When Did Baseball Season Start?

The baseball season started on March 28th.

Introduction

The regular season of Major League Baseball (MLB) is held from April to October. The World Series, the annual championship of MLB, is played in October.

The Early Years

Baseball season starts in the spring, after the long winter months. For many years, the season started in April, but it has since been pushed back to March. The early years of baseball were a time when the game was still developing and changing. Many of the rules that we take for granted today were not yet established.

1800s

The first organized baseball games were played in the early 1800s, but it is believed that the game was developed long before that. The game was likely created by children who adapted other games, such as rounders and cricket, to be played with a ball and bats.

The first known reference to baseball appeared in print in 1744, in Jane Austen’s novel “Northanger Abbey.” In the book, two characters are seen playing a game that is described as “base-ball.” However, it is not clear if this game is the same as the modern game of baseball.

The first organized baseball games were most likely played in New York City in the early 1800s. These early games were based on the English game of rounders, which was brought to North America by English Immigrants. The first recorded baseball game took place on June 19, 1846, at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey. This game was between the New York Nine and Knickerbockers Base Ball Club of New York.

1900s

The baseball season has always been a bit of a mystery. The earliest reference to baseball season is in the Chicago Tribune in 1885, which mentions that the season started on May 5th. In those early years, the season was much shorter than it is today, lasting only about two months.

The first professional team, the Cincinnati Reds, began play in 1869, and by the early 1870s, there were several professional teams in existence. In 1876, the first professional league was formed, called the National League. This league still exists today and is considered the major leagues.

The American League was formed in 1901 and is also considered a major league. The two leagues compete against each other in what is called the World Series. The winner of this series is considered the best team in baseball for that year.

Baseball has come a long way since those early days, but the game is still just as popular as ever.

The Modern Era

The first professional baseball team was formed in 1869, but baseball’s popularity really took off in the early 1900s. The modern era of baseball is considered to have started in 1901. This is when the American League was founded. The American League was one of the first major baseball leagues.

2000s

In the early 2000s, baseball as we know it was in a bit of trouble. At the turn of the century, baseball was coming off of a strike that had cancelled the 1994 World Series. This, in addition to other off-the-field issues, led to declining interest in the sport. In an attempt to win back fans, Major League Baseball (MLB) decided to make some changes.

One of the biggest changes MLB made was to the length of the season. Prior to the start of the 2003 season, MLB shortened the season from 162 games to just 154 games. This change meant that each team would play about 20 fewer games than they had in prior years.

The decision to shorten the season was not without its critics. Some argued that MLB was simply trying to save money by reducing the number of games played. Others felt that154 games was simply not enough baseball. Regardless of the criticism, MLB pressed on with its new plan.

The shortened season seemed to work as intended as fan interest began to rebound in 2003. After a few years of steady growth, baseball experienced a resurgence in popularity in the late 2000s thanks in part to exciting young players like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.

2010s

In 2010, baseball saw the debut of one of its most talented sluggers in years, as San Francisco Giants rookie Buster Posey led his team to a World Series title. Just two years later, the championship trophy returned to the Bay Area thanks to Posey and another up-and-coming superstar, third baseman Pablo Sandoval. The so-called “Baby Boomer” generation of stars continued to dominate the game in the early 2010s. Albert Pujols was named National League MVP for a record-tying third time in 2009, and he helped the St. Louis Cardinals win their second World Series title in six seasons in 2011. Miguel Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to win baseball’s Triple Crown—leading his league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in—in 2012.

The game also said goodbye to several all-time greats during the 2010s. Longtime Yankees closer Mariano Rivera retired after the 2013 season with an all-time record 652 saves; he was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2019. Derek Jeter played his final game for the Yankees in 2014 after a legendary 20-year career that included five World Series titles; he too was elected to Cooperstown in 2020. Other star players who hung up their cleats during the 2010s included Albert Pujols, Ichiro Suzuki, David Ortiz, Chase Utley, and Alex Rodriguez.

Conclusion

Winter leagues and spring training camps give fans a fix during the long offseason, but there’s nothing like the real thing. The first step towards baseball season is the opening of training camps in February, where players report to their team’s facilities to prepare for the upcoming campaign. The following month, teams head down to their respective spring training locales in Florida and Arizona to play a slate of exhibition games against other squads.