Professional baseball facts for kids
Professional baseball is a type of organized baseball where talented players are paid to play for a specific team. It's like their job! These players compete in different leagues and special "farm teams" all around the world. Farm teams help young players get better so they can play in the major leagues someday.
Contents
Baseball Leagues Around the World
Professional Baseball in the Americas
United States and Canada: Major League Baseball
In the United States and Canada, the biggest professional baseball league is Major League Baseball, often called MLB. It has two main parts: the National League, which started way back in 1876, and the American League, which began in 1901.
For a long time, teams from the National League and American League only played against each other in the World Series. The World Series is a championship where the best team from each league competes to see who is the overall champion. But since 1997, teams from both leagues can play against each other during the regular season. This is called "interleague play."
Did you know the Philadelphia Phillies are a very old team? They started in 1883 and are the oldest team in Major League Baseball that has always kept the same name and stayed in the same city!
Minor League Baseball: Developing Future Stars
Besides the major leagues, many cities and towns in North America have minor league teams. These teams are part of an organization called Minor League Baseball. Minor League Baseball helps young players improve their skills. It also helps players who were injured get back into shape.
Minor league teams are divided into different levels, like AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. Each minor league team is connected to a major league team. This system helps new players get ready for the big leagues. All these leagues, both major and minor, are overseen by the Commissioner of Baseball, who is like the head boss of professional baseball.
There are also some professional baseball leagues that are not part of Minor League Baseball. These are called independent minor leagues. Some examples include the Atlantic League and the American Association.
Baseball in Caribbean Countries
Baseball is very popular in many Caribbean countries! They have their own professional leagues, especially during the winter.
- Dominican Professional Baseball League (since 1951)
- Puerto Rico Baseball League (since 1938)
- Cuban National Series (since 1961)
Baseball in Mexico
Mexico has two main professional baseball leagues:
- Mexican Pacific League (since 1945), which is a winter league.
- Mexican League (since 1925), which is a summer league.
Baseball in Central and South America
Other countries in Central and South America also have professional baseball:
- Panamanian Professional Baseball League (since 1946)
- Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League (since 1957)
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (since 1946)
- Colombian Professional Baseball League (since 1948)
Professional Baseball in Asia
Japan: Nippon Professional Baseball
Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Their top league is called Nippon Professional Baseball. It has two parts, the Central League and the Pacific League, and each has six teams.
South Korea: KBO League
South Korea started its professional baseball league in 1982. It's called the KBO League and has 10 teams.
Taiwan: Chinese Professional Baseball League
Taiwan has also had professional baseball since the 1990s. The main league there is the Chinese Professional Baseball League, which currently has 6 teams.
Professional Baseball in Europe and Australia
Baseball is played professionally in other parts of the world too!
- In Europe, there's the Italian Baseball League, the Honkbal Hoofdklasse in the Netherlands, and leagues in Sweden and Germany.
- In Australia, the main league is the Australian Baseball League.
A Look Back: Historic Baseball Leagues
For many years, players of Black African descent were not allowed to play in the major leagues. This was called the "baseball color line." Because of this, many separate leagues were created just for Black players, known as the Negro leagues.
However, things began to change in 1947 when Jackie Robinson started playing for the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers. After he joined, the Negro leagues slowly ended as more Black players were able to play in the major leagues. Today, baseball is fully integrated, meaning players of all backgrounds play together on teams.
There was also a professional baseball league for women! Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League had teams in several towns in the Midwest United States.
More About Baseball
- Baseball § Around-the-world
- Professional baseball § Notes
- Professional baseball § Notes
- Professional sports
