National League facts for kids

Shea Stadium before a New York Mets game in 2008. Shea had many fans that year, with over 53,000 people attending each game on average.

The National League (or NL) is one of the two main groups of teams in Major League Baseball (MLB). Think of MLB as a big sports club, and the National League is one of its two major divisions. As of 2016, the NL has 15 teams. Each year, at the end of the regular season, the best teams from the National League compete in special playoff games called the "post-season." The team that wins these playoffs becomes the National League champion. This champion then plays against the champion of the other big group, the American League, in the World Series. The team that wins the World Series is crowned the overall champion of Major League Baseball!

How the National League is Different

The biggest difference between the National League and the American League (AL) is a rule about hitting. In the American League, they use something called the "Designated Hitter" (or DH). This is a special player whose only job is to bat for another player, usually the pitcher, who might not be very good at hitting. The Designated Hitter doesn't play defense in the field.

However, in the National League, there is no Designated Hitter. This means that all players on the team, including the pitcher, must take turns batting and also play defense in the field. This makes the game a bit different because managers have to think carefully about when to let their pitcher bat or when to replace them with a player who is a better hitter.

Images for kids

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  The National League logo from 1957-61. The eight stars show the eight teams that were part of the league before it grew bigger.

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  Morgan Bulkeley, who was the very first president of the National League.

See also

In Spanish: Liga Nacional para niños