Introduction: Happy Friday! It’s a memorable birthday to celebrate! Today marks the 155th anniversary of the birth of professional baseball, now known as Major League Baseball(MLB). Professional baseball was born with the formation of the barnstorming Cincinnati Red Stockings on March 15th, 1869.
The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional and salaried baseball team. They are the oldest clear link to what we know today as Major League Baseball. Their 57–0 season in that first season remains the only perfect season in pro baseball history. In fact, they would win 81 straight games before losing in 1870.
Happy 155th Birthday Major League Baseball
The formation of the National Association of Base Ball Players(NABBP), as it was called at the time, marked a significant shift for baseball. It offered players financial stability and a better quality of play for fans. Cincinnati would serve an important role in transforming the game of baseball into America’s beloved pastime.
Baseball originated from games like cricket and rounders. It would later become more organized, with nine players on each team and nine innings in a game.
And it was the Red Stockings who turned this “recreation sport” into a whole new ball game, showcasing their dominance in completing that undefeated season.
Their month-long journey from Cleveland to San Francisco captured the hearts of fans across the nation, cementing their iconic status in baseball history.
However, the Red Stockings’ existence was short-lived. In 1871, the Cincinnati Red Stockings were disbanded because the owners claimed it had become too expensive to field a team. Many of the Red Stockings players left for Boston and formed the Boston Red Stockings where they won four league championships. Today, the National League’s Cincinnati Reds and the American League’s Boston Red Sox trace their lineage to those pioneering Red Stockings.
Happy 155th Birthday Major League Baseball
Conclusion: As we gear up for the start of another baseball season, let’s take a moment to tip our caps to the Cincinnati Red Stockings. They set the field for America’s Pastime. Happy Birthday! and here’s to many more innings of excitement ahead!
