Baseball is a sport that was invented in the 1800s and has been around for over 150 years. It’s one of America’s favorite pastimes, and it attracts millions of fans every year. There’s a lot of hard work and perseverance in professional sports. These MLB stats show just how tough it is to play this game at the highest level. It requires a long-term commitment from athletes who have been, in most cases, been playing since they were young children. Here, we’ll discuss ten cool things about baseball that might surprise you.

1. The First MLB Team Was the Cincinnati Red Stockings

The Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first-ever professional baseball team. They faced many of the best teams of that day. So back then, it wasn’t just one big league like today; several other leagues around America competed against each other for the title. Cincinnati was the first team to recruit players and pay them professionally. They all seem to like to carry baseball bags too. There’s a list of the best baseball bags across the internet if you want to see the list.

2. Jackie Robinson Was the First Black Major League Player

In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American player to play Major League Baseball. He was an extraordinary talent and a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1965 he retired from baseball to become a full-time civil rights activist.

3. Edwin Jackson Played for the Most MLB Teams in One Season

That’s 18 teams in one season. This wasn’t intentional; it was because of trades and releases. His record happened in 2012 while he played for the Washington Nationals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Chicago White Sox, the LA Dodgers, the Oakland Athletics, the San Diego Padres, the Detroit Tigers, the Baltimore Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cleveland Indians, and finally the Texas Rangers.

4. Only Three MLB Players Have Hit More Than 700 Home Runs

Babe Ruth holds the record for most career home runs with 714. Then you have Hank Aaron with 755, and Barry Bonds with 762. There are only ten players in all of baseball that have hit over 500 homers, but 75 of them have hit 200 or more.

5. Alyssa Nakkan Was the First Female MLB Head Coach

Nakkan was the coach of the Colorado Silver Bullets, a United States women’s baseball team. They competed in games against men’s college and minor league teams from 1994-1997. She coached for them during their final year of existence before they became an all-women league for ten years.

6. Two Different Yankees Managers Won Seven World Series Championships

Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel won seven world championships with the New York Yankees. They were both known for leading underdogs to win teams, so it seems fitting that they led one of the most legendary baseball franchises in history.

7. Cal Ripken, Jr. Played Over 2,600 Consecutive Games

Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games played at 2,632 games. From May 30th, 1982 until September 19th, 1998 he didn’t miss a game. Ripken was an excellent player and had many awards to show, including the 1983 AL MVP Award, two All-Star Game MVP Awards, two Gold Gloves, and six Silver Slugger Awards.

8. John William Lindsey Spent the Most Time in the Minors

Lindsey played for 11 years but was only in the Majors for one day. He’s still considered a rookie by MLB rules because he never officially got into a game that season. Lindsey was from Louisiana, and signed with the Mets back in 1965 when he was just 17 years old. He spent the next ten years playing in their minor league team. That’s 11 years in the minors before he finally got called up to the big leagues for one day, where he didn’t record an at-bat.

9. Two Players Played in the MLB for 27 Seasons

Ichiro Suzuki and Nolan Ryan played in 27 seasons for Major League Baseball. Ichiro is Japanese, and he started playing in the United States back in 2001 when he played for the Seattle Mariners. He’s currently a free agent but has been on contract with the Yankees since 2015. Ryan was an American-born player who began his career at age 19. He started with the New York Mets but later played for the California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers (he also pitched four seasons in Japan).

10. Hank Aaron Batted in Nearly 2,300 Runs

Aaron had 2,297 runs batted in throughout his 23 season career. He hit 3,771 hits and 755 home runs. The next closest player has just half the number of RBIs that Aaron had during his entire playing days.

Conclusion

Baseball is a popular sport in many places around the world. It’s fun to play, and it’s even more fun to watch other people play since there are so many rules and intricacies that make up each game. I hope you enjoyed learning these facts.