The MLB launched the 2024 regular season this year on March 20 with a series between the Dodgers and the Padres in Seoul, South Korea, the first regular season series ever played in Seoul. The official Opening Day for the rest of the clubs was March 28.  

For some, the return of baseball is something to look forward to in the dreary late winter. The beginning of a new baseball season marks a new summer to enjoy. Whether you are a fan of the sport or just need conversation material with your dad, here is a brief history of the roots of professional baseball.  

Professional baseball as we know it today can trace its roots back to January 1871 when the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was founded. Professional and Semi-Professional teams had begun to emerge in cities across the country as early as the 1850’s and when enough of them had the necessary resources, they formed a league. The Boston Red Stockings, a precursor of the Atlantic Braves, joined the National Association in 1871. Boston was joined by nine other teams including the early versions of the Chicago White Sox (then Stockings), and the Philadelphia Athletics (now in Oakland). Multiple other teams joined the National Association; some had their moments, but the Red Stockings dominated the competition. Within a few years, the league began to collapse, dissolving in 1875. The next year, a new league emerged to continue the sport at a professional level, the National League that we know today. It was composed of eight strong teams, with the support and direction of executive William Hulbert. 

As the sport’s following increased, more teams sprang up around the nation.  By 1901, the National League’s modern counterpart, the American League, was formed. The American League consisted of eight teams who would each play the eight teams in the National League, resulting in a 140-game regular season. This was changed in 1904 to 154 games, and again in 1961 to 162 games. This is the current total of games played in the regular season today. By the early twentieth century, baseball was firmly planted as “America’s Pastime.” 

When the Second World War began, baseball was booming. Greats like Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams were pulling off jaw-dropping plays for fans every night. The war the United States was about to become entangled in would produce a kind of patriotism baseball fans never saw coming. The Selective Training and Service Act, signed by President Roosevelt in 1940, drafted nearly 2 million American men by the end of 1941. Some of those men were inevitably beloved baseball stars. The first player to trade his jersey for a uniform was Hugh “Losing Pitcher” Mulcahy of the Phillies. Already well-known for his unlucky arm, he was famously quoted by The Sporting News, saying, “My losing streak is over for the duration … I’m on a winning team now.”  

Many great players of that time served in the US military, contributing to the sport’s patriotic connotations. Of course, as proven by this season’s opener, it has since spread across the globe to be enjoyed by millions each year, but baseball will always be as American as apple pie. 

Quindelynne Davis is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].