MLB

2026 MLB Season Welcomes 150th Anniversary of National League Play

During the National League’s inaugural season of 1876 there were eight teams. Today only the Cubs and Braves can trace their roots back 150 years.
2026 MLB Season Welcomes 150th Anniversary of National League Play
Citizens Bank Park during the national anthem on Opening Day between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on March 26, 2026. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
Donald Laible
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With the National League celebrating its 150th season, it’s only fitting that Major League Baseball’s 2026 All-Star Game in July is being hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies.

The baseball stars couldn’t be better aligned this season. MLB is recognizing America’s  semiquincentennial (250th) birthday this season, and they are proudly presenting one of their crowning events of 2026 at Citizens Bank Park on July 14. The 96th game pitting the American and National Leagues played in mid-season, being hosted by the National League Phillies, follows in a line that can be traced back to the first such game in 1933.

Donald Laible
Donald Laible
Author
Don has covered pro baseball for several decades, beginning in the minor leagues as a radio broadcaster in the NY Mets organization. His Ice Chips & Diamond Dust blog ran from 2012-2020 at uticaod.com. His baseball passion surrounds anything concerning the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and writing features on the players and staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Don currently resides in southwest Florida.