After the Black Sox

Introduction
This timeline explores the history of Major League Baseball after the American League and National League dissolved its relationship following the 1920 season during the fallout of the Black Sox gambling scandal.

In our timeline, following the 1920 season, Major League Baseball clubs begrudgingly agreed to install Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as baseball's first commissioner, giving him complete ruling authority over the sport. Before this agreement took place, though, the American League and National League nearly severed ties after quibbling over the merits of "The Lasker Plan," originated by Chicago Cubs shareholder Albert Lasker, which proposed the creation of a three-man tribunal comprised of "three men of such unquestionable reputation in fields other than baseball."

All eight National League clubs, as well as three American League clubs (Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees - known was the "Insurrectos") supported the plan. American League President Ban Johnson, alongside "the loyal five" American League clubs were not in favor of the plan. The Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees threatened to move to the National League, all of which supported a complete re-organization of baseball.

In this timeline, the Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees join the National League, which forge a 12-team league with Landis as its commissioner. The American League, with the world champion Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators, add new clubs in Chicago, New York and Boston to forge forward as a new, unaffiliated eight-team major league.

Point of divergence
'''Kansas City, Mo. - '''November 9, 1920

In a letter dated October 29, 1920, American League President Ban Johnson sent a letter to all National League clubs and the three "insurrecto" American League clubs, denouncing the "Lasker Plan" and instead proposing a nine-member board of control, consisting of three American League representatives, three National League representatives, and three National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (minor leagues) representatives.

Not heeding the suggestion, on November 8, 1920, National League clubs along with the three "insurrectos" of the American League met in Chicago. The 11 clubs unanimously selected Judge Landis as Chairman for the proposed three-member Board of Control of professional baseball. In doing so, it also announced that it would create a 12-club league under Landis's chairmanship, consisting of the 11 clubs and the first American League team to defect and join the National League under the governance of the Board of Control.

The move by the National League, in addition to addressing the goal of rooting out gambling in baseball, also stripped Johnson of the power he had held for two decades, when his upstart American League made a successful challenge to the National League in 1901. By 1920, most baseball men had tired of Johnson, though the "Loyal Five" stood beside him in the National League's hostile takeover of the game.

On November 9, a day after the "New National League" was announced, Johnson addressed the minor leagues convention in Kansas City, urging them to not take any action that would be partisan to either side of the impending baseball war. He also announced that new American League clubs would be located in Chicago, Boston and New York.

In urging the minor leagues to "not take sides," Johnson eliminated the only allies he would have had in mounting a successful defense of the National League's move to create a commissioner position for Landis. Two days later, the "baseball war" was settled.

What if Johnson had urged the minor leagues to take sides? Would several clubs and/or leagues heed his advice and partner with the new American League?

History
{| class="article-table" ! colspan="2" |

Major League Baseball Seasons (Before PoD)
{| class="article-table" ! colspan="2" |
 * 1870s
 * 1876 • 1877 • 1878 • 1879
 * 1880s
 * 1880 • 1881 • 1882 • 1883 • 1884 • 1885 • 1886 • 1887 • 1888 • 1889
 * 1890s
 * 1890 • 1891 • 1892 • 1893 • 1894 • 1895 • 1896 • 1897 • 1898 • 1899
 * 1900s
 * 1900 • 1901 • 1902 • 1903 • 1904 • 1905 • 1906 • 1907 • 1908 • 1909
 * 1910s
 * 1910 • 1911 • 1912 • 1913 • 1914 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 • 1918 • 1919
 * }
 * 1900 • 1901 • 1902 • 1903 • 1904 • 1905 • 1906 • 1907 • 1908 • 1909
 * 1910s
 * 1910 • 1911 • 1912 • 1913 • 1914 • 1915 • 1916 • 1917 • 1918 • 1919
 * }
 * }

Major League Baseball Seasons (After PoD)

 * colspan="2" |Note: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
 * 1920s
 * 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929 • 1930
 * }
 * 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929 • 1930
 * }

Timeline of events

 * 1919: The Chicago White Sox throw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds
 * 1920: The Black Sox Scandal & the breakup of the Major Leagues

OTL to ATL differences

 * The modern era of baseball is considered to have begun in 1921, after the breakup and subsequent expansion of both the American League and National League
 * Modern-day baseball is governed by a promotion and relegation system similar to The Premier League in English football.
 * The World Series was halted after 1920 once the leagues broke up. It did not resume until the Major League merger in 1948, when the World Series resumed.