A Spin Through the MLB Baseball History

Baseball is America's favorite pastime for a reason; a good one, at that. And it's not any different for the folks here at the Red Stag Ranch - As you know, we’re always in the winning spirit. We love watching a good baseball game as much as we love spinning and winning. This is a very special time of the year, as the Major League Baseball World Series is coming up. Now then, we thought that this would be the perfect time to tell you cowboys and girls a little bit about baseball. After all, it's one heck of a fascinating sport!

Base Ball’ from the Beginning…

No one really knows how baseball actually came to be. Some say that it's based on a British sport called Rounders. Others argue that it was invented by General Abner Doubleday - although this second version is considered a myth nowadays. The first ever baseball club - or base ball, as it was written back then - came from New York. The Knickerbocker Base Ball Club was founded in 1845. It is credited with establishing the rules for what would later become the modern version of baseball.  Our fellas in the West have been playing it since the 1860s. It was also around that time - in 1869 to be precise - that the first ever professional baseball team was established. The Cincinnati Red Stockings began paying its players. And that made a real difference for them. The Red Stockings had a perfect record while touring through the country. They also paid a visit to the West and absolutely dominated the competition, winning by some pretty big margins.

The Red Stockings' tour around the West played a significant role in popularizing the sport. As professional baseball teams began popping up all over the place, our folks also had to get into the fun. In 1875, the Keokuk Westerns became the first representative from the West in the National Association of Baseball Players. A year later, the National Association became the National League, with St. Louis Brown Stockings being the only team from the West. The Brown Stockings only lasted one year though, and folded in 1877. In 1892, St. Louis returned to the National League, this time with the Browns. In 1900, the Browns became the St. Louis Cardinals. Now if you cowboys and girls don't know much about the MLB, I will let you in on something: these Cardinals folks are quite good at baseball. They have 11 World Series trophies!  Since we have finally made our way to the World Series, let me tell you folks a bit more about this glorious time in history. Like other major leagues, the World Series was born out of a deal between two rival competitions. In 1903, the American and National leagues agreed to let their members play against one another. A series between the NL champions Pittsburgh Pirates and the AL champions Boston Americans became the first ever World Series as we know it. Boston ended up winning the first trophy, taking the series five games to three. 

The World Series has been going on uninterruptedly since 1905. It still follows the same format, pitching the NL champion against the AL champion in a best-of-seven. The New York Yankees lead all teams with 27 World Series titles - now that's what you call winning! That's 16 more than the Cardinals, which have the second-best record.

 

Make Your Own ‘Home Run’ with Red Stag

Since we are talking about winning, y'all know that it goes hand-in-hand with our efforts here at Red Stag. Whenever you feel like taking a break between the World Series innings, come and have a drink with us, spin some reels and, of course, catch the winning spirit while you are at it!

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