Birth of a league

Connie Mack, front and center, with his new-found Athletics

The Philadelphia Athletics become part of a new venture that officially launches 123 years ago today, joining teams from Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Washington to form baseball's American League.

The fledgling A’s hire future Hall of Famer Connie Mack as their first manager.

Connie Mack

Mack stays on the job for 50 seasons, a span over which the American League’s original franchises in Baltimore and Milwaukee move to New York and St. Louis, respectively, to become the Yankees and Browns.

The Browns eventually relocate from St. Louis to Baltimore and become the Orioles in 1954, the season before Mack’s beloved A's bolt from Philadelphia to Kansas City. Since then, the A’s move from Kansas City to Oakland and, soon, to Las Vegas.

During their time with Mack as their manager from 1901-50, the Athletics win nine American League pennants and five World Series. The last of those pennants comes in 1931; the last Series title in 1930.

“After all my years,” Mack says, “there are two things I’ve never got used to – haggling with a player over his contract and telling a boy he’s got to go back.”

Over 50 seasons, Mack has plenty of chances to do both.