The Cincinnati Reds will face the New York Yankees this weekend. In the first season where they will face every Major League Baseball team. Presenting an opportunity to reflect on MLB interleague play’s quirky history.

Of all the Reds interleague home series the Reds will have this year. The upcoming series against the Yankees has been the most heavily marketed by the Reds. Unsurprising given the Yankees history and their national following. The Reds will also use the series to debut their “City Connect” uniforms. This weekend’s series will showcase a major reason why MLB is expanding interleague play.

This provides fans with a chance to see more of baseball’s big stars face their favorite team. Baseball has had to contend with the notion that many fans primarily follow their favorite team. Expanding interleague play provides MLB with a chance to broaden it’s national appeal. To baseball fans under 30 like yours truly, interleague play has been a consistent but unusual part of an MLB season. The way MLB has approached interleague play historically differs from other major sports leagues.

Despite being the oldest of the major leagues. Major League Baseball didn’t introduce interleague regular season play until 1997. Prior to then, the only interleague games would be in Spring Training, the All-Star Game and the World Series. The term interleague play describes a key reason for MLB’s approach. Prior to 2000, the American and National Leagues were fully separate entities. With their own unique rules but still unified by baseball’s crown jewel events. Hence the reason why the A.L. had a designated hitter for several decades while the N.L. didn’t.

The leagues didn’t even play the same number of regular season games in 1961. That year, National League teams played 154 games and American League teams played 162. Ironically, the Reds and Yankees faced each other in the World Series that year. Interleague play was proposed several times prior to 1997. The earliest proposal dates back to the 1930’s. The 1994 players strike ultimately helped bring interleague play into existence. As MLB was looking for ways to give baseball a post-strike boost.

For most of interleague play’s existence, teams primarily played their geographically closest interleague rivals. Interleague play gradually expanded as the years went by. Then in 2020’s pandemic-shortened season, teams faced opponents from their regionally corresponding interleague division. With the Reds facing opponents from the American League Central. History has showcased, times of crisis for baseball has aided interleague play’s expansion. Last year’s lockout helped give birth to the biggest expansion of interleague play yet. Other leagues equivalent of interleague play has a less quirky history.

Interconference play has been a part of the NFL’s schedule since 1970. With interconference play factored in as part of it’s scheduling formula. Next season, the Cincinnati Bengals will face five opponents from the National Football Conference. Four will be from the NFC West, the other will be it’s Week 15 home game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bengals three preseason games will be against NFC opponents too. They will host the Green Bay Packers on August 11th. Then face the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders on the road.

Interconference play has been a consistent part of the National Hockey League’s schedule. It’s been a long-established part of the National Basketball Association’s schedule. In soccer, FC Cincinnati’s first match as an MLS team was against a non-conference opponent. Geography is the key driver in how those leagues are organized. With the NHL, NBA and MLS divided into eastern and western conferences.

The N.L. recently introducing a designated hitter lessens the differences between them and the A.L. Perhaps the lessened differences will help the N.L. in future All-Star Games. The National League has only won three dating back to 1997. That kind of disparity hasn’t been the case in the World Series. The leagues are 13-13 in the World Series dating back to 1997.

Despite resisting interleague play for decades, its introduction didn’t bring about disaster for baseball. It’s expansion this year will give Reds fans a chance to see Aaron Judge in Cincinnati. This weekend, if the Reds can manage to win two out of three against the Yankees. Which is what the Reds did last year at Yankees Stadium. That could help give the Reds and their fans a confidence boost. Doing so this weekend could even be considered more impressive than last year’s series win. Since the Reds will play this weekend with a less experienced roster compared to last year.