# Lahman Baseball Database

> Free downloadable database of major league baseball batting, pitching, fielding, standings, managers and postseason records from 1871 through 2025, including Negro Leagues.

Canonical page: https://sportdex.net/providers/lahman-baseball-database/  
Last checked: 2026-11-03  
SportDex Score: 48/100 (rank 69; popularity 31, community n/a, transparency 75, developer experience 50)

## Facts
- Type: Free / open data
- Website: https://sabr.org/lahman-database/
- Documentation: https://sabr.org/lahman-database/
- Pricing page: unknown
- Country: United States
- Sports: Baseball
- Data types: Historical data, Player stats, Results, Standings, Team stats
- Protocols: CSV download
- Delivery: CSV download
- Live / in-play: no
- Free tier: yes
- Cheapest public paid plan: not public
- Key competitions: MLB, Negro Leagues
- Authentication: none

## Plans
| Plan | Price | Requests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free download | Free | — | SQL, Access and CSV versions |

## Who it is for

Best for: Baseball analysts and students who want free historical MLB batting, pitching, fielding and standings data from 1871 on, as CSV or SQL files.

Not ideal for: Live or current-game data and API-style access; it is an annual downloadable dataset, and the dataset license is not stated on saved pages.

Use cases: Historical baseball analysis; Teaching and research projects; Sabermetrics models

Limitations:
- Annual download, not an API
- No live or in-season data
- Dataset license not stated on saved pages
- SABR site terms bar scraping and commercial exploitation of site content

## Quick answers

**What is Lahman Baseball Database best for?** Baseball analysts and students who want free historical MLB batting, pitching, fielding and standings data from 1871 on, as CSV or SQL files. Not ideal for: Live or current-game data and API-style access; it is an annual downloadable dataset, and the dataset license is not stated on saved pages.

**How much does Lahman Baseball Database cost?** Lahman Baseball Database does not publish prices on the pages we checked.

**Does Lahman Baseball Database have a free tier?** Yes. Lahman Baseball Database lists a free plan called "Free download".

**What does Lahman Baseball Database cover?** Lahman Baseball Database is a free / open data. Its sports: Baseball; data: Historical data, Player stats, Results, Standings, Team stats.

**Does Lahman Baseball Database have a WebSocket or streaming API?** No streaming is listed. Lahman Baseball Database delivers data by CSV download, so you poll for updates.

**What do developers say about Lahman Baseball Database?** Free downloadable MLB history database (1871 onward) with R and Python packages and SQL ports. Mostly cited as a data source in side projects, tutorials and chart videos, often alongside the MLB Stats API and Retrosheet. Little direct opinion; it is a static dataset, not a live API.

**What are the alternatives to Lahman Baseball Database?** Close alternatives in the SportDex catalog: NHL Records and Stats (nhlapi docs), CollegeBasketballData.com, Sportradar, FootyStats, iSports API.

## What developers say

Free downloadable MLB history database (1871 onward) with R and Python packages and SQL ports. Mostly cited as a data source in side projects, tutorials and chart videos, often alongside the MLB Stats API and Retrosheet. Little direct opinion; it is a static dataset, not a live API.

Praised for: Deep historical coverage; Packages for R and Python; Common benchmark and teaching dataset

## Method
Facts were read from the provider's own pages on 2026-11-03. Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that a feature is missing. Method: https://sportdex.net/methodology/