What is the difference between the National League and American League?

Answer

The National League dates back to 1876. The American League was formed in 1901 as a competitor to the National League. Initially, the two leagues were independent of each other--there was no Major League Baseball. The two leagues met in the first World Series in 1903. From 1903 through 1960, each league had 8 teams, and the team that finished first in the standings in each league went to the World Series, except in 1904 when the Giants refused to participate in the Series. The World Series games were the only official games played between teams from the two leagues. The leagues also began playing each other in All Star games starting in 1933. The AL expanded to 10 teams in 1961 (Senators II who are now the Rangers and Angels) and the NL expanded to 10 in 1962 (New York Mets and Houston Colt .45s who are now the Astros.) In 1969, both leagues expanded to 12 teams as the AL added the Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers) and the Kansas City Royals while the NL added the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Natinoals.) Also, each league split into an East and West division and had the winners of its divisions play in a League Championshp Series to determine its representative to the World Series. In 1973, the AL adopted the Designnated Hitter while the NL did not. In 1977, the AL went to 14 teams by adding the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1993, the NL went to 14 teams by adding the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies. In 1998, both leagues expanded again with Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the AL and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL. To keep an even number of teams in both leagues, the Milwaukee Brewers moved from the AL to the NL, giving the NL 16 teams to the AL's 14. This was the first time the NL had more teams than the AL. The leagues had separate league offices and umpiring crews until a few years ago. Now, the basic difference between the two leagues is the AL uses the designated hitter and the NL does not. The umpiring crews are consolidated under Major League Baseball and the league offices are no longer in existence.

Answer

The National League is the older of the two leagues constituting Major League Baseball. The League was founded in 1876. The American League was founded in 1900. The league originated from the National Association of Baseball (NA), which was the prevailing professional baseball league at the time.

In 1900, a new league - the American League - was formed. The American League was well aware of the previous double-crossing tactics of the National League, and geared up for battle. The American League was successful in raiding National League stars. The newer league proved to be a better organized, better financed, and more determined than previous league rivals. The more established National League was forced to cooperate, and in 1903, the return to a two-league format allowed the resumption of postseason play with the World Series of 1903.

Today the National League game still resembles the game as it was a century ago. The biggest difference between the two leagues is that the National League remained with the rule that the pitcher must be in the batting lineup. The American League adopted the Designated Hitter (DH) to fill in for the pitcher in the 1970s. This DH rule has led to differences in the style of play between the two leagues. The American League is generally more based upon power � with emphasis on the home run, while the National League is said to be more pitching-oriented, with more of a focus on an offensive running.

Baseball [in the two leagues] is two different games, played with two different sets of rules," Buck said with an infectious smile.

"The DH. It makes such a difference. It's phenomenal.

"And the American League has these little tiny ballparks. It's like home run derby over there."

The conversation then shifted to the subject of the strike zones in the two leagues.

"If you think strike zones are tight [in the National League]...well, in the American League, [umpires] won't call big name hitters out on called third strikes," Buck opined. "The umpires in the American League are more inconsistent. They are unwilling to call your Griffeys and your McGwires out on third strikes. It's a different game."

Answer

The pitchers in the National League are in the batting rotation, while in the American League designated hitters take the place of pitchers in the rotation.

First answer by ID2564294404. Last edit by Dubsar. Contributor trust: 0 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 65 [recommend question]