The only reason the Field of Dreams game was the first MLB game in Iowa is because MLB has - in my view, wrongly - neglected to recognize the National Association as the first major leaguehttps://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ROK/1871.shtml …
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The NA was certainly not "major league" compared to 20th century levels of competition, but in 1871 it was the first professional baseball league; the first American pro sports league. Many of its stars went straight to the NL in 1876, some of them Hall of Famers.
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Replying to @baseballcrank
The 1875 NA and 1876 NL are effectively the same league. Literally the only reason for stating otherwise in 1969 was so that an existing league could be designated first. This is made plain by the inclusion of jokes like the Union Association among the majors.
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The UA's claim to be a major league is way more tenuous than that of the NA.
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