When did major league baseball start?

Answer 1

The Major League Baseball season has been 162 games long for each team since 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League. The preceding 154-game schedule was adopted in 1904 and modified only in 1919. The Major League Baseball championship season cannot be scheduled over fewer than 178 days, nor more than 183 days, with exceptions made for "International Openers")[1]. In recent seasons, the schedule runs from the beginning of April to the end of September, followed by the post-season tournament in October. The endpoints of the season have gradually changed through the years. In the late 1800s, the regular season began in late April and ran through late October. By the early 1900s, however, 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.

Answer 2

The first team to openly pay its players was the Cincinnati Red Stockings, doing so in 1869. However, they were not part of any league -- they simply played anyone who agreed to play them.

The first national organization that attempted to set rules, schedules, and declare yearly champions was the National Association of Baseball Players, which started in 1871. To this day, neither Major League Baseball nor the Hall of Fame consider this organization to be a "major" league; although many historians do so.

The National League -- an organization that continues to this day -- was founded in 1876.