In January 1885, the National Association and the American Association sat down to hammer out an agreement for "a new day for baseball". For one thing, they agreed to spell it "baseball", one word. For another, they would unite and "crush the Union".
Both leagues would expand to 20 teams by adding four new clubs; in the National, the new squads would be the
Detroit Tigers (opposing the UA's Detroit Wolverines),
Rochester Red Wings,
Richmond Rebels and
Minneapolis Millers (right across the river from the St. Paul Saints of the Union).
The AA would add the
Albany Dutchmen, Paterson Silk Sox, Fall River Marksmen and
Scranton Miners.
And that wasn't all: the two associations would experiment with something called "promotion and relegation", in which the bottom three teams in the NA standings each year would move to the AA, while the top three in the American would join the National. [
Editor's note: I'll probably introduce some exemptions, so big cities can "buy" their way out of relegation.]
Also, with the popularity of the Cup competitions, both leagues will alter the quarterfinals into a best-of-three and the semifinal into a best-of-five, while both Cup Finals will be best-of-seven affairs. (The UA will follow suit.)
Ready? Let's play ball!