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Revision as of 21:16, 1 November 2009 by 71.57.3.106 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. It was created in 1994, merging two teams from the West (Cincinnati and Houston) and three teams from the East (Chicago, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis) divisions of the National League. In 1998 it became the largest division in Major League Baseball, with the addition of a sixth member (Milwaukee). The most recent team to win the division is the St. Louis Cardinals.
This division has been dominated by St. Louis and Houston, who have accounted for all but 4 of the official division titles (from 1995 onward), as well as 3 of the 4 wild card berths from the division. The Cubs have been rising to prominence in the division recently, capturing the division's first wild card berth in 1998, and winning the division in 2003, 2007, and 2008 while also fielding strong teams in other years.
Current members
- Chicago Cubs
- Houston Astros
- Kanas City Royals
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Seattle Mariners
- [[Texas Rangers(baseball)|Texas Rangers
Division lineups
| Time period | Lineup | Changes from previous setup |
|---|---|---|
| 1994-1997 | Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals | Creation of division due to 1994 realignment (Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis from NL East, Cincinnati and Houston from NL West |
| 1998-2009 | Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals | Milwaukee switched leagues due to 1998 expansion, moving in from AL Central |
| 2010-Present |
NL Central division champions
| Year | Winner | Record | % | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 (through August 11) | Cincinnati Reds§ | 66-48 | .579 | No Playoffs |
| 1995 (starting April 25, 144 G) | Cincinnati Reds | 85-59 | .590 | Lost NLCS to Atlanta, 4-0 |
| 1996 | St. Louis Cardinals | 88-74 | .543 | Lost NLCS to Atlanta, 4-3 |
| 1997 | Houston Astros | 84-78 | .519 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-0 |
| 1998 | Houston Astros | 102-60 | .630 | Lost NLDS to San Diego, 3-1 |
| 1999 | Houston Astros | 97-65 | .599 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-1 |
| 2000 | St. Louis Cardinals | 95-67 | .586 | Lost NLCS to New York, 4-1 |
| 2001 | St. Louis Cardinals & Houston Astros† | 93-69 | .574 | Lost NLDS to Arizona, 3-2/Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-0 |
| 2002 | St. Louis Cardinals | 97-65 | .599 | Lost NLCS to San Francisco, 4-1 |
| 2003 | Chicago Cubs | 88-74 | .543 | Lost NLCS to Florida, 4-3 |
| 2004 | St. Louis Cardinals | 105-57 | .648 | Lost World Series to Boston, 4-0 |
| 2005 | St. Louis Cardinals | 100-62 | .617 | Lost NLCS to Houston, 4-2 |
| 2006 | St. Louis Cardinals | 83-78 | .516 | Won World Series over Detroit, 4-1 |
| 2007 | Chicago Cubs | 85-77 | .525 | Lost NLDS to Arizona, 3-0 |
| 2008 | Chicago Cubs | 97-64 | .602 | Lost NLDS to Los Angeles, 3-0 |
| 2009 | St. Louis Cardinals | 91-71 | .562 | Lost NLDS to Los Angeles, 3-0 |
§ - Due to the players' strike on August 12, no official winner was awarded. Cincinnati was leading at the time of the strike.
† - The Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals finished the 2001 season tied for first place with identical records and both teams were awarded division championships.
For the purpose of playoff seeding, the Astros received the NL Central slot and the Cardinals received the Wild Card seeding. 2001 is considered by MLB to be the first shared divisional championship in MLB history.
National League Championships
The division has produced three National League Pennant winners: St. Louis in 2004 and 2006 and Houston in 2005. In both 2004 and 2005 the American League Champions swept the World Series and in 2006 the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in five games.
Wild-card winners
- See List of National League Wild Card winners (since 1994)
The wild card was first introduced in 1994 and is the team in each league with the best record that did not win its division. The system, however, was not implemented until 1995, as a player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season. Since its implementation, five NL Central teams have won the wild card.
| Year | Winner | Record | % | GB | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Chicago Cubs* | 90-73 | .552 | 12.5 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-0 |
| 2001 | St. Louis Cardinals† | 93-69 | .574 | 0 | Lost NLDS to Arizona, 3-2 |
| 2004 | Houston Astros | 92-70 | .568 | 13 | Lost NLCS to St. Louis, 4-3 |
| 2005 | Houston Astros | 89-73 | .549 | 11 | Lost World Series to Chicago White Sox, 4-0 |
| 2008 | Milwaukee Brewers | 90-72 | .556 | 7.5 | Lost NLDS to Philadelphia, 3-1 |
* - Defeated the San Francisco Giants in a one game playoff for the Wild Card, 5-3.
† - finished with the same record as the Houston Astros, but Houston won the season series vs. the Cardinals that year, and were given the higher seed in the playoffs.
NL Central titles won by team
| Team | Number of Championship(s) Won | Last Year Won |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 8 | 2009 |
| Houston Astros | 4 | 2001 |
| Chicago Cubs | 3 | 2008 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 1 | 1995 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 0 | -- |
See also
- National League East
- National League West
- American League East
- American League Central
- American League West
References
- http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/teams/nl/cardinals.htm< Baseball Hall of Fame Official Site
- St. Louis Cardinal History
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