The following is a timeline of franchise evolution in Major League Baseball . The histories of franchises in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA), Union Association (UA), and American Association (AA) before they joined the National League (NL) are also included. In 1900 the minor league Western League renamed itself the American League (AL). All of the 1899 Western League teams were a part of the transformation with the Saint Paul Apostles moving to Chicago and to play as the White Stockings. In 1901 the AL declared itself a Major League. For its inaugural major league season the AL dropped its teams in Indianapolis, Buffalo and Minneapolis and replaced them with franchises in Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore and the Kansas City Blues moved to Washington to play as the Senators.
In 2020, Major League Baseball designated the following seven Negro leagues from 1920–1948 as major leagues:[1] Negro National League I (NNL), Eastern Colored League (ECL), American Negro League (ANL), East–West League (EWL), Negro Southern League (NSL), Negro National League II (NNL), and Negro American League (NAL).
The timeline has not yet been fully updated to reflect that designation (in addition, the timeline does not include any non-National League/American League teams which existed at the Major League level from 1876 to 1915).
The History of organizational changes section includes all leagues and which have been designated as major league by MLB, listed chronologically by founding date:
MLB timeline The first line is the formation of the National League in 1876, and the second is the transformation of the American League to a major league in 1901. The third line is the beginning of the expansion era in 1961. The fourth line marks the legal merger of the American and National Leagues into a single Major League Baseball .
World Series championships are shown with a "*", National League Pennants before the World Series are shown with a "^", and American League Pennants before the World Series "#". No World Series was played in 1904, so the pennant winners for each league are indicated. Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike , there were no pennant winners or World Series in 1994, so this year is left blank.
<timeline>
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at:1876 color:lineColor #Formation of NL
at:1901 color:lineColor #Formation of AL
at:1961 color:lineColor #Expansion Era Begins
at:2000 color:lineColor #Legal merger into MLB
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bar:MNY # Mutual of New York
bar:AOP # Athletic of Philadelphia
bar:CHC # Chicago White Stockings / Colts / Orphans / Cubs
bar:ATL # Boston Red Stockings / Red Caps / Beaneaters / Doves / Rustlers / Braves / Bees / Milwaukee Braves / Atlanta Braves
bar:HAR # Hartford Dark Blues / Brooklyn Hartfords
bar:SLBS # St. Louis Brown Stockings
bar:CINR # Cincinnati Red Stockings
bar:LOU # Louisville Grays
bar:IND # Indianapolis Blues
bar:MILG # Milwaukee Grays
bar:PRO # Providence Grays
bar:BUF # Buffalo Bisons
bar:CLEB # Cleveland Blues
bar:SYR # Syracuse Stars
bar:TRY # Troy Trojans
bar:CINS # Cincinnati Red Stars
bar:WRC # Worcester Worcesters
bar:DETW # Detroit Wolverines
bar:SF # New York Giants / San Francisco Giants
bar:PHI # Philadelphia Phillies
bar:SLI # St. Louis Maroons / Indianapolis Hoosiers
bar:KCC # Kansas City Cowboys
bar:WSHN # Washington Nationals
bar:PIT # Pittsburgh Pirates
bar:CLES # Cleveland Spiders
bar:CIN # Cincinnati Reds
bar:LAD # Brooklyn Dodgers / Los Angeles Dodgers
bar:BALO # Baltimore Orioles (AA)
bar:LOUC # Louisville Colonels
bar:STL # St. Louis Browns / Cardinals
bar:WSHS # Washington Senators
bar:BLA # Baltimore Orioles (1901–1902)
bar:BOS # Boston Americans / Red Sox
bar:CWS # Chicago White Sox
bar:CLE # Cleveland Blues / Bronchos / Naps / Indians / Guardians
bar:DET # Detroit Tigers
bar:BAL # Milwaukee Brewers / St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles
bar:OAK # Philadelphia Athletics / Kansas City Athletics / Oakland Athletics
bar:MIN # Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins
bar:NYY # New York Highlanders / Yankees
bar:TEX # Washington Senators / Texas Rangers
bar:LAA # Los Angeles Angels / California Angels / Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
bar:NYM # New York Mets
bar:HOU # Houston Colt .45s / Houston Astros
bar:KC # Kansas City Royals
bar:MIL # Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers
bar:SD # San Diego Padres
bar:WSH # Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals
bar:SEA # Seattle Mariners
bar:TOR # Toronto Blue Jays
bar:COL # Colorado Rockies
bar:MIA # Florida Marlins / Miami Marlins
bar:AZ # Arizona Diamondbacks
bar:TB # Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Tampa Bay Rays
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Note on dates: A team's bar begins with the season that team played its first game, and ends with the season after that team played its last game. For example, the Cincinnati Red Stockings played their first game in 1876, the first season of the National League, and played their last game in 1880. Therefore, their bar goes from 1876 to 1881. --- Charter NL Franchises in 1876 bar:MNY from:1857 till:1871 color:nl1 text:"(NABBP)"
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bar:SLBS from:1876 till:1878 color:brown text:"St. Louis Brown Stockings" $Right
--- 1878 bar:IND from:1878 till:1879 color:blue text:"Indianapolis Blues" $Right
bar:MILG from:1878 till:1879 color:gray text:"Milwaukee Grays" $Right
bar:PRO from:1878 till:1886 color:skyblue text:"Providence Grays" $Right
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--- 1879 bar:BUF from:1879 till:1886 color:gray2 text:"Buffalo~Bisons" textcolor:white $Up
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bar:SYR from:1879 till:1880 color:brown text:"Syracuse Stars" $Right
bar:TRY from:1879 till:1883 color:green text:"Troy Trojans" $Right
--- 1880 bar:CINS from:1880 till:1881 color:red text:"Cincinnati Stars" $Right
bar:WRC from:1880 till:1883 color:brown text:"Worcester Worcesters" $Right
--- 1881 bar:DETW from:1881 till:1889 color:vegasgold text:"Detroit~Wolverines" $Up
at:DETW at:1887 $champ2 mark:(line, vegasgold)
--- 1883 bar:SF from:1883 till:end link:/wiki/San_Francisco_Giants
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bar:SF from:1958 till:end color:black text:"San Francisco Giants" textcolor:orange $DownRight2
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at:SF at:1889 $champ2 mark:(line, orange)
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at:SF at:1922 $champ mark:(line, orange)
at:SF at:1933 $champ mark:(line, orange)
at:SF at:1954 $champ mark:(line, orange)
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at:SF at:2012 $champ mark:(line, black)
at:SF at:2014 $champ mark:(line, black)
bar:PHI from:1883 till:end link:/wiki/Philadelphia_Phillies
bar:PHI from:1883 till:1942 color:red2 text:"Philadelphia Phillies" textcolor:white
bar:PHI from:1942 till:1943 color:red2 text:"Philadelphia Phils" textcolor:white $Up
bar:PHI from:1943 till:end color:red2 text:"Philadelphia Phillies" textcolor:white $DownRight2
at:PHI at:1980 $champ mark:(line, red2)
at:PHI at:2008 $champ mark:(line, red2)
--- 1884 bar:SLI from:1884 till:1885 color:nl1 text:"(UA)" $Left
bar:SLI from:1885 till:1887 color:darkred text:"St. Louis Maroons" $UpRight
bar:SLI from:1887 till:1890 color:red2 text:"Indianapolis Hoosiers" $DownRight
--- 1886 bar:KCC from:1886 till:1887 color:oceanblue text:"Kansas City Cowboys" $Right
bar:WSHN from:1886 till:1890 color:darkblue text:"Washington Nationals" $Right
--- 1887 bar:PIT from:1887 till:end link:/wiki/Pittsburgh_Pirates
bar:PIT from:1882 till:1887 color:nl1 text:"(AA)" $Left
bar:PIT from:1887 till:1891 color:navy2 text:"Alleghenys" $UpRight
bar:PIT from:1891 till:end color:yelloworange text:"Pittsburgh Pirates" $Right2
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at:PIT at:1902 $champ2 mark:(line, yelloworange)
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at:PIT at:1960 $champ mark:(line, yelloworange)
at:PIT at:1971 $champ mark:(line, yelloworange)
at:PIT at:1979 $champ mark:(line, yelloworange)
--- 1889 bar:CLES from:1889 till:1900 link:/wiki/Cleveland_Spiders
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--- 1890 bar:CIN from:1890 till:end link:/wiki/Cincinnati_Reds
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bar:LAD from:1899 till:1911 color:darkblue text:"Superbas" textcolor:white $Up
bar:LAD from:1911 till:1913 color:navy2 text:"Trolley~Dodgers" textcolor:white $Up
bar:LAD from:1913 till:1914 color:darkblue text:"Dodgers" textcolor:white $UpRight
bar:LAD from:1914 till:1932 color:navy2 text:"Brooklyn Robins" textcolor:white $Down
bar:LAD from:1932 till:1958 color:darkblue text:"Brooklyn Dodgers" textcolor:white
bar:LAD from:1958 till:end color:navy2 text:"Los Angeles Dodgers" textcolor:white $DownRight2
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at:LAD at:2020 $champ mark:(line, navy2)
--- AA Merger bar:BALO from:1882 till:1892 color:nl1 text:"(AA)"
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bar:STL from:1883 till:1892 color:nl1 text:"(AA)"
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bar:WSHS from:1891 till:1892 color:nl1 text:"Washington Statesmen (AA)" $Left
bar:WSHS from:1892 till:1900 color:gray text:"Washington~Senators" textcolor:white $Up
--- Charter Members of the American League bar:BLA from:1901 till:1903 link:/wiki/Baltimore_Orioles_(1901–1902)
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bar:BOS from:1901 till:end link:/wiki/Boston_Red_Sox
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at:BOS at:2018 $champ mark:(line, red)
bar:CWS from:1901 till:end link:/wiki/Chicago_White_Sox
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at:CWS at:1917 $champ mark:(line, black)
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bar:CLE from:2022 till:end color:red text:"Cleveland~Guardians" textcolor:navy $UpRight
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at:DET at:1945 $champ mark:(line, navy)
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at:DET at:1984 $champ mark:(line, navy)
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at:OAK at:1911 $champ mark:(line, blue)
at:OAK at:1913 $champ mark:(line, blue)
at:OAK at:1929 $champ mark:(line, blue)
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at:OAK at:1972 $champ mark:(line, darkgreen)
at:OAK at:1973 $champ mark:(line, darkgreen)
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at:OAK at:1989 $champ mark:(line, darkgreen)
bar:MIN from:1901 till:end link:/wiki/Minnesota_Twins
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bar:MIN from:1961 till:end color:skyblue text:"Minnesota Twins" textcolor:red $Right2
at:MIN at:1987 $champ mark:(line, skyblue)
at:MIN at:1991 $champ mark:(line, skyblue)
at:MIN at:1924 $champ mark:(line, darkblue)
--- 1903: New York replaces Baltimore bar:NYY from:1903 till:1912 color:gray text:"New York~Highlanders" textcolor:white $Up
bar:NYY from:1912 till:end color:navy text:"New York Yankees" textcolor:white $DownRight2
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at:NYY at:1927 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1928 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1932 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1936 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1937 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1938 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1939 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1941 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1943 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1947 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1949 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1950 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1951 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1952 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1953 $champ mark:(line, navy)
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at:NYY at:1958 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1961 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1962 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1977 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1978 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1996 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1998 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:1999 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:2000 $champ mark:(line, navy)
at:NYY at:2009 $champ mark:(line, navy)
--- 1961 Expansion bar:TEX from:1961 till:end link:/wiki/Texas_Rangers
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--- 1962 Expansion bar:NYM from:1962 till:end link:/wiki/New_York_Mets
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--- 1969 Expansion bar:KC from:1969 till:end link:/wiki/Kansas_City_Royals
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bar:SD from:1969 till:end link:/wiki/San_Diego_Padres
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bar:WSH from:1969 till:end link:/wiki/Washington_Nationals
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at:WSH at:2019 $champ mark:(line, red)
--- 1977 Expansion bar:SEA from:1977 till:end link:/wiki/Seattle_Mariners
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bar:TOR from:1977 till:end link:/wiki/Toronto_Blue_Jays
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--- 1993 Expansion bar:COL from:1993 till:end link:/wiki/Colorado_Rockies
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bar:MIA from:1993 till:end link:/wiki/Florida_Marlins
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--- 1998 Expansion bar:AZ from:1998 till:end link:/wiki/Arizona_Diamondbacks
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</timeline>
History of organizational changes Source: The Baseball Encyclopedia ISBN 978-0028608150 Note: Team names are given here according to the convention used by The Baseball Encyclopedia , which regularized them into the familiar form of modern team names. However, most teams in the early period had no name, aside from that of the club (as in "Hartford Base Ball Club" or "Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia"), and nicknames like "Beaneaters," "Perfectos" and the many allusions to uniform colors were inventions by the florid sportswriters of the day. [2] Pre-modern Era (1876–1900) 1876: Founding of the National League (NL) The NL was established with eight teams.
1877 The New York Mutuals and Philadelphia Athletics were expelled.
The Hartford Dark Blues moved to Brooklyn and became the Brooklyn Hartfords .
Team folded after this season ^
1878 The Brooklyn Hartfords, Louisville Grays, and St. Louis Brown Stockings folded.
The Indianapolis Blues, Milwaukee Grays, and Providence Grays joined.
First season in NL *
Only season in NL §
1879
First season in NL *
Only season in NL §
Team disbanded after this season ^
1880
First season in NL *
Only season in NL §
1881 The Cincinnati Stars were expelled because they refused to sign a league-wide pledge to ban alcohol at ballparks.
The Detroit Wolverines joined. 1882: Establishment of the American Association (AA) The AA was established with six teams.
Team folded after this season ^
1883 1884: The Union Association (UA) as a third league
First season in AA *
Only season in AA/Folds mid-season §
Last season in AA or NL ^
1885: Back to two leagues The UA disbanded.
The St. Louis Maroons from the UA joined the NL.
The Cleveland Blues, Columbus Buckeyes, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Toledo Blue Stockings, and Washington Nationals folded.
The Richmond Virginians returned to Minor League Baseball.
The New York Gothams became the New York Giants .
The Brooklyn Atlantics became the Brooklyn Grays .
The Louisville Eclipse became the Louisville Colonels .
Team moved from the former UA **
Last season in NL ^
1886
First season in NL *
Only season in NL §
1887
First season in AA *
Team moved from AA **
Last season in AA ^
1888
First season in AA *
Last season in NL ^
1889
First season in AA *
Team moved from AA **
Last season in AA or NL ^
1890: The Players' League (PL) as a third league The PL was established with eight teams.
The Chicago White Stockings became the Chicago Colts .
The Philadelphia Quakers became the Philadelphia Phillies .
The Brooklyn Bridegrooms transferred to the NL.
The Cincinnati Red Stockings transferred to the NL and became the Cincinnati Reds .
The Indianapolis Hoosiers, Kansas City Cowboys, and Washington Nationals folded.
The Baltimore Orioles transferred to Minor League Baseball and were replaced by the Brooklyn Gladiators . The Brooklyn Gladiators then folded mid-season, and the Baltimore Orioles returned to the AA to finish the season.
The Rochester Broncos , a new Syracuse Stars , and the Toledo Maumees joined the AA.
Team moved from AA **
Only season in AA §
1891: Last AA season
First MLB season *
Only season in MLB §
Last MLB season ^
1892: NL monopoly The AA folded.
The Baltimore Orioles, Louisville Colonels, St. Louis Browns, and Washington Statesmen (all from the AA) joined the NL.
The Washington Statesmen became the Washington Senators .
Teams move from the former AA **
1896 The Brooklyn Grooms became the Brooklyn Bridegrooms again.
1898 The Chicago Colts became the Chicago Orphans .
1899
Team folded after this season ^
1900: Classic Eight The Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Spiders, Louisville Colonels, and Washington Senators folded.
The St. Louis Perfectos became the St. Louis Cardinals . Birth of the Modern Era (1901–1919) 1901: Founding of the American League (AL) The AL was established with eight teams.
1902
Team folded after this season ^
1903: National Agreement and Founding of National Baseball Commission 1904 The Chicago White Stockings became the Chicago White Sox .
1907 The Boston Beaneaters became the Boston Doves .
1908 The Boston Americans became the Boston Red Sox .
1911 1912 The Boston Rustlers became the Boston Braves .
1913 1914 The Federal League (FL) declared itself as a "third major league" with its own eight teams, and competed with the NL and AL.
The Brooklyn Dodgers became the Brooklyn Robins . 1915 1916 The FL folded prior to the season.
Establishment of major Negro leagues (1920–1946) 1920: Establishment of the Negro National League (NNL) The NNL was established with eight teams, the first black baseball league to be designated a major league.
Team withdrew after this season ^^
1921: Commissioner of Baseball established
Only season in NNL §
Team folded after this season ^
1922
First season in NL *
Only season in NNL §
1923: Founding of the Eastern Colored League (ECL)
Only season in NNL §
Only season in NNL, folded mid-season §§
Associate member, joined mid-season, team folded after season ^
1924
First season in NNL or ECL*
Only season in NNL §
1925
Team folded mid-season ^
Team withdrew after this season ^^
1926
Only season in NNL or ECL, folded mid-season §
Team folded after this season ^
Last season in NNL, withdrew mid-season ^^
1927
Team rejoined from minor league Negro Southern League **
Only season in NNL §
Last season in NNL or ECL ^
Team departed after this season ^^
1928: Last ECL season
First season in MLB *
Only season in NNL or ECL §
Last MLB season ^
1929: Only American Negro League (ANL) season
Team folded after this season ^
Team independent after this season ^^
1930
First season in NNL *
Team folded after this season ^
Team departed after this season ^^
1931: Last NNL season
First season in NNL *
Team folded after this season ^
1932: Major league Negro Southern League (NSL) season and only East–West League (EWL) season
Team rejoined MLB **
Only season in MLB §
Team folded after this season ^
Team departed after this season ^^
1933: Establishment of the second NNL The Little Rock Grays and Columbus Turf Club folded.
The Atlanta Black Crackers and Birmingham Black Barons withdrew as independent teams.
The NSL was demoted to minor league status.
The Cleveland Stars, Detroit Wolves, Hilldale Club, and Newark Browns folded.
Pollock's Cuban Stars and the Washington Pilots withdrew as independent teams.
The Baltimore Black Sox became the Baltimore Sox .
The EWL disbanded.
The second NNL was established with 7 teams. Five of those teams, the Baltimore Sox, Chicago American Giants , Homestead Grays , Indianapolis ABCs , and Nashville Elite Giants were from the NSL or EWL.
The Pittsburgh Crawfords joined the NNL.
The Indianapolis ABCs moved mid-season to Detroit, Michigan and became the Detroit Stars .
The Columbus Blue Birds joined the NNL. The team disbanded and merged with the independent Akron Black Tyrites after the first half of the split season. The Akron Black Tyrites joined the NNL in place of the Columbus Blue Birds as the Akron Grays before they moved to Cleveland, Ohio and became the Cleveland Giants for one game.
First season in NNL *
Team moved from former EWL or NSL **
Only season in NNL, folded mid-season §
Only season in NNL, joined mid-season §§
Team folded after this season ^
Team departed after this season ^^
1934
First season in NNL *
Only season in NNL §
Team folded after this season ^
1935
First season in NNL *
Team rejoined MLB **
Only season in NNL §
Team folded after this season ^
Team departed after this season ^^
1936
First season in NNL *
Team departed after this season ^^
1937: Founding of the Negro American League (NAL)
Team rejoined MLB **
Only season in NAL §
1938
First season in NAL *
Team rejoined MLB **
Only season in NNL §
Team departed after this season ^^
1939
Team joined NAL or rejoined NNL **
Team folded after this season ^
Team left NNL mid-season ^^
1940
Team rejoined NAL **
Team folded after this season ^
1941
Team temporarily folded after this season ^^
1942
First season in NAL *
Team left mid-season ^
1943
First season in NAL *
Team folds mid-season ^
1944 The Cincinnati Clowns split their home games between Cincinnati, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana and became the Cincinnati–Indianapolis Clowns , though would play more games in Indianapolis beginning in 1946.
Integration, end of the Negro leagues, and relocations (1947–1960) 1947 The Brooklyn Dodgers , Cleveland Indians , and St. Louis Browns integrated .
Team has yet to integrate †
1948
Team has yet to integrate †
Team folded after this season ^
1949
Team has yet to integrate †
1950 The Boston Braves integrated .
Team has yet to integrate †
1951 The Chicago White Sox integrated .
Team has yet to integrate †
1953: Braves relocation to Milwaukee, and Cincinnati renaming
Team has yet to integrate †
1954: Browns relocation to Baltimore
Team has yet to integrate †
1955: Athletics relocation to Kansas City
Team has yet to integrate †
1957 The Philadelphia Phillies integrated .
Team has yet to integrate †
1958: The NL exits New York for California
Team has yet to integrate †
1959: Cincinnati reverts back to the Reds First expansion (1961–1968) 1961 relocation and expansion 1962 expansion 1965: Houston and Angels renaming The Houston Colt .45s became the Houston Astros .
The Los Angeles Angels became the California Angels on September 2, 1965, with 28 games left in the season. 1966: Braves relocation to Atlanta The Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta and became the Atlanta Braves .
1968: Athletics relocation to Oakland The Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland, California , and became the Oakland Athletics .
Birth of division play (1969–1993) 1969 expansion and realignment 1970: Pilots relocation to Milwaukee The Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and became the Milwaukee Brewers .
1972: Senators relocation to the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex 1977 expansion 1993 expansion Wild Card era (1994–present) 1994 realignment MLB realigned to three divisions in each league to accommodate an expanded postseason format with a wild card team (although this new playoff format would not be fully implemented until 1995 due to a work stoppage ):
The AL Central was formed with the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers transferring from the AL East, and the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins transferred from the AL West.
The NL Central was formed with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals transferring from the NL East, and the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros transferred from the NL West.
The Atlanta Braves transferred to the NL East. 1997: Angels renaming The California Angels became the Anaheim Angels .
1998 expansion The Arizona Diamondbacks joined the NL West.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the AL East.
The Detroit Tigers transferred to the AL Central.
In order to primarily continue intraleague play, the Milwaukee Brewers transferred to the NL Central so both leagues would have an even number of teams. 2000: Legal merger of AL & NL into MLB The American League and National League dissolve as legal entities, merging to form the legal entity of Major League Baseball .
2001: Scrapped contraction to 28 teams In 2001, MLB team owners voted 28–2 to eliminate two teams, the Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos for the 2002 season. In this realignment:
By December 2001, this plan was scrapped; both teams would be retained for the following season.
2005: Expos relocation and Angels renaming 2008: Tampa Bay renaming The Tampa Bay Devil Rays became the Tampa Bay Rays .
2012: Marlins renaming The Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins .
2013: Astros switch leagues With interleague play expanded to occur throughout the season, the Houston Astros transferred to the AL West to accommodate each league with 15 clubs apiece.
2016: Angels renaming The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim became the Los Angeles Angels .
2022: Cleveland renaming The Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians .
See also References
^ "MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League' . MLB.com . Retrieved 2022-10-23 .^ According to the National League's 1877 Constitution, the member clubs were given as "Boston B. B. Club, Chicago B. B. Club, Cincinnati B. B. Club, Hartford B. B. Club, Louisville B. B. Club, St. Louis B. B. Club." Constitution and Playing Rules of the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs . Chicago, A. G. Spalding 1877.
^ Frick, Ford. "Statement of Ford Frick – Commissioner of Baseball" . In Sullivan, Dean A. (2002). Late Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1945–1972 , pp. 129–131. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-9285-6
^ "MLB Executives" . Major League Baseball. 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-30 .^ sabr. "Kings of the Hill: The Story of the Pittsburgh Crawfords – Society for American Baseball Research" . Retrieved 2024-04-30 .
