American League West: Difference between revisions

The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the division has had teams as far east as Chicago. It is the only division in Major League Baseball to have only four teams. The current champion of this division is the Oakland Athletics. In November 2011, the Houston Astros were reported by MLB as moving to the division from the National League Central for the 2013 season.^[1] This will give all six MLB divisions an equal five teams.

• Houston Astros - Formerly from the NL West (1969-1993) and NL Central (1994-2012) - effective 2013
• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – Founding member (as the California Angels)
• Oakland Athletics – Founding member
• Seattle Mariners – Joined in 1977 as an expansion team
• Texas Rangers – Joined in 1972; formerly of the AL East (as the Washington Senators)

• Chicago White Sox – Founding member; moved to the AL Central in 1994
• Kansas City Royals – Founding member; moved to the AL Central in 1994
• Minnesota Twins – Founding member; moved to the AL Central in 1994
• Milwaukee Brewers – Founding member (as Seattle Pilots); moved to the AL East in 1972, then to the AL Central in 1994. Eventually moved to the National League Central in 1998.

Place cursor over year for division champ or World Series team.

^A Creation of division due to 1969 expansion, Kansas City and Seattle added.

^B Seattle franchise moved to Milwaukee, becoming the Brewers

^C Washington Senators moved to Texas, became Rangers and switched divisions with Milwaukee, which moved to the AL East

^D Seattle added in the 1977 league expansion

^E Chicago, Kansas City, and Minnesota moved into the newly-created AL Central due to the 1994 realignment.

^F 1997, California Angels become Anaheim Angels. 2005, Anaheim Angels become Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

^G Houston switches leagues from the NL Central

• Team names link to the season in which each team played

† – Due to the players' strike, the season was split in two. The Athletics won the first half, and they defeated the second-half winner, the Kansas City Royals (50 – 53 overall record) in the postseason.
§ – Due to the 1994 Major League Baseball strike, starting on August 12, no official winner was declared. The Texas Rangers were leading in winning percentage at time of the strike.
* – They defeated the California Angels in a one-game playoff for the division title, 9 – 1.

See List of American League Wild Card winners (since 1994)

* – Starting with the 2012 season, there will be two Wild Card winners in each league. The qualifiers will play a single-game playoff to determine who will face the top-seeded team in the American League Division Series.

• MLB Final Standings By Year