Who Invented Baseball? How the MLB came to be

Who invented baseball? By watching today's MLB players, many would not necessarily know how far baseball has come. Approximately 140 million people watched MLB games in 2019, mostly from the USA, but also from various other nations. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers are the best-known franchises.

Indeed, the game has become so fast and skilled that players of yore would not recognize it. In this article, we will explore in shorthand the history of baseball, from a simple pastime to the MLB standard.

Baseball was first played in colonial New England in the 18th century. It had roots in a "stick and bat" game called rounders played by the aristocracy in Surrey, England before that. British publisher John Newberry made first reference to the game in the 18th century.

However, it was not until United States Army general Abner Doubleday allegedly introduced the game in upstate New York that it gained popularity. Many dispute whether or not Abner Doubleday invented baseball. A commission known as the "Mills Commission" was established in 1905. The commission concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that Doubleday invented baseball.

""Baseball is not a conventional industry. It belongs neither to the players nor management, but to all of us. It is our national pastime, our national symbol, and our national treasure."- John Thorn. Abner Doubleday, died`93, 15 years before was anointed baseball’s founder." - @ John Koenigsberger

The first game of what many would consider baseball was not even played in the USA at all. In fact, it was played in the town of Beachville, Ontario, Canada in 1838.

The game was a rudimentary game played without gloves or many of the modern rules until the mid-19th century. Baseball then quickly gained popularity in the New York area and leagues were soon established to match the ever-growing interest in the game. Still, nobody knew who really invented baseball.

The National League was established in 1876, followed by the American League in 1893. The first notion of a "World Series" came as a way to pit the respective champions of each league against each other.

Regardless of who invented baseball, it is still enjoyed by many

Today, although many still erroneously credit Doubleday, it is widely accepted that baseball does not have an "inventor". Unlike basketball, which was expressly invented by Canadian James Naismith, baseball has just evolved. Regardless of how it got here, it is a game we all love, and we are certainly glad that it came to be.