Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league operating within the United States and Canada. It is the most prestigious baseball competition in the world.
The MLB regular season is one of the longest in professional sports, with each team playing 162 games. It is only just shy of being twice as long as the 82-game NBA and NHL regular seasons.
To carry out the mammoth regular season, the competition is divided into two 15-team leagues, the American League and National League. These leagues are further divided into three five-team divisions of East, Central and West for both.
The National League was established in 1876, while the American League was established in 1901. The champions of each league have competed in the World Series since 1903 and, while they operated as separate entities for a long time, the two leagues officially merged into one organisation in 2000.
The baseball regular season typically begins in late March and finishes in late September. Five teams from each league qualify for the postseason, which lasts for roughly one month and culminates in the best-of-seven World Series in October.
In 2021, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros 4-2 in the World Series to claim their fourth title and first since 1995.
American League |
||
---|---|---|
Team | Location | World Series titles (last title) |
East Division | ||
Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, Maryland | 3 (1983) |
Boston Red Sox | Boston, Massachusetts | 9 (2018) |
New York Yankees | New York (The Bronx), New York | 27 (2009) |
Tampa Bay Rays | St Petersburg, Florida | 0 |
Toronto Blue Jays | Toronto, Ontario (Canada) | 2 (1993) |
Central Division | ||
Chicago White Sox | Chicago (South), Illinois | 3 (2005) |
Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, Ohio | 2 (1948) |
Detroit Tigers | Detroit, Michigan | 4 (1984) |
Kansas City Royals | Kansas City, Missouri | 2 (2015) |
Minnesota Twins | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 3 (1991) |
West Division | ||
Houston Astros | Houston, Texas | 1 (2017) |
Los Angeles Angels | Anaheim, California | 1 (2002) |
Oakland Athletics | Oakland, California | 9 (1989) |
Seattle Mariners | Seattle, Washington | 0 |
Texas Rangers | Dallas, Texas | 0 |
National League |
||
Team | Location | World Series titles (last title) |
East Division | ||
Atlanta Braves | Atlanta, Georgia | 4 (2021) |
Miami Marlins | Miami, Florida | 2 (2003) |
New York Mets | New York (Queens), New York | 2 (1986) |
Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 2 (2008) |
Washington Nationals | Washington, D.C. | 1 (2019) |
Central Division | ||
Chicago Cubs | Chicago (North), Illinois | 3 (2016) |
Cincinnati Reds | Cincinnati, Ohio | 5 (1990) |
Milwaukee Brewers | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 0 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 5 (1979) |
St Louis Cardinals | St Louis, Missouri | 11 (2011) |
West Division | ||
Arizona Diamondbacks | Phoenix, Arizona | 1 (2001) |
Colorado Rockies | Denver, Colorado | 0 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles, California | 7 (2020) |
San Diego Padres | San Diego, California | 0 |
San Francisco Giants | San Francisco, California | 8 (2014) |
To date the New York Yankees have won the most championships with 27, playing out of the famous Yankee Stadium in The Bronx.
The St Louis Cardinals have the next most titles, with 11.