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