The Knickerbockers Baseball Club, the first baseball team to play under the modern rules, was founded in New York by firefighter Alexander Cartwright on September 23, 1845. The club was named the "Knickerbockers", in honor of Knickerbocker Engine Company No. 12 of the New York City Fire Department, the fire company where Cartwright was a member.
The original Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first openly all-professional team, was founded in 1869. The Red Stockings won 130 games in a row between 1869 and 1870.
Baseball’s National League was founded in New York City on February 2, 1876. Eight competing baseball teams met in New York City’s Grand Central Hotel. The first president of the new league was Morgan Gardner Bulkeley, who later became an American Senator. The eight original cities with teams were: Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Louisville and Hartford. Two of the original teams are now in the American League (Boston and New York) while Louisville and Hartford are now minor-league baseball towns.
The 1899 Cleveland Spiders recorded the worst-ever record in Major League Baseball, winning 20 games and losing 134.
Before they moved from New York to LA, the Dodgers got their name from Brooklyn's deadly, fast moving streetcars—the "Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers."
The Wyoming State Penitentiary's All Stars was a US baseball team in the 1910s, To a man they were murderers and rapists, all of them sentenced to death, but their executions were delayed so long as they kept winning.
In Major League Baseball's World Series, the Boston Braves defeated the Philadelphia Athletics, 4 games to 0, at Fenway Park on October 13, 1914. In doing so they completed the first World Series sweep in history.
The Chicago Cubs played their first game at Weeghman Park (currently Wrigley Field) on April 20, 1916, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in 11 innings.
Weeghman Park is now named Wrigley Field. It was christened after chewing gum manufacturer William Wrigley Jr. who first bought a minority share in the Chicago Cubs in 1914 and then became the majority owner in 1921.
Before they were called the New York Mets, owner Joan Whitney Payson considered other names, including the Bees. ("Metropolis" is a nickname for New York City).
In 1992 The Toronto Blue Jays became the first Canadian team to play in a World Series and the first non-American team to win the World Series when they won 4 games to 2 over the Atlanta Braves.
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| The New York Knickerbockers Baseball Club, circa 1847. Cartwright at the top middle |
The original Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball's first openly all-professional team, was founded in 1869. The Red Stockings won 130 games in a row between 1869 and 1870.
Baseball’s National League was founded in New York City on February 2, 1876. Eight competing baseball teams met in New York City’s Grand Central Hotel. The first president of the new league was Morgan Gardner Bulkeley, who later became an American Senator. The eight original cities with teams were: Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Louisville and Hartford. Two of the original teams are now in the American League (Boston and New York) while Louisville and Hartford are now minor-league baseball towns.
The 1899 Cleveland Spiders recorded the worst-ever record in Major League Baseball, winning 20 games and losing 134.
Before they moved from New York to LA, the Dodgers got their name from Brooklyn's deadly, fast moving streetcars—the "Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers."
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| National League Baltimore Orioles, 1896 |
The Wyoming State Penitentiary's All Stars was a US baseball team in the 1910s, To a man they were murderers and rapists, all of them sentenced to death, but their executions were delayed so long as they kept winning.
In Major League Baseball's World Series, the Boston Braves defeated the Philadelphia Athletics, 4 games to 0, at Fenway Park on October 13, 1914. In doing so they completed the first World Series sweep in history.
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| A program from the 1914 World Series, featuring Braves manager George Stallings. |
The Chicago Cubs played their first game at Weeghman Park (currently Wrigley Field) on April 20, 1916, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in 11 innings.
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| 1913 Chicago Cubs |
Weeghman Park is now named Wrigley Field. It was christened after chewing gum manufacturer William Wrigley Jr. who first bought a minority share in the Chicago Cubs in 1914 and then became the majority owner in 1921.
Before they were called the New York Mets, owner Joan Whitney Payson considered other names, including the Bees. ("Metropolis" is a nickname for New York City).
In 1992 The Toronto Blue Jays became the first Canadian team to play in a World Series and the first non-American team to win the World Series when they won 4 games to 2 over the Atlanta Braves.
Hiroshi Yamauchi, the late president of Nintendo, was an unusual owner of the Seattle Mariners baseball team. Yamauchi bought the team in 1992, but had never been to a baseball game before he acquired it. Despite owning the team for over 20 years, he never attended a single one of their games in person.
Yamauchi's ownership of the Mariners was a curious arrangement, as he was based in Japan and had little interest in baseball. However, he saw the purchase of the team as a way to expand Nintendo's presence in the United States and to promote the company's brand.
Yamauchi passed away in 2013, and the Mariners have since been sold to a new ownership group. Despite his lack of involvement in the team's day-to-day operations, Yamauchi's legacy as the only non-North American owner in Major League Baseball history has remained an interesting footnote in the sport's history.
An estimated three million people attended a parade in Boston, celebrating the Boston Red Sox's 2004 World Series victory on October 30, 2004. The victory ended an 86-year drought of World Series championships and ended the era of the famous Curse of the Bambino for the Red Sox.
When the The Texas Rangers routed the Baltimore Orioles 30–3 on August 22, 2007, they set a modern day record for most runs scored by a team in modern Major League Baseball history. The Rangers scored 19 runs in the first inning and 11 runs in the second inning. They finished the game with 22 hits and 11 home runs. Back on June 29, 1897, the Chicago Colts (now the Chicago Cubs) set the all-time record when they beat the Louisville Colonels 36-7 on June 29, 1897.
In 2012 Guggenheim Partners agreed to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers for US$2.1 billion, the most ever for a professional sports franchise.
The New York Yankees have won 27 World Series championships, 16 more than any other Major League Baseball team.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Twombly had eight career extra-base hits. Seven of them were triples.