Do You Know About The First MLB Team in The World?

MLB is one of the major sports leagues of baseball. So, knowing the “First MLB Team” seems to be a huge deal. Knowing about it not only adds to your knowledge but is also something you can flaunt about in front of your friends.

The oldest of the MLB teams dates back to the 1870s. The MLB handles and governs baseball in the USA. It controls the relationship of the game, including the Minor Leagues.

MLB plays a vital role in baseball, so one should have proper and accurate information regarding it and its working. Here you will get to know all you must know about MLB, its team, and its role.

Major League Baseball

MLN, or Major League Baseball, is the major organization that professionally conducts sports leagues in the USA and Canada. It was formed in 1903 and is part of North America’s “Big Four” major sports leagues. Its headquarters are in Midtown Manhattan.

Before 1903, there were 2 leagues: The National League and The American League. The NL was formed in 1876, and the AL was formed in 1901. Before 1903, they competed against each other to be in the top league and to have a significant part in the 2000s. In 1903, the two came to a middle ground, decided to cooperate, and signed the National Agreement, but the two legally merged as MLB in 2000.

The MLB has 30 teams, equally divided among the NL and Al – 15 teams in each. The MLB is led by the Commissioner of Baseball – Rob Manfred. MLB is responsible for hiring the umpires and maintaining sports labor, television, and marketing aspects.

First MLB Team

The Atlanta Braves is considered to be the oldest MLB team that is currently operating as well. The team was established in 1871 with the name Boston Red Stockings. They entered the MLB in 1876.

They won their first match of the National League on April 22, 1876. They stayed in Boston till 1952, then moved to Milwaukee in 1953 and changed their name to Milwaukee Braves. They changed their team name multiple times.

Finally, they moved to Atlanta in 1966 and decided on the name Atlanta Braves.

First Baseball Team

The first all-professional baseball team was Cincinnati Red Stockings, established in 1869. It was formed under the Cincinnati Baseball Club formed in 1866. It had 10 players. The team played in the National Association of Baseball Players (NABBP) from 1867 – 1870.

The team had a particular color to represent themselves – Red. The team played their first game on May 4, 1869, and won against the Great Westerns of Cincinnati with a score of 45-9. They also achieved a perfect score of 57-0 in 1869, the only perfect season played in professional baseball.

After consecutive wins, on June 14, 1870, the team lost the match against Brooklyn Atlantics with a score of 8-7. The Executive Board then suggested not employing another player as it had become too expensive. And so, unfortunately, the club was disbanded in 1870.

Oldest MLB Teams

Let us look at 5 Oldest MLB teams:

1. Chicago Cubs

Another team that claims to be the oldest in MLB is the Chicago Cubs. The team was established in 1871 with the name Chicago White Stockings. They did not compete for 2 years due to The Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

They joined the MLB in 1876 and changed their name a few times before finally naming it the Cub in 1903.

2. St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are among the most successful MLB teams, having won 11 World Series Championships. The franchise was established in 1882 with the name St. Louis Bown Stockings.

They played in the American Association from 1882 – 1891 and were the first AA to challenge the National League. They joined the National League in 1892. The team changed its name to Cardinals in 1900.

3. Pittsburg Pirates

The team joined the American Association in 1881 as a founding member. They started competing in 1882. They joined the National League in 1887. They played their first Word Series Championship in 1903 and won the first championship in 1909.

4. Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Red Stockings was the first all-professional team. Some may confuse both teams as the same, but that is not true. Cincinnati Reds only share the name with the franchise.

The team was formed in 1881 as one of the founding members of the AA and started playing in 1882. They left the AA in 1889 and joined the National League. The team changed its name to Reds in 1890, then again to Redlegs in 1954. Finally, the name was changed back to Reds in 1959.

5. San Francisco Giants

The team was formed in 1883 and was named New York Gothams. The team changed its name to Giants in 1885. They moved to San Francisco in 1958. They are one of the most successful baseball franchises. It was the first New York-based major league.

All-MLB First Team

An all-MLB first team is a group of players who performed the best in both leagues in a season. This was first started in 2019. The players in the team are selected by votes and a panel that includes some former players, officials, and media executives.

The selected players are the top performers and people the audience looks up to and gets inspiration from.

First MLB Teams

After looking at the oldest MLB teams, let us now look at some other firsts in baseball history:

1. 10000 Loses

Philadelphia Phillies is the first sports franchise to lose 10,000 games. They lost their 10000th match on July 16, 2007. Before winning the World Series in 2008, the team had a record of losing championships for 25 years.

2. Use Infield Shift

The infield shift is a defensive strategy used by the players where most of the infielders line up behind the third or first base. The shift was first used by the team Cleavland Indians on July 14, 1946, against Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox.

3. Win World Series

The first modern World Series of MLB was played in 1903. The match was played between Boston Americans and Pittsburg Pirates. It was the best of 9 matches, where the Boston Americans won.

4. Wear Numbers

Baseball uniforms play a significant role in the game as they help identify the players and their positions on the field. Earlier, the uniforms only had the team’s initials or logos on them. On June 26, 1916, the Cleveland Indians were the first MLB team to wear uniforms with numbers associated with each player.

Recommended Reading | How Many Players Are On A Baseball Field?

5. Travel By Plane

Officially the first MLB team who traveled by plane was Cincinnati Reds in 1934. But 6 members of the team opted to travel by train instead. Hence, the New York Yankees were the first team to travel by plane with all its players in 1946.

6. Win Back to Back World Series

The first MLB team to win the World Series back-to-back was the Chicago Cubs. They won the first World Series in 1907 and then again in 1908.

7. Wear Powder Blue

Initially, the baseball uniforms were white in color. The first MLB team to experiment with the color and wear a powder blue uniform was the Chicago Cubs in 1941.

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