| Organized baseball in the United States | | | | was signed by the National League's |
| was born in the 1830s. The Philadelphia | | | | Brooklyn Dodgers and began playing for |
| Olympics club was created, playing | | | | their minor league team in Montreal. |
| informal intrasquad games. [1]Membership | | | | Finally, in 1947, the major leagues' |
| was expected to abide by the team's | | | | color barrier was broken when Robinson |
| constitution which outlined bylaws,rules | | | | debuted with the Dodgers. Although the |
| and behavior. It was printed in time for | | | | transformation was not instantaneous, |
| the club's 1838 season and distributed | | | | baseball has since become fully |
| to each of the 29 club members. The | | | | integrated. |
| Olympics were sophisticated enough to | | | | Major League baseball finally made it to |
| have their own clubhouse. Remarkable | | | | the West Coast of the United States in |
| considering baseball was still widely | | | | 1958, when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New |
| considered a children's game. | | | | York Giants relocated to Los Angeles and |
| Semiprofessional baseball started in the | | | | San Francisco respectively. The first |
| United States in the 1860s; in 1869, the | | | | American League team on the West Coast |
| first fully professional baseball club, | | | | was the Los Angeles Angels, who were |
| the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was formed | | | | founded as an expansion team in 1961. |
| and went undefeated against a schedule | | | | Pitchers dominated the game in the 1960s |
| of semipro and amateur teams. By the | | | | and early 1970s. In the early 1970s the |
| following decade, American newspapers | | | | designated hitter (DH) rule was |
| were referring to baseball as the | | | | proposed. The American League adopted |
| "National Pastime" or "National Game." | | | | this rule in 1973, though pitchers still |
| The first "major league" was the | | | | bat for themselves in the National |
| National Association, which lasted from | | | | League to this day. The DH rule now |
| 1871 to 1875. The National League, which | | | | constitutes the primary difference |
| still exists today, was founded in 1876. | | | | between the two leagues. |
| Several other major leagues formed and | | | | Despite the popularity of baseball, and |
| failed, but the American League, | | | | the attendant high salaries relative to |
| established in 1901 as a major league | | | | those of average Americans, the players |
| and originating from the minor Western | | | | have become dissatisfied from time to |
| League (1893), succeeded. While the two | | | | time, as they believed the owners had |
| leagues were rivals who actively fought | | | | too much control and retained an unfair |
| for the best players, often disregarding | | | | share of the money. Various job actions |
| one another's contracts and engaging in | | | | have occurred throughout the game's |
| bitter legal disputes, a modicum of | | | | history. Players on specific teams |
| peace was established in 1903, and the | | | | occasionally attempted strikes, but |
| World Series was inaugurated that fall. | | | | usually came back when their jobs were |
| The next year, however, the National | | | | sufficiently threatened. The throwing of |
| League champion New York Giants did not | | | | the 1919 World Series, the "Black Sox |
| participate as their manager, John | | | | scandal", was in some sense a "strike" |
| McGraw, refused to recognize the major | | | | or at least a rebellion by the |
| league status of the American League and | | | | ballplayers against a perceived stingy |
| its champion, the Boston Americans. The | | | | owner. But the strict rules of baseball |
| following year, McGraw relented and the | | | | contracts tended to keep the players "in |
| Giants played the Philadelphia Athletics | | | | line" in general. |
| in the World Series. | | | | This began to change in 1966 when former |
| Compared with the present day, games in | | | | United Steelworkers chief economist (and |
| the early part of the 20th century were | | | | assistant to the president) Marvin |
| lower scoring and pitchers were more | | | | Miller became the Baseball Players Union |
| successful. The "inside game", whose | | | | executive director. The union became |
| nature was to "scratch for runs", was | | | | much stronger than it had been |
| played rather more violently and | | | | previously, especially when the reserve |
| aggressively than it is today. Ty Cobb | | | | clause was effectively nullified in the |
| said of his era especially, "Baseball is | | | | mid-1970s. Conflicts between owners and |
| something like a war!" This period, | | | | the players' union led to major work |
| which has since become known as the | | | | stoppages in 1972, 1981, and 1994. The |
| "dead-ball era", ended in the 1920s with | | | | 1994 baseball strike led to the |
| several rule changes that gave | | | | cancellation of the World Series, and |
| advantages to hitters and the rise of | | | | was not settled until the spring of |
| the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, | | | | 1995. During this period, as well, many |
| who showed the world what power hitting | | | | of the functions — such as player |
| could produce and thus changed the | | | | discipline and umpire supervision — |
| nature of the game. Two of the changes | | | | and regulations that had been |
| introduced were a move to bring the | | | | administered separately by the two major |
| outfield fences closer to the infield in | | | | leagues' administrations were united |
| the largest parks, and an introduction | | | | under the rubric of Major League |
| of extremely strict rules governing the | | | | Baseball. |
| size, shape and construction of the | | | | On a happier note, 1995 was the year Cal |
| ball, causing it to travel farther when | | | | Ripken, Jr. played in his 2,131st |
| hit; the aggregate result of these two | | | | consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's |
| changes was to enable batters to hit | | | | record. The number of home runs |
| many more home runs. | | | | increased dramatically after the strike. |
| In 1884, African American Moses Walker | | | | Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both |
| (and, briefly, his brother Welday) had | | | | shattered Roger Maris's long-standing |
| played for the Toledo Blue Stockings of | | | | single season home run record in the |
| the major-league-level American | | | | late 1990s. In 2001, Barry Bonds |
| Association. An injury ended Walker's | | | | established the current record of 73 |
| major league career, and by the early | | | | home runs in a single season. Bonds has |
| 1890s, a "gentlemen's agreement" in the | | | | also gone on to hit more homers in his |
| form of the baseball color line | | | | career than any player other than Henry |
| effectively barred African-American | | | | Aaron. Even though all three sluggers |
| players from the majors and their | | | | have been accused in the steroid-abuse |
| affiliated minor leagues, resulting in | | | | scandal of the mid-2000s, their feats |
| the formation of several Negro Leagues. | | | | did do a lot at the time to bolster the |
| The first crack in the agreement | | | | game's renewed popularity. |
| occurred in 1946, when Jackie Robinson | | | | |