The Chicago Suburban Baseball League (formerly the Northwest Suburban League) was organized in 1983. In January of that year, Dave Ciarrachi, manager of the Park Ridge Orioles, formed the league at the suggestion of one his players, Larry Kurkowski. The two of them envisioned a small league of excellent teams who would provide one another with a summer of competitive games. The charter organizations that joined the Orioles included the Elk Grove Pioneers, Park Ridge Barnstormers, Skokie Indians, Addison Braves, and Northbrook Hornets. Of those teams, only the Park Ridge Orioles (now called "Lombard Orioles") and the Addison Braves remain with the league.

The CSBL started out allowing the use of aluminum bats. But, in 1999, it made the move to wood bats and has never looked back. At the same time, the league adopted American League Baseball rules, thereby elimnating hybrid rules like courtesy runners.