Milwaukee Brewers (1901)

The Milwaukee Brewers had been members of the Western League when it was renamed the American League in 1900. In 1901 the AL removed itself from baseball's national agreement and declared itself a competing Major League. The Brewers remained in the circuit from 1900. During the first American League season they finished dead last with a record of 48-89.

As the baseball "war" heated up the American League began moved more directly to challenge the senior circuit. The American League already fielded teams in Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia, solid National League cities. In 1902 the Milwaukee Brewers were shifted to St. Louis, MO where they became the Browns. The club eventually became the modern-day Baltimore Orioles.

Several minor league teams in Milwaukee were named the Brewers, including the longstanding American Association Brewers. In 1970 when the American League Seattle Pilots were shifted to Milwaukee they became the second American League Milwaukee Brewers franchise. The team was subsequently shifted to the National League, the only team ever to switch major leagues.

Further Reading

• Dennis Pajot: The Rise of Milwaukee Baseball: The Cream City from Midwestern Outpost to the Major Leagues, 1859-1901, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2009.