Who Was the First Team to Play Baseball?

Because baseball evolved out of a number of different pastimes and its history remained amorphous before the middle of the 19th century, it is uncertain who the first team to play baseball was. Certain baseball teams played a key role in the development of the sport, however. And individual games constitute landmarks in baseball history. Any one of them could reasonably be cited as the "first."

Baseball grew out of pastoral American activities, but its closest progenitors were likely British and Irish games such as rounders and cricket. Both of those sports predate baseball and contain similar elements. While those games likely came here from overseas, they soon took on a uniquely American flavor as local teams played each other under a variety of rough and informal rules.

Though a number of baseball clubs existed before them, the New York Knickerbockers hold an especially important place in history. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright published a book of "Knickerbocker Rules," defining the game as it was played by the club. The text represents the first "official" set of baseball rules, establishing a firm line between modern baseball and its amorphous roots.

The Cincinnati Red Stockings were the world's first professional baseball team. They played their first game on May 4, 1869, defeating the Cincinnati Great Westerns 45 to 9. The team disbanded in 1871 due to expensive salaries. But a new team bearing the Cincinnati Red Stockings name joined the nascent National League in 1876. They were expelled from the league in 1880 (in part for violating league rules by selling beer to their customers). A third team calling themselves the Cincinnati Red Stockings formed in 1882 as a part of the American Association baseball league. They joined the National League in 1889--shortening their name to the Reds--and have remained in professional baseball ever since.

Numerous baseball leagues were established in the 19th century, but the only two who endured into the 21st are the National League and the American League. Today, they constitute the two halves of major league baseball. Every team belongs to one of those two leagues. The National League formed in 1876, and consisted of eight teams: the Chicago White Stockings (Cubs), the Boston Red Stockings (Braves), the Louisville Grays, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the St. Louis Brown Stockings, the Hartford Dark Blues, the Philadelphia Athletics and the Mutual of New York.

The American League first appeared in 1901, developing out of the Western League that played in the northern Midwest. It, too, consisted of eight teams: the Baltimore Orioles, the Detroit Tigers, the Cleveland Blues (Indians), the Boston Americans (Red Sox), the Chicago White Stockings (White Sox), the Washington Senators, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Athletics.

The first World Series took place between the American League champion Boston Americans and the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates in 1903. They played a best-of-9 series, switching between the Huntington Ave. Baseball Grounds in Boston and Pittsburgh's Exposition Park. Though considered underdogs, the Americans took the series five games to three, thanks to superior pitching and some key injuries to Pittsburgh's roster.