The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, it is sometimes called the Senior Circuit in contrast to the "Junior Circuit" of the American League, established as a major league in 1901. The two league champions of 1903 arranged to meet in the World Series and, after the 1904 champions failed to do likewise, the two leagues have arranged to meet in that annual culmination of the American baseball season, failing to do so only in the strike-shortened 1994 season. National League teams have won 42 and lost 61 of the 103 World Series played between these two leagues from 1903 to 2007. The Colorado Rockies are the defending National League champions, winning the NL Pennant in 2007.

Early League History

By 1875, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was dangerously weak. The N.A. suffered from a lack of strong authority over clubs, unsupervised scheduling, unstable membership, dominance by one team, and an extremely low ($10, $172 adjusted for inflation) entry fee that gave clubs no incentive to abide by league rules when it was not convenient.

William Hulbert, a Chicago businessman and officer of the Chicago White Stockings approached several N.A. clubs with the plan for a league with stronger central authority and exclusive territories in larger cities only. Additionally, Hulbert had a problem -- five of his star players were threatened with expulsion from the NAPBBP because Hulbert had signed them to his club using what were considered questionable means. Hulbert had a great vested interest in creating his own league. After recruiting St. Louis privately, four western clubs met in Louisville, Kentucky in January 1876. With Hulbert speaking for the four in New York City on February 2, 1876, the National League was established with eight charter members.

• Chicago White Stockings from the N.A. (now the Chicago Cubs)
• Philadelphia Athletics from the N.A. (expelled after the 1876 season)
• Boston Red Stockings, the dominant team in the N.A. (now the Atlanta Braves)
• Hartford Dark Blues from the N.A. (folded after the 1877 season)
• Mutual of New York from the N.A. (expelled after the 1876 season)
• St. Louis Brown Stockings (Browns) from the N.A. (folded after the 1877 season, having committed to Louisville stars for 1878)
• Cincinnati Red Stockings, a new franchise, unrelated to the team by the same name that folded in 1870 (expelled after the 1880 season)
• Louisville Grays, a new franchise (folded after the 1877 season when four players were banned for gambling)