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The Major League Baseball season has been 162 games long for each team since the early 1960s. For nearly 60 years prior, the standard season length was 154 games. This page is about the evolution of the season schedule since Major League Baseball began. Jump to: navigation, search MLB logo Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. ...
A Major League season normally lasts from the beginning of April to the end of September, followed by the post-season tournament in October. The endpoints of the season gradually changed through the years. In the early days, the regular season began in late April and ran through late October. By the early 1900s the season was running from late April to late September or early October, with the World Series capping the season in October, sometimes actually starting in the last days of September. Jump to: navigation, search The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada, played in October after the end of the regular season between the pennant winner of the American League and the pennant winner of the National League. ...
The gradual elimination of scheduled doubleheaders in the last decade or two of the 20th Century necessitated pushing the start of the season earlier and earlier, until it sometimes starts in the last day or two of March and ends several days into October. Another recent trend has been to hold one or more games in a nation outside of the USA a day or two prior to the "official" Opening Day. The regular season was stopped for several days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which extended the season until the final weeks of October. The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ...
Meanwhile, the addition and eventual expansion of the League Championship Series, and then the addition of the Division Series, has extended the post-season into late October. Other than simple rain-outs, the World Series has been delayed only twice; 1989 due to the San Francisco Eathquake, and 2001 as mentioned above. While extending the playoff tournament has boosted TV ratings, it has also meant a greater possibility of snow falling during baseball's premiere event, as the weather in the northern United States is often markedly colder in late October than it is in early October. As of 2005, despite snow flurries very visibly flying at times, no post-season games have actually had to be postponed due to "wintry" weather. Jump to: navigation, search 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Post-season The following is a chronology summary of the post-season championship events held by Major League Baseball through the years.
World Series Jump to: navigation, search The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada, played in October after the end of the regular season between the pennant winner of the American League and the pennant winner of the National League. ...
- 1903 - Best 5 of 9 games
- 1904 - No Series scheduled
- 1905 - Best 4 of 7 games
- 1919 - Best 5 of 9 games
- 1922 - Best 4 of 7 games
- 1924 - Standard 2-3-2 home field pattern established
- During 1903-1923 the Series generally alternated sites between games
- The 19th Century World's Championship Series' were individually scheduled and followed no set pattern
League Championship Series The League Championship Series is the official name for a round of playoffs in Major League Baseball. ...
- 1969 - Best 3 of 5 games, 2-3 home field pattern
- 1985 - Best 4 of 7 games, 2-3-2 home field pattern
Division Series The Division Series is the official name for the first round of playoffs conducted in the sport of baseball. ...
- 1994 - Best 3 of 5 games (not begun until 1995 due to strike)
- 1998 - Home field pattern changed from 2-3 to 2-2-1
Regular season The following is the chronology of the length of the Major League Baseball regular season schedule, excluding years cut short by war (1918) or by strikes/lockouts (1972, 1981, 1994, 1995).
National League Jump to: navigation, search This article refers to the American baseball league. ...
- 1876 - 70 games - 10 games X 7 opponents
- 1877 - 50 games - 10 games X 5 opponents
- 1878 - 60 games - 12 games X 5 opponents
- 1879 - 84 games - 12 games X 7 opponents
- 1883 - 98 games - 14 games X 7 opponents
- 1884 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents
- 1886 - 126 games - 18 games X 7 opponents
- 1888 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
- 1889 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents
- 1890 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
- 1892 - 154 games - 14 games X 11 opponents
- 1893 - 132 games - 12 games X 11 opponents
- 1898 - 154 games - 14 games X 11 opponents
- 1900 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
- 1904 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents
- 1919 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
- 1920 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents
- 1962 - 162 games - 18 games X 9 opponents
- 1969 - 162 games - 18 games X 5 opponents in own division, 12 X 6 in other division
- 1993 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary
- 1994 - 162 games - leagues split into 3 divisions - opponent schedules vary
- 1997 - 162 games - inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary
- 1998 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary
American League The American League (or formally the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States of America and Canada. ...
- 1901 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
- 1904 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents
- 1919 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
- 1920 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents
- 1961 - 162 games - 18 games X 9 opponents
- 1969 - 162 games - 18 games X 5 opponents in own division, 12 X 6 in other division
- 1977 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary
- 1994 - 162 games - leagues split into 3 divisions - opponent schedules vary
- 1997 - 162 games - inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary
- 1998 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary
American Association The American Association (AA) was a professional baseball league from 1882 to 1891. ...
- 1882 - 80 games - 16 games X 5 opponents
- 1883 - 98 games - 14 games X 7 opponents
- 1884 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents
- 1886 - 126 games - 18 games X 7 opponents
- 1888 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
- 1889 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents
- 1890 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
- League disbanded after 1891, 4 teams joined NL
Union Association The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted only for one season in 1884. ...
- 1884 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents
- Approximation - league's schedule was chaotic
Players' League The Players League, also known as The Brotherhood, was an attempt to establish a third major baseball league in 1890. ...
- 1890 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents
Sources - The Sporting News Baseball Guide
- The MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia
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