1998 Major League Baseball expansion the American League. Following that transaction, MLB consequently altered its season structure so as to include interleague play throughout the regular season. 1998 Major League Baseball expansion The 1998 Major League Baseball expansion resulted in the establishment of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s 29th and 30th teams beginning play for the 1998 season. After initiating an expansion committee in March 1994, 27 groups representing nine cities submitted bids for the proposed expansion teams. After a yearlong process, on March 9, 1995, the league awarded the National League franchise to Phoenix and the American League franchise to Tampa. The Arizona Diamondbacks and
Sports in the Tampa Bay Area play in Major League Baseball (MLB). Additionally, six MLB teams hold their spring training camps in the area. A number of minor league franchises play in the region as well, including the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the United Soccer League, and four minor league baseball teams competing in the Class-A Florida State League. In intercollegiate sports, the University of South Florida Bulls compete in NCAA Division I, while Eckerd College, Saint Leo University and the University of Tampa compete in NCAA Division II. Professional football first arrived in the Tampa Bay area in 1964, when the American Football League staged