularity of baseball. At the time of his retirement, he held virtually every hitting record and had led the New York Yankees to seven pennants and four World Series titles.

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his major league debut for the LA Dodgers. He was the first black MLB player in history. He overcame the bigotry and hatred of fans to become one of the greatest and influential athletes of all-time. He is credited with paving the way for other black baseball players to be able to play in the MLB. Prior to Robinson, they were required to play in the Negro leagues.

Starting with the acquisition of Ruth and continuing up until today, the New York Yankees have been the most successful team in MLB and in professional sports. They lead all MLB teams with 27 titles and 40 pennants. The St. Louis Cardinals are second in titles with 10.

The history of the MLB is held in higher regard than perhaps any other professional sports league. It has been around for several generations now and today the MLB consistently ranks in the top two sports leagues in the world in terms of revenue. As long as the records exist, there will be players and teams trying to break them with millions of fans watching earnestly.

AUTHOR:-
Reynaldo Paige writes reviews on various sporting events including the different sportsbook websites. In this piece of write up, the author highlights on some of legends of MLB and MLB Betting odds. The author also takes the readers thought on how to bet on baseball.