Home Runs and Heritage: How Migrants Shaped Baseball’s Legacy

The history of baseball and migration go hand in hand. During the most recent Major League Baseball (MLB) season, 25% of players were born outside of the United States. But it wasn’t always easy. We wanted to take the time to see what kind of evolution America’s pastime has gone through to reach this point and highlight its global reach and cultural impact.

From its very simple and humble beginnings, to enduring World Wars and putting on continent-spanning competitions that involved legends like Babe Ruth or Jackie Robinson, baseball has been through it all and holds a special significance for many people.

Early Origins of Baseball

Baseball, often referred to as “America’s pastime,” has a rich and complex history that spans centuries and continents in all corners of the planet, though its exact origins aren’t clear.

The first known mention of baseball can be traced back A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, written by John Newberry in 1744. The book mentions a game called “base-ball” and describes a passage of play more akin to rounders.

Author David Block then discovered that the first recorded game of baseball took place in 1749, which even involved the then Prince of Wales. English migrants then brought rounders with them when crossing the Atlantic and arriving in the United States.

There the sport would settle and start to evolve, with a mention of it coming in a 1791 law that prohibited ball games near buildings to protect their windows, a document that even included the word ‘baseball’.

In his book Baseball Before We Knew It, David Block explains how in the early years of the 19^th century there was a whole host of different bat-and-ball games being played throughout the United States, though they all lacked proper, standardized rules, many of which resembled the modern game in a lot of ways.

The Development of Modern Baseball

Though these games, in their varying forms, were popular across the country, it wasn’t until 1845 that the first semblance of proper, codified baseball rules came about.

The Knickerbocker Rules were formalized by William Wheaton and William Tucker, two members of New York’s Knickerbocker Base Ball Club. Though there is doubt about how original these unique rules actually were, author Jeffrey Kittel did conclude that the Knickerbockers was one of the most pioneering baseball clubs in history, one whose rules helped shape the modern form of the game.

Over the following years, amateur baseball clubs really began to take off in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. The 1850s saw the game explode in popularity, particularly in the New York metropolitan area, according to Benjamin Rader.

Slowly but surely, baseball was establishing itself as one of the most important sports in the country. According to Jules Tygiel, it got to the point where the New York Mercury even named it as “the national pastime”, coining the now-popular phrase. In 1857 with this newfound popularity came the creation and establishment of the sport’s first governing body, the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), formed by 14 clubs from New York and Brooklyn.

A Professional Takeover

Dean A. Sullivan writes that a little over ten years later, in 1869, the NABBP would be taken over by professionals and eliminated any distinction between pros and amateurs. It wasn’t a decision received well by many, with the “Father of Baseball” Henry Chadwick even condemning it as an attempt to use the NABBP to serve the professionals’ special interests, Sullivan continued.

However, that propelled the newly founded National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (known simply as the National Association) to create their own, short-lived league that stopped after 1875.

The following year, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs (known as the National League) was established and remains the oldest standing professional sports league to this day, hence why it’s known as the “senior circuit”.

Some 25 years later, the American League was founded in 1901, laying the foundations of a rivalry between the two established leagues. According to Sullivan, this led to fierce competition when trying to sign the best players, going as far as engaging in legal battles.

However, there was a silver lining that came from all the fighting. The two leagues signed a sort of peace treaty through the National Agreement of 1903, which normalized the relationship between the leagues. Moreover, an annual championship competition was established to crown the overall winner of the two leagues: the World Series, which quickly became a celebrated tradition.

Breaking Barriers

The early years of the 20^th century saw the birth of the baseball golden era, which included the rise of now iconic players such as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb or Walter Johnson, to name a few; and the sport went through a couple of different phases, known as the dead-ball and live-ball eras, based on the different rules and regulations that were in place.

However, baseball could not escape from the specter of segregation that plagued the American nation.

Baseball was almost always a segregated sport since its inception. For over 60 years, both the American and National Leagues had a gentlemen’s agreement on African-American players not being picked for major league teams. It was an unofficial ban that had been in place since Moses Fleetwood Walker played during the 1880s.

But this all changed in 1947, when Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Opposition to segregation had grown in the immediate years following World War II, and many African-Americans thought that is wasn’t just that they served their country but couldn’t bat a ball.

Jackie Robinson’s debut also marked the start of integration in the major leagues. Larry Doby would go on to debut for the Cleveland Indians that same season, though by 1953 only six of 16 major league teams had a black player on their teams. It wasn’t until 1959 that baseball had been fully integrated with the Boston Red Sox’s signing of Elijah “Pumpsie” Green.

Baseball and Migration

It’s hard to talk about baseball without talking about migration. As mentioned in the beginning, waves of migrants brought over the early forms of baseball, such as bat-and-ball games, and they continued to improve on them throughout the years.

Latino players have often been considered some of the best in the sport, and with the influx of Latin Americans during the second half of the 20^th century, the quality of baseball itself became better.

The first ever player from Latin America to appear in a recognized major league game was Luis Castro, who debuted in 1902 and played for a single season. Despite hiding his true identity, he was born in Colombia but raised in New York and was part of the title-winning Philadelphia Athletics team, paving the way for future Latino players.

At a time where baseball was still seen as a whites-only sport, Dolf Luque stood out as the first Latino star. Hailing from Cuba, where baseball initially entered the region, Luque was the first Latin American to win the World Series in 1919, and opened the doors up to other Cuban talent.

Newfound Domination

Fast forward to the 21^st century, and Latin Americans dominate baseball. By the 2000 season, 169 of the approximately 1,200 major league players (about 15%) came from Latin America, with the Dominican Republic (71 players), Puerto Rico (33), Venezuela (31), and Mexico (14) leading the way.

This influx reflects the rich baseball culture of the Caribbean basin, where young players grow up playing year-round with little competition from other sports. But the surge in Latin American talent in major league baseball can also be attributed to other factors leading up to this century.

The league’s expansion from 16 to 30 teams since 1961 increased demand for players, prompting team owners to scout internationally, where baseball remained dominant in the Caribbean and parts of Latin America, as it thrives as a cultural staple.

Economic factors also played a role. Many Latino players come from impoverished backgrounds and are willing to move abroad in search of life-changing opportunities for themselves and their families. Latin American players invested in their communities through remittances or upon their return, fostering youth development and bolstering local economies.

Ultimately, Latin American migration transformed baseball into a globalized sport, uniting diverse cultures through a shared passion. It highlights how migration fosters mutual understanding and enriches societies, making baseball a powerful symbol of cross-cultural exchange.

Baseball Today: A Worldwide Game

Baseball’s journey is a reflection of resilience, diversity, and global unity. From its humble beginnings brought to the U.S. by migrants to its evolution into America’s pastime, the sport has gone through the ringer.

Baseball has grown from localized competitions to an international phenomenon, and migration has been central to its evolution, with players from Latin America having a big impact. The influx of talent brought by these athletes, shaped by diverse cultural backgrounds, has enriched the sport, making it a symbol of opportunity.

That’s why at Ria we are extremely proud to be the official naming partner of the 2025 Serie del Caribe. This baseball tournament serves not just as a competition, but as a testament to the unifying power of sport and its role in shaping a more inclusive and connected world. We can’t wait for the first pitch to be thrown in Mexicali!