A Brief History of Baseball

In celebration of the Chicago White Sox rare participation in post-season play, I am taking a short break from politics to present the following in-depth study of America's favorite past-time, an obsession of mine since childhood.

While many consider 1901 to mark the beginning of baseball's Modern Era, I consider it to be 1903 instead. Why? Because 1903 marked the first modern World Series ever played, as well as the moving of the franchise that would later be known as the New York Yankees from Baltimore to New York. After 1903, all National League and American League franchises became quite stable, with none of them changing city or league affiliations for decades to come (although team nicknames would sometimes change).

Originally, each of the leagues consisted of eight teams...

The NL:

Boston Beaneaters (later known as the Braves)
Brooklyn Superbas (later known as the Dodgers)
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
New York Giants
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

The AL:

Boston Pilgrims (later known as the Red Sox)
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Naps (later known as the Indians)
Detroit Tigers
New York Highlanders (later known as the Yankees)
Philadelphia Athletics
St. Louis Browns
Washington Senators

The first World Series, played in October of 1903, saw the upstart Boston Pilgrims upset the heavily favored and much longer-established Pittsburgh Pirates 5 games to 3. No World Series was played in 1904, but the rivalry between the NL and AL was renewed for good in 1905, a tradition carried on through two World Wars and the Great Depression and interrupted only once since, by a labor strife in 1994, the only year since 1904 with no post-season. (The outcome of the 1919 World Series was affected by players who agreed to throw it for money, but I will go into more detail on that in the next post.)

Baseball has changed and expanded many times over the years. One of the biggest changes came in 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, which marked the beginning of the end of Major League Baseball's self-imposed segregation and opened the doors to some of the greatest players of all time. In 1953, the Boston Braves, tired of competing with the rival Red Sox, became the first organization to move since before the 1903 season and headed off to Milwaukee. The following year, another two team city lost one of its franchises when the St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles, the same name used by the New York Yankees when they played there in 1901 and 1902 before moving to New York. One year later still, a third two team town, Philadelphia, said goodbye to its Athletics, who ran away to Kansas City.

After advances in travel and communications made such a thing possible, baseball followed population trends by packing up and heading west to California in 1958. The hearts of every National League fan in New York City broke when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and the New York Giants to San Francisco that same year.

With 1961 came the first expansion franchises. First, the Washington Senators were moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. The AL quickly replaced the old Washington franchise with a new one, which simply assumed the old team's nickname. Next, the AL added a Los Angeles area franchise of their very own, the Angels. Also that year, schedules were expanded to 162 games per year instead of the previously traditional 154 games.

The NL expanded the very next year, making amends to its displaced fan base in New York by creating the Mets and putting its mark on the growing State of Texas with the Houston Colt .45's, who later became known as the Astros. As of 1962, the leagues looked like this...

The NL:

Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Colt .45's (later known as the Astros)
Los Angeles Dodgers
Milwaukee Braves
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Francisco Giants
St. Louis Cardinals

The AL:

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Athletics
Los Angeles Angels
Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees
Washington Senators

The biggest changes in 1965 were cosmetic, the Colt .45's were now called the Astros and the Los Angeles Angels decided for the first (but by no means last) time to fiddle with their geographical moniker, opting to be called the California Angels instead. (They would become the Anaheim Angels in 1997 and then the awkwardly named Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005.) A bigger change followed in 1966, as the Braves moved a second time, this time to Atlanta. Two years later, another team that had already moved once before, the Kansas City Athletics, shuffled off to Oakland.

Many of the biggest changes so far came in 1969. Both leagues rolled out two new teams: the AL unveiled the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots, while the NL brought forth the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos, baseball's first franchise to be located outside of the United States. Because both leagues now consisted of 12 teams, divisional play was introduced, and with it came an extra round of post-season play, the first such change in modern baseball history. Purists were horrified, but the game lived on, now looking like this...

The NL East:

Chicago Cubs
Montreal Expos
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

The NL West:

Atlanta Braves
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

(Why Chicago and St. Louis are considered to be east of Cincinnati and Atlanta is just one of those great mysteries of life to those of us who know how to read a map, but there you have it.)

The AL East:

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
New York Yankees
Washington Senators

The AL West:

California Angels
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Pilots

The NL would remain unchanged for sometime to come, but the AL was still undergoing metamorphosis. In 1970, the brand new Seattle Pilots (whom you will be forgiven for never having heard of) headed east after just one season and landed in Milwaukee, where they became known as the Brewers, a franchise that would travel to new divisions many more times without ever physically moving again. The first such shift came in 1972, after the latest incarnation of the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers - Texas was shifted to the AL West and the Brewers to the AL East. (The Brewers are the only team ever to belong to all three AL divisions, playing in the AL Central from its inception in 1994, until they shifted leagues and were moved to the NL Central in 1998. They are also the only team to ever play in as many as 4 separate divisions for you trivia buffs.)

In 1973, the AL introduced the Designated Hitter Rule, allowing teams to have someone else bat for the Pitcher, traditionally the weakest spot in any lineup. The NL has never adopted such a rule. This rule remains one the most controversial changes to baseball to this very day, with its merits hotly disputed among fans and players alike. To resolve the issue in interleague play, the DH is used by both teams when playing on an AL team's home field and by neither team when playing on an NL team's home field.

The next major changes came about in 1977, when two new AL franchises, the Toronto Blue Jays (the AL's first trip across the U.S. border) and Seattle Mariners were born. This would be the last major change for baseball for 16 years, with the leagues remaining unevenly balanced, 14 teams in the AL, 12 in the NL...

The NL East:

Chicago Cubs
Montreal Expos
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

The NL West:

Atlanta Braves
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

The AL East:

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays

The AL West:

California Angels
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

In 1981, a mid-season players' strike, only the second of its kind (a very brief stoppage had occurred in 1972), caused a peculiarity with post-season play. Major League Baseball decided to split the season into two halves (pre-strike and post-strike) and awarded division titles to the winners of each half, creating an extra round of playoffs. It also meant that the two teams with the best overall records in the NL that year, the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals, missed the playoffs entirely, while one team that was sub-.500 overall, but had managed to capture the second-half AL West title, the Kansas City Royals, were in!

In 1993, the NL caught up to the AL in size by adding the Colorado Rockies (NL West) and Florida Marlins (NL East). The very next year, however, baseball changed its format again and divided each league into three divisions rather than two, while adding an additional round to the playoffs with a Wild Card system that would now allow the team in each league with the best record that did not win their own division to play in the post-season with each of the three division champions. This system would not see the light of day until the following year, however, due to another players' strike that prematurely ended the season and caused the cancellation of post-season play for the first time, almost destroying baseball in the process.

The newly divided leagues, which did have the added benefit of fixing the NL's mapping irregularities, were as follows...

The NL East:

Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Montreal Expos
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies

The NL Central:

Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

The NL West:

Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

The AL East:

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Detroit Tigers
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays

The AL Central:

Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Royals
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins

The AL West:

California Angels
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

Play resumed in 1995, but fans were slow to return. To help lure the fans back, Major League Baseball introduced regular season interleague play, on a limited basis, in 1997. In 1998, baseball rolled the dice on another expansion by adding the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks. Accommodating these two new teams, however, would be tricky. For one thing, each league wanted one new franchise, which would mean 15 teams in each league. An uneven number of teams would mean constant interleague play or one team in each league remaining idle for days at a time. To fix the problem, baseball's own traveling circus, the Milwaukee Brewers, were shifted to the NL, which would now have 16 teams, including one six team division, while the AL would continue to make do with 14 teams, including one four team division. Tampa Bay was put into the AL East, while Detroit was shifted to the AL Central. Milwaukee became part of the NL Central and Arizona was added to the NL West.

The final change to the current make-up of Major League Baseball happened just this past year, when the much unloved Montreal Expos finally took a hint from their ridiculously miniscule attendance figures and transferred to Washington, D.C., where they are now known to the world as the Nationals. Thus continued the trend of baseball eventually returning to any city that formerly had hosted a franchise since 1903 (except, of course, for Montreal).

The current divisions are made up as follows...

The NL East:

Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals

The NL Central:

Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

The NL West:

Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

The AL East:

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Toronto Blue Jays

The AL Central:

Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins

The AL West:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

In an upcoming post, I will examine the peculiar suffering of fans of teams that just can't seem to win, including a certain team from the South Side of Chicago (among others).

UPDATE: The follow-up post is ready...

The Frustration Factor

UPDATE #2: A second follow-up post...

The Pantheon of Pain


******************************

What follows is the 1903-Present post-season achievements (or lack thereof) of all current Major League Baseball franchises, listed in order of their evolution since 1903, with ties decided by geographical alphabetical order.

NOTES: The second parenthetical number on the first line of each listing is the number of seasons played in the team's current manifestation. No division titles are awarded for the lost season of 1994.

UPDATED 10/9/05 to reflect results of 2005 ALDS & NLDS
UPDATED 10/27/05 to reflect results of 2005 ALCS, NLCS & World Series


Boston Red Sox (1903) (103)
[aka Boston Pilgrims 1903-06]

World Series Championships (6)
2004, 1918, 1916, 1915, 1912, 1903

AL Pennants (11)
2004, 1986, 1975, 1967, 1946, 1918, 1916, 1915, 1912, 1904*, 1903

AL Championship Series Appearances (7) [1969-2005]
2004, 2003, 1999, 1990, 1988, 1986, 1975

AL East Titles (5) [1969-2005]
1995, 1990, 1988, 1986, 1975

AL Wild Cards (5) [1995-2005]
2005, 2004, 2003, 1999, 1998

*No World Series was played in 1904. Boston Pilgrims won AL Title, NY Giants won NL Title.


Chicago Cubs (1903) (103)

World Series Championships (2)
1908, 1907

NL Pennants (10)
1945, 1938, 1935, 1932, 1929, 1918, 1910, 1908, 1907, 1906

NL Championship Series Appearances (3) [1969-2005]
2003, 1989, 1984

NL East Titles (2) [1969-93]
1989, 1984

NL Central Titles (1) [1995-2005]
2003

NL Wild Cards (1) [1995-2005]
1998


Chicago White Sox (1903) (103)

World Series Championships (3)
2005, 1917, 1906

AL Pennants (5)
2005, 1959, 1919*, 1917, 1906

AL Championship Series Appearances (3) [1969-2005]
2005, 1993, 1983

AL West Titles (2) [1969-93]
1993, 1983

AL Central Titles (2) [1995-2005]
2005, 2000

AL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]

*Several Chicago White Sox players were later banned from baseball for life for conspiring with professional gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.


Cincinnati Reds (1903) (103)
[aka Cincinnati Redlegs 1954-59]

World Series Championships (5)
1990, 1976, 1975, 1940, 1919*

NL Pennants (9)
1990, 1976, 1975, 1972, 1970, 1961, 1940, 1939, 1919

NL Championship Series Appearances (8) [1969-2005]
1995, 1990, 1979, 1976, 1975, 1973, 1972, 1970

NL West Titles (7) [1969-93]
1990, 1979, 1976, 1975, 1973, 1972, 1970

NL Central Titles (1) [1995-2005]
1995

NL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]

*Several Chicago White Sox players were later banned from baseball for life for conspiring with professional gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.


Cleveland Indians (1903) (103)
[aka Cleveland Naps 1903-14]

World Series Championships (2)
1948, 1920

AL Pennants (5)
1997, 1995, 1954, 1948, 1920

AL Championship Series Appearances (3) [1969-2005]
1998, 1997, 1995

AL East Titles (0) [1969-93]

AL Central Titles (6) [1995-2005]
2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995

AL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]


Detroit Tigers (1903) (103)

World Series Championships (4)
1984, 1968, 1945, 1935

AL Pennants (9)
1984, 1968, 1945, 1940, 1935, 1934, 1909, 1908, 1907

AL Championship Series Appearances (3) [1969-2005]
1987, 1984, 1972

AL East Titles (3) [1969-1997]
1987, 1984, 1972

AL Central Titles (0) [1998-2005]

AL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]


New York Yankees (1903) (103)
[aka New York Highlanders 1903-12]

World Series Championships (26)
2000, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1978, 1977, 1962, 1961, 1958, 1956, 1953, 1952, 1951, 1950, 1949, 1947, 1943, 1941, 1939, 1938, 1937, 1936, 1932, 1928, 1927, 1923

AL Pennants (39)
2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1981, 1978, 1977, 1976, 1964, 1963, 1962, 1961, 1960, 1958, 1957, 1956, 1955, 1953, 1952, 1951, 1950, 1949, 1947, 1943, 1942, 1941, 1939, 1938, 1937, 1936, 1932, 1928, 1927, 1926, 1923, 1922, 1921

AL Championship Series Appearances (12) [1969-2005]
2004, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1981, 1980, 1978, 1977, 1976

AL East Titles (14) [1969-2005]
2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996, 1981-a*, 1980, 1978, 1977, 1976

AL Wild Cards (2) [1995-2005]
1997, 1995

*Due to a players' strike in the middle of the 1981 season, Division Titles were awarded for both the first half (pre-strike) and second half (post-strike) of the season. The two teams from each division having won a half-season title then played a Divisional Series for the right to advance to the League Championship Series.


Philadelphia Phillies (1903) (103)
[aka Philadelphia Blue Jays 1943-44]

World Series Championships (1)
1980

NL Pennants (5)
1993, 1983, 1980, 1950, 1915

NL Championship Series Appearances (6) [1969-2005]
1993, 1983, 1980, 1978, 1977, 1976

NL East Titles (7) [1969-2005]
1993, 1983, 1981-a*, 1980, 1978, 1977, 1976

NL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]

*Due to a players' strike in the middle of the 1981 season, Division Titles were awarded for both the first half (pre-strike) and second half (post-strike) of the season. The two teams from each division having won a half-season title then played a Divisional Series for the right to advance to the League Championship Series.


Pittsburgh Pirates (1903) (103)

World Series Championships (5)
1979, 1971, 1960, 1925, 1909

NL Pennants (7)
1979, 1971, 1960, 1927, 1925, 1909, 1903

NL Championship Series Appearances (9) [1969-2005]
1992, 1991, 1990, 1979, 1975, 1974, 1972, 1971, 1970

NL East Titles (9) [1969-93]
1992, 1991, 1990, 1979, 1975, 1974, 1972, 1971, 1970

NL Central Titles (0) [1995-2005]

NL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]


St. Louis Cardinals (1903) (103)

World Series Championships (9)
1982, 1967, 1964, 1946, 1944, 1942, 1934, 1931, 1926

NL Pennants (16)
2004, 1987, 1985, 1982, 1968, 1967, 1964, 1946, 1944, 1943, 1942, 1934, 1931, 1930, 1928, 1926

NL Championship Series Appearances (8) [1969-2005]
2005, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1996, 1987, 1985, 1982

NL East Titles (3) [1969-93]
1987, 1985, 1982

NL Central Titles (5) [1995-2005]
2005, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1996

NL Wild Cards (1) [1995-2005]
2001


Baltimore Orioles (1954) (52)

World Series Championships (3)
1983, 1970, 1966

AL Pennants (6)
1983, 1979, 1971, 1970, 1969, 1966

AL Championship Series Appearances (9) [1969-2005]
1997, 1996, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969

AL East Titles (8) [1969-2005]
1997, 1983, 1979, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969

AL Wild Cards (1) [1995-2005]
1996

[St. Louis Browns (1903-53) (51): 0-WS, 1-AL]


Los Angeles Dodgers (1958) (48)

World Series Championships (5)
1988, 1981, 1965, 1963, 1959

NL Pennants (9)
1988, 1981, 1978, 1977, 1974, 1966, 1965, 1963, 1959

NL Championship Series Appearances (7) [1969-2005]
1988, 1985, 1983, 1981, 1978, 1977, 1974

NL West Titles (9) [1969-2005]
2004, 1995, 1988, 1985, 1983, 1981-a**, 1978, 1977, 1974

NL Wild Cards (1) [1995-2005]
1996

[Brooklyn Dodgers* (1903-57) (55): 1-WS, 9-NL]
[*aka Brooklyn Superbas 1903-10, 1913; Brooklyn Robins 1914-31]

**Due to a players' strike in the middle of the 1981 season, Division Titles were awarded for both the first half (pre-strike) and second half (post-strike) of the season. The two teams from each division having won a half-season title then played a Divisional Series for the right to advance to the League Championship Series.


San Francisco Giants (1958) (48)

World Series Championships (0)

NL Pennants (3)
2002, 1989, 1962

NL Championship Series Appearances (4) [1969-2005]
2002, 1989, 1987, 1971

NL West Titles (6) [1969-2005]
2003, 2000, 1997, 1989, 1987, 1971

NL Wild Cards (1) [1995-2005]
2002

[New York Giants (1903-57) (55): 5-WS, 15-NL*]

*No World Series was played in 1904. Boston Pilgrims won AL Title, NY Giants won NL Title.


Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1961) (45)
[aka Los Angeles Angels 1961-64]
[aka California Angels 1965-96]
[aka Anaheim Angels 1997-2004]

World Series Championships (1)
2002

AL Pennants (1)
2002

AL Championship Series Appearances (5) [1969-2005]
2005, 2002, 1986, 1982, 1979

AL West Titles (5) [1969-2005]
2005, 2004, 1986, 1982, 1979

AL Wild Cards (1) [1995-2005]
2002


Minnesota Twins (1961) (45)

World Series Championships (2)
1991, 1987

AL Pennants (3)
1991, 1987, 1965

AL Championship Series Appearances (5) [1969-2005]
2002, 1991, 1987, 1970, 1969

AL West Titles (4) [1969-93]
1991, 1987, 1970, 1969

AL Central Titles (3) [1995-2005]
2004, 2003, 2002

AL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]

[Washington Senators* (1903-60): 1-WS, 3-AL]
[*aka Washington Nationals 1905-55]


Houston Astros (1962) (44)
[aka Houston Colt .45's 1962-64]

World Series Championships (0)

NL Pennants (1)
2005

NL Championship Series Appearances (4) [1969-2005]
2005, 2004, 1986, 1980

NL West Titles (3) [1969-93]
1986, 1981-b*, 1980

NL Central Titles (4) [1995-2005]
2001, 1999, 1998, 1997

NL Wild Cards (2) [1995-2005]
2005, 2004

*Due to a players' strike in the middle of the 1981 season, Division Titles were awarded for both the first half (pre-strike) and second half (post-strike) of the season. The two teams from each division having won a half-season title then played a Divisional Series for the right to advance to the League Championship Series.


New York Mets (1962) (44)

World Series Championships (2)
1986, 1969

NL Pennants (4)
2000, 1986, 1973, 1969

NL Championship Series Appearances (6) [1969-2005]
2000, 1999, 1988, 1986, 1973, 1969

NL East Titles (4) [1969-2005]
1988, 1986, 1973, 1969

NL Wild Cards (2) [1995-2005]
2000, 1999


Atlanta Braves (1966) (40)

World Series Championships (1)
1995

NL Pennants (5)
1999, 1996, 1995, 1992, 1991

NL Championship Series Appearances (11) [1969-2005]
2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1982, 1969

NL West Titles (5) [1969-93]
1993, 1992, 1991, 1982, 1969

NL East Titles (11) [1995-2005]
2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995

NL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]

[Milwaukee Braves (1953-65) (13): 1-WS, 2-NL]
[Boston Braves* (1903-52) (50): 1-WS, 2-NL]
[*aka Boston Beaneaters 1903-06; Boston Doves 1907-10; Boston Rustlers 1911; Boston Bees 1936-40]

Oakland Athletics (1968) (38)

World Series Championships (4)
1989, 1974, 1973, 1972

AL Pennants (6)
1990, 1989, 1988, 1974, 1973, 1972

AL Championship Series Appearances (10) [1969-2005]
1992, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1981, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971

AL West Titles (13) [1969-2005]
2003, 2002, 2000, 1992, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1981-a*, 1975, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971

AL Wild Cards (1) [1995-2005]
2001

[Kansas City Athletics (1955-67) (13): 0-WS, 0-AL]
[Philadelphia Athletics (1903-54) (52): 5-WS, 8-AL]

*Due to a players' strike in the middle of the 1981 season, Division Titles were awarded for both the first half (pre-strike) and second half (post-strike) of the season. The two teams from each division having won a half-season title then played a Divisional Series for the right to advance to the League Championship Series.


Kansas City Royals (1969) (37)

World Series Championships (1)
1985

AL Pennants (2)
1985, 1980

AL Championship Series Appearances (6)
1985, 1984, 1980, 1978, 1977, 1976

AL West Titles (7) [1969-93]
1985, 1984, 1981-b*, 1980, 1978, 1977, 1976

AL Central Titles (0) [1995-2005]

AL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]

*Due to a players' strike in the middle of the 1981 season, Division Titles were awarded for both the first half (pre-strike) and second half (post-strike) of the season. The two teams from each division having won a half-season title then played a Divisional Series for the right to advance to the League Championship Series.


San Diego Padres (1969) (37)

World Series Championships (0)

NL Pennants (2)
1998, 1984

NL Championship Series Appearances (2)
1998, 1984

NL West Titles (4)
2005, 1998, 1996, 1984

NL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]


Milwaukee Brewers (1970) (36)

World Series Championships (0)

AL Pennants (1) [1970-97]
1982

NL Pennants (0) [1998-2005]

AL Championship Series Appearances (1) [1970-97]
1982

NL Championship Series Appearances (0) [1998-2005]

AL West Titles (0) [1970-71]

AL East Titles (2) [1972-93]
1982, 1981-b*

AL Central Titles (0) [1995-97]

NL Central Titles (0) [1998-2005]

AL Wild Cards (0) [1995-97]

NL Wild Cards (0) [1998-2005]

[Seattle Pilots (1969) (1): 0-WS, 0-AL, 0-ALW]

*Due to a players' strike in the middle of the 1981 season, Division Titles were awarded for both the first half (pre-strike) and second half (post-strike) of the season. The two teams from each division having won a half-season title then played a Divisional Series for the right to advance to the League Championship Series.


Texas Rangers (1972) (34)

World Series Championships (0)

AL Pennants (0)

AL Championship Series Appearances (0)

AL West Titles (3)
1999, 1998, 1996

AL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]

[Washington Senators (1961-71) (11): 0-WS, 0-AL, 0-ALE]


Seattle Mariners (1977) (29)

World Series Championships (0)

AL Pennants (0)

AL Championship Series Appearances (3)
2001, 2000, 1995

AL West Titles (3)
2001, 1997, 1995

AL Wild Cards (1) [1995-2005]
2000


Toronto Blue Jays (1977) (29)

World Series Championships (2)
1993, 1992

AL Pennants (2)
1993, 1992

AL Championship Series Appearances (5)
1993, 1992, 1991, 1989, 1985

AL East Titles (5)
1993, 1992, 1991, 1989, 1985

AL Wild Cards (0) [1995-2005]


Colorado Rockies (1993) (13)

World Series Championships (0)

NL Pennants (0)

NL Championship Series Appearances (0)

NL West Titles (0)

NL Wild Cards (1) [1995-2005]
1995


Florida Marlins (1993) (13)

World Series Championships (2)
2003, 1997

NL Pennants (2)
2003, 1997

NL Championship Series Appearances (2)
2003, 1997

NL East Titles (0)

NL Wild Cards (2) [1995-2005]
2003, 1997


Arizona Diamondbacks (1998) (8)

World Series Championships (1)
2001

NL Pennants (1)
2001

NL Championship Series Appearances (1)
2001

NL West Titles (3)
2002, 2001, 1999

NL Wild Cards (0)


Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998) (8)

World Series Championships (0)

AL Pennants (0)

AL Championship Series Appearances (0)

AL East Titles (0)

AL Wild Cards (0)


Washington Nationals (2005) (1)

World Series Championships (0)

NL Pennants (0)

NL Championship Series Appearances (0)

NL East Titles (0)

NL Wild Cards (0)

[Montreal Expos (1969-2004) (36): 0-WS, 0-NL, 1-NLCS, 1-NLE*, 0-NLWC]

*Due to a players' strike in the middle of the 1981 season, Division Titles were awarded for both the first half (pre-strike) and second half (post-strike) of the season. The two teams from each division having won a half-season title then played a Divisional Series for the right to advance to the League Championship Series.