American Association disbanded. In its early history, the Western League struggled until 1894, when Ban Johnson
became the president of the league. Johnson led the Western League into major league status and soon became the president of the newly renamed American League.
Early history
See also:
Western League (original)
The earliest predecessor to the American League was the
Western League, and went through financial woes, including disbanding multiple times.[1] Along with Ban Johnson, Charles Comiskey purchased the Western League in 1892.[1]
Western League and was the eventual president of the American League
.
Johnson hoped to clean up the sport of baseball by purchasing the league, including allowing
Milwaukee, Wisconsin team and he became a major piece in what would soon be the American League.[1] The first signs that the Western League could become a major league appeared when the league began to attract many high caliber players and managers, and attendance ratings continued to climb.[1]
Transition to a major league
Johnson and his associates Comiskey and Mack thought that they could make a move at becoming a major league by the turn of the 20th century, but knew that they would face the same struggles as the failed American Association.[1] During a meeting of Western League owners at Chicago's Great Northern Hotel on October 11, 1899, the league's name was changed to the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs.[2] At the time of the name change, the National League was struggling in attendance, while in comparison, the American League had a zero tolerance for foul language and behavior, bolstering attendance because of its image.[1] In The Arrival of the American League, author Warren N. Wilbert described the National League as having a monopoly on Major League Baseball at the time.[1]
The Western League disbanded after the 1899 season so that owners Johnson and Comiskey could pursue major league options.
Class-A minor league baseball.[3] Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Buffalo were dropped as franchises before the 1901 season and new teams added in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston.[4] The Kansas City club was moved to Washington, D.C. that same year.[4]
Major league beginning
Nap Lajoie was signed by the American League from the National League. He was paid $3,600 over the NL maximum when he signed with the Philadelphia Athletics.
The 1901 season was the first season that the American League (AL) was classified as a "major league".
Cleveland (often referred to as the "Blue" or the "Blues" for their uniforms), and Milwaukee (another original WL team which carried over its nickname of "Brewers").[6] The first game in American League history was played on April 24, 1901, at South Side Park, with eventual pennant-winner Chicago defeating Cleveland by a score of eight runs to two.[7][8]
: 12
The AL lured many stars of the time due to the fact that they did not have a maximum salary, unlike the National League.[6][9] In all, over 100 players switched leagues, including many big National League stars of the time such as John McGraw, Cy Young, Clark Griffith, Hugh Duffy, and Jimmy Collins.[8]: 12 Notably, Nap Lajoie was signed by Connie Mack to a $6,000 contract ($3,600 over the National League's maximum salary), $184,000 in today's standards.[6] Over the early years of the American League, they drew far more attendance to their games than the National League.[6]
The Orioles fell into debt, with star player
New York Giants of the NL. With this, Mahon became the majority shareholder. On July 17, 1902, Mahon sold his interest in the Orioles to Andrew Freedman, principal owner of the Giants, and John T. Brush, principal owner of the Cincinnati Reds, also of the NL. That day, Freedman and Brush released McGraw, Kelley, Joe McGinnity, Roger Bresnahan, Jack Cronin, Cy Seymour, and Dan McGann from their Oriole contracts. Brush then signed Kelley and Seymour to the Reds, while Freedman signed McGinnity, Bresnahan, Cronin, and McGann, joining McGraw, his new player-manager, on the Giants.[11] Johnson was forced to join with the Orioles' minority owners to seize control of the team using league rules and restock the team using players on loan from other AL franchises, but the Orioles had to forfeit their game that day due to not having enough players.[10]
After the 1902 season, a "peace" agreement was reached by the two leagues.[6] The National League had hoped for a merger. However, Johnson knew he had the upper hand, and persuaded the National League to recognize the American League as an equal partner instead.[6] Following the regular season in 1903, the winners of the American League pennant and the National League pennant played each other in the inaugural World Series.[6] The Boston Americans (now the Red Sox) defeated the NL representatives, the Pittsburgh Pirates. In retaliation, the National League refused to play a World Series the following year, when the American League expanded its schedule to 154 games.[6] World Series play resumed in 1905 and has continued every year since, except the strike-shortened 1994 season.
. It was stemmed from payment disagreements between the members of the team and its owner, Charles Comiskey.
Amidst the Black Sox scandal, Ban Johnson's control of the American League slipped.
home runs and drew many to the ball parks.[6] The American League sold five million tickets, over a million and a half over the National League total.[6] Ruth's 54 home runs was 35 above the runner-up, George Sisler.[6]
Hitting success
Babe Ruth played the majority of his career in the American League.
Before the 1920s, pitching dominated both leagues.
baseballs.[12] Led by Babe Ruth, hitters in the American League dominated the pitching competition.[12] Attendance was mostly even with the National League through the 1920s.[12] From 1927 to 1930, the National League beat the American League in attendance for the first time since the American League became a major league.[12] Through the 1930s, high scoring continued in the American League, unlike the National League where runs were becoming scarce.[12] In every year from 1931 through 1942, the American League outscored the National League.[12] From the same 12-year time period, the American League led in attendance six time while the National League led six times, despite the scoring dependency.[12]
Mid-to-late 20th century
World War II and desegregation
Like nearly everything else, Major League Baseball was affected by the United States involvement in World War II. Players off of every roster in the American League served in a branch of the
4-F for physical disabilities. Due to material restrictions, baseballs were reused, unlike the previous years where the baseball's "sanitary" integrity was kept.[12]
Cleveland Indians in 1947.[12] By 1955, there were still two all-Caucasian American League teams, the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, compared to just one in the National League.[12] Writer Steve Treder from The Hardball Times noted that the fact that the American League employed fewer African Americans led to a discrepancy in talent, giving the National League the upper hand.[12] Over the time period of racial desegregation in baseball, the American League had better attendance than the National League for most of the seasons.[12] Starting in 1956, the National League began a 33-year streak of attendance superiority over the American League.[17] Treder again asserted that the American League failed to desegregate their league as fast and eagerly as the National League, however, he states that by the 1960s the American League started to catch-up.[17]
The Seattle Mariners were established in 1977 making them one of eight teams either established or moved from 1954 to 1977.
Expansion era and franchise shifts
Over the last half of the 20th century, the league expanded and teams changed locales. The
Tampa Bay Devil Rays began play, eventually shortening their name to simply the "Tampa Bay Rays
batter designated to hit only, and not play defense. The old rule had the pitcher in the batting lineup. The National League used the old rule until the 2022 season. Scoring in the American League jumped 23 percent and the "experimental" tag was dropped.[17] From 1973 to 2003, the American League out scored the National League.[17] Another jump in 1973 was the attendance numbers for the American League. Up 27 percent from the year before, the American League was still losing the attendance race to the National League after the implementation of the rule.[17]
