Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the company in the United States and Canada that is in charge of professional baseball. Both the American League, also called AL, and National League, also called NL, are part of the company. Even though it is named "major league" (high group), the company is also in charge of much of the minor league (low group) of baseball. The company owns everything that happens in major league baseball games. It also includes MLB Productions and MLB Advanced Media, which are in charge of major league baseball games on television and the teams and company web pages. There are 30 different major league teams.
[change] Major League Format
The 30 teams in MLB are divided into two leagues (American and National), and each league is divided into three divisions (East, Central, West). The AL West has four teams, and the NL Central has six. The other divisions all have five teams.
Each team in Major League Baseball is scheduled to play a 162 game season. This season begins in April (or sometimes the end of March) and ends in October. The teams play other teams in their own division the most, and play very few (no more than six) games against teams in the other league. Teams usually play each other in series of three or four games at a time. If a game is cancelled because of bad weather, it may be held again at a different date, sometimes as part of a doubleheader (two games in one day). Sometimes these games are not held again if it would not affect either team's place in the standings (the list of teams ordered by their number of wins and losses). If teams are tied at the end of a season, they may play an extra game to decide which one will play in the playoffs. In July, there are three days where teams do not play normal games, and a group of players voted on by fans play in the "All-Star Game". This period is called the "All-Star Break", and it is thought of as the point where half of the season is over. Lately, some games at the beginning of the regular season have been played in other countries, such as Japan.
There is one difference between games played in the American League and games played in the National League. The American League teams play with a "designated hitter", a player who bats in place of the pitcher and does not play in the field. In the National League, the pitcher must bat along with the other players. In games played in teams from both leagues, the rule that the home team usually plays by is used.
At the end of every season, eight teams play in the playoffs. Four teams from the AL, and four teams from the NL are in the playoffs. The team from the West, Central, or East division from each league with the most wins makes the playoffs (a team with the best record in its division is said to have "won its division". The next best team in the AL and the next best team in the NL also get to play in the playoffs. They are called "wild card" teams. The first playoff round is called the Division Series. In the Division Series, teams play "best out of 5". The team with the best record in the AL plays the Wild Card team, unless the teams are in the same division, where the team with the best record will play the division winner with the third best record. The division winner with the second best record plays against the division winner with the third best record. The NL teams play the same way. The teams that lose are out of the playoffs. The AL teams that win play in the AL Championship Series. The NL teams that win play in the NL Championship Series. The Championship series is "best out of 7 games". When there is only one AL team and one NL team left, the teams play each other in the World Series. These teams play the final "best out of 7" games in the World Series to decide who that season's champion is.
[change] Major League History
The company called Major League Baseball began in 2000. Before then, the American League and National League were separate companies that people called "the major leagues". MLB says that its history began in 1869, when the first team to get paid for playing baseball, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was created.
The first league of professional baseball teams began in 1871 and was called the National Association. This league did not play baseball the same way MLB does. For example, batters would walk after nine pitches instead of four. Many of the teams had problems with money and split up after only one or two seasons. However two teams are still playing today. Those teams were the Boston Red Stockings, which today is the Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago White Stockings, which today is the Chicago Cubs. In 1876, a league that was run better, the National League, began, and included the Red and White Stockings as well as six other teams. Even though this league was run better, many teams still would split up after only a few seasons, though some, like the teams that are now called the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants, are also still playing today. There were other leagues also. The American Association started in 1882 and was almost as good as the National League. However many of its teams would go to the National League, and the American Association disappeared in 1891. The National League had problems, though. Players and fans did not behave well, and once a fire that destroyed part of Boston happened at a game.
