The International Association was a professional baseball league that operated in 1877 and 1878. Some historians consider it the first minor league in baseball history; others point out that the league conceived of itself as a rival to the National League, now thought of as the sole major league of the era. Baseball is a team sport in which a player on one team (the pitcher) attempts to throw a hard, fist-sized ball within a zone over home plate while a player on the other team (the batter) attempts to hit the baseball with a tapered, smooth, cylindrical bat that can... Minor League Baseball, formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues and also known in the past as NAPBL, National Baseball Association, and NA, is the organization which oversees the governing and organization of minor league baseball in North America. ... This article refers to the American baseball league. ...

The International Association featured mostly teams based in New England and upstate New York, and mostly avoided challenging the National League in large cities. In 1878 Bud Fowler, pitching for the Lynn, Massachusetts, club, became the first known African-American player in organized baseball. Lynn is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts. ...

The Buffalo Bisons, winners of the 1878 pennant, seriously hurt the International Association's chances at major league status when they joined the rival National League for 1879. At the same time the London Tecumsehs dropped out of the league, causing it to be renamed the National Association for the 1879 season. Under that name it played through the 1880 season before dissolving. The Buffalo Bisons (Pronounced BI-zons by locals) are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. ... Article title is . ...

International Association Pennant Winners

1877 London Tecumsehs Article title is . ...

1878 Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (Pronounced BI-zons by locals) are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. ...