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Major League Baseball

"MLB" redirects here. For the hierarchy of professional baseball leagues affiliated with this league, see Minor League Baseball. For other uses, see MLB (disambiguation).

Major League Baseball
Most recent season or competition:
2024 Major League Baseball season
SportBaseball
FoundedNational League (NL), 1876 (1876)[1]
American League (AL), 1901 (1901)[2]
National Agreement signed, 1903 (1903)[3]
Merged into one organization, 2000 (2000)[4]
CommissionerRob Manfred[5]
No. of teams30[6]
Countries
  • United States (29 teams)
  • Canada (1 team)
Headquarters1271 Avenue of the Americas[7]
New York, New York 10020
U.S.
ConfederationWBSC Americas
Most recent
champion(s)		Los Angeles Dodgers
(8th title)
Most titlesNew York Yankees
(27 titles)[8]
TV partner(s)
Streaming partner(s)
Official websiteMLB.com

Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league and the highest level of organized baseball in the United States and Canada. One of the "Big Four" major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, MLB comprises 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. Formed in 1876 and 1901, respectively, the NL and AL cemented their cooperation with the National Agreement in 1903, making MLB the oldest major professional sports league in the world. They remained legally separate entities until 2000, when they merged into a single organization led by the commissioner of baseball.[3][7][16][17] MLB is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.[7]

Baseball's first all-professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was founded in 1869. The first few decades of professional baseball saw rivalries between leagues, and players often jumped from one team or league to another. These practices were essentially ended by the National Agreement of 1903, in which AL and NL agreed to respect each other's player contracts, including the contentious reserve clause.

The period before 1920 was the dead-ball era, when home runs were rarely hit. Professional baseball was rocked by the Black Sox Scandal, a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series. Baseball survived the scandal, albeit with major changes in its governance as the relatively weak National Commission was replaced with a powerful commissioner of baseball with near-unlimited authority over the sport.

MLB rose in popularity in the decade following the Black Sox Scandal, and unlike major leagues in other sports it endured the Great Depression and World War II without any of its teams folding. Shortly after the war, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier.

Some teams moved to different cities in the 1950s and 1960s. The AL and NL added eight clubs in the 1960s: two in 1961, two in 1962, and four in 1969. Player discontent with established labor practices, especially the reserve clause, led to the organization of the Major League Baseball Players Association to collectively bargain with the owners, which in turn led to the introduction of free agency in baseball.

Modern stadiums with artificial turf surfaces began to change the game in the 1970s and 1980s. Home runs dominated the game during the 1990s. In the mid-2000s, media reports disclosed the use of anabolic steroids among MLB players; a 2006–07 investigation produced the Mitchell Report, which found that many players had used steroids and other performance-enhancing substances, including at least one player from each team.

Each team plays 162 games per season, with Opening Day traditionally held during the first week of April. Six teams in each league then advance to a four-round postseason tournament in October, culminating in the World Series, a best-of-seven championship series between the two league champions first played in 1903. The New York Yankees have the most championships with 27. The reigning champions are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series.

MLB is the third-wealthiest professional sports league by revenue in the world after the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA).[18][19][20] Baseball games are broadcast on television, radio, and the internet throughout North America and in several other countries. MLB has the highest total season attendance of any sports league in the world; in 2023, it drew more than 70.75 million spectators.[21]

MLB also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises lower-tier teams affiliated with the major league clubs, and the MLB Draft League, a hybrid amateur-professional showcase league. MLB and the World Baseball Softball Confederation jointly manage the international World Baseball Classic tournament.

  1. ^ Langs, Sarah (May 29, 2021). "Donaldson scores MLB's 2 millionth run". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2022. Official MLB history dates to 1876, when the National League began play. According to research by MLB's official historian, John Thorn, the first run came on April 22 of that year – in the first game of the season, between the Boston Red Stockings, now the Braves, and the Philadelphia Athletics.
  2. ^ "Franchise Timeline". WhiteSox.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "The Commissionership: A Historical Perspective". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2016. The strength of the American League grew as an increasing number of National League players opted for the higher salaries offered by the new association. Faced with the prospect of losing many of its best players, the NL chose peace and declared the AL its equal in 1903. This led to a new National Agreement and the birth of the World Series. The American and National Leagues were established as major leagues and all other associations comprised the minor leagues, which fell under the jurisdiction of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues.
  4. ^ Chass, Murray (September 16, 1999). "BASEBALL; League Presidents Out As Baseball Centralizes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "Robert D. Manfred Jr., 10th Commissioner of Baseball, Elected: Jan. 25, 2015". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "MLB Team Contact Information". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "About MLB". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "World Series History: Championships by Club". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  9. ^ a b Hughes, Katie (May 13, 2021). "The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and Major League Baseball Reach Long-Term Rights Extension for Fully Exclusive, Marquee Schedule". ESPNPressroom.com (Press release). Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  10. ^ "MLB announces 2022 postseason schedule". MLB.com (Press release). MLB Advanced Media. August 15, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  11. ^ "2022 National Broadcast Schedule". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "Apple and Major League Baseball announce first 12 weeks of "Friday Night Baseball" doubleheader schedule beginning April 8". MLB.com (Press release). MLB Advanced Media. March 29, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Apple was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b "Roku lands exclusive rights to Major League Baseball Sunday Leadoff". MLB.com (Press release). MLB Advanced Media. May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Roku Lands Exclusive Rights to Major League Baseball Sunday Leadoff". Roku.com (Press release). Roku, Inc. May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "Year In Review: 2000 National League". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  17. ^ Chass, Murray (September 16, 1999). "BASEBALL; League Presidents Out As Baseball Centralizes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  18. ^ Young, Jabari (December 22, 2019). "Major League Baseball revenue for 2019 season hits a record $10.7 billion". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  19. ^ "11 Most Profitable Sports Leagues – Their Value Will Surprise You – Athletic Panda Sports Editors". Archived from the original on June 18, 2020.
  20. ^ "www.sap.com" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2020.
  21. ^ "MLB draws 70.75 million fans, first time over 70 million since 2017". Associated Press. October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2024.


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