• The early years in the history of professional baseball transformed the sport to the spectacle you watch today
• The “dead ball era”, as it is known in the history of a baseball, forced teams to become proficient in fielding, bunting, and base running
• The history of baseball uniforms extends back to the New York Knickerbockers before professional baseball had come into being
• In the history of baseball teams, the winner of the first World Series has a special place in sports lore

Being an electronic baseball scoreboards manufacturer we are interested not only in baseball equipment but in everything including great history of one of our favorite team sports.

History of Professional Baseball – The Early Years

The history of professional baseball in the United States stretches back to the mid 1800’s when in 1860 the first baseball clubs were established. It wasn’t long before the newspapers of the day claimed this wildly popular sport as “America’s National Pastime.” Fans would flock to the field on game day to watch their hero’s play. It became a ritual in many families where fathers and sons would don their Sunday best and cheer on the local team. This family bonding experience ensured that baseball would be popular for years, decades, and centuries to come.

The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (NLPBB) was established in 1876 becoming the first true professional baseball association. It has survived until this day as simply the “National League.” It became the first “major” baseball league due to its predominance in large market cities such as New York. In 1893, Ban Johnson formed the Western League and vowed to challenge the National League as the preeminent baseball association. By 1900, his gamble had paid off and the name was changed to the American League. The two leagues formed an association in 1902 and the “World Series” was born. The Boston Americans of the American League defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates to take the crown.

The Dead Ball Era

Runs were hard to come by between the years 1900 and 1919 and the period was known as the “dead ball era” in the history of a baseball. There were two contributing factors in the low scores of the day. Baseballs were relatively expensive in relation to the times and owners insisted they be used for the whole game, if possible. Even when the batter made contact, these misshapen baseballs wouldn’t travel very far. In addition, this was the era of some of the most extraordinary pitchers in the history of professional baseball such as Cy Young, Walter Johnson, and Grover Cleveland Alexander.

Even before professional baseball came into being, the history of baseball uniforms had already begun. The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club (one of the best known in the history of baseball teams) started the trend when they began wearing white shirts, blue pants, and straw hats to their games in 1849. The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first team to wear knickers as part of their uniform in 1869, in part, to show off their red stockings. Baseball uniforms have gone through a multitude of changes over the years to arrive at we currently see on the field today.