The two primary leagues in baseball history have been the American and National League. The National League is the older of the two, starting play in the 19th century. The American League didn't get started until 1901 and that gave rise to its nickname of the "Junior Circuit." Both leagues have been key to the history of the game.
Best Team
The American League has dominated the World Series thanks to the presence of the New York Yankees. The Yankees have won 40 American League pennants and recorded a 27-13 record in their 40 World Series appearances. No other team has come close to the Yankees' overall success. The St. Louis Cardinals are a distant second with 10 World Series championships. The key to the Yankees success has been the presence of dominant superstars throughout the decades. The best of those players have included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. The American League has been victorious in 62 of 105 World Series.
Most Significiant Event
When the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson and brought him up to the Major Leagues at the start of the 1947 season, it was considered one of the single-most important events in baseball history. Robinson broke the so-called "color line" and became the first black player in Major League baseball. While Larry Doby would play with the American League's Cleveland Indians shortly thereafter, the National League embraced minority players long before the American League did. Robinson, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and Ernie Banks gave the National League a plethora of African-American and Hispanic superstars that would come to identify the league through the 1970s. The American League had few black superstars. In addition to Doby, the Yankees had catcher Elston Howard. Many of the other black American League players were role players or older players who had been in the Negro Leagues and dominated but were well past their primes. It can be argued that the American League did not have a true African-American superstar until the Baltimore Orioles acquired Robinson in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds. The Orioles sent pitcher Milt Pappas to Cincinnati for the 30-year-old Robinson prior to the 1966 season. The Orioles won the World Series that season and Robinson became the American League's most valuable player as he led the league in batting average, home runs and RBI.
National League Dominance
The National League became baseball's dominant league from 1958 through 1982. This happened largely as a result of its embrace of minority players. The National League had dominant pitching with Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal and Tom Seaver leading the way and offensive players who had explosive speed and power. During that time, the National League went 24-3-1 in All-Star games and won 14 of 24 World Series played.
American League Rebound
The American League's disastrous run in the All-Star Game came to an end in 1983. In that game, Fred Lynn of the California Angels hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history and the American League ended an 11-game losing streak with a 13-3 win. In 1988, the American League began a streak in which it recorded an 18-3-1 record.
Interleague Play
For many years, the only competition between the American League and National League play took place in the All-Star game and World Series. However, in 1997, the two leagues met in regular season play. In 14 seasons of interleague competition, the American League had recorded more wins in 10-of-14 seasons and had dominated the National League with seven straight wins between 2004 through 2010. The American League recorded a 154-98 mark in 2006, while the best National League record was a 137-115 record in 2003.
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