Professional Baseball Leagues Around the World

• Location: North America (29 teams in US, 1 in Canada)
• Number of Teams: 30
• Championship: World Series
• Years Active: 1903 – Present
• Teams:

Major League Baseball is the pinnacle of the sport. The enormous salaries guarantee that the North American top-tier organization will continue to attract the most exceptional talent from around the world and field the best teams that money can buy. The MLB is comprised of two separate leagues, the National League (NL) and the American League (AL).

At the moment, the two leagues operate under slightly different rulesets and only compete in interleague games a set number of times each year. But the two legal entities attached to the NL and AL were dissolved in recent years, making them more like two conferences under the MLB umbrella rather than the independent corporations they were in the past. Over time, it’s expected that they’ll standardize their rules and play each team an equal number of times each season.

As it stands, there are fifteen teams in each league, for a total of 30 Major League teams.

They are divided into three divisions per league, with five teams per division. The team with the best record in each division earns an automatic spot in the playoffs, while the two teams with the best records despite not winning their divisions get wildcard berths. They then compete through a total of four rounds of playoffs, culminating in the best-of-seven World Series between the NL and AL champs.

The MLB season begins in the spring when they prepare for the season and play through the summer. When fall rolls around, it’s playoff time! The season traditionally ended in October, though that’s been pushed back to early November in recent years.

• Location: South Korea
• Number of Teams: 10
• Championship: Korean Series
• Years Active: 1982 – Present
• Teams:

The KBO League is the top level of professional baseball in South Korea. It’s also the most popular of all the professional sports associations in their country. Their season is 144 games long for every team, with each franchise playing every other squad a total of 16 times during the regular season. This equals a total number of 720 games each KBO campaign.

• Location: Japan
• Number of Teams: 12
• Championship: Japan Series
• Years Active: 1950 – Present
• Teams:

Nippon Professional Baseball is the highest level of the game available in Japan. The twelve-team consortium was founded in 1950 as a result of the reorganization of the Japanese Baseball League. It was decided that the NPB would be divided into two separate leagues, similar to the MLB’s original setup.

Six teams play in the Pacific League, while the others play in the Central. Like Major League Baseball, the two groups use different rulesets. In the Pacific, teams use a designated hitter, while the Central does not. The actual rules for an average game are close but slightly different than in the US. The NPB uses a smaller ball, strike zone, and field. The ball is wound more tightly as well. Their games can also end in a tie, as there’s a cap on the number of extra innings allowed.

Japanese players really began to get some attention after Hideo Nomo left the Kintetsu Buffaloes to join the LA Dodgers, where he won Rookie of the Year and threw two no-hitters over 14 seasons in the States.

After Nomo, an exodus of Japanese talent rushed to Major League Baseball. Superstars like Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui went on to achieve massive success overseas, winning championships and MVP awards. In fact, since Hideo Nomo first jumped ship, over 60 Nippon Professional Baseball players have tried their hand at the MLB game. This eventually led to the “posting system,” which requires Major League clubs to compensate their home squads and negotiate reasonably with foreign talent.

The NPB’s historically most dominant team is the Yomiuri Giants. Playing out of Tokyo, the Giants have won 22 Japan Series. To reach this final series, teams must first endure a 146-game regular season, playing six games per week while getting every Monday off. At the end of the season, the second- and third-place clubs play a best-of-three series at the second-placed side’s home stadium. The winner moves on to a best-of-five matchup with the league’s top-seeded squad. The Pacific and Central champions then face off for the Japan Series.

• Location: Taiwan
• Number of Teams: 4
• Championship: Taiwan Series
• Years Active: 1989 – Present
• Teams:

The Chinese Professional Baseball League is a four-team organization located in Taiwan. The CPBL was founded in 1989, and the sport’s popularity peaked in 1997 when there were two separate leagues and eleven total clubs. Since those days, several match-fixing scandals have rocked the game, turning many viewers off of the product entirely.

The season runs concurrent with the MLB, starting in March and playing until October. In June or July, the league takes a break for the all-star game, which marks the midway point of the season. Teams can win the first or second half of the season to qualify for the playoffs. Three teams are eligible for the post-season, which is played out over two rounds. The squad that wins the championship then moves on to the Asia Series, where they compete against top clubs from the KBO, Nippon League, and Australian Baseball.

Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League is quite a bit behind the rest of the world when it comes to their professional league. The low pay and lack of free agency leave very little power for the players. As such, the teams are mostly filled with Japanese minor leaguers and AA-level athletes from around Asia.

• Location: Puerto Rico
• Number of Teams: 4
• Championship: League Championship & Caribbean World Series
• Years Active: 1938 – Present
• Teams:

The leading professional baseball league in Puerto Rico is called Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, named after the all-time Puerto Rican great. There are currently only four teams competing in the association. Following each season, the champion advances to the Caribbean Series, where they match up against other championship sides from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela.

• Location: Dominican Republic
• Number of Teams: 6
• Championship: National Championship & Caribbean World Series
• Years Active: 1951 – Present
• Teams:

The “Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana” is another winter league in Latin America that works as a pipeline of talent to Major League Baseball in the US. The LIDOM is the Dominican Republic’s highest-level league, consisting of just six teams. Many of the prospects that start here end up in the MLB, though they also sign aging Major Leaguers to finish their career in the DR as well.

All six teams play a fifty-game round-robin schedule. The LIDOM season runs from October through December. The post-season consists of the teams with the top four records playing each other in another round-robin format, this time matching up against each opponent a total of six times. The two teams that finish their 18-game post-season with the highest records face off in a best-of-nine showdown for the championship. The winner goes on to the Caribbean Series.

• Location: Venezuela
• Number of Teams: 8
• Championship: League Championship & Caribbean World Series
• Years Active: 1946-present
• Teams:

The Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional is the highest tier of professional baseball attainable in Venezuela. The eight-team league was formed in 1945 after the game exploded in popularity after the world championships were played in Havana, Cuba. The South American country attracted players from all through the Caribbean and the US at this time, since their league was much more integrated. They even brought over Hall of Famer Satchel Paige.

Each team plays 63 games during the Venezuelan regular season. This means each of the eight teams plays every opponent nine times. At the conclusion of the campaign, the franchises are ranked in order of their records. The top six teams advance to the post-season.

The first round sees the first-place team play the sixth, the second-ranked squad faces the fifth, while the third and fourth match up. The first three teams to win four games advance to the next round. Then, the two best teams that lost in the first round play each other for one last wildcard spot.

In the second round, the top-seeded team plays the wildcard, while the second- and third-ranked teams meet up with each other. The winners of those two best-of-seven series then match up in the finals. One last seven-game series is played before the Venezuelan League Champion is determined. That club then moves on to compete in the Caribbean Cup against other champs.

• Location: Colombia
• Number of Teams: 4
• Championship: League Championship
• Years Active: 1948-1958, 1979-1988, 1994-present
• Teams:

Colombia’s top baseball league consists of four teams and plays in the winter, from October to January. This association is quite a bit behind other Latin American countries when it comes to skill and talent. While they’ve been accepted into the Caribbean Confederation of Professional Baseball, their teams are not yet allowed to compete for the Caribbean Series until their level of play improves.

The winter league is owned by the Renteria Foundation, a charity created by former MLB shortstop Edgar Renteria. Initially, there were six franchises who would play 50 games each, with the top four advancing to an additional post-season round-robin. But now, with only four clubs, it’s unclear whether or not everyone qualifies for the playoffs.

In the playoffs, the remaining teams each play 12 more games. The squads that emerge with the two best records then face off in the league championship. Caimanes de Barranquilla is currently the most successful team in the league with eight titles, though they’ve yet to be able to test themselves against the Caribbean Series sides.

• Location: Mexico
• Number of Teams: 16
• Championship: Serie del Rey
• Years Active: 1925-present
• Teams:

The Mexican Baseball League is a sixteen-team group that’s classified as an AAA minor-league organization. The sixteen clubs are split into two units of eight, divided by North and South divisions. Teams play 114 games each in the regular season. At the conclusion of the regular season, the teams with the five best records in each division advance to the playoffs.

The playoffs go on for four rounds with best-of-seven series all along the way. Once a champion is crowned in each division, the two squads meet up in the Serie Del Rey. One last best-of-seven showdown takes place, with the winner claiming that year’s Copa de Zaachila, the championship cup.

They’ve won sixteen titles and 22 division championships since being founded in 1940. As an AAA league, the winner of their tournament does not go on to compete in the Caribbean Series.

• Location: Mexico
• Number of Teams: 8
• Championship: Liga Mexicana del Pacífico Champion & Caribbean World Series
• Years Active: 1945-present
• Teams:

The Mexican Pacific League is an independent association that plays their ball in the winters. The eight-team league plays from October through December. Each year, the league champion advances to the Caribbean Series to compete with other Latin American countries from the Caribbean and South America.

Four different Pacific League franchises have advanced to the Caribbean Series and won on two separate occasions, most recently in 2002. The best team historically has been Naranjeros de Hermosillo, with sixteen titles including two Caribbean Series champions, the most recent of which came in 2014.

• Location: Italy
• Number of Teams: 8
• Championship: Italian Baseball Series (Scudetto)
• Years Active: 1948 – Present
• Teams:

The Italian Baseball League is considered the highest level of play in all of Europe. There are eight teams, each of which plays 42 regular-season games. Their schedule is organized into a sequence of three-game series, and they compete in two rounds against each team, giving them a total of six games against each opponent.

The four teams that finish the season with the best record advance to the post-season. Those four clubs then do another round-robin playoff against only each other. When all the games are played, the two squads with the best records move on to the championship. The final series is best-of-seven, with the winner taking home the Scudetto.

There are three Major League Baseball players that competed in the Italian League. Jason Simontacchi pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals from 2002 – 2007 with a win-loss record of 26-17 and a 5.09 ERA. Chuck Carr played for Rimini before playing in the MLB for eight years. In 1993, he was the National League’s stolen base leader. The last noteworthy Italian League player is Junior Guerra. Junior is Venezuelan but pitched for T & A San Marino before he was picked up by the Brewers.

• Location: Australia and New Zealand
• Number of Teams: 8
• Championship: Championship Series – Claxton Shield
• Years Active: 2009 – Present
• Teams:

The Australian Baseball League was founded in 2009, though it carries the name of an earlier league that folded in 1999. Like the previous organization, the winners of the modern ABL are awarded the Claxton Cup. This league is another of baseball’s winter leagues, which gives MLB franchises another place to stash prospects and get them some reps during the offseason. In fact, prior to 2016-17, Major League Baseball owned 75% of the league.