Author: Peter Portero
Date: 3/11/06
Articles Category: Baseball Article
Currently there are thirty teams in the MLB divided into two leagues. Sixteen teams are in the National League (NL) and fourteen are in the American League (AL). Each of these leagues has three divisions put together by geography. The NL East has five teams, NL Central has six teams and NL West has five teams. The AL East has five teams, AL Center has five teams and AL West has four teams.
A regular season has 162 games for a single team. This was established in 1961 for the American League and 1962 for the National League. From 1904 until the early 1960s, the MLB had a 154 game season, which was played in both leagues except in 1919. In the early 1960s when the leagues expanded from eight to ten teams the season was revised to the 162 game season. The number of games played against an opposing team varies according to many factors but every team will always play 162 games a season.
There were shorter seasons in 1918 because of the outbreak of World War 1 and in 1972, 1981, 1994 and 1995 because of player strikes and lockouts. In 1919, the league experimented with a 140 game season. Before 1904, the season schedule varied depending on the teams and the factors involved.
In 1997, the MLB introduced inter-league play and has been proven as the favorite among fans. Most of these games are played during the mid-summer months. Intra-division games are usually played toward the end of the season. The draft is conducted in June for first year players who have never signed contracts before with either Major or Minor league teams.
Early July is the middle of the season and during this time there is a break to host the All-Star game. During this time, the top players in the National and American Leagues play against each other in an exhibition game headed by managers from the previous seasons World Series.
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