MLB FAMOUS FIRSTS

Famous Firsts in Baseball History | Baseball Almanac

Choose any particular era below and discover a time line of famous firsts related to virtually every facet of the game. Exact dates are listed where it's possible and new firsts are added to each era on a regular basis. Most Major League records are not listed here as they are not truly the first — they are simply better than the last one and modern team names are shown in their first year versus their previous names used in prior years. Baseball Almanac has covered the centuries, the home runs, the salary levels and much more in this unique look at baseball history through its famous firsts.

19th Century Era Baseball Firsts
1800 - 1900

Black Famous Baseball Firsts
A Historical Perspective

Dead Ball Era Baseball Firsts
1901 - 1919

First Designated Hitters in the A.L.
Team by Team Analysis

Lively Ball Era Baseball Firsts
1920 - 1945

First Designated Hitters in the N.L.
Team by Team Analysis

Post War Era Baseball Firsts
1946 - 1960

First Foreign Born Baseball Players
Every Possible Country

Expansion Era Baseball Firsts
1961 - 1976

Franchise First Home Runs
First HR for every Team

Modern Era Baseball Firsts
1977 - 1999

Home Run Firsts
1st Slam | 1st Inside the Park...

Steroid Era Baseball Firsts
2000 - 2009

Night Game Firsts
Team by Team Analysis

Technology Era Baseball Firsts
2010 - 2018

Presidential Baseball Firsts
First Ever | First First Pitch | Etc.

The Next Era
Future Expansion Area

Salary Levels
First 100,000+ | Millionaire | Etc.

	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909
1910	1911	1912	1913	1914	1915	1916	1917	1918	1919
1920	1921	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929
1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939
1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949
1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026

						1876	1877	1878	1879
1880	1881	1882	1883	1884	1885	1886	1887	1888	1889
1890	1891	1892	1893	1894	1895	1896	1897	1898	1899
1900	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909
1910	1911	1912	1913	1914	1915	1916	1917	1918	1919
1920	1921	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929
1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939
1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949
1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026

Last Active Baseball Players by Franchise
A Former Franchise Analysis

Last Active Baseball Players by Year of Birth
A Year by Year Analysis

Research by Baseball Almanac

Do you remember who the first designated hitter was? How about the date of that historic game? Find it, the box score, and much more in this section.

Do you know who "invented" the first catcher's mask? How about the date it was first worn in a Major League baseball game?

Baseball Almanac only recently started the famous first "by category" section. If you have a category that you would like included, please let us know.

MLB FAMOUS FIRSTS

Famous Firsts in Baseball History | Baseball Almanac

Baseball Famous Firsts

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National League Rookies / Their First Season

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