History of the American League facts for kids
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs has a long and interesting history. Before 2000, it was one of the two main leagues in Major League Baseball, along with the National League. The American League started as a minor league called the Western League. It grew into a major league after another league, the American Association, stopped playing. The Western League had a tough start until 1894. That's when Ban Johnson became its president. Johnson helped the Western League become a major league. Soon after, he became the president of the newly named American League.
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Early Days of the League
The very first version of the American League was the Northwestern League. This was a minor league with teams in the Midwestern United States. This league, along with the National League and American Association, signed an important agreement. This agreement made sure teams honored player contracts. It also set a minimum salary for players.
The Northwestern League soon became known as the Western League. It faced money problems and even stopped playing a few times. In 1892, Ban Johnson and Charles Comiskey bought the Western League.
Johnson wanted to make baseball a better sport. He allowed umpires to suspend players who used bad language or argued calls. Johnson hoped his league would be a good example of a well-run league. He wanted it to be organized, make money, and be fun to watch.
In Johnson's first year, 1894, most teams in the Western League made a profit. By 1895, more fans started coming to games. In 1896, Johnson brought in Connie Mack to manage the Milwaukee team. Mack became a very important person for what would become the American League. The Western League started to attract many skilled players and managers. This was the first sign that it could become a major league.
Becoming a Major League
Johnson, Comiskey, and Mack believed they could make their league a major one by 1900. But they knew it would be hard, just like for the failed American Association. On October 11, 1899, the Western League owners met in Chicago. They changed the league's name to the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs.
At this time, the National League was losing fans. In contrast, the American League had strict rules against bad language and behavior. This helped them attract more fans. Author Warren N. Wilbert wrote that the National League had a monopoly on Major League Baseball back then.
The Western League stopped playing after the 1899 season. This allowed Johnson and Comiskey to focus on creating a major league. By 1900, they created a team in Chicago. They moved the St. Paul Saints to that city. This Chicago team, along with seven other former Western League teams, were set up in different cities. These included Buffalo, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Kansas City.
Before the 1901 season, the American League was called a "special class." This was a level above Class-A minor league baseball. Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Buffalo teams were dropped before the 1901 season. New teams were added in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Boston. The Kansas City team moved to Washington, D.C., that same year.
Starting as a Major League
The 1901 season was the first time the American League (AL) was officially called a "major league." The AL had teams in Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Cleveland, and Milwaukee.
The very first game in American League history happened on April 24, 1901. It was played at South Side Park. The Chicago team, which later won the league, beat Cleveland by a score of eight runs to two.
The AL attracted many star players of that time. This was because the AL did not have a maximum salary, unlike the National League. More than 100 players switched leagues. This included big National League stars like John McGraw, Cy Young, and Nap Lajoie. For example, Connie Mack signed Nap Lajoie for $6,000. This was $3,600 more than the National League's maximum salary. In its early years, the American League had many more fans at its games than the National League.
One team, the Baltimore Orioles, got into debt. Its players were released and signed with National League teams. The league president, Ban Johnson, had to take control of the team. He used players from other AL teams to keep the Orioles playing.
After the 1902 season, the two leagues made a "peace" agreement. The National League wanted to merge. But Johnson knew the American League was strong. He convinced the National League to recognize the American League as an equal partner.
After the 1903 regular season, the winners of the American League and National League played each other. This was the first ever World Series. The Boston Americans (now the Red Sox) beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. The National League refused to play a World Series the next year. But World Series games started again in 1905. They have been played every year since, except for the 1994 season, which was cut short by a strike.
Hitting Became Stronger
Before the 1920s, pitching was the main focus in both leagues. In 1920, both leagues made new rules about how baseballs were used. After this, hitters in the American League became very powerful. This was led by players like Babe Ruth.
Attendance was similar to the National League through the 1920s. From 1927 to 1930, the National League had more fans than the American League for the first time. Through the 1930s, teams in the American League continued to score many runs. This was different from the National League, where scoring was lower. From 1931 to 1942, the American League outscored the National League every year.
Mid-to-Late 20th Century
World War II and Desegregation
Major League Baseball was greatly affected by America's involvement in World War II. Players from every American League team served in the military. Out of 144 major league starters in 1941, only 26 were still playing baseball by 1945. More than a thousand current or former major league players served in the war. One American League player, Elmer Gedeon, was killed in action. Famous players like Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio also served.
On the field, teams scored fewer runs. Most players were older than 35 or had physical disabilities. Because of wartime limits, baseballs were reused. Before the war, new baseballs were used more often.
Jackie Robinson from the National League's Brooklyn Dodgers was the first African American major league player in the 20th century. In the American League, the first player to break the color barrier was Larry Doby. He played for the Cleveland Indians in 1947. By 1955, two American League teams still had only white players. These were the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. The National League had only one such team. Some experts believe that because the American League had fewer African American players, the National League had better talent.
During the time of racial desegregation in baseball, the American League had better attendance for most seasons. But starting in 1956, the National League had more fans for 33 years in a row. Experts say the American League was slower to desegregate. However, by the 1960s, the American League started to catch up.
Team Changes and Growth
Over the last half of the 20th century, the American League grew. Many teams also moved to new cities. The St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore, Maryland and became the Baltimore Orioles in 1954. This was the first time a team moved east. After 1954, the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City. They became the Kansas City Athletics. Later, they moved again to Oakland, California, in 1968.
After the 1960 season, the Washington Senators moved to Minneapolis. They became the Minnesota Twins. Two new teams joined the AL in 1961: the Los Angeles Angels and a new Washington Senators team. Two more new teams joined in 1969: the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots. After just one season, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They became the Milwaukee Brewers. The Senators then moved to Texas and were renamed the Texas Rangers after the 1971 season.
In 1977, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners began playing in the league.
Before the 1998 season, the Milwaukee Brewers moved to the National League. At the same time, a new team, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, started playing in the AL. They later shortened their name to the Tampa Bay Rays. Before the 2013 season, the Houston Astros moved from the National League to the American League.
The Designated Hitter Rule
Before the Designated Hitter rule was added, the American League scored much less than the National League. In 1973, a new rule was tried out. It added a designated hitter. This player would only hit and not play defense. The old rule had the pitcher also batting. The National League kept the old rule until the 2022 season.
After the rule was added, scoring in the American League jumped by 23 percent. The "experimental" tag was removed from the rule. From 1973 to 2003, the American League scored more runs than the National League. In 1973, attendance numbers for the American League also went up by 27 percent. However, the American League still had fewer fans than the National League after this rule was put in place.
See also
- List of American League pennant winners
- List of American League Wild Card winners
