occupant 23rd street grounds
23rd Street Grounds , also known as State Street Grounds and 23rd Street Park , and sometimes spelled out as Twenty - third Street Grounds , was a ballpark in Chicago . In it , the Chicago White Stockings played baseball from 1874 to 1877 , the first two years in the National Association and the latter two in the ___MASK80___ . 23rd Street first hosted baseball in 1872 -- 1873 , rented out by the Chicago White Stockings as the club nursed its financial wounds following the 1871 Great Chicago Fire ( for two years following the fire , it did not field a team ) . Seven games were even relocated to Chicago by professional teams in other major cities . The Cleveland and Troy clubs played two and four home games here , respectively , in 1872 , when they were struggling economically ( both went out of business ) . The Boston Red Stockings played one in 1873 when they were flourishing . The grounds was on a block bounded by 23rd Street , State Street , 22nd Street ( now Cermak Road ) and what is now Federal Street . No illustration is known to survive , but contemporary newspaper descriptions imply that the diamond was in the north end of the block ; a line drawn from home plate through the pitcher ' s mound and second base would have pointed south . If so , fair territory would probably have been shaped like a modern five - sided `` home plate '' . ( Home plate was square in shape at that time . ) It has been discussed in Green Cathedrals , Philip J . Lowry ' s book on American baseball venues . The final game played at this park was on Saturday , October 6th , 1877 . Chicago defeated Louisville 4 - 0 behind a shutout effort from hurler Laurie Reis . The final home run at the grounds was hit four days earlier by Lip Pike of Cincinnati . At the end of each ___MASK51___ season , the league leaders of various statistical categories are announced . Leading the league in a particular category is referred to as a " title ". The ___MASK80___ of Professional Baseball Clubs , known simply as the ___MASK80___ ( NL ), is the older of two leagues constituting ___MASK51___ ( MLB ) in the United States and Canada , and the world ' s oldest current professional team sports league . Founded on February 2 , 1876 , to replace the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , it is sometimes called the Senior Circuit , in contrast to MLB ' s other league , the American League , which was founded 25 years later . Both leagues currently have 15 teams . The two league champions of 1903 arranged to compete against each other in the inaugural World Series . After the 1904 champions failed to reach a similar agreement , the two leagues formalized the World Series as an arrangement between the leagues . ___MASK80___ teams have won 48 of the 112 World Series contested from 1903 to 2016 . The 2016 ___MASK80___ champions are the ___MASK54___ . The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players ( NAPBBP ), or simply the National Association ( NA ), was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season . It succeeded and incorporated several professional clubs from the National Association of Base Ball Players ( NABBP ); in turn several of its clubs created the succeeding ___MASK80___ of Professional Baseball Clubs . The ___MASK54___ are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago , Illinois . The Cubs compete in ___MASK51___ ( MLB ) as a member club of the National League ( NL ) Central division , where they are the defending World Series champions . The team plays its home games at Wrigley Field , located on the city ' s North Side . The Cubs are one of two major league teams in Chicago ; the other , the Chicago White Sox , is a member of the American League ( AL ) Central division . The team , first known as the White Stockings , was a founding member of the NL in 1876 , becoming the ___MASK54___ in 1903 . The World Series is the annual championship series of ___MASK51___ ( MLB ) in North America , contested since 1903 between the American League ( AL ) champion team and the National League ( NL ) champion team . The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best - of - seven playoff , and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner ' s Trophy . As the series is played in October ( and occasionally November ), during the autumn season in North America , it is often referred to as the Fall Classic . The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs , or simply the American League ( AL ), is one of two leagues that make up ___MASK51___ ( MLB ) in the United States and Canada . It developed from the Western League , a minor league based in the Great Lakes states , which eventually aspired to major league status . It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season , 25 years after the formation of the National League ( the " Senior Circuit ").