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Baseball Basics for Brits Volume 1. The Major League Baseball Season In this volume of Baseball Basics for Brits, we will be looking at how a Major League Baseball (MLB) season is structured. This includes: Leagues and Divisions Why the teams are divided in the way they are How each team's schedule is structured The standings The post-season: division series, championship series and World Series There are thirty teams in Major League Baseball. They are split into two leagues, the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), and then divided into three geographic divisions: East, Central, and West. American League East Division Central Division West Division Baltimore Orioles Chicago White Sox Houston Astros Boston Red Sox Cleveland Indians Los Angeles Angels New York Yankees Detroit Tigers Oakland Athletics Tampa Bay Rays Kansas City Royals Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays Minnesota Twins Texas Rangers National League East Division Central Division West Division Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs Arizona Diamondbacks Miami Marlins Cincinnati Reds Colorado Rockies New York Mets Milwaukee Brewers Los Angeles Dodgers Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres Washington Nationals St Louis Cardinals San Francisco Giants Version 6 (2018) 1 www.baseballgb.co.uk Baseball Basics for Brits - Volume 1. The Major League Baseball Season Dividing the teams Differences between the two leagues Since the 2013 season there has be an Although they represent the same level of equal 15 teams in both the American competition, there is a crucial difference League (AL) and the National League (NL). between the two leagues. Promotion and relegation? In the American League, the pitcher does These leagues and divisions are not not have to bat and his place in the batting classifications in the promotion/relegation line-up is taken by a Designated Hitter (a sense seen in most British sports. They do not 'DH') who does not have to field. Although denote different levels of competition: the there are a few pitchers who can hit, most thirty teams all play in the overall Major are the baseball equivalent of a 'walking League. wicket'. Swapping out a weak-hitting pitcher for a big-swinging home-run hitter There is no promotion or relegation from the potentially makes for a much more Majors. A city only loses its Major League formidable batting line-up in the AL status when the franchise (a dirty word in compared to an NL line-up. Britain) is picked up and moved somewhere else. The most recent victims of this ordeal An NL manager also has to make more were the citizens of Montreal, whose team, tactical decisions during the course of a the Expos, became the Washington game than an AL manager does. If an NL Nationals in 2005. manager makes a pitching change, he has to take into consideration when that pitcher The professional leagues below MLB are is next coming up to bat as he will generally collectively known as the Minor Leagues have to take the pitcher out of the game at and are made up of teams that are that point, to replace him with a stronger affiliated to each of the Major League batter. An AL manager doesn't have to franchises. In British sporting parlance, they worry about such things. could be described as 'feeder clubs'. Spring Training Why split the teams at all? Before the regular season gets under way, Well, let's start with the two leagues. The there is a pre-season period lasting leagues are a legacy of the way in which approximately six weeks. professional baseball developed in North America. Known as Spring Training, baseball's pre- season is more of an event than you will find They were initially two separate, rival in other sports. The thirty teams each have competitions that over time came to fall a Spring Training base in either Arizona or under the overall umbrella of “Major Florida, taking advantage of the glorious League Baseball” (the National League is weather and allowing teams to play each still often referred to as the Senior circuit as other in pre-season friendly games without it preceded the American League). Each travelling halfway across America every few league is predominantly a competition in days. The pitchers and catchers report to itself, although interleague games are Spring Training first, with the position players played during the season. following a week or so later. The winners from the two leagues play each Pre-season games are played throughout other in the World Series. The divisions are March, although 2018 sees an earlier start there essentially to reduce the amount of with games being played in the final week travel over the course of a season (i.e. you of February. Predominantly these games play against the teams closest to you more are played between the Major League regularly than the rest). teams based in the local area as part of a league (the Cactus League in Arizona and the Grapefruit League in Florida), although Version 6 (2018) 2 www.baseballgb.co.uk Baseball Basics for Brits - Volume 1. The Major League Baseball Season occasionally teams play against local colleges and minor league teams. As in all 142 games of a team's schedule are played sports, results at this time of year count for against teams from their own league. They little and the emphasis is on players 'getting will play 19 times against each of their their work in', in preparation for the coming division rivals (76 games) and then face season. each of the other 10 teams in the division either 6 or 7 times (totalling 66 games). Over the first half of March, the Major League regulars will be joined by younger 'Interleague' games – against teams from players from their respective organization as the other league - make up the remaining well as fringe players hoping to earn a place 20 games of each team's schedule. on the Major League roster. As the regular season draws near, most of the younger Every team is paired with a rival team from players will be sent to their respective Minor the opposite league, which in some cases League teams as the Major League players refers to a genuine local rivalry (e.g. New receive more playing time. York Mets v New York Yankees) and in other cases is just simply putting two teams The regular season together with no real history behind it (e.g. The MLB regular season typically runs from San Diego Padres v Seattle Mariners) just to the start of April to the end of September, although from the 2018 season things will As an example, here is a breakdown of begin a little earlier - at the end of March – the Houston’s 2018 regular season to introduce a few more rest days during the schedule: season. AL West (HOU's own division) = 76 games Over this period, each team will play 162 in total (19 each against LA Angels, Oakland, Seattle and Texas) games. Once the season begins, teams play virtually every day, with a four-day AL East and Central (the other two break in July for the All Star game. Teams divisions in HOU’s league) = 66 games in will generally play on six days out of seven, total (7 each against Boston, Detroit, with Monday being the usual day off; Kansas City, NY Yankees, Tampa Bay however it is not uncommon for teams to and Toronto. 6 each against Baltimore, play eighteen days in a row, enjoy one day Cleveland, Minnesota and Chicago off, and then go another fifteen days (or White Sox). more) before taking another single day off. And that schedule doesn't include fitting in Interleague = 20 games in total (4 games that are postponed for one reason against their 'rival' team Arizona, 16 against their matched division - the NL or another. East in 2017 – comprising 4 against Atlanta then 3 each against Miami, NY These games will often be made up by Mets, Philadelphia and Washington) playing a double-header, where the teams play two games on the same day. This punishing schedule is a key feature of the fit the structure. The 'rivals' will play 4 games MLB season. against each other at the end of June, 2 games at one of the home ballparks The 162 game schedule followed by 2 at the other. There isn't a simple structure to each team's fixture list, such as playing every other team The other 16 interleague games will change a specific amount of times. Instead, teams on a yearly basis as each division is paired play an unbalanced schedule constructed with another division from the other league each year. The result is that two teams on a three-year rotating basis. In 2018, the competing in the same division will not divisions will match up against their necessarily face the same opponents the equivalent in the other league (AL East and same amount of times. NL East etc). A team will play 4 games Version 6 (2018) 3 www.baseballgb.co.uk Baseball Basics for Brits - Volume 1. The Major League Baseball Season against one of the teams from their road and then play nine in a row at their matched division and 3 games against the home park, followed by six on the road and remaining four teams from that division. then six at home etc. Split into series Three points for a win? It would be impossible for teams to fly to a Teams don't play for points in MLB. The new city every day; therefore teams do not standings in each division are determined just play single games against each other.
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