When Does Major League Baseball Season Begin?

The answer may surprise you! The Major League Baseball season begins on Thursday, March 28, 2019.

Introduction

Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization, the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. A total of 30 teams play in the National League (NL) and American League (AL), with 15 teams in each league. The NL and AL were formed as separate legal entities in 1876 and 1901, respectively. After cooperating but remaining legally separate entities beginning in 1903, the leagues merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball in 2000. The organization also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises about 240 teams affiliated with the Major League clubs. With the World Baseball Softball Confederation, MLB manages the international World Baseball Classic tournament.

The History of Major League Baseball

Professional baseball in the United States can be traced back to 1869, when the Cincinnati Reds played their first game. The first professional league, the National Association of Base Ball Players, was founded in 1871. This league only lasted five years, but it laid the foundation for the modern game of baseball.

In 1876, the National League was founded and this league is still in existence today. The National League was originally made up of eight teams: Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings, Cincinnati Reds, Hartford Dark Blues, Louisville Grays, Mutual of New York, Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Brown Stockings. This league would go on to become the major league we know today.

The first modern World Series was played in 1903 and consisted of a best-of-nine series between theBoston Americans (now the Red Sox) and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Boston Americans won this series five games to three. Major League Baseball has been played every year since 1903 with two exceptions: 1904, when no World Series was held due to a dispute between the National and American leagues; and 1994, when a players’ strike forced the cancellation of that year’s World Series.

Today, Major League Baseball is made up of 30 teams: 29 in the United States and one in Canada (the Toronto Blue Jays). These teams are divided into two leagues: the National League and the American League. Each league is further divided into three divisions: East, West and Central. The regular season begins in late March or early April and ends in October. At the end of each season, six teams from each league compete in a postseason tournament known as the playoffs. The playoffs culminate in the World Series, a best-of-seven series between the champions from each league.

The Structure of Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseballorganization, the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. A total of 30 teams play in the National League (NL) and American League (AL), with 15 teams in each league. The NL and AL were formed as separate legal entities in 1876 and 1901, respectively. After cooperating but remaining legally separate entities beginning in 1903, the leagues merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball in 2000. The organization also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises about 240 teams affiliated with the Major League clubs. With the World Baseball Softball Confederation, MLB manages the international World Baseball Classic tournament.

Baseball’s first openly all-professional team was founded in Cincinnati in 1869. (There had been earlier attempts at creating professional baseball teams, most notably the Philadelphia Athletics of 1858–1876, which later became a founding member of what would become MLB.) The first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one team or league to another.

The Regular Season

Major League Baseball’s regular season begins in late March or early April and ends in October. More games are played in July and August than in any other month. The season consists of 162 games for each of the 30 teams that make up Major League Baseball.

The Postseason

The Major League Baseball postseason is an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the Regular Season. As of 2012, the playoffs for each league—American and National—consist of a one-game Wild Card playoff between two wildcard teams,followed by a best-of-five divisional series (ALDS and NLDS) and finally the best-of-seven league championship series (ALCS and NLCS).

Conclusion

Major League Baseball season typically begins in late March/early April, although the actual start date varies from year to year. The first few games of the season are typically played in cities located in warm-weather climates, such as Florida and Arizona. The majority of the teams then begin their regular seasons around April 1st. The baseball season culminates with the World Series, which is typically played in October.