American League
American League East
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
American League Central
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
American League West
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
National League
National League East
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
National League Central
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
The baseball season is 162 games long, and is made up of sets of three games (can sometimes also be two or four), called “series” against the same team. Teams travel from city to city to play a new series, and can return to their home city stadium for what is called a “homestand”, which is usually two or more series in a row.
The American League (AL) plays almost all of its games against teams within the American League the whole season, as does the National League (NL) with the exception of two weeks during the summer, called "Interleague Play".
It has been said of baseball that all teams will lose 54 games during the season; all teams will win 54 games during the season; and the other 54 games are what decides the winners and losers of that year’s baseball campaign.
The baseball season is a grueling 162 games, spanning the course of six full months. The season begins with “Spring Training”, six weeks of practice time in the warm and sunny states of Arizona and Florida. All of the professional baseball teams, as well as their Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, gather either on the West or East Coast (usually divided according to geographical location of the team; although not always. For instance, until 2009, the Los Angeles Dodgers used to train in Florida).
Spring Training begins with what is called “Pitchers and Catchers Report”, which is the time in mid-February when all pitchers and catchers are due to show up at Spring Training to start their workouts. The position players have to arrive at the end of February, and practice games start in March. Many players work-out during the off-season at their homes, but they still need time to warm up before heading into the baseball season. Some players live close to their home stadium, but due to the constant player shifting in today’s baseball, many players live in states far away from the team who employs them. Since players live in Arizona or Florida for four to six weeks, many of them choose to rent condos for themselves and their families. All Spring Training cities are bustling hubs of activity for the month of March; it is unlikely you will be able to stay in a hotel, visit a restaurant, or walk down the street without running into at least one professional baseball player. The stadiums are much smaller than their professional counterparts, allowing for more personal interaction at the field. A list of the Spring Training cites can be found below. Visit our Away Game (link) section for more information about Spring Training, or contact the Baseball Chix for customized tips and personalized trip planning
Grapefruit League (Florida)
Atlanta Braves: Champion Stadium, Lake Buena Vista
Baltimore Orioles: Fort Lauderdale Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale
Boston Red Sox: City of Palms Park, Fort Myers
Cincinnati Reds: Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota
Detroit Tigers: Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland
Florida Marlins: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
Houston Astros: Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee
Minnesota Twins: Hammond Stadium, Ft. Myers
New York Mets: Tradition Field, Port St. Lucie
New York Yankees: Steinbrenner Field, Tampa
Philadelphia Phillies: Bright House Field, Clearwater
Pittsburgh Pirates: McKechnie Field, Bradenton
St. Louis Cardinals: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
Tampa Bay Rays: Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte
Toronto Blue Jays: Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin
Washington Nationals: Space Coast Stadium, Viera
Cactus League (Arizona)
Arizona Diamondbacks: Tucson Electric Park, Tucson
Chicago Cubs: HoHoKam Park, Mesa
Chicago White Sox: Camelback Ranch, Glendale
Cleveland Indians: Goodyear Ballpark, Goodyear
Colorado Rockies: Corbett Field, Tucson
Kansas City Royals: Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe
Los Angeles Dodgers: Camelback Ranch, Glendale
Milwaukee Brewers: Maryvale Baseball Park, Phoenix
Oakland Athletics: Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix
San Diego Padres: Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria
San Francisco Giants: Scottsdale Stadium, Scottsdale
Seattle Mariners: Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria
Texas Rangers: Surprise Stadium, Surprise
Spring Training will run for the entire month of March, as each franchise has a chance to see some of the newer players from the lower leagues, as well as their returning players. The coaches and managers will make a series of “cuts”, where they send younger or less-talented players down to the minor leagues. By the end of Spring Training, each team has a pretty good idea of their starting rotation and their starting fielders, and they also know who they will call up as replacements should an injury or a trade occur. The month is a great way to showcase some of the younger talent, who are playing all-out to earn a spot on the “roster”, a list of the players. The professional baseball veterans are all but guaranteed to win a spot on the team, and use Spring Training to get ready for the upcoming season.
There may be one or more “exhibition games” at the MLB stadiums the weekend before the season officially starts. These games do not count; they are considered an extension of Spring Training. All games played in Arizona, Florida, and exhibition games are considered warm-up only. Statistics are kept, but do not have any bearing on the regular season; except for how individual performances affect the starting team. Many players have won or lost a starting job based on their Spring performance, and there have been a few surprises along the way; unexpected players have found a way to break into the Major Leagues with a stellar Spring.
Opening Day in baseball is a glorious event; each year could be “the year” for fans and players alike. The fields are perfect; the uniforms new and fresh, everything is clean, every team’s record is 0-0, and each player starts the year with a clean slate. Each year could be the “breakout year”; the one where he hits well, breaks that elusive record, or makes a name for himself.
The season begins with the very first series of the year, and from that time on, every game counts. Each team has their 40 man roster in place, and their 25 active players on the field. The management personnel includes:
General Manager - handles player transactions and contracts, and supervises the coaching staff
Manager - the head coach, responsible for in-game decisions
Bench Coach - an in-game adviser to the Manager
Pitching Coach - handles and instructs the pitching staff
Bullpen Coach - similar to the Pitching Coach, but mostly works with the relief pitchers in the bullpen
Third Base Coach - stands in a little chalk-outlined box next to third base when his team is batting to give instruction to both hitters and baserunners (most specifically sending runners from third base to home plate to score)
First Base Coach - mirror image of third base coach, but is primarily responsible for the batter running to first base
Hitting Coach - handles and instructs the hitters
Each baseball game is run by a team of four umpires, one stationed behind home plate to call balls and strikes, and three base-umpires, behind each base. For playoff games, six umpires are used; the extra two down the lines of the stadium to judge fair and foul calls. Each team of umpires has a “Crew Chief”, usually the most senior umpire who is in charge. During a series of three games, these umpires rotate positions each game.
Baseball games are played from the first week of April until the second week in July, when the entirely of Major League Baseball halts for three days. This is called the “All Star Break”, and is two days of exhibition from the best players the league has to offer that season. It is mandatory that at least one player is chosen from each team, and multiple players may be chosen, if deemed appropriate. These players fly to the All Star Stadium, which is held in a different MLB ballpark each year, and fans are invited to go and watch their favorite superstars on the field. The “Home Run Derby” is held on the Monday of the break; showcasing the top homerun hitters in both leagues. The next day is the “All Star Game”, which pits the National League players against the American League players for a contest that used to be exhibitional, but now “This Time It Counts”. With a recent change to the outcome of the game (following a tie in 2002 contest), the winner of the game receives home field advantage for their league for the “World Series”, the final set of games in the baseball season. In prior baseball rules, that honor used to switch off every year.
Baseball resumes a day after the break, and continues until the end of September. The team from each division (AL West, NL West, et al) that has the most wins at the end of the season (usually takes anywhere from 88 wins to 103 wins) wins the division and automatically goes to the playoffs. There are six divisions; so there are six automatic playoff entries. Two more teams make it to the playoffs if they have the best record in the league, but did not win a division. One team comes from the AL, one from the NL. These extra teams are called the “Wild Card” teams. These two teams, plus the six division leads are entered in the playoffs, for a total of eight playoff teams.
The NLDS (National League Division Series) and ALDS (American League Division Series) are two five-game series of games played around the first week of October to narrow the playoff teams down to four; two from each league. Then the NLCS (National League Championship Series) and the ALCS (American League Championship Series), a seven-game series, are played somewhere around the second week of October to determine the final AL and NL winners. These teams then meet in the World Series, a seven-game contest, to determine who wins the whole baseball season. That team will be known as the “Defending World Series Champion” for the next baseball season.
Current Defending World Series Champions 2008 - Philadelphia Phillies
2007 - Boston Red Sox
2006 - St. Louis Cardinals
2005 - Chicago White Sox
2004 - Boston Red Sox
2003 - Florida Marlins
2002 - Anaheim Angels
2001 - Arizona Diamondbacks
2000 - New York Yankees
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