One of two components (alongside the National League) of
Major League Baseball. Formed at the beginning of the
20th Century, it was briefly a rival to the National, before serious interleague
warfare was resolved with a
merger. Now there's little to differentiate the two leagues, except for the
designated hitter, and they will perhaps be little more than a memory in a few years, as MLB continues its oft-pointless reorganization efforts.
Also an old school way to denote the American Hockey League; the NHL was called the "National League".