Alex Rodriguez plays a sport.
Alex Rodriguez . The 10-year , $ 252 million contract he signed was the richest in baseball history . The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs , or simply the American League ( AL ) , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball ( MLB ) in the United States and Canada . Baseball . By the late 19th century , baseball was widely recognized as the national sport of the United States . Batting average is a statistic in cricket , baseball , and softball that measures the performance of batsmen in cricket and batters in baseball .