Suvarna Garge (Editor)

American League West

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League
  
American League

Founded
  
1969

Most AL West titles
  
Oakland Athletics (16)

Sport
  
Major League Baseball

No. of teams
  
5

Most recent AL West champion(s)
  
Texas Rangers (7th title)

The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and 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. From 1998 (when the NL West expanded to five teams) to 2012, the AL West was the only MLB division with four teams. The current champion of this division is the Texas Rangers. In 2013, the Houston Astros went from the National League Central to the AL West. That move gives all six MLB divisions an equal five teams and both leagues an equal 15 teams.

Contents

Current members

  • Houston Astros - Joined in 2013; formerly from the NL West (1969–1993) and NL Central (1994–2012)
  • 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)

    • Former members

  • 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 NL Central in 1998.
    • 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 Dallas–Fort Worth, became Texas 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 In 1997, California Angels become Anaheim Angels. In 2005, Anaheim Angels become Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. G Houston switches leagues from the NL Central

    Champions by year

  • 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 1994–95 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.

    Wild-card winners produced

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

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

    References

    American League West Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA