The History of Baseball in the United States
The Story of the MLB from the Golden Age to the Steroid Era
Oct 5, 2009
Baseball, the sport known as America's pastime, has enjoyed a long and varied history. Existing since the middle of the 19th century, the sport has undergone many changes and eras and has enjoyed exciting moments, memorable characters, horrible blemishes and unforgettable dynasties. Baseball is perhaps best-known for the New York Yankees and Babe Ruth, but its reach has expanded around the world.
MLB History
Professional baseball, particularly Major League Baseball (MLB)–the top professional level in the world–began in the United States in 1869 with its first team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The first official league, the National League, was formed in 1876 and through the early years of the sport the game's teams were mostly from the Northeast. The first major stars were Honus Wagner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Nap Lajoie of the Philadelphia Phillies, Cy Young of the Cleveland Spiders and Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants, all later enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
The Golden Age of Baseball
The golden age of baseball emerged with the boom of incoming players and the standardization of rules that the sport enjoyed in the early 1900's. It began accumulating some interesting characters, great talents and historic venues. The members of the first Hall of Fame Class in 1936 all played during this period and accumulated some of the sport's great records: Ty Cobb (4,190 hits), Cy Young (511 wins), Babe Ruth (714 home runs; a mark later broken), Walter Johnson and Honus Wagner.
1940s Baseball
While the Yankees with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig dominated the 1920's, the game was dominated in the 1940's by war, by race and by some of the game's great hitters. The Second World War and the Korean War cut short the careers of Ted Williams, the last person to hit for a .400 average in 1941, and Joe DiMaggio, the owner of a record 56-game hitting streak. Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play for an MLB team when he suited up for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
The Expansion Era and the Steroid Era
Expansion-era baseball was characterized by great players like Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Mike Schmidt, Willie McCovey and Hank Aaron, and saw the lowering of the pitching mound in 1969 and the expansion of the league in the 1970's. In the 1990's, more teams were added and future greats like Cal Ripken, Ken Griffey, Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux began their careers.
Baseball in the 21st century has been marred by use of steroid and human growth hormone as well as scandals from players both important and miniscule in the history of the game.. While steroids have remained a large issue, the sport has still remained one of the most popular in the world and has expanded to include all-time great players from around the world like Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners.
The sport continues to grow around the world, and stays only behind football as the most popular sport in the United States.
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