MLB
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Major League Baseball |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Sports |
MLB has two meanings. It stands for Major League Baseball (sports league and organization) or Middle linebacker (American football).
Meanings of MLB at a glance
| # | MLB stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Major League Baseball | Sports › Sports League and Organization |
| 2 | Middle linebacker | Sports › American Football |
1. Major League Baseball
Sports · Sports League and Organization Abbreviations
Highest level of professional baseball, consisting of 30 clubs split evenly between the American League and the National League. Each team plays 162 regular-season games from late March to late September, and a 12-team postseason ends with the World Series in late October.
Example: An MLB scout clocked the high school pitcher at 98 miles per hour at a showcase in Georgia.
The National League dates to 1876 and the American League to 1901; the two kept separate league offices until 2000, when they were merged into a single organization. The commissioner's office was created in 1920 after the Black Sox scandal. A pitch clock introduced in 2023 cut the average game by more than 20 minutes. Twenty-nine clubs are in the US and one, the Toronto Blue Jays, is in Canada.
2. Middle linebacker
Sports · American Football Abbreviations
Central linebacker in a 4-3 defense, typically the defensive signal-caller who wears the radio helmet and reads the offense to fill running lanes. Called the "Mike" linebacker in many playbooks.
Example: The MLB relays the defensive call from the sideline through his helmet radio.
Only one defensive player on the field may have a radio-equipped helmet, marked by a green dot, and it is usually the MLB. In 3-4 schemes two inside linebackers (ILB) replace the single middle linebacker. Elsewhere MLB almost always means Major League Baseball.
Related abbreviations
More sports league and organization abbreviations
- KHL – Kontinental Hockey League
- LIV – LIV Golf (Roman numeral 54)
- LPGA – Ladies Professional Golf Association
- MiLB – Minor League Baseball
- MLBPA – Major League Baseball Players Association
- MLS – Major League Soccer
- NAIA – National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
- NASCAR – National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
See all 63 sports league and organization abbreviations →