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The Genesis of Major League Baseball
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Beginning in the 1860s baseball began as the "National Association of Base Ball Players" or NABBP. The NABBP existed completely made up of amateurs for 12 years but afterwards more than 400 clubs were members. But for the founding of professional baseball the year 1869 is usually used because it was the year the first professional team was established, the Cincinnati Red Stockings.
A divide developed between professional and amateur ballplayers in the years after the Cincinnati team was established. The NABBP turned into an organization with both amateurs and professionals. This sprouted the genesis of the "National Association of Professional Base Ball Players" in 1871. The amateur counterpart dissolved only after a few years of the professional organization was started. Both the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs trace their histories back to the "National Association of Professional Base Ball Players" in the 1870s.
A significant development was that in 1876 the "National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs" was established. This placed emphasis on a club rather than on players. This meant that clubs could now enforce contracts and this would prevent players from jumping from one team to another to obtain a higher wage. A club was required to play the full schedule of games instead of just giving up when the club was no longer eligible for the league championship.
The first game of Major League Baseball's history is said to have been on April 22 1876. It was between the Boston Red Stockings and the Philadelphia Athletics in which the Boston Red Stockings won 6 to 5.