Major League Baseball is the world’s oldest sports league. While franchises have come and gone, some teams have stuck around for more than a century. That includes some franchises that have been located in multiple cities during their existence, but I have used their original date of formation for this article.
MLB betting has been around throughout the game’s history, with fans and players wagering on baseball as far back as the 19th century.
Who Are the Oldest Teams in Baseball?
| Rank | Team | Year Established |
| 1 | Chicago Cubs | 1870 |
| 2 | Atlanta Braves | 1871 |
| T-3 | Cincinnati Reds | 1882 |
| T-3 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1882 |
| T-3 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1882 |
| T-6 | San Francisco Giants | 1883 |
| T-6 | Philadelphia Phillies | 1883 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1884 |
| T-9 | Boston Red Sox | 1901 |
| T-9 | Chicago White Sox | 1901 |
| T-9 | Cleveland Guardians | 1901 |
| T-9 | Detroit Tigers | 1901 |
| T-9 | Baltimore Orioles | 1901 |
| T-9 | Minnesota Twins | 1901 |
| T-9 | Oakland Athletics | 1901 |
| 16 | New York Yankees | 1903 |
| T-17 | Los Angeles Angels | 1961 |
| T-17 | Texas Rangers | 1961 |
| T-19 | New York Mets | 1962 |
| T-19 | Houston Astros | 1962 |
| T-21 | Kansas City Royals | 1969 |
| T-21 | San Diego Padres | 1969 |
| T-21 | Washington Nationals | 1969 |
| T-21 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1969 |
| T-25 | Toronto Blue Jays | 1977 |
| T-25 | Seattle Mariners | 1977 |
| T-27 | Miami Marlins | 1993 |
| T-27 | Colorado Rockies | 1993 |
| T-29 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 1998 |
| T-29 | Tampa Bay Rays | 1998 |
Who Was the First MLB Team in History?
Founded in 1870, the Chicago Cubs were the first team in MLB history. Chicago, along with the Atlanta Braves, can trace its origins back to the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in the 1870s.
This organisation became the National League in 1876. For the first 19 years of their history, the Cubs were known as the “Chicago White Stockings.” Owner William Hulbert was keen to build a strong team when the NL was founded, leading to pennant wins in 1876, 1880, 1881, and 1882.
Hulbert died after the 1881 season, with former pitcher Albert Spalding (who founded Spalding sporting goods after his retirement) taking over as owner. Cap Anson was the star of the team that faced the American Association-winning St. Louis Browns in the 1880s version of the World Series in 1885 and 1886.
Anson went on to become the first player in baseball history to be credited with 3,000 hits. The team was renamed as the Chicago Colts in 1890 before becoming the Chicago Orphans in 1898. They adopted their current name in 1903.
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