Original Sixteen

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The Original Sixteen refers to the 16 teams that played in Major League Baseball from the 1901 season through the 1960 season. During this team, no additional teams joined Major League Baseball nor did any teams fold. From the 1903 season through the 1952 season, none of the Original Sixteen teams relocated either. The 16 teams were divided into two leagues with 8 teams each, the American League and the National League. All of the Original Sixteen teams still play in Major League Baseball today, though many have since moved from their original cities.

The term "Original Sixteen" is derived from the Original Six, the six teams that played in the National Hockey League from the 1942-43 season until the 1967 expansion.

Teams

American League

Team name	Location	Home stadium	Relocated to
Boston Red Sox	Boston, Massachusetts	Fenway Park	Still in Boston
Chicago White Sox	Chicago, Illinois	Comiskey Park	Still in Chicago
Cleveland Indians	Cleveland, Ohio	Cleveland Stadium	Still in Cleveland
Detroit Tigers	Detroit, Michigan	Tiger Stadium	Still in Detroit
New York Yankees	Bronx, New York	Yankee Stadium	Still in New York
Philadelphia Athletics	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Shibe Park	Kansas City, Missouri (1955); Oakland, California (1968)
St. Louis Browns	St. Louis, Missouri	Sportsman's Park	Baltimore, Maryland (1954)
Washington Senators	Washington, D.C.	Griffith Stadium	Minneapolis, Minnesota (1961)

National League

Team name	Location	Home stadium	Relocated to
Boston Braves	Boston, Massachusetts	Braves Field	Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1953); Atlanta, Georgia (1966)
Brooklyn Dodgers	Brooklyn, New York	Ebbets Field	Los Angeles, California (1958)
Chicago Cubs	Chicago, Illinois	Wrigley Field	Still in Chicago
Cincinnati Reds	Cincinnati, Ohio	Crosley Field	Still in Cincinnati
New York Giants	Manhattan, New York	Polo Grounds	San Francisco, California (1958)
Philadelphia Phillies	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Shibe Park	Still in Philadelphia
Pittsburgh Pirates	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Forbes Field	Still in Pittsburgh
St. Louis Cardinals	St. Louis, Missouri	Sportsman's Park	Still in St. Louis

Background

In 1901, the American League was created with 8 franchises, joining the National League's 8 franchises to commence the "Modern Era" of professional baseball. In 1902, the Milwaukee Brewers (different from the current Milwaukee Brewers) moved to St. Louis to become the St. Louis Browns. In 1903, the Baltimore Orioles (different from the current Baltimore Orioles) moved to New York City to become the New York Highlanders (now the New York Yankees). 1903 was also the season in which the first World Series was played, pitting the American League pennant winner against the National League pennant winner to decide the champion of Major League Baseball.

Each team would play their entire regular-season schedule only against teams from their own league; interleague play during the regular season would not happen until 1997. Only the winner of each league advanced to the postseason, where the two league pennant winners would face off in a best-of-seven series (with the exception of 1903 and 1919-21, which were best-of-nine). Starting in 1920, each team's schedule was standardized at 154 games; each team would play the other 7 teams in their own league 22 times for a total of 154 games.

For 50 years beginning in 1903, Major League Baseball enjoyed a period of stability in which none of the 16 franchises folded, none relocated to other cities, and no new franchises joined either league. During this period, the 16 teams represented 10 cities across the United States; Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Boston each had two teams, while New York City had three. As baseball's popularity spread across the United States and teams felt it was not in their best financial interest to share a city with another team, many of them decided to seek relocation.

The relocation of the Boston Braves to Milwaukee in 1953 commenced a series of wholesale changes in Major League Baseball that reached a watershed moment in 1958. That year, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved to Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively, actualizing Major League Baseball's goal of reaching a nationwide, coast-to-coast audience.

The announcement of the Continental League in 1959, proposed as a third major league, forced the hands of the American League and National League to add more teams, effectively ending Major League Baseball's "Original Sixteen" era. In 1961, the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators (a new franchise replacing the original Washington Senators which moved to Minnesota that year) joined the American League, expanding its membership to 10 teams. To account for the expansion, each American League began playing a 162-game season, with each team playing the other 9 teams 18 times for a total of 162 games. In 1962, the National League followed suit by adding the Houston Colt .45's (renamed the Houston Astros in 1965) and the New York Mets, the National League's return to New York City after the Giants and Dodgers moved to California.

Legacy

Major League Baseball's period of stable membership in the first half of the 20th century is often considered the "golden age" of professional baseball. Its popularity endured both World Wars and the Great Depression. The rising salaries of major league players after the Great Depression established professional baseball as a lucrative career. Star players such as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Ted Williams attained celebrity status. The signing of Jackie Robinson by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 began the process of integration in the United States, heavily segregated at the time, opening up the door for African-Americans such as Willie Mays and Hank Aaron to make a lasting impact on the game.

Ultimately, the "Original Sixteen" era was a time when baseball established itself as the national pastime, far and away the most popular sport in the United States before basketball and football increased competition in the latter half of the 20th century.

References

This article "Original Sixteen" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Original Sixteen. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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