Baseball History
was started in the early 1800s

Americans began playing baseball in small towns and cities without established rules. Baseball history dates back to the early 1800s. Alexander Cartwright and his New York Knickerbockers baseball club formalized the first rules in 1845.

The first recorded game was played in 1846. The Knickerbockers lost to the New York baseball club. The game continued to grow. The players were amateurs, but players were secretly paid.

In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first team to pay a salary to the players. This practice became popular and resulted in the first professional league in 1871. The National Association of Professional Baseball Players was started. The amateur teams lasted only a few more years after that.

In 1876 the National Professional League was formed. Clubs in this league followed a set of rules and regulations. The National Association of Players became ineffective. In 1900 the American professional League was formed, which resulted in the two leagues now in existence.

The game started to become very popular. When the ball with a cork center was accepted, new batting records were established, which made the game more interesting.

In 1968 the first collective bargaining agreement was reached between the players and the professional leagues. Over the years many changes to the agreement were made.

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