The National League Forms on February 2, 1876

On February 2, 1876, one of the most significant moments in baseball history had taken place. It was on this day that Chicago businessman William Hulbert formed the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs which is now just known as the National League.

The first known baseball game played was 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey. By 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings(now the Atlanta Braves) became the first professional baseball club. Two years later, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players formed the first ever pro league of its kind. But problems would soon lead to the formation of a new baseball league in the mid-1870s.

One team(Boston Red Stockings) dominated the NA and mismanagement as well as corruption due to gambling plagued the league from the start. Many teams also failed to complete their scheduled games during the season which is something Hulbert took very seriously in the league he created. The entry fee was only $10 for a team to get in which didn't give teams much incentive to finish their schedules during a given season.

Hulbert, owner of the Chicago White Stockings, formed the league which started with eight clubs: Boston Red Stockings(now the Atlanta Braves), Chicago White Stockings(now the Chicago Cubs), Cincinnati Red Stockings, Hartford Dark Blues, Louisville Grays, Mutual of New York, Philadelphia Athletics, and St. Louis Brown Stockings.

The White Stockings were able to sign established stars such as Cap Anson as they went on to win the league's first championship. Teams struggled financially, and this resulted in many having to fold up operations. However, the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals came into the league by 1890.

Also, a predecessor to what is now the World Series began in the mid-1880s with play against the American Association, but it wasn't until the turn of the century that the National League saw its first real competition when the American League formed in 1901.

Two years later, what we now know as the World Series began with the best team from each league facing each other at season's end as AL winner Boston beat NL winner Pittsburgh in the first classic. Over the proceeding years, both leagues saw teams coming and going. They also were affected by the 1919 Black Sox scandal that gave the sport a dark eye. However, both leagues normally competed with eight teams in each league until 1962 when they expanded with the New York Mets and Houston Colt .45s(now Houston Astros).

By 1969, two divisions in each league were formed and the winners faced off in a League Championship series for the right to represent their league in the World Series. Expansion took place in 1969 with the San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos(now Washington Nationals) as they were the first Canadian team in the National League. Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, and Arizona Diamondbacks joined the National League in the 1990s, and Milwaukee moved from the AL to the NL, too.

In 1994, both leagues switched to three divisions with the winner of each qualifying for the playoffs along with a wild card team. Thus, an extra round of playoffs were scheduled to take place, but a labor strike cancelled the postseason and World Series for the first time ever in 1994. The first playoff under the new format would take place the following year. The 1997 season saw inter-league regular season games between teams in the both leagues as well. The NL has 16 teams in the league as of now.

The major difference that seperates them from the American League("Junior Circuit") is the designated hitter rule that is used in the American League which was first used in 1973. This allows the American League to have an extra player or batter to substitute for the pitcher. It has consistently been one of baseball's debates to whether it should exist or not.

Out of the original eight teams that started the National League in 1876, only two of them have remained throughout its history: Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. Here's what happened to the other six teams that came into the league in 1876....

Cincinnati Red Stockings: They were expelled after the 1880 season due to serving alcohol and renting out their ballpark on Sundays which violated National League rules at the time. They played in the American Association before coming back to the National League 1890. Major League Baseball does recognize them being the same team that came in 1876.

Hartford Dark Blues: Originally from the NA, they folded after the 1877 season due to financial trouble. They relocated to Brooklyn in 1877, but they still had financial trouble despite that.

Louisville Grays: The Grays were a new franchise in 1876, but became involved in the league's first gambling scandal. Four players were banned for life as a result, and the franchise never recovered folding after the 1877 season.

Mutual of New York: Also from the NA, Mutual was expelled after the 1876 season due not completing their fulfillment of the games on their schedule.

Philadelphia Athletics: They also came from the NA, and were expelled for the same reasons as Mutual after the 1876 season. A team under the same name would play in the American League when it formed in 1901.

St. Louis Brown Stockings: They folded after the 1877 season after signing two Louisville players that had been banned for life from the league. This is not the same franchise as the St. Louis Browns that existed later.

Hulbert's removal of the New York and Philadelphia teams surprised many at the time because they played in the two most populous cities in the United States in those days. This would give the league credibility and show that Hulbert's committment to rules that were implemented.

The National League is the oldest continuing professional sports organization in the United States. The "Senior Circuit" began baseball's rise to what is "America's Past Time" on February 2, 1876. The combination of Hulbert's no-nonsense approach as well as zero tolerance for violating league rules, the National League was able to establish credibility that carried the game into the 20th Century.

Major League Baseball is consistently one of the America's most watched and popular sports, but it was in 1876 when a Chicago businessman started what became the sport's rise to prominence in America.

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