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First All Professional Baseball Team
The country’s first “all-professional” baseball team emerged in 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, financed by a group of Ohio investors. Each player was paid a salary, with the highest paid player, shortstop George Wright, earning $1,400 per season – a value equal to almost $23,000 a year now. However, in 1870, the manager of the team moved it to Boston. A year later, the newly-minted Boston Red Stockings were formed.
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/baseballhistory.html#origins -
National Baseball Commission Created
In 1900, Byron “Ban” Johnson created the American League out of four teams, picking up unemployed ballplayers and raiding National League rosters. As more and more players moved to the American League (including Cy Young, the winningest pitcher of all time), the National League owners were forced to submit. In 1903, a National Agreement was set up, creating a National Baseball Commission – made up of the president of each league and a permanent chairman – that would govern the game of baseball. -
First Fatality in Baseball
Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was hit in the head by a pitch, and died the next day. This tragedy spurred baseball to outlaw the doctoring of its baseballs. Prior to the rule, baseballs were scuffed, spit on, blackened with tar and licorice, sandpapered and scarred. Now, as soon as ball got dirty, the umpire had to replace it with a new one – a practice that continues today. -
First MLB All Star Game
the game was so popular that it became an annual event that at one time was just about as big as the World Series. The 1933 All Star Game featured some of the true immortals of the game, including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Carl Hubbell and Jimmie Foxx. In total, 20 of the 36 players who played in the game went on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The game itself was attended by 49,200 fans.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1157233-200-events-that-defined-shaped-and-changed-major-league-bas -
Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier
Robinson's debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers came in 1947, a full eight years before the recognized beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The class displayed by Robinson while facing terrible racism by many in and out of the game went a long way in helping to shape public perception of blacks in America.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1157233-200-events-that-defined-shaped-and-changed-major-league-baseball -
Buck O'Neill Breaks the Color Coaching Barrier
Buck O'Neil, of Kansas City, broke barriers in the Major Leagues, becoming the first African-American coach (also with the Cubs) in the big leagues in 1962.
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_negro_leagues_story.jsp?story=legend -
Pitcher's Mound Lowered
That season is noted as the point when baseball lowered the pitcher's mound to ten inches, down from 15 inches. However, what really should be noted is that 1969 became the year when they actually enforced the height of the pitcher's mound. While the rule book always said the pitcher's mound should be no higher than 15 inches, nobody ever checked from stadium to stadium. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1157233-200-events-that-defined-shaped-and-changed-major-league-baseball/page/33 -
Roberto Clementa Killed in Plane Crash
Clemente was one of the game's great humanitarians. The city of Mangua was stricken with a massive earthquake. Clemente went into action immediately to help the people. Items were packed and shipped to Managua but instead of going to victims, members of the corrupt Nicaraguan government were intercepting the supplies. Word got back to Clemente that his supplies weren't getting to the right people, so he decided to accompany the next flight which led to his death.http://bleacherreport.com/artic -
Reggie Jackson Hits Three Home Runs in One World Series Game
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Sports Illustrated Story About Steroid Use Rocks Baseball
In 2002, it wrote about the rampant use of steroids in the game, using first-hand admissions of use from Ken Caminiti to support their claim. He spoke about using steroids at to help recover from a shoulder injury, but continued to abuse them. Jose Canseco estimated that 85 percent of all Major Leaguers were using steroids.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1157233-200-events-that-defined-shaped-and-changed-major-league-baseball/page/26
