New Astros owner Jim Crane during yesterday's press conference. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

The Astros will have the distinction of being the only team to move from the National League to the American League. They will be one of only two teams to play in both leagues. The other is the Milwaukee Brewers, who jumped from the American League to the National League in 1998.

The purpose of the Brewers’ move was to ensure that both leagues had an even number of teams. When the Devil Rays joined the American League and the Diamondbacks the National, both leagues had 15 teams. In a 15-team league, on any given day of the season, one team would have to be idle or play an inter-league game. Such an arrangement wasn’t acceptable in 1998, so the Brewers made the switch (after the Royals decided they didn’t want to).

Apparently, Major League Baseball has overcome its aversion to season-long inter-league play—or has decided that league symmetry is more important. And now the Astros get to use a designated hitter.

Interleague Realignment Before 1900

The realignment that sent the Brewers to the National League in 1998 was the first inter-league realignment since the American League was established in 1901. Prior to that time, jumping from one major league to another wasn’t uncommon. Four of the 8 teams that comprised the National League’s roster from 1900 until 1952 joined the National League from the American Association.

The American Association (not to be confused with any minor league that has since used the name) was a major league established in 1882. Between 1887 and 1892 8 American Association teams—including 5 charter members—moved to the National League. The AA had major league talent and, from 1884 through 1890, its champion met the National League champion in an early version of the World Series. But the National League was older, better established, and more financially secure. And if the Senior Circuit wanted an AA team, it was in that team’s interest to switch leagues.

The Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1887 were the first AA team to leave for the National League. The Alleghenys, who became the Pirates in 1891, are the team that we today associate with Roberto Clemente, “We Are Family,” and 19 consecutive losing seasons. Two years later the AA’s Cleveland Spiders joined the National League. The Spiders had a couple nice years in their new league but folded after their disastrous 20-134 1899 season.

League Park, home of the Cleveland Spiders

In 1890 the National League acquired two more AA franchises, both of which still live today: the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Grays, who would eventually become the Dodgers.

The loss of the Alleghenys, Spiders, Reds, and Grays was one of the main causes (perhaps the main cause) of the league’s demise.

League-switching today happens with the approval of owners in both leagues. There is nothing hostile about it. For all intents and purposes, the American and National Leagues today are two conferences in one 30-team league. They share a commissioner, a players’ union, a draft, and a collective bargaining agreement. In the late nineteenth century, when the major leagues were autonomous, poaching a franchise from a rival league was a way of weakening the competition. (It was similar to what is going on with conference realignment in major college sports today.)

The American Association folded in 1891, but not before absorbing two squads—the Boston Reds and the Philadelphia Athletics—from the short-lived Players’ League (which is also recognized as a major league). Both of those teams died with the American Association, and there is no connection between the AA Philadelphia Athletics and the American League Athletics team that started in Philly and currently plays in Oakland.

In December 1891 the National League announced at its winter meeting in Indianapolis that it would absorb four more AA franchises: the Baltimore Orioles, Louisville Colonels, St. Louis Browns, and Washington Senators. Three of the four share names with later American League teams, but there is no connection between these AA/National League teams and their namesakes. (The American League St. Louis Browns and Baltimore Orioles are actually the same franchise.) Three of the 4 1892 additions folded in 1899, along with the Spiders. Only the Browns survived. They would later become the Cardinals. For much of the 1890s, the National League had a monopoly on major league baseball.

League-jumping actually predates the defection of the Alleghenys and other American Association teams. The Union League, yet another short-lived major league from the 19th century, played a single season before disbanding in 1884. The Union League champion St. Louis Maroons joined the National League the following season. In 1887 the Maroons moved to Indianapolis and became the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers played three seasons before folding.

The 1888 Indianapolis Hoosiers

Three teams have the distinction of winning pennants in two different major leagues. Last month the Brewers nearly became a fourth.

• The Cincinnati Reds won an American Association pennant in 1882. They won National League pennants in 1919, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, and 1990.
• The St. Louis Browns/Cardinals won American Association pennants in 1885, 1886, 1887, and 1888. They won National League pennants in 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1982, 1985, 1987, 2004, 2006, and 2011.
• The Boston Reds won a Players’ League pennant in 1890 and an American Association pennant in 1891.

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Josh Tinley is the author of Kneeling in the End Zone: Spiritual Lessons From the World of Sports. Follow him at twitter.com/joshtinley or send him an e-mail.

There are now six pitchers in Major League history who have thrown a perfect game and a no-hitter: Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Addie Joss, Cy Young, and Jim Bunning.  Four are in the Hall of Fame, and Randy Johnson will be. Mark Buehrle may not ever get the credit I believe he deserves while he is playing, but if he keeps pitching another 5, 6, 7 years he very well could find himself in Cooperstown as well.

And if Buehrle decides not to hang up his cleats early, as he has suggested he will do, Buehrle very well could make a legit run at 300 wins, assuming he stays as healthy as he has always been.

But even as amazing as the group above is that he has joined, it can be narrowed down even further to include only three names: Buehrle, Cy Young, and Koufax.  What do these three pitching greats have in common? They share the most amazing combined 2-game pitching lines in the history of Major League Baseball.

We know that no pitcher has ever thrown two perfect games, but these three have come the closest. Check out the combined stat line from Mark Buehrle’s perfect game and no-no, and then the combined stat lines from Koufax’s best no-hitter and perfect game and Young’s perfect game and best no-hitter:

• Mark Buehrle: 18 innings, 0 hits, 1 BB
• Sandy Koufax: 18 innings, 0 hits, 1BB
• Cy Young: 18 innings, 0 hits, 1 BB

The only difference is that Koufax had 26 combined Ks over his 18 innings, while Buehrle had 14.  I’m not sure about Young, as I couldn’t find the box scores for his no-hitters and perfect games.

Regardless, any time you are in a group of players that includes only you, Sandy Koufax, and Cy Young…you’ve done something pretty special. And it’s about time that baseball fans across the country wake up and realize what White Sox fans have known for a long time: that Mark Buehrle is the most underrated ace in Major League Baseball and truly something special. 

Sox fans didn’t need today’s perfect game to confirm this, as we see Buehrle’s consistent excellence on a year in, year out basis.  Hopefully though, today’s performance helps to bring others around to our enlightened point of view. 

What a career: clutch ace of a consistent playoff contender; World Series champion; no-hitter; perfect game. Perhaps one of these days Mark will also add a Cy Young Award to the mantle.  

Congratulations on a hell of a career to this point Mark, and on authoring one of the 18 greatest single-game pitching stories in the long and storied history of Major League Baseball. “Perfect game” is going to look great on your Cooperstown plaque one of these days.

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* – Mark Buehrle photo credit: Jim Prisching / AP Photo via ABCNews.com

And that is exactly what Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko did today against the Detroit Tigers, as two of the heroes of the White Sox 2005 World Series team proved that they are still on top of their game. Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye hit back-to-back homeruns, the 300th career homerun for each, in the 2nd inning of Tigers starter Zach Miner. It marks the first time in Major League Baseball history that two teammates reached a century milestone in back-to-back at bats.

I cannot wait to hear Hawk Harrelson’s calls of these two jacks.

And, of course, not to be outdone, Carlos Quentin went 4-5 and jacked two dingers today, his 3rd and 4th of the season, putting to rest the Spring Training whispers that Quentin’s power may be slow in returning after his wrist injury last season. (What idiot would say that?) Something tells me Carlos Quentin will be the next White Sox player to reach 300 homeruns. Just a hunch.

After today’s 10-6 White Sox victory, the first of the season for starter Gavin Floyd (1-1), the White Sox are all alone in first place in the AL Central at 4-3, a half game up on the Tigers, pending the result of the Royals-Indians game later today.

Update: I didn’t get a chance to watch today’s game, but I just read that Dewayne Wise separated his shoulder and will be out indefinitely. Brian Anderson will obviously be getting more ABs in Wise’s absence.

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