First division and second division are terms in the sport of

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

referring to rankings within a league. Teams ranked in the top half of the league standings table (e.g. the top four teams in an eight-team league) are said to be in the "first division", while teams in the bottom half of the standings are said to be in the "second division". The term was once closely associated with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB). However, since the introduction of a divisional structure by MLB in , usage of the term is now uncommon. Within MLB, the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

finished in the first division for a record 39 consecutive seasons (1926–1964) while, by comparison, the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

once finished in the second division for 20 seasons in a row (1947–1966).

MLB Players' Pool

{{Unreferenced, section, date=June 2008 In MLB before 1969—the establishment of divisions within each league—players on teams finishing in the first division received monetary shares from the Players' Pool, which was funded by gate receipts from that year's

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 World Series, 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The ...

. The team winning the World Series received 42% of this money, the team losing the World Series got 28%, and the second-, third- and fourth-place teams in each league were awarded 7.5%, 5% and 2.5%, respectively. With the realignment of both leagues into two geographically based divisions in 1969, the terms "first division" and "second division" quickly fell into disuse—largely because the word "division" had acquired a completely different meaning—although teams finishing in the top half of the standings (the first three teams in each of the new divisions) continued to share in the Players' Pool. The distribution of the Players' Pool money was also changed with the introduction of divisional play, with the World Series winner henceforth getting 36% of the pool, its loser 27%, the losers of the League Championship Series 12.5% each, the second-place teams in the divisions 2.375% each, and the third-place teams .625% each. In 1991, these shares were revised to 36%, 24%, 12%, 3% and 1% respectively, and when both major leagues realigned again in 1995 (each league now consisting of three divisions, the winners thereof plus one wild card team in each league reaching the postseason), the 3% shares went to teams losing in the

Division Series The Division Series is the quarterfinal round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Four series are played in this round, two each for both the American League and the National League. 1981 season The first use of the term "Division Series" date ...

and the 1% shares went to the teams that finished second in their division but did not earn a wild card. Baseball terminology