American Baseball History FInal

Alexander Cartwright

He created the original rules of baseball in 1845, creating the diamond layout of the bases on the field. He is known as “the father of baseball” and was one of the founding members of the Knickerbocker Club in New York City.

Henry Chadwick

He was known as “the father of baseball statistics” because of the stats lines and records he created in baseball news as a statistician, which also contributed to its popularity as he strongly advocated for it.

Doubleday myth

The myth that future Civil War general Abner Doubleday created baseball in 1839 to popularize the idea that baseball was purely created by Americans or it was created by the British. There was an investigation in 1905 about this.

Doc Adams

He helped create the New York game version of baseball as president of the Knickerbockers, introduced the shortstop position and sliding, and helped create the official rules until later changes

William Hulbert

He was one of the founders of the National League in 1876, which was considered to be baseball’s first major league, and was the president of the Chicago White Stockings. The National League established a stable network that was organized, emphasizing discipline and integrity. He kicked New York and Philadelphia out of their league, and banned Jim Devlin from the league after finding out the 1877 scandal.

Harry and George Wright

George Wright was an American shortstop in professional baseball under the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professional team. His brother Harry managed both teams he was under in Cincinnati and Boston, his Cincinnati management led to an undefeated season.

A.G. Spalding

American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of baseball. Co-founder of the Spalding Sporting company and became president of the Chicago White Stockings and helped found the National League. He called for the investigation of the Doubleday myth and concluded it was true.

revolving

players jumping from contract to contract for more money

hippodroming

effect of gambling on the game - players throw games for money

how many fielding positions are there on a baseball diamond

9

How many innings are usually played in a major league game

9

How many bases are there on a baseball diamond?

4

What is the distance between the bases on a major league diamond?

90ft

What is the distance from the pitchers plate to home base on a major league baseball diamond?

60ft 6 inches

How many umpires are assigned to a regular-season major league game

4

How many umpires are assigned to post-season games?

6

According to the Official Rules of Major League Baseball, what is the minimum and maximum weight of a baseball?

5 - 5.25oz

What is the minimum and maximum circumference of a baseball?

8.8 inches minimum, 9 inches maximum

How many stitches are on a major league baseball?

108 double stitiches

What is the maximum length of a baseball hat?

42 inches

What is the maximum thickness of a baseball bat?

2.61 inches

What is the maximum weight of a baseball bat?

there is no limit

Who or what is called “Uncle Charlie?”

curveball

What is a “south-paw?”

left-handed pitcher

What is the shape of the home plate? How wide is it?

Pentagon, 17 inches

True or false? each base on a baseball field is in fair territory

true

Who is the current Commissioner of Major League Baseball

Robert Manfred

What is Jack Norworth’s contribution to baseball?

Wrote “Take Me Out to the Bald Game” in 1908

Who was the first African-American to play major league baseball?

Moses Fleetwood Walker

In which year was the first World Series played? Which years was the World Series not played?

1903 1st World Series

1904, 1994 the series was not played

Who has hit the most CAREER home runs in major league history?

Barry Bobbins

Who has hit the most home runs in a season in major league history?

Barry Bonds

Who was known as the “Big Six?”

Christie Mathewson

Who had more career base hits than any other players?

Pete Rose

Who spent much of his childhood and adolescence in “reform school” but went on to become baseball’s greatest player?

Babe Ruth

Which teams has won the most World Series Championships?

Yankees (27 wins)

Which team has lost the most World Series Championships?

Dodgers and Yankees

What is the oldest franchise in major league baseball?

Chicago White Stockings & Boston Braves

How many major league teams are there?

30

What is the MLBPA? Who is the head of this organization?

it is a union. The official head organization for Major League baseball is Tony Clark.

What does ‘free agency’ mean?

Players have the opportunity to pick whichever team they choose when not contracted

Who was Marvin Miller?

Founder of the MLBPA

Who was the first African-American manager in the American League?

Frank Robinson

Who was the first African-American manager to win a World Series?

Cito Gaston

What does the word “juice” currently mean in baseball parlance?

steroid usage

Which team won the 2025 World Series?

Dodgers

Which team lost the 2025 World Series?

Blue Jays

Which team won the first World Series?

Boston Americans

Which team lost the first World Series?

Pittsburgh Pirates

Which two major league teams hold the record for most wins in a season?

Mariners and the Cubs

Which major league club has not played in the World Series?

Sea Island Mariners

Who called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth” despite having been stricken by a fatal disease?

Henry Louis Gehrig

Who has made the most hits in a major league season?

Ichiro Suzuki

What was the average salary for a major league player in 2025?

5.16 million

What was the minimum salary for a major league player for 2025?

$760,000

Who is the highest-paid player in major league baseball?

Shohei Ohtani

Which team had the highest opening day payroll in 2025?

New York Mets

Which team had the lowest opening day payroll in 2025?

Marlins

How many major league teams were there from 1903 until 1961?

16

From 1903 to 1953, there were no changes in the location of major league franchises. Which team left for a new city after the 1952 season and where did it relocate?

Boston Braves to Miluwakee

Which team left after the 1954 season and where did it relocate?

Philadelphia Athletics to Kansas City Athletics

Name the two franchises added to the American League in 1961

The Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Angels

Name the two franchises added to the National League in 1962

New York Metropolitans and Houston Colt ‘45s also known as the Astros

Each league added two teams in 1969. Where were the four new franchise located?

National League: San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos

American League: Seattle Pilots, Kansas City Royals

The American League added two teams in 1977. Where were these franchises located?

Seattle and Toronto

Which teams were added in 1998?

Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays

How many MLB teams are there in each league today?

15

What is your favorite team?

Chicago Cubs

Adrian Anson

Also known as Cap Anson, played for Philadelphia, but was then acquired by Chicago. He was the manager for the Chicago White Stockings, playing in the National Association at 19. He was a very strict enforcer of the rules of baseball and how players were to be conducted outside of the games. He was part of the invention of the spring training with Spalding. He insisted on segregation in baseball.

John Montgomery Ward

Created a predecessor to the player union for baseball with the 1885 Brotherhood. He was a very successful lawyer, and wanted to end the reserve clause because he believed it was illegal to have this imposed on players. King Kelley joined the Brotherhood, which caused a dispute between Spalding and Ward.

American Association

lasts 10 seasons until 1891. Doesn’t have the backing to succeed.

Mike “King” Kelley

Casey at the Bat inspo, invented the hook slide, Anson and Spalding had spies follow him because he kept getting away with going against the rules. Was a key player that joined Ward’s Brotherhood.

reserve clause

clubs reserve players with no negotiations (until much much later), and players are bound to this team for life. Players released by teams in 10 days noticed has to submit to medical exams at anytime with the player having to pay.

Brush Plan

A plan proposed by Indianapolis owner and president John T. Brush and approved by the National League in 1888 in which players would be placed into one of five salary classes based on the "habits, earnestness, and special qualifications" of the players' on-field performance and their off-field personal behavior. The plan established maximum salaries for each class: A ($2500), B ($2250), C ($2000), D ($1750), and E ($1500).

What League was created in 1890 as a result of the Brush Plan by the Brotherhood?

Players League

National Agreement (1883)

American Association respected reserve clauses from National League

John McGraw

greatest baseball manager of all time, teams finished only 2 times under 4th place, known to yell at umpires every chance he got to delay calls made, he has the same ideologies as Ban Johnson, just has a Napoleonic personality. Won with the Merkles and the Snodgrasses. Was a ball player before he was a manager, and always stood up for his players.

Christy Mathewson

known as a college boy in his baseball years, “Big Six”, played for the New York Giants as a pitcher and had 79 career shutouts, and led the Giants winning multiple pennants and World Series’ the most notable game was the 1905 Series against the Philly Athletics. Pitched 3 complete games.

Willie Keeler

was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League. Keeler was a part of five teams that won the National League pennant (1894–1896, 1899, 1900), which represented the baseball championship at that time. One of the greatest contact hitters of all time and notoriously hard to strike out, Keeler has the highest career at bats-per-strikeout ratio in MLB history, averaging 63.17 at bats between each strikeout

Connie Mack

manager of the Philadelphia Athletics when McGraw was manager of the Giants, managed 50 seasons for the athletics and owned Shibe Park where they played. Known for his team line-up consistently having many college graduates, and holds the records for the most wins, losses, ties, and games managed in major league history. He was part of the American League.

“Ban” Johnson

Creator of the American League, used to be the Western League in 1894, to challenge the National League and did so successfully, winning the fabled Baseball War. This won led to the National Agreement of 1903, his League had more attendance and offered exponential salaries. He enforced rules and took the sides of umpires, and ruled the AL with an iron fist.

Which teams are in the American League 1903?

NY Yankees, Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Senators, St Louis Browns, Ceveland Naps, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox

Which teams are in the National League 1903?

NY Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies

fly ball

A batted ball that rises high into the air before it drops, as opposed to one batted on the ground.

deadball

emphasizes speed rather than home runs

Ty Cobb

"the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent 22 years with the Detroit Tigers and served as the team's player-manager for the last six, and he finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936, Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes. Also really racist. we dont miss him.

Joe Jackson

One of the only players that got scott-fee in the Black Sox scandal of 1919 even though he was definitely a part of it. His style was emulated by Babe Ruth. Takes a lot of line drives.

Baltimore chop

swing down on the ball

foul-strike rule

any foul ball becomes a strike (NL 1901/ AL 1903)

Walter Johnson

Generally regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, Johnson established several records, some of which remain unbroken. He remains by far the all-time career leader in shutouts with 110,^[2] second in wins with 417, and fourth in complete games with 531. He held the career record in strikeouts from 1919, passing Christy Mathewson’s mark of 2,507. One of the first 5 players inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Federal League

From 1914 to 1915, created by David Fults. Drew poor amount of fans, and didn’t respect the reserve clause. The lawsuit they filed against the NL and AL was forever sat on by future commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis so the two other leagues could play.

Phil Ball

As the Federal League's bidding war with the established clubs took a financial toll on its owners, Ball remained committed to stocking a competitive roster. His strategy undermined the bottom line of the Terriers, Browns, and St. Louis Cardinals. As part of a final settlement, Robert Hedges sold the Browns to Ball, who was subsequently able to transfer a number of players from his folded club to his new franchise.

“Miracle Braves”

came from last place to winning the World Series.

George Herman Ruth

Also known as “Babe Ruth” he worked incredibly hard to get where he was in baseball. He repaired torn uniforms, pitching in the major leagues at 19, 1915 pitching for the World Series and won, every rumor heard about Ruth is true. Best left-handed pitcher, hits 54 homeruns in 1920, more than any team.

Lou Gerhig

A fenominal player, just under Babe Ruth’s shadow. was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, which earned him the nickname "the Iron Horse", and he is regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Gehrig was an All-Star seven consecutive times, a Triple Crown winner once, an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice and a member of six World Series champion teams. He had a career .340 batting average, .632 slugging average, and a .447 on-base average. He hit 493 home runs and had 1,995 runs batted in (RBIs). He is also one of 21 players to hit four home runs in a single game. In 1939, Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and was the first MLB player to have his uniform number retired by a team when his number 4 was retired by the Yankees. He suffered from an unknown disease that was soon named after him and died at 36.

Rogers Hornsby

Hornsby is regarded as one of the best hitters of all time. He had 2,930 hits and 301 home runs in his career; his career batting average of .358 is third only to Ty Cobb, at .366, and Oscar Charleston, at .364, in MLB history. He also won two Triple Crowns and batted .400 or more three times during his career. He is the only player to hit 40 home runs and bat .400 in the same year (1922). His batting average for the 1924 season was .424, a mark that no player has matched since. In 1942, Hornsby was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Infamous as a judge for his harsh ruling against Standard Oil, he never went to school but became a judge because of connections and his work ethic. He would not become commissioner unless he had a salary of $50,000, and could not be criticized or appealed. He was for the players overall, but he was a firey character. He was not liked by the owners because of his personality and the fact he always took the side of the players, except when they did not follow the rules. His morality was ambiguous and ruled for what was in his best interest.

24 May 1935

Baseball’s first night game, played between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field.

4 July 1939

Lou Gerhig’s speech, “Luckiest Man”

Bob Feller

nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball player who was a pitcher for 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians between 1936 and 1956. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a win–loss record of 266–162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 earned run average (ERA). His career 2,581 strikeouts were third all-time upon his retirement. Played in the major leagues at 17.