From 1903, when the American and National Leagues first began to make peace with playing the first modern World Series, through 1952, the leagues had been remarkably stable. No franchise had moved and none had failed, though some had come close to bankruptcy during the Depression.
That all began to change in the 1950s. Some teams had trouble competing in two-team markets. The West Coast began to become an attractive proposition with air travel, and so teams began to explore the possibility of moving.
This photo shows a moment in time that was right at the beginning of those moves.