A report on National League, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees

Shea Stadium prior to the start of a New York Mets game in 2008. Shea had the best attendance in the National League that year, drawing over 53,000 fans per game on average.
The 1876 White Stockings won the NL championship.
Charles Comiskey, shown here circa 1910, guided the Browns to four American Association titles.
Hilltop Park, home of the Highlanders
Morgan Bulkeley, the first president of the National League
The 1906 Cubs won a record 116 of 154 games. They then won back-to-back World Series titles in 1907–08.
Rogers Hornsby won two Triple Crowns as a Cardinal.
The Polo Grounds, home of the Yankees from 1913 to 1922, was demolished in 1964, after the Mets had moved to Shea Stadium in Flushing.
1913 Chicago Cubs
Stan Musial retired owning numerous National League and team batting records.
With his hitting prowess, Babe Ruth ushered in an offensive-oriented era of baseball and helped lead the Yankees to four World Series titles.
Hall of Famer Hack Wilson
Bob Gibson, the most decorated pitcher in team history, won two Cy Young Awards.
Lou Gehrig
Club logo (1927–1936)
Pitcher Chris Carpenter, essential in two World Series titles, won 10 playoff games with a 3.00 postseason ERA.
In 1941, Joe DiMaggio set an MLB record with a 56-game hitting streak that stands to this day and will probably never be broken.
Cubs logo (1941–1945)
Albert Pujols is one of the most accomplished players in Cardinals' history.
Opening Day of the 1951 baseball season at Griffith Stadium. President Harry Truman throws out the first ball as Bucky Harris and Casey Stengel look on.
A sports-related curse that was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series.
Sportsman's Park during the 1946 World Series
Mickey Mantle was one of the franchise's most celebrated hitters, highlighted by his 1956 Triple Crown and World Series championship.
Ernie Banks ("Mr. Cub")
Busch Memorial Stadium, home stadium from 1966 to 2005
During 1974 and 1975, Yankee Stadium was renovated into its final shape and structure, as shown here in 2002, seven years before demolition.
Ryne Sandberg set numerous league and club records in his career and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2005.
St. Louis logo (1900–1919)
The mask and catcher's mitt of Thurman Munson, the team captain who was killed in a plane crash in 1979
Andre Dawson, 5× All-Star and 1987 NL MVP during tenure in Chicago
St. Louis mascot Fredbird, 2013
Don Mattingly headlined a Yankees franchise that struggled in the 1980s.
Sammy Sosa was the captain of the Chicago Cubs during his tenure with the team.
Red Schoendienst (1965–76, 1980, 1990)
The Yankees' success in the late 1990s and early 2000s was built from a core of productive players that included Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter.
Kerry Wood, along with Mark Prior, led the Cubs' rotation in 2003.
Tony La Russa (1996–2011)
Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez, 2007
Dempster emerged in 2004 and became the Cubs' regular closer.
Joe Medwick's Triple Crown in 1937 is the last in the history of the National League
Joe Girardi was a Yankees catcher before he became manager in 2008.
Alfonso Soriano signed with the club in 2007.
Lou Brock
The new Yankee Stadium opened in 2009 and was christened with a World Series victory in the same way that the original Yankee Stadium was christened with a World Series victory when it opened in 1923.
Carlos Zambrano warming up before a game
Dizzy Dean
Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge quickly became the new face of the team.
Starlin Castro during his 2010 rookie season
Curt Flood
World Series rings
One of two Cubs building blocks, Anthony Rizzo, swinging in the box
Enos Slaughter
"Freddy Sez" holding one of his signs near the bleachers entrance before a game between the Yankees and the Texas Rangers
The Cubs celebrate after winning the 2016 World Series.
Ozzie Smith
A shirt worn by a number of Bleacher Creatures
2016 Champions visit the White House in June 2017.
Bruce Sutter
The grounds crew at Yankee Stadium dancing to "Y.M.C.A."
Clark (left) with the Oriole Bird
Harry Caray
Announcers Michael Kay, Paul O'Neill, Ken Singleton, and Ryan Ruocco in the YES Network broadcast booth at Yankee Stadium in 2009
Ron Santo
The first four in the row of retired numbers at the old Yankee Stadium
Billy Williams
Yogi Berra
Ferguson Jenkins
Joe DiMaggio
Kiki Cuyler
Whitey Ford
Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown
Derek Jeter
Harry Caray
Reggie Jackson
Mickey Mantle
Babe Ruth
Mariano Rivera
Lou Gehrig

The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division.

- Chicago Cubs

The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division.

- St. Louis Cardinals

They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the National League's (NL) New York Mets.

- New York Yankees

One of the nation's oldest and most successful professional baseball clubs, the Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships, the most of any NL team and second in MLB only to the New York Yankees.

- St. Louis Cardinals

In two of these championships, the Browns met the Chicago White Stockings, now the Chicago Cubs, launching the enduring Cardinals–Cubs rivalry.

- St. Louis Cardinals

The two remaining original NL franchises, Boston and Chicago, remain still in operation today as the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs.

- National League

Both seasons resulted in matchups with the St. Louis Brown Stockings, with the clubs tying in 1885 and with St. Louis winning in 1886.

- Chicago Cubs

With the merger, the NL absorbed the St. Louis Browns (now known as the St. Louis Cardinals), along with three other teams that did not survive into the 20th century (for those three teams, see Partnership with the American League below).

- National League

Simultaneously, three AL teams also hostile to Johnson (Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees) withdrew from the AL and joined the eight NL teams in forming a new National League; the 12th team would be whichever of the remaining five AL teams loyal to Johnson first chose to join; if none did so an expansion team would have been placed in Detroit, by far the largest one-team city at that time.

- National League

In 1931, Joe McCarthy, who was previously manager of the Chicago Cubs, was hired as manager and brought the Yankees back to the top of the AL. They swept the Chicago Cubs in the 1932 World Series, and brought the team's streak of consecutive World Series game wins to 12.

- New York Yankees

Three days later, the Cubs sent Alfonso Soriano to the New York Yankees for minor leaguer Corey Black.

- Chicago Cubs

The St. Louis Cardinals are in second place with 11 World Series championships with their last win in 2011.

- New York Yankees

4 related topics with Alpha

Overall

Major League Baseball

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Professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world.

Professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world.

National League Baltimore Orioles, 1896
Cy Young, 1911 baseball card
Jackie Robinson comic book, 1951
1959 World Series action at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Graph showing, by year, the average number of runs per MLB game
Mark McGwire was one of several central figures in baseball's steroids scandal
Cleveland Indians throwback uniform
A Grapefruit League game at the former Los Angeles Dodgers camp in Vero Beach, Florida
President John F. Kennedy throwing out the first pitch at the 1962 All-Star Game at DC Stadium
Rafael Palmeiro (batter), one of the MLB players suspended for steroid use
MLB blackout map in the United States
Canadian MLB blackout map
MLB blackout map in the United States

, a total of 30 teams play in Major League Baseball—15 teams in the National League (NL) and 15 in the American League (AL)—with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.

The modern Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves franchises trace their histories back to the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in the 1870s.

The following year, the New York Yankees made their first World Series appearance.

Had the Dodgers moved out west alone, the St. Louis Cardinals—1600 mi away —would have been the closest NL team.

Rooftop view of a 1903 World Series game in Boston

World Series

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Rooftop view of a 1903 World Series game in Boston
Christy Mathewson threw 3 complete-game shutouts in the 1905 World Series.
The 1919 Chicago White Sox team photo
Bill Mazeroski hit a dramatic ninth-inning walk-off home run that decided the 1960 World Series
The Catch: Willie Mays hauls in Vic Wertz's drive near the wall in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.
1959 World Series action at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
1968 World Series program and tickets for Games 4 and 5 at Tiger Stadium
Carlton Fisk, best known for his "waving fair" home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series
Reggie Jackson earned the nickname "Mr. October" by hitting three consecutive home runs in the clinching game six of the 1977 World Series
President Ronald Reagan with the 1988 World Series champions: Los Angeles Dodgers
In Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, Kirby Puckett made a memorable leaping catch in left field to rob an extra-base hit. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Puckett hit a game-winning home run to send the Series to Game 7
Fireworks in SkyDome after Joe Carter's 1993 World Series-winning home run
Game 1 of the 2008 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies (NL) and Tampa Bay Rays (AL) at Tropicana Field
In 2011, David Freese hit a game-tying two-run triple (with two outs) to send it into extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th, Freese led off with a game-winning home run to send the Series to Game 7
Chicago Cubs celebrate their 2016 World Series victory, their first in 108 years
Game action in the 1906 Series in Chicago (the only all-Chicago World Series to date)
Bill Wambsganss completes his unassisted triple play in 1920
Washington's Bucky Harris scores his home run in the fourth inning of Game 7 (October 10, 1924)
The Chicago Cubs celebrate winning the 2016 World Series, which ended the club's 108-year championship drought.

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL).

At the time of the announcement, their new cross-town rivals, the New York Highlanders (now the New York Yankees), were leading the AL, and the prospect of facing the Highlanders did not please Giants management.

The two most prolific World Series winners to date, the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals, did not win their first championship until the 1920s; and three of the teams that were highly successful prior to 1920 (the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs) went the rest of the 20th century without another World Series win.

Chicago White Sox

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American professional baseball team based in Chicago.

American professional baseball team based in Chicago.

1919 "Black Sox" team photo
Ed Walsh holds the record for lowest career earned run average (ERA), 1.82
Al López, manager of the "Go-Go Sox"
Harold Baines at the plate in 1986
Frank Thomas in 1997
The White Sox celebrate after winning a tie-breaker game against the Minnesota Twins for a spot in the 2008 playoffs
View from the upper deck of U.S. Cellular Field in 2006
Batting practice at Comiskey Park, 1986
The 1912–1917, 1919–1929, 1931, and 1936–1938 Chicago White Sox logo
Uniform design from 1971–1975
Alternate logo, used on the road uniform (1991–2010) and on the black alternate uniform (1993–present).
Eddie Murphy, John "Shano" Collins, Joe Jackson, Happy Felsch, and Nemo Leibold in their dugout during the 1917 World Series
Luis Aparicio (1956–62, 1968–70)
Luke Appling (1930–43, 1945–50)
Carlton Fisk (1981–1993)
Nellie Fox (1950–1963)
Shoeless Joe Jackson (1915–1920)
Ted Lyons (1923–1942, 1946)
Minnie Miñoso (1951–57, 1960–61, 1964, 1976, 1980)
Bill Veeck, White Sox owner (1959–61, 1975–80) who revolutionized baseball by introducing many innovations in promotion
Southpaw
Fielder Jones of the White Sox hits the ball against Cubs at West Side Grounds, 1905
Elson in the 1940s
Harrelson in the broadcast booth in 2007

The White Sox are one of two MLB teams based in Chicago, the other being the Chicago Cubs of the National League (NL) Central division.

La Russa went on to manage in six World Series (winning three) with the Oakland A's and St. Louis Cardinals, ending up in the Hall of Fame as the third-winningest manager of all time.

On August 12, 2021, the White Sox faced New York Yankees in the first ever Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

Cincinnati Reds

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American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati.

American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Reds baseball team in 1909
Hall of famer Edd Roush led Cincinnati to the 1919 World Series.
Ted Kluszewski (1953)
Crosley Field (pictured in 1969), the Reds' home stadium from 1912 to 1970
Riverfront Stadium (pictured in 1974), the home stadium of the Reds from 1970 to 2002
Pete Rose at bat in a game at Dodger Stadium during the 1970s
George Foster slugged 52 home runs in 1977, earning the NL MVP award.
Eric Davis in 1990
Opening day at Riverfront Stadium, 1995
Great American Ball Park, the Reds' home stadium since 2003
Ken Griffey Jr. played in his hometown of Cincinnati from 2000 to 2008.
Joey Votto, first baseman (2007–present)
Great American Ball Park opened in 2003 along the Ohio River.
Logo (1915–1919)
Scott Rolen wearing the current Reds away uniform, featuring classic lettering.
Barry Larkin playing in Riverfront Stadium in 1990
Frank Robinson
Eppa Rixey
Ernie Lombardi
The Ohio Cup trophy
Marty Brennaman, the Hall of Fame "voice of the Reds"

The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division, and were a charter member of the American Association in 1881 before joining the NL in 1890.

The New York Yankees continue to have a similar rule today, although Yankees players are permitted to have mustaches.

In other deals that proved to be less successful, the Reds traded Gary Nolan to the California Angels for Craig Hendrickson; Rawly Eastwick to the St. Louis Cardinals for Doug Capilla; and Mike Caldwell to the Milwaukee Brewers for Rick O'Keeffe and Garry Pyka, as well as Rick Auerbach from Texas.

In, the Reds were in the newly created National League Central Division with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and fellow rivals Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros.