History |
This is the history of baseball.
From its founding as a sport, to present day baseball. |
| Baseball's original origins are not know, but is thought to have been a descendent of cricket. The first rules of baseball was published by Alexander Cartwright in 1845, though baseball was already a popular sport. Professional baseball was founded in 1865, the National League in 1876, and the American League, under the name of the Western League, in 1893. There were also several other leagues that failed. The two successful leagues, the American and National, competed against each other in the first world series ever in 1903. The "dead-ball" period of baseball history ended in the 1920's for a number of reasons. One was rule changes, like making the spit-ball pitch illegal, and the legendary baseball player, Babe Ruth. In the first half of the twentieth century, a "gentleman's agreement" was mad to bar all non-white players, resulting in the formation of many Negro Leagues. This rule was broken when Jackie Robinson was recruited by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The American League introduced the designated hitter in the middle of the century. His role was to take the place of the pitcher in the batting lineup, but was not allowed to play any position on the field. If he was played on the field, then that team forfeits their designated hitter and the pitcher must bat in the lineup. This became the primary difference in the two leagues, as the National League did not use the role of the designated hitter. They are the only two leagues currently. The popularity of baseball diminished due to strikes during the 70's and 80's. This lead into the infamous strike that cancelled the 1994 World Series. Baseball's popularity returned in 1998 with the home run race between Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. Mark McGuire won with 70 home runs against Sammy Sosa's 66 home runs. |