Beth's Time-line of Baseball By rroysden Jun 15, 1744 The words Base-Ball appear in print for the first time. Jun 15, 1845 Alexander Cartwright establishes the basic rules of the game. Baseball Almanac Jun 15, 1947 Segregation in Major League Baseball comes to an end as Jackie Robinson makes his debut in a 5-3 win against Johnny Sain and the Braves. The Rookie of the Year award is issued to Robinson, and later renamed in his honor.