Interleague play has been around in the MLB for almost twenty years now, but it is still considered relatively new in terms of baseball history. Yet, interleague play could have started as early as 1962, had the National League not voted against it.
The creation of interleague play is considered to be one of the biggest innovations during the tenure of former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. It is still a controversial topic, with baseball purists hating the idea of the National League and American League facing off at any point in time that does not involve the postseason, and others loving the novelty. With there being an odd number of teams per league, whether or not we love or hate interleague play, it does not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
However, the history of interleague play stretches back much further than the 1990’s. The idea was originally proposed by Bill Veeck Sr. back in 1933, and had some support, but it was scrapped when Veeck died that year. The idea was brought back by Commissioner Ford Frick when the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota to become the Twins. Under his proposal, one team would be added to each league, creating an imbalance that would be evened out by constant interleague play.
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It was an interesting, and ambitious, proposal. The idea would have involved one of those teams being added in New York, and required the approval of both leagues. Instead, the idea of a second New York team was kept, with the Mets being added as one of four expansion franchises prior to the start of the 1962 season, but interleague play was put aside. It would officially be shot down on this day in 1962, when the National League voted against it.
Yet, the idea just would not die. Bill Veeck Jr. predicted that interleague play would happen at some point in the future. In 1973, when the designated hitter was introduced, the idea was brought up again, with then Commissioner Bowie Kuhn forming a committee to study the idea. Yet, it would not be until 1997 when the idea came to fruition, as the MLB attempted to generate interest in the game following the disastrous strike of 1994.
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Interleague play is a constant part of the game now, but the idea had been around for some time. Had the National League not voted against it on this day in 1962, it would be interesting to see how the idea is received today.