National League (baseball) facts for kids

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National League

Sport	Baseball
Founded	February 2, 1876; 149 years ago (1876-02-02) in New York City, New York
Founder	William Hulbert Albert Spalding
President	Bill Giles (honorary)
Divisions	3
No. of teams	15
Country	United States
Continent	North America
Most recent champion(s)	Los Angeles Dodgers (25th title)
Most titles	Los Angeles Dodgers (25)

The National League (NL) is one of the two main groups of teams in Major League Baseball (MLB). It's the older of the two leagues in the United States and Canada. In fact, it's the oldest professional team sports league still around today!

The National League started on February 2, 1876. It took the place of an older league called the National Association. People sometimes call the NL the Senior Circuit because it's older. The other league in MLB is the American League, which started 25 years later. Both leagues currently have 15 teams.

The National League faced many challenges from other baseball leagues in the late 1800s. Most of these rival leagues didn't last long. Some of their teams even joined the NL when their own leagues closed down.

In 1901, the American League announced it was also a "major league." This started a "baseball war" between the AL and NL in 1901 and 1902. But then, they made a "peace pact." This agreement said that both leagues were equally important. They also agreed to respect player contracts and set up rules for working with minor league teams. Most importantly, they decided their champions would play each other in a "World Series" to find the best professional baseball team overall. National League teams have won 52 of the 120 World Series championships played from 1903 to 2024.

For many years, MLB teams mostly played against teams from their own league. This made the leagues develop slightly different ways of playing. The National League was seen as more "traditional." For example, the NL often used "smallball" tactics, which means focusing on getting players on base and moving them around, often without hitting home runs. Also, the NL didn't use the designated hitter rule, which the AL started in 1973. The designated hitter is a player who only bats and doesn't play defense.

However, things have changed a lot. In the 1970s, players could become free agents and move between leagues more easily. Also, regular season interleague play started in 1997, where teams from different leagues play each other. These changes made the differences between the leagues much smaller. The NL officially adopted the designated hitter rule in 2022. Also, interleague play expanded to 46 games per season starting in 2023. These changes have made the two leagues even more similar.

Even though both leagues agreed to be led by a single commissioner in 1920, they stayed separate businesses with their own presidents. This continued until after the 1999 season. Then, the National League and American League officially joined together under Major League Baseball. Now, MLB works like other big sports leagues in North America, but it still has two "leagues" instead of "conferences."

History of the National League

How the National League Started

By 1875, the old National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) had problems. It didn't have strong control over its teams. Games weren't scheduled well, and teams often joined or left. One team, the Boston Red Stockings, was too dominant. Also, the entry fee was very low, so teams didn't always follow the rules.

William A. Hulbert, a businessman from Chicago, wanted to create a new baseball league. He wanted a league with stronger rules and only in bigger cities. Hulbert also had a personal reason: five of his best players were in trouble with the old league. He had signed them in a way that was considered unfair.

So, Hulbert worked to create his own league. On February 2, 1876, the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs was formed in New York City. It started with eight teams:

Chicago ("Chicago White Stockings") (now the Chicago Cubs)
Athletic Club of Philadelphia ("Philadelphia Athletics") (removed after 1876)
Boston ("Boston Red Stockings") (now the Atlanta Braves)
Hartford ("Hartford Dark Blues") (closed after 1877)
Mutual Club of New York ("New York Mutuals") (removed after 1876)
St. Louis ("St. Louis Brown Stockings") (closed after 1877)
Cincinnati ("Cincinnati Reds") (closed after 1879)
Louisville ("Louisville Grays") (closed after 1877)

The creation of the National League meant the end of the old National Association. Its remaining teams either closed or became amateur clubs.

The first game in National League history was played on April 22, 1876. It was in Philadelphia between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston team. Boston won 6–5.

The new league's power was tested after its first season. The Athletic and Mutual clubs were losing games. They refused to travel for late-season games in the west. Instead, they wanted to play local games to make more money. Hulbert responded by kicking them out of the league. This shocked everyone, but it showed that teams had to follow the league's schedule.

The National League had only six teams in 1877 and 1878. Over the next few years, many teams joined and left. By 1880, six of the original eight teams had closed. The two original NL teams that are still playing today are the Boston (now Atlanta Braves) and Chicago (now Chicago Cubs) teams. The Cubs are the only original team that has continuously played in the same city.

In 1883, new teams from New York and Philadelphia joined the National League. Both of these teams are still in the NL today. The Phillies are still in Philadelphia. The New York team (later called the Giants) moved to San Francisco in 1958.

Competing with Other Leagues

The NL faced its first big rival when the American Association started in 1882. The AA played in cities where the NL didn't have teams. They also allowed Sunday games and sold cheaper tickets. The NL fought back by adding new teams in 1883 in cities where the AA was strong, like Philadelphia and New York.

The National League and American Association played a version of the World Series seven times. These early Series were not as organized as today's. The NL won four times, and the AA won only once.

The National League also competed with other new leagues like the Union Association (1884) and the Players' League (1890). These leagues didn't last long. Some of their teams and players eventually joined the NL.

Growing the League (1887–1899)

After the American Association closed in 1891, its teams joined the NL. The NL then became known as the "National League and American Association." Teams like the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers (originally Brooklyn), and Pittsburgh Pirates had already moved from the AA to the NL. With the merger, the NL also added the St. Louis Cardinals (then called the St. Louis Browns) and a few other teams that didn't last into the 1900s.

Today, four teams that moved from the AA are still in the NL: Pittsburgh (1887), Cincinnati (1890), Los Angeles (originally Brooklyn; 1890), and St. Louis (1892). Only two original NL teams from 1876 are still in the league: the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves. The other two teams that joined before 1892 and are still in the league are the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants (originally New York), both from 1883.

The National League became a 12-team league and was the only major league for the rest of the 1890s. However, the league had many problems. Player behavior was bad, with fights common during games. Players also argued with umpires and used bad language. A game in 1894 even led to a fire that destroyed many buildings in Boston. Team owners argued with each other, and players hated the league's salary cap. Many teams also had trouble with cities that didn't allow games on Sundays.

Attendance at games dropped a lot by 1900.

Working with the American League

After being a 12-team league for eight seasons, the NL went back to eight teams for the 1900 season. They removed teams from Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville, and Washington. This created a chance for a new league to compete.

Three of those cities got teams in the new American League (AL). The AL was originally a minor league called the Western League. It changed its name to the AL in 1900, with the NL's approval. The NL thought the AL was a lesser league. But in 1901, the AL declared itself a second major league, competing with the NL. By 1903, the AL had new teams in NL cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. Only Cincinnati and Pittsburgh didn't have an AL team in their city. The AL also had strict rules for player behavior.

At first, the National League refused to recognize the new AL. But soon, both leagues were splitting players and money, which hurt their success. After two years of fighting, they signed a new agreement in 1903. This meant they officially accepted each other as equal partners in major league baseball. They also agreed to respect player contracts and to play a championship series after the season – the World Series.

The National League stayed the same from 1900 to 1952 with its eight teams. In 1953, the Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee. In 1966, they moved again to Atlanta. In 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to Los Angeles and San Francisco. This brought major league baseball to the West Coast of the U.S. for the first time.

Changes to Divisions

The NL was an eight-team league for over 60 years. In 1962, the NL added two new teams: the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s (which became the Houston Astros three years later). In 1969, the league added the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals). This made it a 12-team league, the first time since 1899.

In 1969, because it had 12 teams, the National League was split into two divisions: the National League East and West. The winners of these divisions would play in the National League Championship Series to decide who would go to the World Series.

In 1993, the league grew to 14 teams, adding the Colorado Rockies and the Florida Marlins. In 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks became the league's fifteenth team. Also, the Milwaukee Brewers moved from the AL to the NL, giving the NL 16 teams for the next 15 seasons.

In 1994, the league was changed again into three geographical divisions: East, West, and Central. Each division now has five teams. A third round of playoffs was also added. The three division champions and a wild card team (the best second-place team) now play in the National League Division Series. However, the playoffs were not held in 1994 due to a players' strike.

Before the 1998 season, both the American League and National League added a fifteenth team. To make scheduling easier, one team needed to move leagues so both would have an even number of teams. Milwaukee agreed to move from the AL Central to the NL Central. This gave the National League 16 teams and the American League 14 teams.

Starting with the 2013 season, the Houston Astros moved from the National League Central to the American League West. This made both leagues have three divisions with five teams each.

The Designated Hitter Rule

The National League was known for being more "traditional." It did not use the designated hitter rule until the shortened 2020 season. The American League had adopted this rule in 1973. Without a designated hitter, the pitcher had to bat in the NL. This meant managers had to think more about offense when making pitching changes.

However, some people disagreed. They said AL managers had to know exactly when to take a pitcher out, while NL managers just waited until the pitcher's turn to bat came up. Generally, there were fewer home runs and runs scored in the National League because pitchers usually aren't good hitters.

As the collective bargaining agreement was ending after the 2021 season, team owners wanted to use the designated hitter in all games starting in 2022. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, special rules were put in place for that season. These included a shorter schedule and using the designated hitter in all games.

The National League went back to its old batting rules for the 2021 season. But starting with the 2022 season, they permanently adopted the designated hitter rule after a new agreement was made.

Regular Interleague Play

For the first 96 years that the National League and American League existed together, their teams only played each other in exhibition games, the All-Star Game, or the World Series. But starting in 1997, interleague games began to be played during the regular season. These games counted in the standings. Before the early 2020s, the designated hitter rule was only used in interleague games when the American League team was the home team.

In 1999, the offices of the American League and National League presidents were closed. All power went to the Commissioner's office. The leagues then named "honorary" presidents for things like giving out championship trophies. Also, the difference between AL and NL umpires was removed. All umpires now work for MLB. With these changes and interleague play, there is little difference between the two leagues.

By 2011, MLB changed its policy on interleague play. They decided to schedule interleague games throughout the season, not just during special times. This allowed each league to have 15 teams, with one team in each league playing an interleague game every day. As part of the sale of the Astros team in 2011, they agreed to move to the American League starting with the 2013 season.

In 2023, National League teams played 46 regular season interleague games against all 15 American League teams. In 2025, this will increase to 48 regular season interleague games.

League Champions

As of the end of the 2024 season, the Dodgers have won the most NL championships, with 25. When playing against the American League in the World Series, the Cardinals have won the most (11). The Giants and Dodgers have each won 8, and the Pirates and Reds have each won 5.

Teams of the National League

Original Teams (1876)

The eight teams that started the National League were:

Athletic Club of Philadelphia (removed after 1876)
Boston "Red Stockings" or "Red Caps") (now the Atlanta Braves)
Chicago "White Stockings" (now the Chicago Cubs)
Cincinnati "Red Stockings" (removed after 1879)
Hartford "Dark Blues" (closed after 1877)
Louisville "Colonels" or "Grays" (closed after 1877)
Mutual Club of New York (removed after 1876)
St Louis "Brown Stockings" (closed after 1877)

The "Classic Eight" Teams

The eight teams that made up the National League from 1900 to 1952 are often called the "Classic Eight." All of these teams are still in the league today, with five of them still in their original cities.

Boston (now the Atlanta Braves)
Brooklyn (now the Los Angeles Dodgers)
Chicago (the Chicago Cubs)
Cincinnati Reds
New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants)
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh
St. Louis

Team Changes (1953–Present)

1953: Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee.
1958: Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, and New York Giants moved to San Francisco.
1962: Houston Colt .45s and New York Mets started.
1965: Houston Colt .45s became the Astros.
1966: Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta.
1969: Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres started.
1993: Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins started.
1998: Arizona Diamondbacks started.
1998: Milwaukee Brewers moved from the American League.
2005: Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Nationals.
2012: Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins.
2013: Houston Astros moved to the American League.

Current Teams

National League East

Shea Stadium before a New York Mets game in 2008.

Atlanta Braves: This is the oldest team that has continuously played in North American sports. It started in Boston and moved to Milwaukee (1953) and then to Atlanta (1966).
Miami Marlins: Started in 1993 as the Florida Marlins and changed their name in 2012.
New York Mets: Started in 1962.
Philadelphia Phillies: Started in 1883. This team is the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city team in American professional sports.
Washington Nationals: Started in 1969 as the Montreal Expos. Moved to Washington, D.C. in 2005.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs: Started in 1870. This is the oldest continuously active team in its original city in Major League Baseball. It joined the National League in 1876.
Cincinnati Reds: Started in 1882 in the American Association and joined the National League in 1890.
Milwaukee Brewers: Started in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots in the American League. Moved to Milwaukee in 1970 and then transferred to the National League in 1998.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Started in 1882 in the American Association and joined the National League in 1887.
St. Louis Cardinals: Started in 1882 in the American Association and joined the National League in 1892.

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks: Started in 1998.
Colorado Rockies: Started in 1993.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Started in 1883 as a minor league team. Joined the American Association in 1884 and the National League in 1890. Moved to Los Angeles in 1958.
San Diego Padres: Started in 1969.
San Francisco Giants: Started in New York City in 1883. Moved to San Francisco in 1958.

Timeline of National League Teams

This timeline shows when teams joined and left the National League.

The first line shows the start of the National League in 1876.
The second line shows when the American League became a major league in 1901, marking the beginning of modern baseball.
The third line shows when the expansion era began in 1961.
The fourth line shows the legal merger of the American and National Leagues into a single Major League Baseball in 2000.

World Series championships are marked with a "•". National League Pennants before the World Series are marked with a "^". American League Pennants who lost the World Series are marked with a "#". No World Series was played in 1904. Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, there were no winners in 1994.

Presidents of the National League

Morgan Bulkeley, the first president of the National League

Key
	Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Name	Year(s)	Ref(s)
Bulkeley, MorganMorgan Bulkeley	1876
Hulbert, WilliamWilliam Hulbert	1877–1882
Soden, ArthurArthur Soden	1882
Mills, Abraham G.Abraham G. Mills	1883–1884
Young, NicholasNicholas Young	1885–1902
Pulliam, HarryHarry Pulliam	1903–1909
Heydler, JohnJohn Heydler	1909
Lynch, ThomasThomas Lynch	1910–1913
Tener, John K.John K. Tener	1913–1918
Heydler, JohnJohn Heydler	1918–1934
Frick, Ford C.Ford C. Frick	1934–1951
Giles, WarrenWarren Giles	1951–1969
Feeney, ChubChub Feeney	1970–1986
Giamatti, A. BartlettA. Bartlett Giamatti	1986–1989
White, BillBill White	1989–1994
Coleman, Jr., Leonard S.Leonard S. Coleman, Jr.	1994–1999

Honorary President

After the 1999 season, the American and National Leagues joined with Major League Baseball. The job of league president was removed. In 2001, Bill Giles was named the honorary president of the NL. Honorary presidents only do ceremonial things, like giving out trophies and representing their league at the All-Star Games.