Editing National League (baseball) (section)

===Expansion (1887–1899)===
The labor strike of 1890 hastened the downfall of the American Association. After the 1891 season, the AA disbanded and merged with the NL, which became known legally for the next decade as the "National League and American Association". The teams now known as the [[Cincinnati Reds]], [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] (originally Brooklyn) and [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] (as well as the now-defunct [[Cleveland Spiders]]) had already switched from the AA to the NL prior to 1892. With the merger, the NL absorbed the St. Louis Browns (now known as the [[St. Louis Cardinals]]), along with three other teams that did not survive into the 20th century—the [[Baltimore Orioles (1882–1899)|Baltimore Orioles]] (not the current MLB team), [[Louisville Colonels]], and [[Washington Statesmen]].

While four teams that moved from the AA remain in the NL today (Pittsburgh [1887], Cincinnati [1890], Los Angeles [originally Brooklyn; 1890], and St. Louis [1892]), only two original NL franchises (1876) remain in the league: the [[Chicago Cubs]] and the [[Atlanta Braves]] (originally in Boston, and later Milwaukee). The Cubs are the only charter member to play continuously in the same city. The other two pre-1892 teams still in the league are the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants (originally New York), both of which joined in 1883.

The National League became a 12-team circuit with monopoly status for the rest of the decade. The league became embroiled in numerous internal conflicts, not the least of which was a plan supported by some owners (and bitterly opposed by others) to form a "trust", wherein there would be one common ownership of all twelve teams. The NL used its [[monopsony]] power to force a $2,400 (${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|2400|1894|r=-3}} }} today) limit on annual player wages in 1894.

As the 20th century dawned, the NL was in trouble. Conduct among players was poor, and fistfights were a common sight at games. In addition to fighting each other, they fought with the umpires and often filled the air at games with foul language and obscenities. A game between the Orioles and Boston Beaneaters (a precursor to today's Atlanta Braves) in 1894 ended up having tragic consequences when players became engaged in a brawl and several boys in the stands of the [[South End Grounds]] started a fire. The blaze quickly got out of hand and swept through downtown Boston, destroying or damaging 100 buildings. Team owners argued with each other, and players hated the NL's $2,400 salary cap. Many teams also ran into trouble with city governments that [[blue law|forbade recreational activities on Sunday]].

[[Billy Sunday]], a prominent outfielder in the 1880s, became so disgusted with the behavior of teammates that he quit playing in 1891 to become one of America's most famous evangelical Christian preachers. Most fans appear to have felt the same way, because attendance at games was plummeting by 1900.