The Negro American League (NAL) was one of the several professional Negro Leagues created during the time in which organized professional major league American baseball was segregated.
The NAL was initially established in 1937 and survived for nearly 25 seasons, before its official dissolution around 1962.
Due to the unorthodox nature of league and its schedule, which teams and owners had little incentive to enforce, teams frequently played uneven schedules in any given season.
From 1939 through 1942 and 1944 through 1947, the team in first place at the end of the season was declared the Pennant winner.
For example, the 1937 season ended with the Kansas City Monarchs in first place with a 52–19–1 record, a winning percentage of .732.
However, they still competed in a Championship Series, albeit against the third place Chicago American Giants, who finished the season 36–24–1 (.667).
The American Giants played less games that year than the 2nd place Cincinnati Tigers who finished 35–18–1 (.514), but had one more win overall.
This led to some disputed championships and two teams claiming the title. Generally, the team with the best winning percentage (with some minimum number of games played) was awarded the Pennant, but other times it was the team with the most victories.
The "games behind" method of recording standings was uncommon in most black leagues.
For the duration of the league, a Negro League World Series took place seven times, from 1942 through 1948. The Negro American League (NAL) Pennant winner met the champion of the rival Negro National League I (NNLI).
Five out of the seven years. The outcomes of the participating in the Negro League World Series are listed below in bold:
Teams in the Negro American League (NAL)
From 1942 until 1948, the pennant winner as determined by the total season record or by postseason series victories went on to play for the Negro Leagues World Series.
Major League Baseball is the oldest major professional sports league in the world. Major League Baseball is composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League and the American League.
The Negro National League I was the first of two iterations of the NNL. The NNLI was founded by player/manager, Rube Foster, installing himself as League President and Commissioner.
The Negro Southern League (NSL) was organized as a minor league for player development in service to the Negro National League I in 1920 and lasted until 1936.
The Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs, known as the Eastern Colored League (ECL) was one of the several Negro Leagues, operating during the time organized baseball in the United States was racially segregated.
The American Negro League (ANL), not to be confused with the Negro American League was established as one of the several Negro Leagues during the period in which organized baseball was segregated. The ANL operated on the East Coast of the U.S., lasting for one season in 1929.
The East–West League was a professional baseball league formed during the period when baseball in the U.S. was segregated. The league was conceived 0f by Cum Posey in 1932. However, it didn't last the full year and folded in June of that year.
The second Negro National League II (NNLII) was founded in 1933 by Gus Greenlee as the second iteration to the former Negro National League I (NNLI), The Negro National League II (NNLII) enjoyed much broader success, lasting until integration.
The Negro American League was founded as a midwestern League in 1937, formed from clubs that had either played independently or in the Negro Southern League (NSL). It rivaled the Negro National League II, which had become the dominant eastern league in 1933.
The Liga Mexicans de Beisbol is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country, with the league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South with member teams participating in 114 games each season.
The Federación Cubana de Béisbol is the governing body of the sport of baseball within Cuba. In 2018, a deal was struck between MLB and the Baseball Federation of Cuba, so that cuban baseball players no longer had to defect to play professionally in the United States.
The United States Baseball League (USL), was one of the several leagues created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The USL was specifically organized as a minor league in 1945 by Branch Rickey to serve as a platform to scout African American players.
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it's Puro Yakyū, (Professional Baseball). The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation of the "Greater Japan Tokyo Baseball Club" (大日本東京野球倶楽部) in Tokyo, founded in 1934,
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience.