The 2019 Major League baseball season was the 118th season since the merger of the American League with the National League and the 143rd season of Major League baseball. For the 30 clubs, the first game is scheduled for Thursday, March 29, 2019.
This is the first time in history that the regular season begins so early in the year and the first time since 1968 that all major clubs are in action the first Day1. The first pitch is set for the Marlins Park in Miami when the Miami Marlins will host the Chicago Cubs for the opening of 15 games on March 29. The last of the 162 regular-season games of each club is scheduled for Sunday, September 30 20181. The playoff phase is set to begin in the early days of October and will conclude at the end of the month with the 2018 World Series, which crowns the 2018 season champion.
The Houston Astros began the 2019 season as Major League baseball champions, having won the 2017 World Series the previous November, enjoying the first title in their history. 2 The Astros are also defending champions of the American League. The reigning champions of the National League are the Dodgers of Los Angeles4, losers in the final World Series against Houston.
The 89th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, July 17, 2019, at Nationals Park, home of The Washington Nationals5. This is the first time since 1969 that the annual All-Star Game has been played in Washington6.
The Beginning
Major baseball began in 1876 through the National League. However, the league was not the first professional baseball organization (the National Association of Professional Baseball Players from 1871 to 1875), but it was considered the first major league. Committees of experts assign this designation to individual leagues, and not only to the two components of the current Major Leagues: The National League (since 1876) and the American League (since 1901). The other significant leagues were the Union Association (1884), The Players League (1890), the American Association (1882-1891) and the Federal League (1914-15).
Six teams from NAPBBP, which ceased operations in 1875, co-founded the National League on February 2, 1876, in New York. In the first season, eight teams are in the league. The owners of the franchises take control of the players as a result of the differences found in NAPBBP, corruption cases in particular 2. The concept of rights in a territory was introduced in 1876 as well2. It’s still in use.
In 1882, the American Association competed with the National League. A. A. offers more affordable ticket prices, sets up games on Sundays, and sells beer to spectators. During the existence of this league, several teams left for the National League until 1891, when the Association merged with the National League, which helped increase the popularity of Major baseball.
In 1884, the Union Association was founded, but it was dissolved after a season of existence. In 1890 another league was founded, The Players League, but it too lasted only one season, and in 1892 the National League remained the only major league.
The Western League, the largest of the minor leagues since the mid-1890s, was renamed the American League in 1900 and then declared major league on January 28, 1901. The National League agreed to face the American League champions in 1903, and the first World Series was played after the regular championships that year.
From 1914 to 1915, the Federal League was the last league to attempt to reach the “”major league”” standards but with little success.
The evolution of Major baseball
Unlike the other major North American sports leagues, the MLB has two different leagues. The rules of organization and even of play differ in fact between the American League and the National League. These differences persist even after the positions of league presidents disappeared in favor of the commissioner alone in 1999. The designated batter rule, introduced in 1973 in the American League, is the main difference between the two leagues. She’s not the only one. For example, a prolonged game cannot continue after one local time in the National League; instead, one can play all night in the American League.
For a long time, the owners of franchises were mighty in the face of players who tried well to react by setting up unions to protect their interests, without much effect. It was not until 1966, and the arrival of trade unionist Marvin Miller at the head of the MLPMA, that things slowly developed. Since the mid-1990s, the situation has shifted in favor of the players, who, after having freed themselves from the famous reserve clause, linking them for life to their club, now obtain more advantageous financial arbitrations. In the 2000s, a balance was found between players and owners. In 2011, the annual minimum wage was $ 414,000 for a player, compared to $ 400,000 a year earlier.