Baseball Insights
Baseball History
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a North American pro baseball league that was founded in 1903 with the consolidation of the two U.S. baseball associations, the National League (NL) and the American League (AL).
Before the consolidation of the two leagues, the two teams were involved in what was known as the “baseball war.” The AL moved its teams from the midwest to the east and lured star players for the NL teams.
An agreement was reached in 1903 to play a World Series, which was a matchup of the champions from each league. The National Commission was also established as the governing authority over MLB. The group was replaced with a single commissioner in 1921.
On the field, the current game of MLB still resembles how the game was in the early 1900s. But off the field, the change has been significant. The highest-paid player in baseball is currently Max Scherzer, who makes a salary of $43.4 million per year. Team owners spend billions of dollars in player salaries each year but make revenues far higher than that.
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World Series - Top 10 Winners
| Series | National League | Wins | American League | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 6 Game Series | Atlanta Braves [4 – 6 in Series Play] | 4 | Houston Astros [1 – 3 in Series Play] | 2 |
| 2020 6 Game Series | Los Angeles Dodgers [7 – 14 in Series Play] | 4 | Tampa Bay Rays [0 – 2 in Series Play] | 2 |
| 2019 7 Game Series | Washington Nationals [1- 0 in Series Play] | 4 | Houston Astros [1 – 2 in Series Play] | 3 |
| 2018 5 Game Series | Los Angeles Dodgers [6 – 14 in Series Play] | 1 | Boston Red Sox [9 – 4 in Series Play] | 4 |
| 2017 7 Game Series | Los Angeles Dodgers [6 – 13 in Series Play] | 3 | Houston Astros [1 – 1 in Series Play] | 4 |
| 2016 7 Game Series | Chicago Cubs [3 – 8 in Series Play] | 4 | Cleveland Indians [2 – 4 in Series Play] | 3 |
| 2015 5 Game Series | New York Mets [2 – 3 in Series Play] | 1 | Kansas City Royals [2 – 2 in Series Play] | 4 |
| 2014 7 Game Series | New York Mets [2 – 3 in Series Play] | 1 | Kansas City Royals [2 – 2 in Series Play] | 4 |
| 2013 6 Game Series | St. Louis Cardinals [11-8 in Series Play] | 2 | Boston Red Sox [8 – 4 in Series Play] | 4 |
| 2012 4 Game Series | San Francisco Giants [7 – 12 in Series Play] | 4 | Detroit Tigers [4 – 7 in Series Play] | 0 |
| 2011 7 Game Series | St. Louis Cardinals [11 – 7 in Series Play] | 4 | Texas Rangers [0 – 2 in Series Play] | 3 |
| 2010 5 Game Series | San Francisco Giants [6 – 12 in Series Play] | 4 | Texas Rangers [0 – 1 in Series Play] | 1 |
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award Winners
| Year | Player (AL) | Stats | PLayer (NL) | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Shohei Ohtani | W-L: 9-2, ERA: 3.18, SO: 156 | Bryce Harper | BA: .309, HR: 35, RBI: 84 |
| 2020 | Jose Abreu | BA: .317, HR: 19, RBI: 60 | Freddie Freeman | BA: .341, HR: 13, RBI: 53 |
| 2019 | Mike Trout | BA: .291, HR: 45, RBI: 104 | Cody Bellinger | BA: .305, HR: 47, RBI: 115 |
| 2018 | Mookie Betts | BA: .346, HR: 32, RBI: 80 | Christian Yelich | BA: .326, HR: 36, RBI: 110 |
| 2017 | Jose Altuve | BA: .346, HR: 24, RBI: 81 | Giancarlo Stanton | BA: .281, HR: 59, RBI: 132 |
| 2016 | Mike Trout | BA: .315, HR: 29, RBI: 100 | Kris Bryant | BA: .292, HR: 39, RBI: 102 |
| 2015 | Josh Donaldson | BA: .297, HR: 41, RBI: 123 | Bryce Harper | BA: .330, HR: 42, RBI: 99 |
| 2014 | Mike Trout | BA: .287, HR: 36, RBI: 111 | Clayton Kershaw | W-L: 21-3, ERA: 1.77, SO: 239 |
| 2013 | Miguel Cabrera | BA: .348, HR: 44, RBI: 137 | Andrew McCutchen | BA: .317, HR: 21, RBI: 84 |
| 2012 | Miguel Cabrera | BA: .330, HR: 44, RBI: 139 | Buster Posey | BA: .336, HR: 24, RBI: 103 |
| 2011 | Justin Verlander | W-L: 24-5, ERA: 2.40, SO: 250 | Ryan Braun | BA: .332, HR: 33, RBI: 111 |
| 2010 | Josh Hamilton | BA: .359, HR: 32, RBI: 100 | Joey Votto | BA: .324, HR: 37, RBI: 113 |
Batting Average - Top 5 Leaders
| Rank | Winner | Batting Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty Cobb | 366 |
| 2 | Rogers Hornsby | 358 |
| 3 | Joe Jackson | 356 |
| 4 | Ed Delahanty | 346 |
| 5 | Tris Speaker | 345 |
Home Runs - Top 5 Leaders
| Rank | Player | Home Runs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry Bonds | 762 |
| 2 | Hank Aaron | 755 |
| 3 | Babe Ruth | 714 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | 696 |
| 5 | Albert Pujols | 694 |
Runs Batted In - Top 5 Leaders
| Rank | Player | Runs batted In |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Aaron | 2297 |
| 2 | Babe Ruth | 2214 |
| 3 | Albert Pujols | 2188 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | 2086 |
| 5 | Cap Anson | 2075 |