Typical Major League Season

By Wikipedia

The Major League Baseball season has been 162 games long for each team since 1961 (American League) and 1962 (National League). For the four-plus decades prior, the standard season length was 154 games. This page is about the evolution of the season schedule since Major League Baseball began.

A Major League season normally lasts from the beginning of April to the end of September, followed by the post-season tournament in October. The endpoints of the season gradually changed through the years. In the early days, the regular season began in late April and ran through late October. By the early 1900s the season was running from late April to late September or early October, with the World Series capping the season in October, sometimes actually starting in the last days of September.

The gradual elimination of scheduled doubleheaders in the last decade or two of the 20th Century necessitated pushing the start of the season earlier and earlier, until it sometimes starts in the last day or two of March and ends several days into October. Another recent trend has been to hold one or more games in a nation outside of the country a day or two prior to the "official" Opening Day. The regular season was stopped for several days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which extended the season until the final weeks of October. (As airports were closed, it would have been difficult to maintain the schedule in any case.)

Meanwhile, the addition and eventual expansion of the League Championship Series, and then the addition of the Division Series, has extended the post-season into late October. Other than simple rain-outs, the World Series has been delayed only twice; 1989 due to the San Francisco Earthquake, and 2001 as mentioned above. While extending the playoff tournament has boosted TV ratings, it has also meant a greater possibility of snow falling during baseball's premiere event, as the weather in the northern United States is often markedly colder in late October than it is in early October. As of 2005, despite snow flurries very visibly flying at times, no post-season games have actually had to be postponed due to "wintry" weather.

Postseason

The following is a chronology summary of the post-season championship events held by Major League Baseball through the years.

World Series

1903 - Best 5 of 9 games

1904 - No Series scheduled

1905 - Best 4 of 7 games

1919 - Best 5 of 9 games

1922 - Best 4 of 7 games

1924 - Standard 2-3-2 home field pattern established

During 1903-1923 the Series generally alternated sites between games

The 19th Century World's Championship Series' were individually scheduled and followed no set pattern

League Championship Series

1969 - Best 3 of 5 games, 2-3 home field pattern

1985 - Best 4 of 7 games, 2-3-2 home field pattern

Division Series

1994 - Best 3 of 5 games (not begun until 1995 due to strike)

1998 - Home field pattern changed from 2-3 to 2-2-1

Regular Season

The following is the chronology of the length of the Major League Baseball regular season schedule, excluding years cut short by war (1918) or by strikes/lockouts (1972, 1981, 1994, 1995). For readability purposes, the year shown is the first year in which the new schedule was introduced. For example, 84 games was the National League's standard during 1879, 1880, 1881 and 1882.

National League

1876 - 70 games - 10 games X 7 opponents

1877 - 50 games - 10 games X 5 opponents

1878 - 60 games - 12 games X 5 opponents

1879 - 84 games - 12 games X 7 opponents

1883 - 98 games - 14 games X 7 opponents

1884 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents

1886 - 126 games - 18 games X 7 opponents

1888 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents

1889 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents

1890 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents

1892 - 154 games - 14 games X 11 opponents

1893 - 132 games - 12 games X 11 opponents

1898 - 154 games - 14 games X 11 opponents

1900 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents

1904 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents

1919 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents

1920 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents

1962 - 162 games - 18 games X 9 opponents

1969 - 162 games - 18 games X 5 opponents in own division, 12 X 6 in other division

1993 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary

1994 - 162 games - leagues split into 3 divisions - opponent schedules vary

1997 - 162 games - inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary

1998 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary

American League

1901 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents

1904 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents

1919 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents

1920 - 154 games - 22 games X 7 opponents

1961 - 162 games - 18 games X 9 opponents

1969 - 162 games - 18 games X 5 opponents in own division, 12 X 6 in other division

1977 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary

1994 - 162 games - leagues split into 3 divisions - opponent schedules vary

1997 - 162 games - inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary

1998 - 162 games - expansion - opponent schedules vary

American Association

1882 - 80 games - 16 games X 5 opponents

1883 - 98 games - 14 games X 7 opponents

1884 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents

1886 - 126 games - 18 games X 7 opponents

1888 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents

1889 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents

1890 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents

League disbanded after 1891, 4 teams joined NL

Union Association

1884 - 112 games - 16 games X 7 opponents

Approximation - league's schedule was chaotic

Players' League

1890 - 140 games - 20 games X 7 opponents

Federal League sources/bibliography:
The Federal League of 1914-1915 by Marc Okkonen.
The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present by David Pietrusza.
May the Best Team Win: Baseball Economics and Public Policy by Andrew Zimbalist.
Total Baseball: The Ultimate Baseball Encyclopedia by John Thorn, et al.