National League vs American League

[DarkReign]

No, this isnt a bashing thread or even a comparison (because to me, theyre two very different iterations of baseball).

Its a simple question...

Why does the NL have 16 teams when the AL has 14?

That makes no damn sense, but I wasnt a baseball fan during the re-alignment (or whatever). What was the justification for the obvious difference?

[Vizzini]

No, this isnt a bashing thread or even a comparison (because to me, theyre two very different iterations of baseball).

Its a simple question...

Why does the NL have 16 teams when the AL has 14?

That makes no damn sense, but I wasnt a baseball fan during the re-alignment (or whatever). What was the justification for the obvious difference?

When they last expanded, they needed to have an even amount of teams in both leagues, or they would always be playing an interleague series for the entire year. MLB recognized this and when Tampa Bay and Arizona joined in 1998, they switched the Milwaukee Brewers (Bud Selig's former team) to the NL, giving the NL 16, and the AL 14. MLB has always wanted to keep interleague games at certain times of the year, and all played together, so they went ahead with the way they have things now. Interleague play is considered a "special attraction" and having one interleague series always being played would've made it lose some of its luster.

[tsb2000]

MLB knew this and tried to move the DBacks to the AL a few years ago, but their owners threw a fit and threatened to fold the franchise if they did.

[DarkReign]

When they last expanded, they needed to have an even amount of teams in both leagues, or they would always be playing an interleague series for the entire year. MLB recognized this and when Tampa Bay and Arizona joined in 1998, they switched the Milwaukee Brewers (Bud Selig's former team) to the NL, giving the NL 16, and the AL 14. MLB has always wanted to keep interleague games at certain times of the year, and all played together, so they went ahead with the way they have things now. Interleague play is considered a "special attraction" and having one interleague series always being played would've made it lose some of its luster.

Ahhhhhh!

Both leagues needed an even number of teams. That makes sense.

Thanks!