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How these ALDS teams spawned the American League

As the White Sox and Guardians compete in the ALDS, baseball historians can reflect on how both organizations helped establish the American League. In the late 1890s, the National League was the sole major league, operating with a family-focused model that eventually degraded into rowdy behavior and disorder.

Seeking a more refined alternative, former sports editor Ban Johnson resolved to elevate his Western League into a competing major operation that would expand into eastern territories despite opposition. During the fall 1899 annual meeting, club owners officially rebranded the circuit as the American League to prepare for its future status.

Plans to place a franchise in Chicago directly violated existing territorial agreements with the National League, setting the stage for a major organizational conflict.

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