Major League Baseball season
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The Major League Baseball season has been 162 games long for each team since 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League. The preceding 154-game schedule was adopted in 1904 and modified only in 1919. This article is about the evolution of the season schedule since Major League Baseball began.
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A Major League season normally lasts from the beginning of April to the end of September, followed by the post-season tournament in October. The endpoints of the season gradually changed through the years. In the early days, the regular season began in late April and ran through late October. By the early 1900s the season was running from late April to late September or early October, with the World Series capping the season in October, sometimes actually starting in the last days of September.
The gradual elimination of scheduled doubleheaders in the last decade or two of the 20th Century necessitated pushing the start of the season earlier and earlier, until it sometimes starts in the last day or two of March and ends several days into October. Another recent trend has been to hold one or more games in a nation outside of the USA a day or two prior to the "official" Opening Day. The regular season was stopped for several days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which extended the season until the final weeks of October.
Meanwhile, the addition and eventual expansion of the League Championship Series, and then the addition of the Division Series, has extended the post-season into late October. Other than simple rain-outs, the World Series has been delayed only twice; 1989 due to the San Francisco Eathquake, and 2001 as mentioned above. While extending the playoff tournament has boosted TV ratings, it has also meant a greater possibility of snow falling during baseball's premiere event, as the weather in the northern United States is often markedly colder in late October than it is in early October. As of 2005, despite snow flurries very visibly flying at times (for instance at Jacobs Field in Cleveland during the 1997 World Series), no post-season games have actually had to be postponed due to "wintry" weather.
[edit] Post-season
The following is a chronology summary of the post-season championship events held by Major League Baseball through the years.
- 1903 - Best 5 of 9 games
- 1904 - No Series played
- 1905-1918 - Best 4 of 7 games
- 1919-1921 - Best 5 of 9 games
- 1922-present - Best 4 of 7 games
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- The standard 2-3-2 home field pattern was established in 1924; from 1903 to 1923, the Series generally alternated sites between games.
- The 19th Century World's Championship Series' were individually scheduled each year, with varying numbers of games ranging from 2 to 15
- 1969-1984 - Best 3 of 5 games, 2-3 home field pattern
- 1985-present - Best 4 of 7 games, 2-3-2 home field pattern
- 1994-present - Best 3 of 5 games (not begun until 1995 due to strike)
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- In 1998, the home field pattern was changed from 2-3 to 2-2-1
[edit] Regular season
This account gives the length of the major league "championship season" schedule by league and year. It does not cover the curtailment of play by war (1918) or by strikes and lockouts (1972, 1981, 1994, 1995). The schedules for 1995 were revised from 162 to 144 games after late completion of collective bargaining but before the beginning of play.
The listed years are those in which the league revised its schedule. For example, the National League scheduled 84 games during 1879, 1880, 1881, and 1882 — four seasons begin 1879, ending before 1883, the next listing. 1876 is listed here for convenience although the NL did not schedule games (see 1871 to 1876).
- 1876 - 70 games - 10 games × 7 opponents
- 1877 - 60 games - 12 games × 5 opponents
- 1879 - 84 games - 12 games × 7 opponents
- 1883 - 98 games - 14 games × 7 opponents
- 1884 - 112 games - 16 games × 7 opponents
- 1886 - 126 games - 18 games × 7 opponents
- 1888 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
- 1892 - 154 games - 14 games × 11 opponents
- 1893 - 132 games - 12 games × 11 opponents
- 1898 - 154 games - 14 games × 11 opponents
- 1900 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
- 1904 - 154 games - 22 games × 7 opponents
- 1919 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
- 1920 - 154 games - 22 games × 7 opponents
- 1962 - 162 games - 18 games × 9 opponents
- 1969 - 162 games - 18 games × 5 opponents in own division, 12 × 6 in other division
- 1993 - 162 games - expansion - schedules same as AL 1979-1993
- 1994 - 162 games - leagues split into 3 divisions - schedules based on 1993 alignments
- 1997 - 162 games - inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary
- 1998 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary
- 1901 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
- 1904 - 154 games - 22 games × 7 opponents
- 1919 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
- 1920 - 154 games - 22 games × 7 opponents
- 1961 - 162 games - 18 games × 9 opponents
- 1969 - 162 games - 18 games × 5 opponents in own division, 12 × 6 in other division
- 1977 - 162 games - expansion - 15 games × 6 opponents in own division, 10 or 11 × 7 opponents in other division
- 1979 - 162 games - 13 games × 6 opponents in own division, 12 games × 7 opponents in other division
- 1994 - 162 games - leagues split into 3 divisions - schedules based on 1993 alignments
- 1997 - 162 games - inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary
- 1998 - 162 games - expansion - 19 games × 3 or 4 opponents in own division - other opponent schedules vary
- 1882 - 80 games - 16 games × 5 opponents
- 1883 - 98 games - 14 games × 7 opponents
- 1884 - 112 games - 16 games × 7 opponents
- 1886 - 126 games - 18 games × 7 opponents
- 1888 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
- 1889 - 112 games - 16 games × 7 opponents
- 1890 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
- League disbanded after 1891, 4 teams joined NL
- 1884 - 112 games - 16 games × 7 opponents
- 1890 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
[edit] 1871 to 1876
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (1871-1875) did not schedule games. Nor did it control the number of teams, a major reason for its demise after the 1875 season. Clubs paid a $10 entry fee, later $20, to enter the Association for one season and thereby declare for that year's national championship. Without continuing membership or heavy investment there was little to deter a team from breaking a commitment, and that sometimes happened, although mainly with clubs going out of business.
The National League organized for 1876 on a different basis, granting exclusive memberships to eight clubs that would continue from year to year — it was generally expected, if only because membership would be profitable. But the new league followed its predecessor in merely agreeing that each club would play a certain number of matches to a decision (excluding ties) by a certain date. Boston played 70 games with its quota of ten decisions against every rival.
For all six early seasons, clubs made their own dates including championship games, other games with members, and games with non-members. Some may have practically dictated arrangements with some others, but there was no central control or coordination.
This listing gives the greatest number of games played by any club for each season. Naturally, the leader by games played was always a strong club fielding one of the better gate attractions.
- 1871 - 33 games (Mutual, New York)
- 1872 - 58 games (Lord Baltimore)
- 1873 - 60 games (Boston)
- 1874 - 71 games (Boston)
- 1875 - 86 games (Hartford)
- 1876 - 70 games (Boston) — first National League season; see text
[edit] Sources
- The Sporting News Baseball Guide
- The MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia
[edit] References
- Retrosheet. "The Directory of Major League Years". Retrieved 2006-09-05.
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