A Brief History of Baseball Expansion
How the National Pastime Almost Doubled Its Size in Half a Century
Apr 7, 2009
From 1901 through 1960, there were sixteen teams in Major League Baseball. Eight in the American League and eight in the National League. There were no divisions in either league, just one set of standings for all eight teams, first through eighth.
The 1961 and 1962 Major League Baseball Expansion
In 1961, the American League added the Los Angeles Angels to the mix. That same year, the Washington Senators, who had been in existence since 1899, moved their franchise to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and renamed the team the Twins.
Meanwhile, back in the nation’s capital, the American League granted a franchise to a new Washington Senators, who also debuted in 1961.
In 1962, the National League added two teams, the Houston Colt .45s (who changed their name to the Astros in 1965), and the New York Metropolitans. In two years, big league baseball had expanded to twenty teams, ten in each league.
Four More Teams Added in 1969
The new status quo remained until 1969, when the San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos joined the National League and the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots debuted in the American League. The Pilots moved to Milwaukee in 1970 and changed their name to the Milwaukee Brewers.
There were now 24 teams. Prior to the 1969 season, the leagues also split into divisions, East and West, which looked like this:
American League East (1969-1976)
New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers
American League West (1969-1976)
Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s, California Angels, Kansas City Royals, Washington Senators (who moved in 1972 and became the Texas Rangers)
National League East
Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos
National League West
Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds
1977 Expansion
In 1977, the American League expanded again, adding a team in Seattle to the West Division, and another in Toronto in the East Division.
1993 Expansion and 1994 Realignment
In 1993, MLB decided it was time to move into South Florida and the Rocky Mountains. The National League added the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies.
In 1994, Commissioner Bud Selig realigned both leagues, creating three divisions in each circuit. From 1994 through 1997, the leagues now looked like this.
American League East
Yankees, Red Sox , Blue Jays, Orioles, Tigers, Brewers
American League Central
White Sox, Indians, Royals, Brewers, Twins
American League West
Rangers, Mariners, Angels, A's
National League East
Phillies, Braves, Mets, Marlins, Expos (who moved to Washington, D.C. and changed their name to the Nationals in 2005)
National League Central
Cubs, Reds, Astros, Cardinals, Brewers
National League West
Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Rockies
1998 Expansion and Moving the Brewers to The National League
The most recent expansion came in 1998, when the Arizona Diamondbacks joined the National League and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were added to the American League. Also that year, the Milwaukee Brewers were moved to the National League Central. Accordingly, the new (and current) division alignment looks as follows.
American League East
Yankees, Red Sox , Blue Jays, Orioles, Rays
American League Central
White Sox, Indians, Royals, Tigers, Twins
American League West
Rangers, Mariners, Angels, A's
National League East
Phillies, Nationals, Braves, Mets, Marlins
National League Central
Cubs, Reds, Astros, Cardinals, Brewers
National League West
Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Rockies, Diamondbacks
. . . and that is how we got here.
