United States in the early 1800s By the start of the Civil War in 1861 soldiers on both sides knew the game and played it when they had time Even President Abraham Lincoln participated in games on the White House lawn After the war the game spread as returning soldiers took it to their homes Rural towns and big cities alike soon had teams for what was called base ball or town ball In its early years the game was far different than it is now Players didn’t wear gloves or mitts Fielders could get an out by hitting a base runner with a thrown ball Pitchers were required to throw underhand Batters could ask for a high or low pitch For a while too players could use bats that were flat on one side In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings now the Reds became the first pro team They toured the country to play local amateurs In 1876 the Red Stockings were part of the eight team National League of Professional Baseball
Clubs today’s National League NL In 1901 the American League AL also with eight teams came along Two years later the champions of each league met in the first World Series with the Boston Americans now Red Sox beating the Pittsburgh Pirates Born before football and basketball baseball had everyone’s attention Kids played it and adults flocked to ballparks as fans In the early 1900s the game was dominated by pitching contact hitters and base running It was the dead-ball era when the handmade balls couldn’t be hit far Games often were low scoring and decided by bunting stealing and well-placed singles As 1920 approached that changed Machine-made balls traveled farther when hit Home runs brought more excitement and nobody created more of it than Babe Ruth The Bambino set the single-season record of 29 home runs in 1919 and hit 54 and 59 the next two seasons
Fans pour onto the field at Boston's Huntington Avenue Grounds during the 1903 World Series between the Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates
Baseball’s evolution continued The all white major leagues finally admitted black players in 1947 In the 1950s the majors moved west with the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers shifting to San Francisco and Los Angeles respectively Six waves of expansion from 1961 through 1998 put teams into new cities and the major leagues expanded from 16 to 30 teams Radio television and the Internet extended the sport’s reach to every corner of the country Baseball has added night games a designated hitter and talent from around the world Now it pays its best players millions of dollars It has also been criticized for its slow pace of play and not connecting with young fans Yet major league fans remain loyal In 2017 major league attendance was close to 73 million The Cubs victory over the Indians in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series attracted more than 40 million TV viewers
