April 24, 1901: The American way

CHICAGO - It was pure coincidence that there was only one American League game played on April 24, 1901. There was a full slate of games scheduled, but the other three were rained out, giving the Chicago White Stockings and Cleveland Blues the right to open the season alone. The final of Chicago 8, Cleveland 2 wasn't very earth-shattering; if anything, it was prophetic, as Chicago won the inaugural American League pennant that year, while Cleveland finished 7th of the 8 teams.

The game was a milestone in that it was the first one in the history of the American League, but at the time it didn't seem that important. After a few years as a minor league, the Western League changed its name and declared itself a major league in direct competition with the National League. But owners and other officials from the National League weren't too worried about this new league; they assumed the American League would either fold or return to minor league status within a few years, just like all the other challengers to the NL did in the past.

The NL should have seen, though, that this time was different. The AL had placed teams in major cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston, giving the NL teams direct competition. Also, unlike past failed leagues like the American Association, Players League, and Union Association, the AL had already established itself as a successful minor league before moving up to challenge the NL.

Instead of fading into oblivion like past failed leagues, the AL prospered. Within two years, it had placed teams in St. Louis and New York to provide additional competition to the NL, it had convinced the NL to send its champion to compete in a season-ending championship series, then it had won that series. Despite the NL's best efforts, including trying to steal the AL's best players and the New York Giants refusing to play in the 1904 World Series, the AL held firm. It wasn't long before the two leagues were seen as equals, and they began working in harmony as one unit rather than as two separate entities.

Of the eight original AL teams, four remain in their original cities: Chicago, Cleveland (now called the Indians), Detroit, and Boston. The Philadelphia Athletics moved first to Kansas City then Oakland; the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota; the Baltimore Orioles moved to New York to become the Yankees; and the Milwaukee Brewers moved first to St. Louis to become the Browns, then to Baltimore to become the (new) Orioles.