National League East

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The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves have the most National League East titles (12). Most of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of reaching MLB playoffs 14 consecutive times (There were no playoffs in 1994 and the first three titles of that streak came when the Braves were in the National League West.)

NL East
LeagueNational League
SportMajor League Baseball
Founded1969
No. of teams5
Most recent
champion(s)
Atlanta Braves (12th title)
Most titlesAtlanta Braves (12)

The division was created when the National League (along with the American League) added two expansion teams and divided into two divisions, East and West effective for the 1969 season. The National League's geographical alignment was rather peculiar as its partitioning was really more north and south instead of east and west. Two teams in the Eastern Time Zone, the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds, were in the same division as teams on the Pacific coast. This was due to the demands of the Chicago Cubs and Saint Louis Cardinals, who refused to support expansion unless they were promised they would be kept together in the newly created Eastern division.

During the two-division era, from 1969 to 1993, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates together owned more than half of the division titles, having won a combined 15 of 25 championships during that span.[1] They were also the only teams in the division to have won consecutive titles during that span.[2][3][4]

When the National League realigned into three divisions in 1994, the Pittsburgh Pirates were originally supposed to stay in the East while the Braves were to be moved to the newly created National League Central. However, the Braves, wanting to form a natural rivalry with the expansion Florida Marlins (a rivalry that as of 2013 has yet to develop, largely due to the Marlins being noncompetitive except for their two World Series-winning seasons), requested to be moved to the East instead. Despite the Marlins offering to go to the Central, the Pirates instead gave up its spot in the East to the Braves.[5] Since then, the Pirates have tried several times unsuccessfully to be placed back in the East.[6]

Divisional membership

Current members

Former members

Division members

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

Years
NL East Division[A]
69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Montreal Expos
Pittsburgh Pirates[C]  
St. Louis Cardinals[C]  
Chicago Cubs[C]  
  Florida Marlins[B]
  Atlanta Braves[C]
05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals[D]
Florida Marlins Miami Marlins[E]
Atlanta Braves
  Team not in division   Division Won World Series   Division Won NL Championship
A The creation of the division with the expansion of the league - with the Expos added.
B Florida Marlins added in the 1993 expansion
C The Atlanta Braves moved in from the NL West, and the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals moved into newly created National League Central Division
D The Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, D.C., becoming the Washington Nationals
E The Florida Marlins relocated from Miami Gardens, Florida to Miami and changed their name to the Miami Marlins

NL East champions by year

  • Team names link to the season in which each team played
Year Winner Record % Playoffs
1969 New York Mets 100–62 .617 Won World Series over Baltimore, 4–1
1970 Pittsburgh Pirates 89–73 .549 Lost NLCS to Cincinnati, 3–0
1971 Pittsburgh Pirates 97–65 .599 Won World Series over Baltimore, 4–3
1972 Pittsburgh Pirates 96–59 .619 Lost NLCS to Cincinnati, 3–2
1973 New York Mets 82–79 .509 Lost World Series to Oakland, 4–3
1974 Pittsburgh Pirates 88–74 .543 Lost NLCS to Los Angeles, 3–1
1975 Pittsburgh Pirates 92–69 .571 Lost NLCS to Cincinnati, 3–0
1976 Philadelphia Phillies 101–61 .623 Lost NLCS to Cincinnati, 3–0
1977 Philadelphia Phillies 101–61 .623 Lost NLCS to Los Angeles, 3–1
1978 Philadelphia Phillies 90–72 .556 Lost NLCS to Los Angeles, 3–1
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates 98–64 .605 Won World Series over Baltimore, 4–3
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 91–71 .562 Won World Series over Kansas City, 4–2
1981 Montreal Expos 60–48 .556 Lost NLCS to Los Angeles, 3–2
1982 St. Louis Cardinals 92–70 .570 Won World Series over Milwaukee, 4–3
1983 Philadelphia Phillies 90–72 .556 Lost World Series to Baltimore, 4–1
1984 Chicago Cubs 96–65 .596 Lost NLCS to San Diego, 3–2
1985 St. Louis Cardinals 101–61 .623 Lost World Series to Kansas City, 4–3
1986 New York Mets 108–54 .667 Won World Series over Boston, 4–3
1987 St. Louis Cardinals 95–67 .586 Lost World Series to Minnesota, 4–3
1988 New York Mets 100–60 .625 Lost NLCS to Los Angeles, 4–3
1989 Chicago Cubs 93–69 .574 Lost NLCS to San Francisco, 4–1
1990 Pittsburgh Pirates 95–67 .586 Lost NLCS to Cincinnati, 4–2
1991 Pittsburgh Pirates 98–64 .605 Lost NLCS to Atlanta, 4–3
1992 Pittsburgh Pirates 96–66 .593 Lost NLCS to Atlanta, 4–3
1993 Philadelphia Phillies 97–65 .599 Lost World Series to Toronto, 4–2
1995 Atlanta Braves 90–54 .625 Won World Series over Cleveland, 4–2
1996 Atlanta Braves 96–66 .593 Lost World Series to New York, 4–2
1997 Atlanta Braves 101–61 .623 Lost NLCS to Florida, 4–2
1998 Atlanta Braves 106–56 .654 Lost NLCS to San Diego, 4–2
1999 Atlanta Braves 103–59 .636 Lost World Series to New York, 4–0
2000 Atlanta Braves 95–67 .586 Lost NLDS to St. Louis, 3–0
2001 Atlanta Braves 88–74 .543 Lost NLCS to Arizona, 4–1
2002 Atlanta Braves 101–59 .631 Lost NLDS to San Francisco, 3–2
2003 Atlanta Braves 101–61 .623 Lost NLDS to Chicago, 3–2
2004 Atlanta Braves 96–66 .593 Lost NLDS to Houston, 3–2
2005 Atlanta Braves 90–72 .556 Lost NLDS to Houston, 3–1
2006 New York Mets 97–65 .599 Lost NLCS to St. Louis, 4–3
2007 Philadelphia Phillies 89–73 .549 Lost NLDS to Colorado, 3–0
2008 Philadelphia Phillies 92–70 .568 Won World Series over Tampa Bay, 4–1
2009 Philadelphia Phillies 93–69 .574 Lost World Series to New York, 4–2
2010 Philadelphia Phillies 97–65 .599 Lost NLCS to San Francisco, 4–2
2011 Philadelphia Phillies 102–60 .630 Lost NLDS to St. Louis, 3–2
2012 Washington Nationals 98–64 .605 Lost NLDS to St. Louis, 3–2
2013 Atlanta Braves 96–66 .593 Lost NLDS to Los Angeles, 3–1

† – Due to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, the season was split. Montreal won the second half and defeated first-half champion Philadelphia (59–48) in the postseason.
§ – Due to the 1994 Major League Baseball strike starting August 12, no official winner was awarded. Montreal was leading at the strike.

Most Division Titles

Team Titles Year(s)
Atlanta Braves 12 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2013
Philadelphia Phillies 11 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1993, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Pittsburgh Pirates 9 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974–1975, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1992
New York Mets 5 1969, 1973, 1986, 1988, 2006
St. Louis Cardinals 3 1982, 1985, 1987
Chicago Cubs 2 1984, 1989
Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos 2 1981, 2012
Miami/Florida Marlins 0
  • Italics indicate teams no longer in the division.
  • Note that because of the wild card postseason berth, the Miami Marlins have two World Series wins (1997, 2003) without ever winning the division.

Wildcard winners produced

Year Winner Record % GB Playoffs
1997 Florida Marlins 92–70 .568 9 Won World Series over Cleveland, 4–3
1999 New York Mets* 97–66 .595 6.5 Lost NLCS to Atlanta, 4–2
2000 New York Mets 94–68 .580 1 Lost World Series to New York, 4–1
2003 Florida Marlins 91–71 .562 10 Won World Series over New York, 4–2
2010 Atlanta Braves 91–71 .562 6 Lost NLDS to San Francisco, 3-1
2012 Atlanta Braves** 94–68 .580 4 Lost Wild Card Game to St. Louis, 6–3

* – Defeated the Cincinnati Reds in a one-game playoff for the Wild Card, 5–0.

** – 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 National League Division Series.

See also

References

  1. ^ Collier, Gene (September 27, 1993). "Pirates, Phillies Have Owned the Outgoing NL East Division". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D1.
  2. ^ Collier, Gene (July 4, 2005). "Pirates—Phillies: A Rivalry Lost and Missed". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D1.
  3. ^ Von Benko, George (July 7, 2005). "Notes: Phils–Pirates rivalry fading". Phillies.MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  4. ^ "Pirates perform rare three-peat feat 4-2". USA Today. September 28, 1992. p. 5C.
  5. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/16/sports/baseball-pirates-relent-on-new-alignment.html?pagewanted=print
  6. ^ http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_742330.html#axzz2YtXG2iD2