Although the first official baseball game on record was played in Hoboken, New Jersey in June of 1846, the roots of Major League Baseball TM were solidified in 1869 when the Cincinnati Red Stockings TM became the world’s first professional team.

As baseball’s popularity grew and flourished across the country, the sport was quickly coined as “America’s Favorite Pastime” and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, the 30 MLB TM teams compete throughout a 162-game season – culminating in the best-of-seven World Series TM held in October each year.

The impact of the MLB TM on world culture has been profound through its ideals and lessons of sportsmanship, as well as the contributions of some of the most well-known players such as Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Lou Gehrig.