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This Web Page covers
Baseball (and Softball),
whether Major (MLB) or Minor League, amateur or pro, and including the World Series as well as Baseball's greatest athletes.
Baseball
- YouTube Video: This is USA Baseball
- YouTube Video: Trea Turner Being Unbelievably Fast
- YouTube Video: MLB Circus Plays Supercut
Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two opposing teams who take turns batting and fielding.
The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball which a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat.
The objective of the offensive team (batting team) is to hit the ball into the field of play, allowing its players to run the bases, having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called "runs".
The objective of the defensive team (fielding team) is to prevent batters from becoming runners, and to prevent runners' advance around the bases. A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate (the place where the player started as a batter). The team that scores the most runs by the end of the game is the winner.
The first objective of the batting team is to have a player reach first base safely. A player on the batting team who reaches first base without being called "out" can attempt to advance to subsequent bases as a runner, either immediately or during teammates' turns batting. The fielding team tries to prevent runs by getting batters or runners "out", which forces them out of the field of play.
Both the pitcher and fielders have methods of getting the batting team's players out. The opposing teams switch back and forth between batting and fielding; the batting team's turn to bat is over once the fielding team records three outs. One turn batting for each team constitutes an inning.
A game is usually composed of nine innings, and the team with the greater number of runs at the end of the game wins. If scores are tied at the end of nine innings, extra innings are usually played. Baseball has no game clock, although most games end in the ninth inning.
Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by the mid-18th century. This game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was widely recognized as the national sport of the United States.
Baseball is popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, particularly in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
In the United States and Canada, professional Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are divided into the National League (NL) and American League (AL), each with three divisions: East, West, and Central. The MLB champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series.
The top level of play is similarly split in Japan between the Central and Pacific Leagues and in Cuba between the West League and East League. The World Baseball Classic, organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, is the major international competition of the sport and attracts the top national teams from around the world.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Baseball:
The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball which a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat.
The objective of the offensive team (batting team) is to hit the ball into the field of play, allowing its players to run the bases, having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called "runs".
The objective of the defensive team (fielding team) is to prevent batters from becoming runners, and to prevent runners' advance around the bases. A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate (the place where the player started as a batter). The team that scores the most runs by the end of the game is the winner.
The first objective of the batting team is to have a player reach first base safely. A player on the batting team who reaches first base without being called "out" can attempt to advance to subsequent bases as a runner, either immediately or during teammates' turns batting. The fielding team tries to prevent runs by getting batters or runners "out", which forces them out of the field of play.
Both the pitcher and fielders have methods of getting the batting team's players out. The opposing teams switch back and forth between batting and fielding; the batting team's turn to bat is over once the fielding team records three outs. One turn batting for each team constitutes an inning.
A game is usually composed of nine innings, and the team with the greater number of runs at the end of the game wins. If scores are tied at the end of nine innings, extra innings are usually played. Baseball has no game clock, although most games end in the ninth inning.
Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by the mid-18th century. This game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was widely recognized as the national sport of the United States.
Baseball is popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, particularly in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
In the United States and Canada, professional Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are divided into the National League (NL) and American League (AL), each with three divisions: East, West, and Central. The MLB champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series.
The top level of play is similarly split in Japan between the Central and Pacific Leagues and in Cuba between the West League and East League. The World Baseball Classic, organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, is the major international competition of the sport and attracts the top national teams from around the world.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Baseball:
- Rules and gameplay
- Personnel
- Strategy and tactics
- History
- Distinctive elements
- Statistics
- Popularity and cultural impact
- See also:
- Baseball portal
- Baseball awards
- Baseball clothing and equipment
- Glossary of baseball
- List of organized baseball leagues
- Related sports:
- Brännboll (Scandinavian bat-and-ball game)
- British baseball
- Cricket
- Lapta (game) (Russian bat-and-ball game)
- Oină (Romanian bat-and-ball game)
- Pesäpallo ("Finnish baseball")
- Stickball
- Stoop ball
- Vitilla
- Wiffle ball
- World Baseball Softball Confederation
- "Baseball". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
- Baseball Prospectus
- Society for American Baseball Research
- Mister Baseball European baseball news
- Baseball Heritage Museum at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio
List of Organized Baseball Leagues
- YouTube Video of Michael Jordan playing right field for the White Sox
- YouTube Video: Berti game-winning inside-the-park homer
- YouTube Video: Ford breaks down top moments from amateur baseball
International competition:
See also:
Americas:
United States: Youth Leagues & Major Organizations:
High school:
Alternative baseball:
Amateur baseball:
See also: Amateur sports § Baseball
Tampa Bay NABA, United States:
College baseball:
Click on the following for more of the List of Organized Baseball Leagues:
See also:
- Baseball § Around-the-world,
- Baseball at the Summer Olympics,
- List of world cups and world championships,
- and List of world cups and world championships for juniors and youth
- Many international baseball events are coordinated by the baseball division of the World Baseball Softball Confederation, including the World Baseball Classic.
Americas:
United States: Youth Leagues & Major Organizations:
- All League Baseball, youth and showcase baseball, headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.
- American Amateur Youth Baseball Alliance, a youth program, headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri
- American Legion Baseball, a youth program, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- Babe Ruth League, a youth program, headquartered in Hamilton, New Jersey.
- CABA (Continental Amateur Baseball Association), a youth baseball tournament organizer in the USA.
- Cal Ripken Baseball a Division of Babe Ruth League, Inc.
- Dixie Youth Baseball, Inc., a youth program, headquartered in Marshall, Texas.
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes
- Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League, a youth program 8U to 18U, headquartered in Westchester, NY
- Junior Baseball Organization, Inc., a youth program, headquartered in Sherwood, Oregon.
- Little League Baseball, a youth program, headquartered in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
- Nations Baseball, a youth program in the USA.
- Perfect Game, a youth baseball tournament organizer in the USA.
- Pony Baseball, a youth program, headquartered in Washington, Pennsylvania.
- Dizzy Dean Baseball, a youth program in the USA.
- Rocky Mountain School of Baseball, provides competitive leagues and tournaments ages 7 to 18, in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada, headquartered in Logan, Utah.
- Roy Hobbs Baseball, an over 30 amateur, adult men's baseball organization, headquartered out of Ft. Myers, FL, with national and international Leagues and Teams
- Travelball Select, a youth baseball tournament organizer in the USA.
- Triple Crown Sports, a youth baseball tournament organizer in the USA.
- USABL (United States Amateur Baseball League), a youth program, headquartered in Point Pleasant, New Jersey (USA).
- USSSA Baseball (United States Specialty Sports Association), a youth and adult program, headquartered in Kissimmee, Florida.
High school:
- In the US, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and each state association governs the play of baseball at the high school level. The Federated Christian Athletic Association (FCAA) and state Christian associations oversee the play of baseball at the private Christian School level. Note, however, that a substantial number of Christian schools choose instead to join their state's general athletic association if the organization's rules allow it.
Alternative baseball:
- Alternative (Autism) Baseball Organization, ABO, United States
Amateur baseball:
See also: Amateur sports § Baseball
- Roy Hobbs Baseball, an over 30 amateur, adult men's baseball organization, headquartered out of Ft. Myers, FL, with national and international Leagues and Teams
- United States Amateur Baseball League, USABL, United States
- Jersey Shore League Baseball, United States
- New Jersey Amateur Baseball League, United States
- Men's Senior Baseball League, United States, Founded in 1988, it is the largest amateur baseball league in America. The league has 325 local affiliates, 3,200 teams and 45,000 members who play organized amateur baseball in local leagues, 30 regional tournaments and six national tournaments.
- Ohio Fightin' Titans Baseball, United States
- Midlands League Baseball, United States
- Carroll County Men's League Baseball, United States
- Ligue de Baseball Élite du Québec, Canada
- New Brunswick Senior Baseball League, Canada
- Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League, Canada
- National Adult Baseball Association, United States
- Cuban National Series
- Brazilian Baseball Championship
- Amateur Baseball Association (ABA), United States
- All-American Amateur Baseball Association, United States
- Federación Panameña de Beisbol, Panamá
- Minnesota Baseball Association, United States
Tampa Bay NABA, United States:
College baseball:
- NCAA conferences: Division I, Division II, Division III, and the College World Series (Div. I, Div. II, Div. III)
- NAIA conferences, including the NAIA Baseball World Series
- National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) conferences
- National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) conferences
- List of Collegiate Summer Baseball Leagues
- Town Team Baseball: Townball is a popular tradition in the Upper Midwest, with grassroots support at the local level.
- The Minnesota Baseball Association is the sanctioning body for amateur baseball leagues in Minnesota. A statewide list of leagues is available at the organization's website.
- Perkiomen Valley Twilight League
- American United Baseball League
- Midlands League Baseball
- National Semi-Pro Baseball Association
- Mid-Maryland Semi-Pro Baseball League
- Des Moines Semi-Pro Baseball League
- Ohio Valley Baseball League
- PenDel Baseball League
- Intercounty Baseball League
- South Penn Baseball League
- Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, made up of two component leagues;
- Minor League Baseball (MiLB) in the United States and Canada, comprising several levels and multiple component leagues;
See also: List of Minor League Baseball leagues and teams- AAA-level
- AA-level
- A-level
- High-A / A-advanced
- A-level
- Short-season A-level:
- Rookie-league:
- Rookie-advanced
- Rookie-level
- Independent League baseball in the United States and Canada
Click on the following for more of the List of Organized Baseball Leagues:
- Latin America
- Asia
- Europe
- Oceania
- See also:
Major League Baseball Pictured below: Current Team Makeup by League by Division
Major League Baseball (MLB) is an American professional baseball organization and the oldest of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. A total of 30 teams play in Major League Baseball: 15 teams in the National League (NL) and 15 in the American League (AL).
The NL and AL were formed as separate legal entities in 1876 and 1901, respectively.
Beginning in 1903, the two leagues cooperated but remained legally separate entities. Both leagues operated as legally separate entities until they merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball in 2000.
MLB also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises 256 teams affiliated with the major league clubs. MLB and the World Baseball Softball Confederation jointly manage the international World Baseball Classic tournament.
Baseball's first openly all-professional team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings founded in 1869. Before that, some teams had secretly paid some players. The first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one team or league to another.
The period before 1920 is known as the dead-ball era, during which players would rarely hit home runs. Professional baseball in the United States survived a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series, which came to be known as the Black Sox Scandal. The sport rose in popularity in the 1920s, and survived potential downturns during the Great Depression and World War II. Shortly after the war, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier.
The 1950s and 1960s were a time of expansion for the AL and NL, then new stadiums and artificial turf surfaces began to change the game in the 1970s and 1980s. Home runs dominated the game during the 1990s, and media reports began to discuss the use of anabolic steroids among MLB players in the mid-2000s.
In 2006, an investigation produced the Mitchell Report, which implicated many players in the use of performance-enhancing substances, including at least one player from each team.
Today, MLB is composed of 30 teams: 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. Teams play 162 games each season and 5 teams in each league advance to a four-round postseason tournament that culminates in the World Series, a best-of-seven championship series between the two league champions that dates to 1903.
Baseball games are broadcast on television, radio, and the Internet throughout North America and in several other countries. MLB has the highest season attendance of any sports league in the world with more than 69.6 million spectators in 2018.
Organizational structure:
MLB is governed by the Major League Baseball Constitution. This document has undergone several incarnations since its creation in 1876. Under the direction of the Commissioner of Baseball, MLB hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts.
MLB maintains a unique, controlling relationship over the sport, including most aspects of Minor League Baseball. This is due in large part to the 1922 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Federal Baseball Club v. National League, which held that baseball is not interstate commerce and therefore not subject to federal antitrust law. This ruling has been weakened only slightly in subsequent years.
The weakened ruling granted more stability to the owners of teams and has resulted in values increasing at double-digit rates. There were several challenges to MLB's primacy in the sport between the 1870s and the Federal League in 1916; the last attempt at a new major league was the aborted Continental League in 1960.
The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner, currently Rob Manfred. The chief operating officer is Tony Petitti. There are five other executives: president (business and media), chief communications officer, chief legal officer, chief financial officer, and chief baseball officer.
The multimedia branch of MLB, which is based in New York City, is MLB Advanced Media. This branch oversees MLB.com and each of the 30 teams' websites. Its charter states that MLB Advanced Media holds editorial independence from the league, but it is under the same ownership group and revenue-sharing plan.
MLB Productions is a similarly structured wing of the league, focusing on video and traditional broadcast media. MLB also owns 67 percent of MLB Network, with the other 33 percent split between several cable operators and satellite provider DirecTV. It operates out of studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, and also has editorial independence from the league.
League organization:
In 1920, the weak National Commission, which had been created to manage relationships between the two leagues, was replaced with the much more powerful Commissioner of Baseball, who had the power to make decisions for all of professional baseball unilaterally. From 1901 to 1960, the American and National Leagues fielded eight teams apiece.
In the 1960s, MLB expansion added eight teams, including the first non-U.S. team (the Montreal Expos). Two teams (the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays) were also added in the 1970s. From 1969 through 1993, each league consisted of an East and West Division.
In 1993, the National League expanded with two teams, the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies, to even up the number of teams in both leagues. A third division, the Central Division, was formed in each league in 1994. Until 1996, the two leagues met on the field only during the World Series and the All-Star Game. Regular-season interleague play was introduced in 1997.
In March 1995 two new franchises, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now known as the Tampa Bay Rays), were awarded by MLB, to begin play in 1998. This addition brought the total number of franchises to 30. In early 1997, MLB decided to assign one new team to each league: Tampa Bay joined the AL and Arizona joined the NL.
The original plan was to have an odd number of teams in each league (15 per league, with five in each division), but in order for every team to be able to play daily, this would have required interleague play to be scheduled throughout the entire season.
However, it was unclear at the time if interleague play would continue after the 1998 season, as it had to be approved by the players' union. For this and other reasons, it was decided that both leagues should continue to have an even number of teams; one existing club would have to switch leagues. The Milwaukee Brewers agreed in November 1997 to move from the AL to the NL, thereby making the NL a 16-team league.
At the same time, the Detroit Tigers agreed to move from the AL East to the AL Central (to replace Milwaukee), with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays joining the AL East. Later, when the Houston Astros changed ownership prior to the 2013 season, the team moved from the NL Central to the AL West, resulting in both leagues having three divisions of five teams each and allowing all teams to have a more balanced schedule. Interleague play is now held throughout the season.
In 2000 the AL and NL were dissolved as legal entities, and MLB became a single, overall league de jure, similar to the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL)—albeit with two components called "leagues" instead of "conferences."
The same rules and regulations are used in both leagues, with one exception: the AL operates under the designated hitter rule, while the NL does not. This difference in rules between leagues is unique to MLB; the other sports leagues of the U.S. and Canada have one set of rules for all teams.
For Team makeup: See Illustration above.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Major League Baseball:
The NL and AL were formed as separate legal entities in 1876 and 1901, respectively.
Beginning in 1903, the two leagues cooperated but remained legally separate entities. Both leagues operated as legally separate entities until they merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball in 2000.
MLB also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises 256 teams affiliated with the major league clubs. MLB and the World Baseball Softball Confederation jointly manage the international World Baseball Classic tournament.
Baseball's first openly all-professional team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings founded in 1869. Before that, some teams had secretly paid some players. The first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one team or league to another.
The period before 1920 is known as the dead-ball era, during which players would rarely hit home runs. Professional baseball in the United States survived a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series, which came to be known as the Black Sox Scandal. The sport rose in popularity in the 1920s, and survived potential downturns during the Great Depression and World War II. Shortly after the war, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier.
The 1950s and 1960s were a time of expansion for the AL and NL, then new stadiums and artificial turf surfaces began to change the game in the 1970s and 1980s. Home runs dominated the game during the 1990s, and media reports began to discuss the use of anabolic steroids among MLB players in the mid-2000s.
In 2006, an investigation produced the Mitchell Report, which implicated many players in the use of performance-enhancing substances, including at least one player from each team.
Today, MLB is composed of 30 teams: 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. Teams play 162 games each season and 5 teams in each league advance to a four-round postseason tournament that culminates in the World Series, a best-of-seven championship series between the two league champions that dates to 1903.
Baseball games are broadcast on television, radio, and the Internet throughout North America and in several other countries. MLB has the highest season attendance of any sports league in the world with more than 69.6 million spectators in 2018.
Organizational structure:
MLB is governed by the Major League Baseball Constitution. This document has undergone several incarnations since its creation in 1876. Under the direction of the Commissioner of Baseball, MLB hires and maintains the sport's umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, and television contracts.
MLB maintains a unique, controlling relationship over the sport, including most aspects of Minor League Baseball. This is due in large part to the 1922 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Federal Baseball Club v. National League, which held that baseball is not interstate commerce and therefore not subject to federal antitrust law. This ruling has been weakened only slightly in subsequent years.
The weakened ruling granted more stability to the owners of teams and has resulted in values increasing at double-digit rates. There were several challenges to MLB's primacy in the sport between the 1870s and the Federal League in 1916; the last attempt at a new major league was the aborted Continental League in 1960.
The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner, currently Rob Manfred. The chief operating officer is Tony Petitti. There are five other executives: president (business and media), chief communications officer, chief legal officer, chief financial officer, and chief baseball officer.
The multimedia branch of MLB, which is based in New York City, is MLB Advanced Media. This branch oversees MLB.com and each of the 30 teams' websites. Its charter states that MLB Advanced Media holds editorial independence from the league, but it is under the same ownership group and revenue-sharing plan.
MLB Productions is a similarly structured wing of the league, focusing on video and traditional broadcast media. MLB also owns 67 percent of MLB Network, with the other 33 percent split between several cable operators and satellite provider DirecTV. It operates out of studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, and also has editorial independence from the league.
League organization:
In 1920, the weak National Commission, which had been created to manage relationships between the two leagues, was replaced with the much more powerful Commissioner of Baseball, who had the power to make decisions for all of professional baseball unilaterally. From 1901 to 1960, the American and National Leagues fielded eight teams apiece.
In the 1960s, MLB expansion added eight teams, including the first non-U.S. team (the Montreal Expos). Two teams (the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays) were also added in the 1970s. From 1969 through 1993, each league consisted of an East and West Division.
In 1993, the National League expanded with two teams, the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies, to even up the number of teams in both leagues. A third division, the Central Division, was formed in each league in 1994. Until 1996, the two leagues met on the field only during the World Series and the All-Star Game. Regular-season interleague play was introduced in 1997.
In March 1995 two new franchises, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now known as the Tampa Bay Rays), were awarded by MLB, to begin play in 1998. This addition brought the total number of franchises to 30. In early 1997, MLB decided to assign one new team to each league: Tampa Bay joined the AL and Arizona joined the NL.
The original plan was to have an odd number of teams in each league (15 per league, with five in each division), but in order for every team to be able to play daily, this would have required interleague play to be scheduled throughout the entire season.
However, it was unclear at the time if interleague play would continue after the 1998 season, as it had to be approved by the players' union. For this and other reasons, it was decided that both leagues should continue to have an even number of teams; one existing club would have to switch leagues. The Milwaukee Brewers agreed in November 1997 to move from the AL to the NL, thereby making the NL a 16-team league.
At the same time, the Detroit Tigers agreed to move from the AL East to the AL Central (to replace Milwaukee), with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays joining the AL East. Later, when the Houston Astros changed ownership prior to the 2013 season, the team moved from the NL Central to the AL West, resulting in both leagues having three divisions of five teams each and allowing all teams to have a more balanced schedule. Interleague play is now held throughout the season.
In 2000 the AL and NL were dissolved as legal entities, and MLB became a single, overall league de jure, similar to the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL)—albeit with two components called "leagues" instead of "conferences."
The same rules and regulations are used in both leagues, with one exception: the AL operates under the designated hitter rule, while the NL does not. This difference in rules between leagues is unique to MLB; the other sports leagues of the U.S. and Canada have one set of rules for all teams.
For Team makeup: See Illustration above.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Major League Baseball:
- History
- Uniforms
- Season structure
- International play
- Steroids in baseball
- Media coverage
- See also:
- Official website
- ArmchairGM MLB Portal
- Ballparks.com
- Baseball History Site
- Baseball Prospectus
- Baseball Think Factory
- Boxscore Archive contains official play-by-play and boxscores since 2002.
- ESPN Baseball Index
- ESPN Video Archive: Major League Baseball
- Pitch In For Baseball – A MLB and MLB International partner charity
- The Baseball Page
- Urban Youth Academy (MLB)
- "MLB, China Baseball League Team to Tour China", VOAnews.com, March 3, 2005. Voice of America.
- Australian Baseball League
- Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.)
- Baseball in Canada
- Baseball in the United States
- List of all-time Major League Baseball win-loss records
- List of American and Canadian cities by number of major professional sports franchises
- List of Major League Baseball awards
- List of Major League Baseball managers
- List of Major League Baseball retired numbers
- List of Major League Baseball spring training ballparks
- List of Major League Baseball stadiums
- List of professional sports leagues
- List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
- MLB Industry Growth Fund
- Major League Baseball attendance records
- Major League Baseball draft
- Major League Baseball Players Association, the labor union representing players for collective bargaining negotiations with franchise owners
- National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman who became the first African American to play in the major leagues in the modern era.
Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers, by playing Robinson, heralded the end of racial segregation that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s.
Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Robinson had an exceptional 10-year baseball career. He was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored.
Robinson played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Series championship. In 1997, MLB "universally" retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams; he was the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored.
MLB also adopted a new annual tradition, "Jackie Robinson Day", for the first time on April 15, 2004, on which every player on every team wears No. 42.
Robinson's character, his use of nonviolence, and his unquestionable talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation which then marked many other aspects of American life. He had an impact on the culture of and contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement.
Robinson also was the first black television analyst in MLB, and the first black vice president of a major American corporation, Chock full o'Nuts. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank, an African-American-owned financial institution based in Harlem, New York.
In recognition of his achievements on and off the field, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jackie Robinson.
Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers, by playing Robinson, heralded the end of racial segregation that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s.
Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Robinson had an exceptional 10-year baseball career. He was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored.
Robinson played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Series championship. In 1997, MLB "universally" retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams; he was the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored.
MLB also adopted a new annual tradition, "Jackie Robinson Day", for the first time on April 15, 2004, on which every player on every team wears No. 42.
Robinson's character, his use of nonviolence, and his unquestionable talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation which then marked many other aspects of American life. He had an impact on the culture of and contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement.
Robinson also was the first black television analyst in MLB, and the first black vice president of a major American corporation, Chock full o'Nuts. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank, an African-American-owned financial institution based in Harlem, New York.
In recognition of his achievements on and off the field, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Jackie Robinson.
- Early life
- Military career
- Post-military
- Playing career
- Legacy
- Post-baseball life
- Family life and death
- Awards and recognition
- See also:
- Official website
- Jackie Robinson at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Negro league baseball statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Negro leagues)
- Jackie Robinson on IMDb
- Civil Rights Game (including MLB Beacon Awards)
- DHL Hometown Heroes
- Glass ceiling
- List of African-American firsts
- List of first black Major League Baseball players by team and date
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball retired numbers
- List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
- List of NCAA major college football yearly rushing leaders
- List of NCAA major college yearly punt and kickoff return leaders
- List of sports desegregation firsts
Yogi BerraPictured below: Yogi Berra (L) jumping into the arms of Don Larsen upon catching the only perfect game in the 1956 World Series; (R) as Manager of the New York Mets
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher, who later took on the roles of manager and coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1946–1963, 1965), all but the last for the New York Yankees. He was an 18-time All-Star and won 10 World Series championships as a player—more than any other player in MLB history.
Berra had a career batting average of .285, while hitting 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in. He is one of only six players to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Berra was a native of St. Louis and signed with the Yankees in 1943 before serving in the United States Navy as a gunner's mate in the Normandy landings during World War II, where he earned a Purple Heart. He made his major-league debut at age 21 in 1946 and was a mainstay in the Yankees' lineup during the team's championship years beginning in 1949 and continuing through 1962.
Despite his short stature (he was 5 feet 7 inches tall), Berra was a power hitter and strong defensive catcher. Berra played 18 seasons with the Yankees before retiring after the 1963 season. He spent the next year as their manager, then joined the New York Mets in 1965 as coach (and briefly a player again).
Berra remained with the Mets for the next decade, serving the last four years as their manager. He returned to the Yankees in 1976, coaching them for eight seasons and managing for two, before coaching the Houston Astros. He was one of seven managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series.
Berra appeared as a player, coach or manager in every one of the 13 World Series that New York baseball teams won from 1947 through 1981. Overall, he appeared in 22 World Series, 13 on the winning side. Berra caught Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. He also holds the all-time record for shutouts caught, with 173.
The Yankees retired his uniform number 8 in 1972; Bill Dickey had previously worn number 8, and both catchers had that number retired by the Yankees. The club honored him with a plaque in Monument Park in 1988. Berra was named to the MLB All-Century Team in a vote by fans in 1999. For the remainder of his life, he was closely involved with the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, which he opened on the campus of Montclair State University in 1998.
Berra quit school after the eighth grade. He was known for his malapropisms as well as pithy and paradoxical statements, such as "It ain't over 'til it's over", while speaking to reporters. He once simultaneously denied and confirmed his reputation by stating, "I really didn't say everything I said."
Click here for more about Yogi Berra.
Berra had a career batting average of .285, while hitting 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in. He is one of only six players to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Berra was a native of St. Louis and signed with the Yankees in 1943 before serving in the United States Navy as a gunner's mate in the Normandy landings during World War II, where he earned a Purple Heart. He made his major-league debut at age 21 in 1946 and was a mainstay in the Yankees' lineup during the team's championship years beginning in 1949 and continuing through 1962.
Despite his short stature (he was 5 feet 7 inches tall), Berra was a power hitter and strong defensive catcher. Berra played 18 seasons with the Yankees before retiring after the 1963 season. He spent the next year as their manager, then joined the New York Mets in 1965 as coach (and briefly a player again).
Berra remained with the Mets for the next decade, serving the last four years as their manager. He returned to the Yankees in 1976, coaching them for eight seasons and managing for two, before coaching the Houston Astros. He was one of seven managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series.
Berra appeared as a player, coach or manager in every one of the 13 World Series that New York baseball teams won from 1947 through 1981. Overall, he appeared in 22 World Series, 13 on the winning side. Berra caught Don Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. He also holds the all-time record for shutouts caught, with 173.
The Yankees retired his uniform number 8 in 1972; Bill Dickey had previously worn number 8, and both catchers had that number retired by the Yankees. The club honored him with a plaque in Monument Park in 1988. Berra was named to the MLB All-Century Team in a vote by fans in 1999. For the remainder of his life, he was closely involved with the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, which he opened on the campus of Montclair State University in 1998.
Berra quit school after the eighth grade. He was known for his malapropisms as well as pithy and paradoxical statements, such as "It ain't over 'til it's over", while speaking to reporters. He once simultaneously denied and confirmed his reputation by stating, "I really didn't say everything I said."
Click here for more about Yogi Berra.
Minor League Baseball
- YouTube Video: How Minor League Baseball is Organized | Baseball Explained
- YouTube Video: ViewFinder - The Golden Game: The Minor Leagues - KVIE
- YouTube Video: Minor-League Team Signs 2 Women to Play America's Pastime
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball (MLB) and provide opportunities for player development and a way to prepare for the major leagues.
All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses. Most are members of the umbrella organization formally known as National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL), which operates under the Commissioner of Baseball within the scope of organized baseball. Several leagues, known as independent baseball leagues, do not have any official links to Major League Baseball.
Except for the Mexican League, teams in the organized minor leagues are generally independently owned and operated but are directly affiliated with one major league team through a standardized Player Development Contract (PDC). These leagues also go by the nicknames the "farm system", "farm club", or "farm team(s)" because of a joke passed around by major league players in the 1930s when St. Louis Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey formalized the system, and teams in small towns were "growing players down on the farm like corn".
Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball teams may enter into a PDC for a two- or four-year term. At the expiration of a PDC term, teams may renew their affiliation, or sign new PDCs with different clubs, though many relationships are renewed and endure for extended time periods.
For example, the Omaha Storm Chasers (formerly the Omaha Royals and Omaha Golden Spikes) have been the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals since the Royals joined the American League in 1969, but the Columbus Clippers changed affiliations, after being associated with the New York Yankees from 1979, to the Washington Nationals in 2007, and have been affiliated with the Cleveland Indians since 2009.
A few minor league teams are directly owned by their major league parent club, such as the Springfield Cardinals, owned by the St. Louis Cardinals, and all of the Atlanta Braves' affiliates except the Florida Fire Frogs. Minor League teams that are owned directly by the major league club do not have PDCs with the parent club and are typically not part of the reaffiliation shuffles that occur after each even-numbered season.
Today, there are 14 MLB-affiliated minor leagues with a total of 160 revenue-generating teams, located in large, medium, and small cities and suburbs across the United States and Canada, and there are three MLB-affiliated rookie leagues with a total of 80 teams, located in Arizona, Florida, and the Dominican Republic, though these teams do not generate revenue.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Minor League Baseball:
All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses. Most are members of the umbrella organization formally known as National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL), which operates under the Commissioner of Baseball within the scope of organized baseball. Several leagues, known as independent baseball leagues, do not have any official links to Major League Baseball.
Except for the Mexican League, teams in the organized minor leagues are generally independently owned and operated but are directly affiliated with one major league team through a standardized Player Development Contract (PDC). These leagues also go by the nicknames the "farm system", "farm club", or "farm team(s)" because of a joke passed around by major league players in the 1930s when St. Louis Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey formalized the system, and teams in small towns were "growing players down on the farm like corn".
Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball teams may enter into a PDC for a two- or four-year term. At the expiration of a PDC term, teams may renew their affiliation, or sign new PDCs with different clubs, though many relationships are renewed and endure for extended time periods.
For example, the Omaha Storm Chasers (formerly the Omaha Royals and Omaha Golden Spikes) have been the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals since the Royals joined the American League in 1969, but the Columbus Clippers changed affiliations, after being associated with the New York Yankees from 1979, to the Washington Nationals in 2007, and have been affiliated with the Cleveland Indians since 2009.
A few minor league teams are directly owned by their major league parent club, such as the Springfield Cardinals, owned by the St. Louis Cardinals, and all of the Atlanta Braves' affiliates except the Florida Fire Frogs. Minor League teams that are owned directly by the major league club do not have PDCs with the parent club and are typically not part of the reaffiliation shuffles that occur after each even-numbered season.
Today, there are 14 MLB-affiliated minor leagues with a total of 160 revenue-generating teams, located in large, medium, and small cities and suburbs across the United States and Canada, and there are three MLB-affiliated rookie leagues with a total of 80 teams, located in Arizona, Florida, and the Dominican Republic, though these teams do not generate revenue.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Minor League Baseball:
- History
- Current system
- Reorganization of 1963
- Proposed reorganization after 2020
- Players
- Umpires
- Presidents of Minor League Baseball
- Television and radio
- Independent baseball
- Leagues and affiliations
- Awards
- See also:
Major League Baseball All-Time Team (circa 1997) Pictured below, from Top to Bottom:
The Major League Baseball All-Time Team was chosen in 1997 to comprise the top manager and top player in each of 13 positional categories across Major League Baseball history.
The team, announced by Classic Sports Network in conjunction with the events celebrated around the 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, were chosen by a panel of 36 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in a first- and second-place Borda count voting system.
Note the below image was created from the Wikipedia player breakdown founder under this topic: the links in that image are not live. Click on this link to be able to directly access team members.
Below: an image of the Major League Baseball All-Time Team:
The team, announced by Classic Sports Network in conjunction with the events celebrated around the 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, were chosen by a panel of 36 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in a first- and second-place Borda count voting system.
Note the below image was created from the Wikipedia player breakdown founder under this topic: the links in that image are not live. Click on this link to be able to directly access team members.
Below: an image of the Major League Baseball All-Time Team:
See also:
- Latino Legends Team
- MLB All-Century Team
- DHL Hometown Heroes (2006): the most outstanding player in the history of each MLB franchise, based on on-field performance, leadership quality and character value
- Baseball awards#United States
- Team of the century
- List of MLB awards
- National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The American League Central is one of six divisions in Major League Baseball. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994, and its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States.
Along with the National League East, the AL Central is one of two divisions in the Major Leagues in which all of its members have won a World Series title. In fact, each team has captured at least two World Series championships. The Kansas City Royals were the most recent team from the division to win the World Series.
Division membership:
Current members: see following topics for amplification:
Former member:
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the American League Central:
Along with the National League East, the AL Central is one of two divisions in the Major Leagues in which all of its members have won a World Series title. In fact, each team has captured at least two World Series championships. The Kansas City Royals were the most recent team from the division to win the World Series.
Division membership:
Current members: see following topics for amplification:
- Chicago White Sox – Founding member; formerly of the AL West
Cleveland Indians – Founding member; formerly of the AL East
Detroit Tigers – Joined in 1998; formerly of the AL East
Kansas City Royals – Founding member; formerly of the AL West
Minnesota Twins – Founding member; formerly of the AL West
Former member:
- Milwaukee Brewers – Founding member, moved into the NL Central in 1998
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the American League Central:
- Membership timeline
- Champions by year
- Wild-card winners produced
- Season results
- Division championships won by team
Chicago White Sox (AL Central)
- YouTube Video: The Best of the Chicago White Sox
- YouTube Video: Cross Town Rivalry -- Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Cubs Full Game Highlights | 8/8/21 | 2021 MLB Season
- YouTube Video: White Sox Plays of the Month - 2021
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division.
The White Sox are owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and play their home games at Guaranteed Rate Field, located on the city's South Side. They are one of two major league clubs in Chicago; the other is the Chicago Cubs of the National League (NL) Central division.
One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the franchise was established as a major league baseball club in 1901. The club was originally called the Chicago White Stockings, but this was soon shortened to Chicago White Sox.
The team originally played home games at South Side Park before moving to Comiskey Park in 1910, where they played until Guaranteed Rate Field (originally known as Comiskey Park and then known as U.S. Cellular Field) opened in 1991.
The White Sox won the 1906 World Series with a defense-oriented team dubbed "the Hitless Wonders", and the 1917 World Series led by Eddie Cicotte, Eddie Collins, and Shoeless Joe Jackson.
The 1919 World Series was marred by the Black Sox Scandal, in which several members of the White Sox were accused of conspiring with gamblers to fix games. In response, Major League Baseball's new Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the players from Major League Baseball for life.
In 1959, led by Early Wynn, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio and manager Al López, the White Sox won the American League pennant. They won the AL pennant in 2005, and went on to win the World Series, led by World Series MVP Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Mark Buehrle, catcher A. J. Pierzynski, and the first Latino manager to win the World Series, Ozzie Guillén.
The 87 years it took the White Sox to win the World Series stands as the second longest MLB championship drought of all time, with the White Sox's crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cubs, holding the longest drought (107 seasons).
From 1901 to 2020, the White Sox have an overall record of 9,318–9,240 (.502).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Chicago White Sox:
The White Sox are owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and play their home games at Guaranteed Rate Field, located on the city's South Side. They are one of two major league clubs in Chicago; the other is the Chicago Cubs of the National League (NL) Central division.
One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the franchise was established as a major league baseball club in 1901. The club was originally called the Chicago White Stockings, but this was soon shortened to Chicago White Sox.
The team originally played home games at South Side Park before moving to Comiskey Park in 1910, where they played until Guaranteed Rate Field (originally known as Comiskey Park and then known as U.S. Cellular Field) opened in 1991.
The White Sox won the 1906 World Series with a defense-oriented team dubbed "the Hitless Wonders", and the 1917 World Series led by Eddie Cicotte, Eddie Collins, and Shoeless Joe Jackson.
The 1919 World Series was marred by the Black Sox Scandal, in which several members of the White Sox were accused of conspiring with gamblers to fix games. In response, Major League Baseball's new Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned the players from Major League Baseball for life.
In 1959, led by Early Wynn, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio and manager Al López, the White Sox won the American League pennant. They won the AL pennant in 2005, and went on to win the World Series, led by World Series MVP Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Mark Buehrle, catcher A. J. Pierzynski, and the first Latino manager to win the World Series, Ozzie Guillén.
The 87 years it took the White Sox to win the World Series stands as the second longest MLB championship drought of all time, with the White Sox's crosstown rivals, the Chicago Cubs, holding the longest drought (107 seasons).
From 1901 to 2020, the White Sox have an overall record of 9,318–9,240 (.502).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Chicago White Sox:
- History
- Ballparks
- Logos and uniforms
- Awards and accolades
- Players and Personnel
- Culture
- Home attendance
- Broadcasting
- Minor league affiliates
- Silver Chalice subsidiary
- See also:
Kansas City Royals
- YouTube Video: Greatest plays and games in Kansas City Royals baseball history.
- YouTube Video: 1969 Kansas City Royals - Team Film
- YouTube Video: The Kansas City Royals erupt for 9 runs in the 1st inning!
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expansion franchise in 1969, and has played in four World Series, winning in 1985 and 2015, and losing in 1980 and 2014.
The name "Royals" pays homage to the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and championship barbeque competition held annually in Kansas City since 1899, as well as the identical names of two former Negro league baseball teams that played in the first half of the 20th century. (One a semi-pro team based in Kansas City in the 1910s and 1920s that toured the Midwest and a California Winter League team based in Los Angeles in the 1940s that was managed by Chet Brewer and included Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson on its roster.)
The Los Angeles team had personnel connections to the Monarchs but could not use the Monarchs name. The name also fits into something of a theme for other professional sports franchises in the city, including:
In 1968, the team held a name-the-team contest that received more than 17,000 entries. Sanford Porte, a bridge engineer from the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, was named the winner for his “Royals” entry. His reason had nothing to do with royalty. “Kansas City’s new baseball team should be called the Royals because of Missouri’s billion-dollar livestock income, Kansas City’s position as the nation’s leading stocker and feeder market and the nationally known American Royal parade and pageant,” Porte wrote.
The team's board voted 6–1 on the name, with the only opposition coming from team owner Ewing Kauffman, who eventually changed his vote and said the name had grown on him.
Entering the American League in 1969 along with the Seattle Pilots, the club was founded by Kansas City businessman Ewing Kauffman. The franchise was established following the actions of Stuart Symington, then-U.S. Senator from Missouri, who demanded a new franchise for the city after the Athletics (Kansas City's previous major league team that played from 1955 to 1967) moved to Oakland, California in 1968.
Since April 10, 1973, the Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium, formerly known as Royals Stadium.
The new team quickly became a powerhouse, appearing in the playoffs seven times from 1976 to 1985, winning one World Series championship and another AL pennant, led by stars such as:
The team remained competitive throughout the early 1990s, but then had only one winning season from 1995 to 2012. For 28 consecutive seasons (1986–2013), the Royals did not qualify to play in the MLB postseason, one of the longest postseason droughts during baseball's current wild-card era.
The team broke this streak in 2014 by securing the franchise's first wild card berth and advancing to the 2014 World Series, where they lost to the San Francisco Giants in seven games. The Royals followed this up by winning the team's first AL Central division title in 2015 and defeating the New York Mets in five games in the 2015 World Series to win their second World Series championship.
Through 2021, the Royals have an all time win-loss record of 4,001–4,344 (.479).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Kansas City Royals:
The name "Royals" pays homage to the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and championship barbeque competition held annually in Kansas City since 1899, as well as the identical names of two former Negro league baseball teams that played in the first half of the 20th century. (One a semi-pro team based in Kansas City in the 1910s and 1920s that toured the Midwest and a California Winter League team based in Los Angeles in the 1940s that was managed by Chet Brewer and included Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson on its roster.)
The Los Angeles team had personnel connections to the Monarchs but could not use the Monarchs name. The name also fits into something of a theme for other professional sports franchises in the city, including:
- the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL,
- the former Kansas City Kings of the NBA,
- and the former Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro National League.
In 1968, the team held a name-the-team contest that received more than 17,000 entries. Sanford Porte, a bridge engineer from the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, was named the winner for his “Royals” entry. His reason had nothing to do with royalty. “Kansas City’s new baseball team should be called the Royals because of Missouri’s billion-dollar livestock income, Kansas City’s position as the nation’s leading stocker and feeder market and the nationally known American Royal parade and pageant,” Porte wrote.
The team's board voted 6–1 on the name, with the only opposition coming from team owner Ewing Kauffman, who eventually changed his vote and said the name had grown on him.
Entering the American League in 1969 along with the Seattle Pilots, the club was founded by Kansas City businessman Ewing Kauffman. The franchise was established following the actions of Stuart Symington, then-U.S. Senator from Missouri, who demanded a new franchise for the city after the Athletics (Kansas City's previous major league team that played from 1955 to 1967) moved to Oakland, California in 1968.
Since April 10, 1973, the Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium, formerly known as Royals Stadium.
The new team quickly became a powerhouse, appearing in the playoffs seven times from 1976 to 1985, winning one World Series championship and another AL pennant, led by stars such as:
The team remained competitive throughout the early 1990s, but then had only one winning season from 1995 to 2012. For 28 consecutive seasons (1986–2013), the Royals did not qualify to play in the MLB postseason, one of the longest postseason droughts during baseball's current wild-card era.
The team broke this streak in 2014 by securing the franchise's first wild card berth and advancing to the 2014 World Series, where they lost to the San Francisco Giants in seven games. The Royals followed this up by winning the team's first AL Central division title in 2015 and defeating the New York Mets in five games in the 2015 World Series to win their second World Series championship.
Through 2021, the Royals have an all time win-loss record of 4,001–4,344 (.479).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Kansas City Royals:
- Franchise history
- Uniform history
- Rivalries
- Baseball Hall of Famers
- Other players of note
- Roster
- Managers
- Minor league affiliations
- Season records
- All-time records
- Radio and television
- Mascot
- See also:
Cleveland Guardians* (AL Central)
* -- Prior to the 2022 Season: The Cleveland Indians
* -- Prior to the 2022 Season: The Cleveland Indians
- YouTube Video: Cleveland Indians POUR it on against Reds! (Cleveland scores 10 runs in 7th inning)
- YouTube Video: Pat McAfee Reacts: Cleveland Indians Change Name To Guardians
- YouTube Video: Cleveland Indians 2021 April Highlights
The Cleveland Indians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Indians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since 1994, they have played at Progressive Field.
The team's spring training facility is at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. Since their establishment as a Major League franchise in 1901, the team has won 10 Central division titles, six American League pennants, and two World Series championships, (in 1920 and 1948). The team's World Series championship drought since 1948 is the longest active among all 30 current Major League teams.
The name "Indians" originated from a request by club owner Charles Somers to baseball writers to choose a new name to replace "Cleveland Naps" following the departure of Nap Lajoie after the 1914 season. It was a revival of the nickname that fans gave to the Cleveland Spiders while Louis Sockalexis, a Native American, was playing for the team.
Common nicknames for the Indians include the "Tribe" and the "Wahoos", the latter referencing their former logo, Chief Wahoo. The team's mascot is named "Slider."
The franchise originated in 1894 as the Grand Rapids Rustlers, a minor league team in the Western League. The team relocated to Cleveland in 1900 and was renamed the Cleveland Lake Shores. The Western League itself was renamed the American League while continuing its minor league status.
One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the major league incarnation of the club was founded in Cleveland in 1901. Originally called the Cleveland Bluebirds, the team played in League Park until moving permanently to Cleveland Stadium in 1946. From August 24 to September 14, 2017, the Indians won 22 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in American League history.
As of the end of the 2021 season, the Indians' overall record is 9,592–9,144 (.512).
The team will cease using the name "Indians" following the 2021 baseball season, after which they will change their name to the Cleveland Guardians.
The team's new name references the Guardians of Traffic, eight monolithic 1932 Art Deco sculptures by Henry Hering on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge, which is adjacent to Progressive Field. The "Indians" name had come under criticism as part of the Native American mascot controversy.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Cleveland Indians/Guardians:
The team's spring training facility is at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. Since their establishment as a Major League franchise in 1901, the team has won 10 Central division titles, six American League pennants, and two World Series championships, (in 1920 and 1948). The team's World Series championship drought since 1948 is the longest active among all 30 current Major League teams.
The name "Indians" originated from a request by club owner Charles Somers to baseball writers to choose a new name to replace "Cleveland Naps" following the departure of Nap Lajoie after the 1914 season. It was a revival of the nickname that fans gave to the Cleveland Spiders while Louis Sockalexis, a Native American, was playing for the team.
Common nicknames for the Indians include the "Tribe" and the "Wahoos", the latter referencing their former logo, Chief Wahoo. The team's mascot is named "Slider."
The franchise originated in 1894 as the Grand Rapids Rustlers, a minor league team in the Western League. The team relocated to Cleveland in 1900 and was renamed the Cleveland Lake Shores. The Western League itself was renamed the American League while continuing its minor league status.
One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the major league incarnation of the club was founded in Cleveland in 1901. Originally called the Cleveland Bluebirds, the team played in League Park until moving permanently to Cleveland Stadium in 1946. From August 24 to September 14, 2017, the Indians won 22 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in American League history.
As of the end of the 2021 season, the Indians' overall record is 9,592–9,144 (.512).
The team will cease using the name "Indians" following the 2021 baseball season, after which they will change their name to the Cleveland Guardians.
The team's new name references the Guardians of Traffic, eight monolithic 1932 Art Deco sculptures by Henry Hering on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge, which is adjacent to Progressive Field. The "Indians" name had come under criticism as part of the Native American mascot controversy.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Cleveland Indians/Guardians:
- Cleveland baseball prior to the Indians franchise
- Franchise history
- Season-by-season results
- Rivalries
- Logos and uniforms
- Media
- Cleveland Indians in popular culture
- Awards and honors
- Franchise records
- Roster
- Minor league affiliations
- Regular season home attendance
- See also:
Minnesota Twins (AL Central)
- YouTube Video: The All-Time Minnesota Twins Team Build!
- YouTube Video: Minnesota Twins vs. Baltimore Orioles (6/2/21) | MLB Highlights
- YouTube Video: Minnesota Twins unleash home run barrage to win AL Central | How They Got There
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area which includes the two adjoining cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The franchise was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1901 as the Washington Senators. The team relocated to Minnesota and was renamed the "Minnesota Twins" at the start of the 1961 season.
The Twins played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome from 1982 to 2009. The team played its inaugural game at Target Field on April 12, 2010. The franchise won the World Series in 1924 as the Senators, and in 1987 and 1991 as the Twins.
From 1901 to 2021, the Senators/Twins franchise's overall regular-season win-loss-tie record is 9,012–9,716–109 (.481); as the Twins (through 2021), it is 4,789–4,852–8 (.497).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Minnesota Twins:
The franchise was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1901 as the Washington Senators. The team relocated to Minnesota and was renamed the "Minnesota Twins" at the start of the 1961 season.
The Twins played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome from 1982 to 2009. The team played its inaugural game at Target Field on April 12, 2010. The franchise won the World Series in 1924 as the Senators, and in 1987 and 1991 as the Twins.
From 1901 to 2021, the Senators/Twins franchise's overall regular-season win-loss-tie record is 9,012–9,716–109 (.481); as the Twins (through 2021), it is 4,789–4,852–8 (.497).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Minnesota Twins:
- Team history
- Uniforms
- Roster
- Minor league affiliates
- Achievements
- Awards
- Team records
- Team seasons
- Radio and television
- Community activities
- Team and franchise traditions
- Minnesota Twins in popular culture
- Minnesota Twins official website
Detroit Tigers (AL Central)
- YouTube Video of the Detroit Tigers 2020 Season Highlights
- YouTube Video: Detroit Tigers present HOME: Episode 1
- YouTube Video: Tigers vs. Orioles Game Highlights (8/10/21) | MLB Highlights
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division.
One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit as a member of the minor league Western League in 1894 and is the only Western League team still in its original city. They are also the oldest continuous one name, one city franchise in the AL.
Since their establishment as a major league franchise in 1901, the Tigers have won:
They also won division titles in 1972, 1984, and 1987 as a member of the AL East.
Since 2000, the Tigers have played their home games at Comerica Park in Downtown Detroit.
The Tigers constructed Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Avenue in Corktown (just west of Downtown Detroit) and began playing there in 1896. In 1912, the team moved into Navin Field, which was built on the same location. It was expanded in 1938 and renamed Briggs Stadium. It was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961 and the Tigers played there until 1999.
From 1901 to 2021, the Tigers overall win–loss record is 9,446–9,311 (a winning percentage of .504). The franchise's best winning percentage was .656 in 1934, while its worst was .265 in 2003.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Detroit Tigers:
One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit as a member of the minor league Western League in 1894 and is the only Western League team still in its original city. They are also the oldest continuous one name, one city franchise in the AL.
Since their establishment as a major league franchise in 1901, the Tigers have won:
- four World Series championships (1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984),
- 11 AL pennants (1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968, 1984, 2006, 2012),
- and four AL Central division championships (2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014).
They also won division titles in 1972, 1984, and 1987 as a member of the AL East.
Since 2000, the Tigers have played their home games at Comerica Park in Downtown Detroit.
The Tigers constructed Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Avenue in Corktown (just west of Downtown Detroit) and began playing there in 1896. In 1912, the team moved into Navin Field, which was built on the same location. It was expanded in 1938 and renamed Briggs Stadium. It was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961 and the Tigers played there until 1999.
From 1901 to 2021, the Tigers overall win–loss record is 9,446–9,311 (a winning percentage of .504). The franchise's best winning percentage was .656 in 1934, while its worst was .265 in 2003.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Detroit Tigers:
- Franchise history
- Nickname
- Rivalries and fan base
- Home attendance
- Rally cry
- Uniforms and logos
- Baseball Hall of Famers
- Award winners
- Roster
- Minor league affiliations
- Broadcasters
- Franchise records
- Facilities
- See also:
American League (MLB)Pictured below: Map of City locations of American League (AL) Teams
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major league status. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season, 25 years after the formation of the National League (the "Senior Circuit").
At the end of every season, the American League champion plays in the World Series against the National League champion; two seasons did not end in playing a World Series (1904, when the National League champion New York Giants refused to play their AL counterpart, and 1994, when a players' strike prevented the Series).
Through 2021, American League teams have won 66 of the 117 World Series played since 1903, with 27 of those coming from the New York Yankees alone. The New York Yankees have won 40 American League titles, the most in the league's history, followed by the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (15) and the Boston Red Sox.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the American League (L):
At the end of every season, the American League champion plays in the World Series against the National League champion; two seasons did not end in playing a World Series (1904, when the National League champion New York Giants refused to play their AL counterpart, and 1994, when a players' strike prevented the Series).
Through 2021, American League teams have won 66 of the 117 World Series played since 1903, with 27 of those coming from the New York Yankees alone. The New York Yankees have won 40 American League titles, the most in the league's history, followed by the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (15) and the Boston Red Sox.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the American League (L):
- History
- Teams
- Presidents
- See also:
American League East Division
- YouTube Video: New York Yankees | Greatest Comebacks 2012-2016
- YouTube Video: Top 10 home runs in Boston Red Sox history
- YouTube Video: Baltimore Orioles: Funny Baseball Bloopers
The American League East (commonly referred to as the AL East) is one of six divisions in Major League Baseball (MLB). MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL).
This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the American League West division. Before that time, each league consisted of 10 teams without any divisions.
Four of the division's five teams are located in the Eastern United States, with the other team, the Toronto Blue Jays, in Eastern Canada. It is currently the only division that contains a non-American team.
At the end of the MLB season, the team with the best record in the division earns one of the AL's five playoff spots. The most recent team to win this division was the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the American East Division:
This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the American League West division. Before that time, each league consisted of 10 teams without any divisions.
Four of the division's five teams are located in the Eastern United States, with the other team, the Toronto Blue Jays, in Eastern Canada. It is currently the only division that contains a non-American team.
At the end of the MLB season, the team with the best record in the division earns one of the AL's five playoff spots. The most recent team to win this division was the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the American East Division:
- History
- Division membership
- Champions by year
- AL East statistics
- Wild Card winners produced
- Season results
- See also:
- AL East Division at baseball-reference.com
- MLB Final Standings By Year at shrpsports.com
Baltimore Orioles (American League East) including Oriole's All Time Player Roster Pictured below: Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Right photo below) is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was completed in 1992 to replace Memorial Stadium (Left photo below).
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division.
As one of the American League's eight charter teams in 1901, the franchise spent its first year as a major league club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers before moving to St. Louis, Missouri, to become the St. Louis Browns in 1902.
After 52 years in St. Louis, the franchise was purchased in November 1953 by a syndicate of Baltimore business and civic interests led by attorney and civic activist Clarence Miles and Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. The team's current owner is American trial lawyer Peter Angelos.
The Orioles adopted their team name in honor of the official state bird of Maryland; it had been used previously by several baseball clubs in the city, including another AL charter member franchise also named the "Baltimore Orioles", which moved north to New York in 1903 to eventually become the Yankees. Nicknames for the team include the "O's" and the "Birds".
The Orioles experienced their greatest success from 1966 to 1983, when they made six World Series appearances, winning three of them (1966, 1970, 1983). This era of the club featured several future Hall of Famers who would later be inducted representing the Orioles, such as third baseman Brooks Robinson, outfielder Frank Robinson, starting pitcher Jim Palmer, first baseman Eddie Murray, shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., and manager Earl Weaver.
The Orioles have won a total of nine division championships (1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1997, 2014), six pennants (1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1983), and three wild card berths (1996, 2012, 2016).
After suffering a stretch of 14 consecutive losing seasons from 1998 to 2011, the team qualified for the postseason three times under manager Buck Showalter and general manager Dan Duquette, including a division title and advancement to the American League Championship Series for the first time in 17 years in 2014. However, the 2018 team finished with a 47–115 record, prompting the team to move on from Showalter and Duquette following the season's conclusion.
The Orioles' current manager is Brandon Hyde, while Mike Elias serves as general manager and executive vice president.
The Orioles are well known for their influential ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992 in downtown Baltimore.
From 1901 through the end of 2021, the franchise's overall win–loss record is 8,845–9,873 (.473). Since moving to Baltimore in 1954, the Orioles have an overall win–loss record of 5,383–5,319 (.503) through the end of 2021.
Baltimore Oriole's All Time Player Roster:
Click on above blue hyperlink for the full roster: Below is a sample image of that roster:
As one of the American League's eight charter teams in 1901, the franchise spent its first year as a major league club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers before moving to St. Louis, Missouri, to become the St. Louis Browns in 1902.
After 52 years in St. Louis, the franchise was purchased in November 1953 by a syndicate of Baltimore business and civic interests led by attorney and civic activist Clarence Miles and Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. The team's current owner is American trial lawyer Peter Angelos.
The Orioles adopted their team name in honor of the official state bird of Maryland; it had been used previously by several baseball clubs in the city, including another AL charter member franchise also named the "Baltimore Orioles", which moved north to New York in 1903 to eventually become the Yankees. Nicknames for the team include the "O's" and the "Birds".
The Orioles experienced their greatest success from 1966 to 1983, when they made six World Series appearances, winning three of them (1966, 1970, 1983). This era of the club featured several future Hall of Famers who would later be inducted representing the Orioles, such as third baseman Brooks Robinson, outfielder Frank Robinson, starting pitcher Jim Palmer, first baseman Eddie Murray, shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., and manager Earl Weaver.
The Orioles have won a total of nine division championships (1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1997, 2014), six pennants (1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1983), and three wild card berths (1996, 2012, 2016).
After suffering a stretch of 14 consecutive losing seasons from 1998 to 2011, the team qualified for the postseason three times under manager Buck Showalter and general manager Dan Duquette, including a division title and advancement to the American League Championship Series for the first time in 17 years in 2014. However, the 2018 team finished with a 47–115 record, prompting the team to move on from Showalter and Duquette following the season's conclusion.
The Orioles' current manager is Brandon Hyde, while Mike Elias serves as general manager and executive vice president.
The Orioles are well known for their influential ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which opened in 1992 in downtown Baltimore.
From 1901 through the end of 2021, the franchise's overall win–loss record is 8,845–9,873 (.473). Since moving to Baltimore in 1954, the Orioles have an overall win–loss record of 5,383–5,319 (.503) through the end of 2021.
Baltimore Oriole's All Time Player Roster:
Click on above blue hyperlink for the full roster: Below is a sample image of that roster:
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Baltimore Orioles:
- History
- Logos and uniforms
- Radio and television coverage
- Musical traditions:
- "O!"
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy"
"Orioles Magic" and other songs
The First Army Band
- "O!"
- Postseason appearances
- Baseball Hall of Famers
- Ford C. Frick Award (broadcasters only)
Retired numbers
Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame
Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame
Team captains
- Ford C. Frick Award (broadcasters only)
- Roster
- Minor league affiliates
- Franchise records and award winners
- See also:
- Baltimore Orioles official website
- Waldman, Ed. "Sold! Angelos scored with '93 home run", The Baltimore Sun, August 1, 2004
- "St. Louis Browns photographs". University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Boston Red Sox (American League East)
- YouTube Video: Red Sox come STORMING BACK with FOUR home runs! Boston takes 8-5 lead over Tampa Bay
- YouTube Video: Red Sox DH David Ortiz elected to Hall of Fame! (Big Papi's Career Highlights)
- YouTube Video: Top 10 home runs in Boston Red Sox history
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division.
Founded in 1901 as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox' home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912. The "Red Sox" name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, circa 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the "Boston Red Stockings", including the forerunner of the Atlanta Braves.
The team has won nine World Series championships, tied for the third-most of any MLB team, and they have played in 13. Their most recent World Series appearance and win was in 2018. In addition, they won the 1904 American League pennant, but were not able to defend their 1903 World Series championship when the New York Giants refused to participate in the 1904 World Series.
The Red Sox were a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903 and winning four more championships by 1918. However, they then went into one of the longest championship droughts in baseball history, dubbed the "Curse of the Bambino" after its alleged inception due to the Red Sox' sale of Babe Ruth to the rival New York Yankees two years after their world championship in 1918, an 86-year wait before the team's sixth World Championship in 2004.
The team's history during that period was punctuated with some of the most memorable moments in World Series history, including Enos Slaughter's "mad dash" in 1946, the "Impossible Dream" of 1967, Carlton Fisk's home run in 1975, and Bill Buckner's error in 1986. Following their victory in the 2018 World Series, they became the first team to win four World Series trophies in the 21st century, with championships in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018.
The team's history has also been marked by the team's intense rivalry with the New York Yankees, arguably the fiercest and most historic in North American professional sports.
The Boston Red Sox are owned by Fenway Sports Group, which also owns Liverpool F.C. of the Premier League in England. They are consistently one of the top MLB teams in average road attendance, while the small capacity of Fenway Park prevents them from leading in overall attendance. From May 15, 2003, to April 10, 2013, the Red Sox sold out every home game—a total of 820 games (794 regular season) for a major professional sports record.
Both Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and The Standells' "Dirty Water" have become anthems for the Red Sox.
As of the end of the 2021 season, the franchise's all-time regular-season record is 9,718–9,014 (.519)
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Boston Red Sox:
Founded in 1901 as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox' home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912. The "Red Sox" name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, circa 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the "Boston Red Stockings", including the forerunner of the Atlanta Braves.
The team has won nine World Series championships, tied for the third-most of any MLB team, and they have played in 13. Their most recent World Series appearance and win was in 2018. In addition, they won the 1904 American League pennant, but were not able to defend their 1903 World Series championship when the New York Giants refused to participate in the 1904 World Series.
The Red Sox were a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903 and winning four more championships by 1918. However, they then went into one of the longest championship droughts in baseball history, dubbed the "Curse of the Bambino" after its alleged inception due to the Red Sox' sale of Babe Ruth to the rival New York Yankees two years after their world championship in 1918, an 86-year wait before the team's sixth World Championship in 2004.
The team's history during that period was punctuated with some of the most memorable moments in World Series history, including Enos Slaughter's "mad dash" in 1946, the "Impossible Dream" of 1967, Carlton Fisk's home run in 1975, and Bill Buckner's error in 1986. Following their victory in the 2018 World Series, they became the first team to win four World Series trophies in the 21st century, with championships in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018.
The team's history has also been marked by the team's intense rivalry with the New York Yankees, arguably the fiercest and most historic in North American professional sports.
The Boston Red Sox are owned by Fenway Sports Group, which also owns Liverpool F.C. of the Premier League in England. They are consistently one of the top MLB teams in average road attendance, while the small capacity of Fenway Park prevents them from leading in overall attendance. From May 15, 2003, to April 10, 2013, the Red Sox sold out every home game—a total of 820 games (794 regular season) for a major professional sports record.
Both Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and The Standells' "Dirty Water" have become anthems for the Red Sox.
As of the end of the 2021 season, the franchise's all-time regular-season record is 9,718–9,014 (.519)
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Boston Red Sox:
- Nickname
- History
- Awards
- Roster
- Regular season home attendance
- Uniforms
- Spring training
- Rivalry with the Yankees
- Radio and television
- Music
- Retired numbers
- Baseball Hall of Famers
- Minor league affiliations
- Other notable seasons and team records
- See also:
- History of the Boston Red Sox
- Red Sox Nation
- Tony Conigliaro Award
- The Jimmy Fund
- Lists:
- Media:
- Game 6 – a film covering the team's ultimately unsuccessful 1986 World Series championship run
- Red Sox Rule – a 2008 book written by Michael Holley
- Boston Red Sox official website
- Season-by-Season Records
- Boston Red Sox Video at ESPN Video Archive
- 2004 World Series win in the Newseum archive of front page images from 2004-10-28.
New York Yankees (American League East)
Pictured below: New York Yankees Stadium
- YouTube Video: Home Run King Babe Ruth in Full Color
- YouTube Video: Joe DiMaggio* Baseball Career Highlights
- YouTube Video: Mickey Mantle: The Definitive Story (MLB Baseball Sports Documentary)
Pictured below: New York Yankees Stadium
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx.
The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the National League's (NL) New York Mets.
The Yankees began play in the 1901 season as the Baltimore Orioles (no relation to the modern Baltimore Orioles). In 1903, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the franchise after it ceased operations and moved it to New York City, renaming the club the New York Highlanders. The Highlanders were officially renamed the New York Yankees in 1913.
The team is owned by Yankee Global Enterprises, an LLC that is controlled by the family of the late George Steinbrenner, who purchased the team in 1973. Brian Cashman is the team's general manager, and Aaron Boone is the team's field manager.
The team's home games were played at the original Yankee Stadium from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. In 1974 and 1975, the Yankees shared Shea Stadium with the Mets, in addition to the New York Jets and the New York Giants. In 2009, they moved into a new ballpark of the same name that was constructed adjacent to the previous facility, which was closed and demolished.
The team is perennially among the leaders in MLB attendance.
Arguably the most successful professional sports team in the United States, the Yankees have won 19 American League East Division titles, 40 American League pennants, and 27 World Series championships, all of which are MLB records.
The team has won more titles than any other franchise in the four major North American sports leagues - after briefly trailing the NHL's Montreal Canadiens by one or two titles in the 1990s.
The Yankees have had 44 players and 11 managers inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including:
According to Forbes, the Yankees are the second-highest valued sports franchise in the United States and the second in the world, with an estimated value of approximately $5 billion. The team has garnered enormous popularity and a dedicated fanbase, as well as widespread enmity from fans of other MLB teams. The team's rivalry with the Boston Red Sox is one of the most well-known rivalries in North American sports.
From 1903 to 2021, the Yankees' overall win–loss record is 10,503–7,937 (a .570 winning percentage).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the New York Yankees:
The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the National League's (NL) New York Mets.
The Yankees began play in the 1901 season as the Baltimore Orioles (no relation to the modern Baltimore Orioles). In 1903, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the franchise after it ceased operations and moved it to New York City, renaming the club the New York Highlanders. The Highlanders were officially renamed the New York Yankees in 1913.
The team is owned by Yankee Global Enterprises, an LLC that is controlled by the family of the late George Steinbrenner, who purchased the team in 1973. Brian Cashman is the team's general manager, and Aaron Boone is the team's field manager.
The team's home games were played at the original Yankee Stadium from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. In 1974 and 1975, the Yankees shared Shea Stadium with the Mets, in addition to the New York Jets and the New York Giants. In 2009, they moved into a new ballpark of the same name that was constructed adjacent to the previous facility, which was closed and demolished.
The team is perennially among the leaders in MLB attendance.
Arguably the most successful professional sports team in the United States, the Yankees have won 19 American League East Division titles, 40 American League pennants, and 27 World Series championships, all of which are MLB records.
The team has won more titles than any other franchise in the four major North American sports leagues - after briefly trailing the NHL's Montreal Canadiens by one or two titles in the 1990s.
The Yankees have had 44 players and 11 managers inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including:
- Babe Ruth,
- Lou Gehrig,
- Joe DiMaggio,
- Mickey Mantle,
- Yogi Berra,
- Whitey Ford,
- Mariano Rivera,
- and Derek Jeter, with Rivera and Jeter having the two highest vote percentages of all Hall of Fame members.
According to Forbes, the Yankees are the second-highest valued sports franchise in the United States and the second in the world, with an estimated value of approximately $5 billion. The team has garnered enormous popularity and a dedicated fanbase, as well as widespread enmity from fans of other MLB teams. The team's rivalry with the Boston Red Sox is one of the most well-known rivalries in North American sports.
From 1903 to 2021, the Yankees' overall win–loss record is 10,503–7,937 (a .570 winning percentage).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the New York Yankees:
- History
- 1901–1902: Origins in Baltimore
- 1903–1912: Move to New York and the Highlanders years
- 1913–1922: New owners, a new home, and a new name: Years at the Polo Grounds
- 1960–1964: Mantle and Maris
- 1965–1972: New ownership and a steep decline
- 1973–1981: Steinbrenner, Martin, Jackson, and Munson: the Bronx Zoo
- 1982–1995: Struggles during the Mattingly years
- 1996–2007: Core Four: Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, and Rivera
- 2008–2016: Championship run, followed by losing streak
- 2017–present: Baby Bombers
- Distinctions
- World Series championships
- Team nicknames
- Logos and uniforms
- Popularity
- Fight and theme songs
- Radio and television
- Roster
- Rivalries
- Minor league affiliations
- Front office
- See also:
- List of World Series champions
- List of New York Yankees managers
- "A Boy and His Job." 1969-06-04. Elliott Ashley, bat boy for the New York Yankees, explains his duties in this documentary produced by National Educational Television, preserved in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.
- New York Yankees official website
- Baseball-Reference.com – year-by-year franchise index
- Baseball Almanac
- Sports E-Cyclopedia
Tampa Bay Rays (American League East)
- YouTube Video: Tampa Bay Rays Top 10 Playoff Moments since 1998
- YouTube Video: The high-octane offense of the Tampa Bay Rays
- YouTube Video: The All-Time Tampa Bay Rays Team Build!
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venue has been Tropicana Field.
Following nearly three decades of unsuccessfully trying to gain an expansion franchise or enticing existing teams to relocate to the Tampa Bay area, an ownership group led by Vince Naimoli was approved on March 9, 1995. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays began play in the 1998 Major League Baseball season.
The team's first decade of play was marked by futility; they finished in last place in the AL East in all but the 2004 season, when they finished second to last. Following the 2007 season, Stuart Sternberg, who had purchased controlling interest in the team from Vince Naimoli two years earlier, changed the team's name from "Devil Rays" to "Rays", now meant to primarily refer to a burst of sunshine rather than a manta ray, though a manta ray logo remains on the uniform sleeves.
The 2008 season saw the Tampa Bay Rays post their first winning season, their first AL East championship, and their first American League pennant (defeating the rival Boston Red Sox in the ALCS), though they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in that year's World Series.
Since then, the Rays have played in the postseason six more times, winning the American League pennant again in 2020 and losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in that year's World Series.
The Tampa Bay Rays' chief rivals are the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Regarding the former, there have been several notable on-field incidents. The Rays also have an intrastate interleague rivalry with the National League (NL)'s Miami Marlins (originally the Florida Marlins), whom they play in the Citrus Series.
Through 2021, the Rays' all-time record is 1,826–1,958 (.483).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Tampa Bay Rays:
Following nearly three decades of unsuccessfully trying to gain an expansion franchise or enticing existing teams to relocate to the Tampa Bay area, an ownership group led by Vince Naimoli was approved on March 9, 1995. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays began play in the 1998 Major League Baseball season.
The team's first decade of play was marked by futility; they finished in last place in the AL East in all but the 2004 season, when they finished second to last. Following the 2007 season, Stuart Sternberg, who had purchased controlling interest in the team from Vince Naimoli two years earlier, changed the team's name from "Devil Rays" to "Rays", now meant to primarily refer to a burst of sunshine rather than a manta ray, though a manta ray logo remains on the uniform sleeves.
The 2008 season saw the Tampa Bay Rays post their first winning season, their first AL East championship, and their first American League pennant (defeating the rival Boston Red Sox in the ALCS), though they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in that year's World Series.
Since then, the Rays have played in the postseason six more times, winning the American League pennant again in 2020 and losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in that year's World Series.
The Tampa Bay Rays' chief rivals are the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Regarding the former, there have been several notable on-field incidents. The Rays also have an intrastate interleague rivalry with the National League (NL)'s Miami Marlins (originally the Florida Marlins), whom they play in the Citrus Series.
Through 2021, the Rays' all-time record is 1,826–1,958 (.483).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Tampa Bay Rays:
- History
- Season results
- Rivals
- Ballparks
- Logo and uniform history
- Team media
- Rays fandom
- Roster
- Minor league affiliations
- Awards, league leaders, and individual records
- Team salaries
- See also:
- Baseball awards
- List of MLB awards
- Tampa Bay Rays all-time roster
- Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame (including Tampa Bay Rays exhibit)
- Tampa Bay Rays official website
Toronto Blue Jays (American League East)
- YouTube Video: The Ultimate Team - The Toronto Blue Jays
- YouTube Video: Toronto Blue Jays Win the 1993 World Series! Epic Game 6 Highlights!
- YouTube Video: Blue Jays stage MONSTER comeback! (Springer hits go-ahead homer in 8th!)
Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division.
The team usually plays its home games at Rogers Centre, but due to border restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic had used TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida for April and May of the 2021 season, and Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York for the 2020 season as well as June and July 2021, returning home to Toronto as of July 30.
The name "Blue Jays" originates from the bird of the same name, and blue is also the traditional color of Toronto's collegiate and professional sports teams including the Maple Leafs (ice hockey) and the Argonauts (Canadian football).
In 1976, out of the over 4,000 suggestions, 154 people selected the name "Blue Jays." In addition, the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company, makers of the popular beer Labatt Blue. Colloquially nicknamed the "Jays", the team's official colours are royal blue, navy blue, red, and white.
An expansion franchise, the club was founded in Toronto in 1977. Originally based at Exhibition Stadium, the team began playing its home games at SkyDome upon its opening in 1989.
Since 2000, the Blue Jays have been owned by Rogers Communications and in 2004, SkyDome was purchased by that company, which renamed it Rogers Centre. They are the second MLB franchise to be based outside the United States, and currently the only team based outside the U.S. after the first Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos, became the Washington Nationals in 2005.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Blue Jays went through struggles typical of an expansion team, frequently finishing last in their division. In 1983, they had their first winning season and two years later, became division champions.
From 1985 to 1993, the Blue Jays were an AL East powerhouse, winning five division championships in nine seasons, including three consecutive from 1991 to 1993. During that run, the team also became back-to-back World Series champions in 1992 and 1993, led by a core group of award-winning All-Star players, including Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, John Olerud, and Devon White.
The Blue Jays became the first (and, to date, only) team outside the U.S. to appear in and win a World Series, and the fastest AL expansion team to do so, winning in its 16th year. As of 2019, they are one of only two MLB franchises that are undefeated through multiple World Series appearances, along with the National League's Miami Marlins.
After 1993, the Blue Jays failed to qualify for the playoffs for 21 consecutive seasons, until clinching a playoff berth and division championship in 2015. The team clinched a second consecutive playoff berth in 2016, after securing an AL wild card position. In both years, the Jays beat the Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series, but lost the AL Championship Series.
The Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves are the only two MLB teams under corporate ownership; the Blue Jays are the only American League team to be under such ownership.
From 1977 to 2021, the Blue Jays' overall win–loss record is 3,506–3,557 (.496).
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about the Toronto Blue Jays:
The team usually plays its home games at Rogers Centre, but due to border restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic had used TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida for April and May of the 2021 season, and Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York for the 2020 season as well as June and July 2021, returning home to Toronto as of July 30.
The name "Blue Jays" originates from the bird of the same name, and blue is also the traditional color of Toronto's collegiate and professional sports teams including the Maple Leafs (ice hockey) and the Argonauts (Canadian football).
In 1976, out of the over 4,000 suggestions, 154 people selected the name "Blue Jays." In addition, the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company, makers of the popular beer Labatt Blue. Colloquially nicknamed the "Jays", the team's official colours are royal blue, navy blue, red, and white.
An expansion franchise, the club was founded in Toronto in 1977. Originally based at Exhibition Stadium, the team began playing its home games at SkyDome upon its opening in 1989.
Since 2000, the Blue Jays have been owned by Rogers Communications and in 2004, SkyDome was purchased by that company, which renamed it Rogers Centre. They are the second MLB franchise to be based outside the United States, and currently the only team based outside the U.S. after the first Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos, became the Washington Nationals in 2005.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Blue Jays went through struggles typical of an expansion team, frequently finishing last in their division. In 1983, they had their first winning season and two years later, became division champions.
From 1985 to 1993, the Blue Jays were an AL East powerhouse, winning five division championships in nine seasons, including three consecutive from 1991 to 1993. During that run, the team also became back-to-back World Series champions in 1992 and 1993, led by a core group of award-winning All-Star players, including Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, John Olerud, and Devon White.
The Blue Jays became the first (and, to date, only) team outside the U.S. to appear in and win a World Series, and the fastest AL expansion team to do so, winning in its 16th year. As of 2019, they are one of only two MLB franchises that are undefeated through multiple World Series appearances, along with the National League's Miami Marlins.
After 1993, the Blue Jays failed to qualify for the playoffs for 21 consecutive seasons, until clinching a playoff berth and division championship in 2015. The team clinched a second consecutive playoff berth in 2016, after securing an AL wild card position. In both years, the Jays beat the Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series, but lost the AL Championship Series.
The Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves are the only two MLB teams under corporate ownership; the Blue Jays are the only American League team to be under such ownership.
From 1977 to 2021, the Blue Jays' overall win–loss record is 3,506–3,557 (.496).
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Willie Mays (1931-2024)
TOP: Willie Mays makes a leaping, one-handed catch.
BOTTOM: President Barack Obama presents Willie Mays with Presidential Medal of Freedom during the 2015 Presidential Medal Of Freedom ceremony at the White House.
- YouTube Video: Willie Mays Career Highlights
- YouTube Video: After Willie Mays' death, Rickwood Field game takes on renewed significance
- YouTube Video: Paying tribute to the life and career of baseball legend Willie Mays | SNY
TOP: Willie Mays makes a leaping, one-handed catch.
BOTTOM: President Barack Obama presents Willie Mays with Presidential Medal of Freedom during the 2015 Presidential Medal Of Freedom ceremony at the White House.
Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed the "Say Hey Kid", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time, Mays was a five-tool player who began his career in the Negro leagues, playing for the Birmingham Black Barons, and spent the rest of his career in the National League (NL), playing for the New York / San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.
Born in Westfield, Alabama, Mays was an all-around athlete. He joined the Black Barons of the Negro American League in 1948, playing with them until the Giants signed him upon his graduation from high school in 1950.
He debuted in MLB with the Giants and won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1951 after hitting 20 home runs to help the Giants win their first pennant in 14 years. In 1954, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, leading the Giants to their last World Series title before their move to the West Coast.
His over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series is one of the most famous baseball plays of all time. After the Giants moved to San Francisco, Mays went on to win another MVP Award in 1965 and also led the Giants to the 1962 World Series, this time losing to the New York Yankees.
He ended his career with a return to New York after an early season trade to the New York Mets in 1972, retiring after the team's trip to the 1973 World Series. He served as a coach for the Mets for the rest of the decade before rejoining the Giants as a special assistant to the president and general manager.
A 24-time All-Star, this tied him for the second most in history. He led the NL in home runs four times and in slugging percentage five times while batting over .300 and posting 100 runs batted in (RBIs) ten times each.
Mays was also at the forefront of a resurgence of speed as an offensive weapon in the 1950s, leading the league in stolen bases four times, triples three times, and runs twice; his 179 steals during the decade topped the major leagues. He was:
Mays also set standards for defensive brilliance, winning 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards after their creation in 1957, still a record for outfielders; he led NL center fielders in double plays five times and assists three times.
A classic example of a five-tool player, Mays finished his career with a batting average of .302. At the time of his retirement, he :
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Willie Mays:
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time, Mays was a five-tool player who began his career in the Negro leagues, playing for the Birmingham Black Barons, and spent the rest of his career in the National League (NL), playing for the New York / San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.
Born in Westfield, Alabama, Mays was an all-around athlete. He joined the Black Barons of the Negro American League in 1948, playing with them until the Giants signed him upon his graduation from high school in 1950.
He debuted in MLB with the Giants and won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1951 after hitting 20 home runs to help the Giants win their first pennant in 14 years. In 1954, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, leading the Giants to their last World Series title before their move to the West Coast.
His over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series is one of the most famous baseball plays of all time. After the Giants moved to San Francisco, Mays went on to win another MVP Award in 1965 and also led the Giants to the 1962 World Series, this time losing to the New York Yankees.
He ended his career with a return to New York after an early season trade to the New York Mets in 1972, retiring after the team's trip to the 1973 World Series. He served as a coach for the Mets for the rest of the decade before rejoining the Giants as a special assistant to the president and general manager.
A 24-time All-Star, this tied him for the second most in history. He led the NL in home runs four times and in slugging percentage five times while batting over .300 and posting 100 runs batted in (RBIs) ten times each.
Mays was also at the forefront of a resurgence of speed as an offensive weapon in the 1950s, leading the league in stolen bases four times, triples three times, and runs twice; his 179 steals during the decade topped the major leagues. He was:
- the first NL player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season,
- the first player in history to reach both 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases,
- and the second player and the first right-handed hitter to hit 600 home runs.
Mays also set standards for defensive brilliance, winning 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards after their creation in 1957, still a record for outfielders; he led NL center fielders in double plays five times and assists three times.
A classic example of a five-tool player, Mays finished his career with a batting average of .302. At the time of his retirement, he :
- held the NL record for career runs scored (2,062),
- and ranked second in league history behind Stan Musial in games played (2,992),
- third in home runs (660),
- at bats (10,881),
- runs batted in (1,903),
- total bases (6,066),
- extra-base hits (1,323)
- and walks (1,464),
- fourth in hits (3,293),
- fifth in slugging percentage (.557),
- and eighth in doubles (523);
- his 140 triples ranked fourth among players active after 1945.
- He holds major league records for games as a center fielder (2,829),
- putouts as an outfielder (7,095)
- and extra-inning home runs (22), and ended his career behind only Ty Cobb in total games as an outfielder (2,842),
- ranking seventh in assists (188)
- and third in double plays (59) in center field.
- Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 in his first year of eligibility, and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
- Mays was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2015.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Willie Mays:
- Early life
- Professional career
- Player profile
- Assessment and legacy
- Cultural effect
- Post-playing career
- Special honors, media appearances
- Personal life
- Death
- See also:
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball career bases on balls leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career assists as a center fielder leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career double plays as a center fielder leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a center fielder leaders
- List of Major League Baseball single-game home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball retired numbers
- List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Seamheads
- Willie Mays at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Willie Mays at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Willie Mays at IMDb