Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. As of 2022, a total of 30 teams play in Major League Baseball—15 teams in the National League (NL) and 15 in the American League (AL)—with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.
Commissioner of Baseball was replaced in 1920 by a far more powerful National Commission, which had been established to manage the connections between professional baseball’s two leagues. The American and National Leagues each had eight teams from 1901 through 1960.
Major League Baseball added eight teams to its roster during the 1960s expansion period, which included the first non-American team in the league (the Montreal Expos). One additional team was also established (the Seattle Mariners) during this period.
Until 1993, each league had an East and West Division. The Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies were added to the National League in 1993 to bring the total number of teams in each league to an even thirty-six.
In 1994, each league created a third level, the Central Division. Until 1996, only the World Series and the All-Star Game brought the two leagues together on the field at the same time. 1997 saw the introduction of interleague play during the regular season.
Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now known as Tampa Bay Rays) were awarded new MLB franchises in March 1995. Both teams began to play in 1998 after receiving their MLB franchise awards. In total, there are now 30 franchises in operation.
Who Is The Best Baseball Player Of All Time?
Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees is the best baseball player of all time. Since 1951, Mantle has been a New York Yankees player in all three positions: center field, first baseman, and first baseman. One of baseball’s greatest players, Mickey Mantle is widely considered to be the greatest switch-hitter in history.
As of 1999, Mantle had been elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team and the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The best center fielder in baseball history, Mickey Mantle, was also one of the game’s finest hitters. While Mike Trout has the highest OPS+ among center fielders (second only to him), he had the highest stolen-base percentage in the history of the game when he retired in 2013.
In addition, he had the lowest lifetime rate of grounding into double plays and the greatest World Series on-base percentage and slugging percentage among the other four center fielders on the All-Century squad.