Why nl and al

The National League has some darn fine hitters, but its lineups aren't as deep as the American League's and, by extension, its pitchers aren't as battle-tested as American League pitchers. These advantages haven't shown through in the All-Star Game or the World Series the last few years, but it certainly matters that they've shown through in the large sample size of interleague play.

The National League gets points for winning the last three All-Star Games and for providing the World Series winner in each of the last three years. Without these feathers in the Senior Circuit's cap, we're probably not even bothering to have this discussion.

All the same, what it comes down to is that the American League's domination of the National League in interleague play since is no fluke. We've looked into the on-the-field explanations, which are simple. Though the NL has some fine hitters, the AL has a natural offensive edge, and that edge has helped breed battle-hardened pitchers.

As for the off-the-field explanations, it helps that there's plenty of money to be found in the American League. According to the Associated Press , seven of the top 10 spending teams in baseball this year are American League clubs.

Those two clubs just so happen to be responsible for many of the American League's wins in interleague play. The Yankees are in interleague , and the Red Sox are However, low-revenue AL clubs have also contributed. The Oakland A's are in interleague play. The Tampa Bay Rays were an interleague doormat for many years, but they've been better ever since In lieu of money, what these two teams have are great front offices.

A different narrative exists in the National League. The huge-market Los Angeles Dodgers are in interleague play. The small-market Pittsburgh Pirates are in interleague play. On one side, a rich franchise that has let a lot of money go to waste.

On the other, a poor franchise that hasn't found ways to overcome its limits. So call it a combination of different things that are responsible for AL superiority.

American League rosters are capable of winning any battle, and the American League is where you can find great and small amounts of money being put to good use. The pendulum will swing back towards the National League someday.

It might not happen until the NL gets the DH and the playing field is leveled, but it will happen eventually. The American League bubble won't be able to avoid bursting forever.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference. Enjoy our content? Join our newsletter to get the latest in sports news delivered straight to your inbox! Year AL Inter. AL vs NL. Thirty teams make up the two leagues, and the games are played in thirty host places. There are 14 teams that compete in the American League, while 16 teams compete in the National League. Besides from the teams in each league, there are other factors that differentiate the two leagues. Therefore, the NL is the older league that makes up Major League baseball.

The key differentiating factor between the AL and the NL is that while the AL permits a designated hitter any player that bats in place of a pitcher , the NL does not allow one. This results in a higher number of runs averaged by AL teams compared to NL teams, because of the extra solid batter in the AL team lineups.

Pitchers in AL teams do not bat. Pitchers in the NL do still bat though. The DH rule has resulted in variations of the styles of play in the two leagues, and as such, makes the AL a more power-based game, with the home run being the epitome, while the NL is more oriented towards pitching, placing the emphasis on offensive runs.

The major difference between both leagues is the allowance of Designated Hitter or DH, which is allowed in the American League but not in National League, and due to this reason they also differ in terms of the number of runs averaged by teams, it is higher in American League and comparatively less in National League.

Other than these they also differ in terms of the leagues based on and where the umpire focuses more on. American League is among two major league baseball. It used to have 14 numbers of teams but after it has 15 teams. It was founded on 28 January , by Ban Johnson. Designated Hitter is allowed in American League.

It was developed from a minor league. Pitchers in American League do not bat. It is based on power, epitome on the home run. National League is the first major league of baseball in the United States and Canada. There were 16 teams earlier but now it has 15 teams.

It was founded on 2 February Designated Hitter is not allowed in this league and therefore pitchers in National League can bat. It has three divisions.