MLB Greats

The Major League Baseball (MLB) was founded in 1869 and is the most recognised league in the sport in the world.

It is also one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America along with the NBA, NFL and NHL.

In the early stages of the MLB, the game was dominated by pitchers in low scoring games. The likes of Walter Johnson CY Young, Christy Mathewson, Mordecai Brown and Grover Cleveland Alexander had lots of success throughout the early 20th century leading up to the First World War.

Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees excelled in 1927 by setting the single season home run record at 60. He finished his career with 714 runs.

World War Two had a dramatic impact on the MLB as it created a shortage of players, not just in the league, but in the sport as a whole. It interrupted the careers of Stan Musial and Joe DiMaggio, who were two of the leading stars at the time. 

In what was a period of instability for minorities living in the United States in the later 1940s and 1950s, Jackie Robinson became the first black baseball player to take part in the league since the 1880s. He represented the Montreal Royals, which helped attract a large group of black baseball fans to the sport. He also set the way for more black men to get involved in the game.

In 1962 the MLB introduced the Most Valuable Player Award, which was given to the person whose performance had stood out the most that year. It was originally known as the Arch Ward Memorial Award in honour of the former sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, who set up the MLB All-Star Game.

Willie Mays was the first player to receive this award more than once. The center fielder picked it up in 1963 and then was recognised again for his performances in 1968.
Gary Carter was also a dual winner of the Most Valuable Player Title when playing for the Montreal Expos in 1981 and 1984. Along with Mays, Carter's name was later added to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum list.

Carl Ripken Jr is the only other player to win the end of year award more than once. There were 10 years between his two wins. The first came in 1991, while the second arrived in 2001 when still playing for the Baltimore Orioles.

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