The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first baseball team composed entirely of salaried players whose contracts could be sold or traded by team owners. By 1871, the team had dissolved, but the business model they pioneered remains the foundation of professional baseball today. More than 100 teams have played Major League Baseball since the Red Stockings’ time; as of 2022 the sport has thirty teams evenly divided between the National League (founded 1876) and the American League (founded 1901). Here are some of the objects from teams featured in Baseball: America’s Home Run / Béisbol: El Jonrón de los EE.UU.
