Professional baseball
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2011) |
Professional baseball is organized
Modern professional leagues
Americas
United States and Canada
Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada (founded in 1869) consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series, in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play.[1] As of 2023, the Philadelphia Phillies, founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports.[2]
In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball, formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues,[3] oversees nearly all minor league baseball in the United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. The Mexican League is an independent league that is a member of Minor League Baseball and has no affiliations to any Major League Baseball teams. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, "organized baseball") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of the Commissioner of Baseball.[4]
Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many
Caribbean countries
- Dominican Professional Baseball League (1951–present; winter league)
- Puerto Rico Baseball League(1938–present)
- Cuban National Series (1961–present)
Mexico
- Mexican Pacific League (1945–present; winter league)
- Mexican League(1925–present; summer league)
Central America
- Panamanian Professional Baseball League (1946–1972, 2001–present)
- Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League (1957–1967, 2004–present)
South America
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (1946–present)
- Colombian Professional Baseball League (1948–1958, 1979–1988, 1994–present)
Asia
Japan
Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League, each with six teams.
Korea
South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League.
Taiwan
Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL.
Other Asian leagues
Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the
Europe
- Italian Baseball League
- Honkbal Hoofdklasse (Dutch league)
- Elitserien (Sweden)
- Baseball Bundesliga (Germany)
Australia
Historic leagues
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of
Between 1943 and 1954, the
See also
- Baseball § Around-the-world
- Baseball awards § International
- List of organized baseball leagues § Professional baseball
- Professional sports
References
- ^ "Interleague". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ "Philadelphia Phillies", Baseball Almanac, retrieved October 1, 2022
- ^ "The Official Site of The International League | ilbaseball.com Homepage". International League. Archived from the original on January 6, 2006. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ISBN 0-7864-2087-1.
- ^ "Home". Frontier League. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.