American League team history

During its history, the American League has been comprised of the following teams:

Minor League

• October 11, 1899-March 21, 1900:
  • Buffalo Bisons, Detroit Tigers, Grand Rapids Furniture Makers, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Kansas City Blues, Milwaukee Brewers, Minneapolis Millers, and St. Paul Saints.
  • The charter franchises the year the Western League changed its name to the American League. It was however still a minor league.

• March 21, 1900-December 7, 1900
  • Buffalo Bisons, Chicago White Stockings, Cleveland Blues, Detroit Tigers, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Kansas City Blues, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minneapolis Millers
  • Grand Rapids moves to Cleveland, and the St. Paul Saints move to Chicago.

• December 7, 1900-January 28, 1901:
  • Buffalo Bisons, Chicago White Stockings, Cleveland Blues, Detroit Tigers, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minneapolis Millers and Washington Senators.
  • The Kansas City Blues move to Washington D.C.

Major League

• January 28-December 3, 1901:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Americans, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Blues, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Athletics, and Washington Senators
  • The American League is officially recognized as a major league with the addition of Baltimore, Boston and Philadelphia replacing the departed Buffalo, Indianapolis and Minneapolis, who played in the minor league American League in 1900.

• December 3, 1901-March 12, 1903:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Americans, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Bronchos, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Browns, and Washington Senators
  • The Milwaukee Brewers are transferred to St. Louis.

• March 12, 1903-November 17, 1953:
  • Boston Americans (Boston Red Sox in 1907), Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Naps (Cleveland Indians in 1915), Detroit Tigers, New York Americans (New York Yankees in 1913), Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Browns, and Washington Senators (Nationals)
  • With the Baltimore Orioles moving to New York, the American League assumes its classic line-up. There will be no more franchise shifts in either league for the next 50 years and 6 days.

• November 17, 1953-November 8, 1954:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators.
  • Almost 8 months after the Boston Braves move to Milwaukee, the St. Louis Browns relocate to Baltimore.

• November 8, 1954-October 27, 1960:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees, and Washington Senators
  • Immediately following the sale of the Athletics by the Mack family to Arnold Johnson, the team relocates to Kansas City.

• October 27-November 17, 1960:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, and New York Yankees
  • The American League gets the jump on the National League by awarding an expansion franchise to Los Angeles, while Washington owner Calvin Griffith is given permission to move his team to Minneapolis.

• November 17, 1960-October 18, 1967:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, Los Angeles Angels (California Angels in 1965), Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Washington Senators
  • Washington D.C. is given an expansion franchise to replace the one that has just left for Minneapolis. In preparation for a move to Anaheim, the Angels change the name from the Los Angeles Angels to the California Angels on September 2, 1965.

• October 18-December 1, 1967:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics and Washington Senators
  • After years of futility in Kansas City, mostly due to Athletics owner Charlie Finley, the American League approves the team's move to Oakland. To pacify the city of Kansas City, American League President Joe Cronin promises it a new team by 1971, although in fact, it will be in place by 1969.

• December 1, 1967-April 1, 1970:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Pilots and Washington Senators
  • Kansas City and Seattle are awarded expansion franchises to begin play in 1969. On May 28, 1968, league owners agree to the following divisional alignment for 1969: Eastern: Baltimore, Boston‚ Cleveland, Detroit, New York‚ and Washington; Western: California, Chicago‚ Kansas City‚ Minnesota‚ Oakland and Seattle.

• April 1, 1970-September 20, 1971:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics and Washington Senators
  • After struggling both financially and on the field, the Seattle Pilots are sold to future Commissioner Bud Selig who moves the team to Milwaukee just before the start of the 1970 season, where they become the Brewers. The Pilots' failure is believed to have been a result of Kansas Senator Stuart Symington's push for a new franchise in Kansas City by 1969 instead of 1971. Milwaukee remains in the AL West

• September 21, 1971-February 6, 1976:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers
  • Washington owner Bob Short is given permission to move his team to Texas where they become the Rangers. The Brewers and Rangers swap divisions, Milwaukee moving to the AL East.

• February 6-March 26, 1976:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers
  • The city of Seattle is awarded an expansion franchise. The team will be called the Mariners and play in the Western Division, starting in 1977.

• March 26, 1976-March 9, 1995:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics , Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays
  • The city of Toronto is awarded an expansion franchise to begin play in 1977. The AL will not see any franchise shifts or expansion for 17 years 11 months and 11 days. On September 9, 1993, Major League Baseball votes to realign both leagues into three divisions for the 1994 season.

• March 9, 1995-November 6, 1997:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, California Angels (Anaheim Angels on March 28, 1997), Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays
  • Tampa Bay is awarded a franchise to begin play in 1998.

• November 6, 1997-December 31, 2012:
  • Anaheim Angels (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Jan. 3, 2005), Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics , Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Devil Rays (Tampa Bay Rays on Nov. 7, 2007), Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays
  • Milwaukee moves to the National League giving the NL 16 teams and the AL 14. Anaheim will change its name for the 2005 season as owner Arte Moreno wants to increase the team's visibility in the Los Angeles market; the subsequent legal disputes will last five years.

• January 1, 2013-present:
  • Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians (Cleveland Guardians starting on Nov. 19, 2021), Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Los Angeles Angels on Jan. 1, 2017), Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics , Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays
  • Former NL Central team the Houston Astros join the AL and are placed in the AL West. Both leagues now number 15 teams, split into three divisions of five teams each. In 2017, the Angels drop the "of Anaheim" part of their official name, the lease agreement mandating the use of the word "Anaheim" in the team name having expired. After the 2021 season, the Cleveland team becomes the "Guardians".

See also

• National League team history

Further Reading

• Ed Coen: "Setting the Record Straight on Major League team Nicknames", in Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 48 Number 2, Fall 2019, pp. 67-75.