The National League pennant winner of a given Major League Baseball season is the team that wins the championship—the pennant—of MLB's National League (NL). This team receives the Warren C. Giles Trophy and the right to play in the World Series against the champion of the American League (AL). The current NL pennant winners are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat out the Milwaukee Brewers to win the NL pennant in October 2025.
The trophy is named for Warren Giles, the league president from 1951 to 1969, and is presented immediately after each NL Championship Series (NLCS) by Warren's son Bill Giles, the honorary league president and former owner of the Philadelphia Phillies.
From 1876 through 1968, the pennant was awarded to the team with the best regular-season record. Beginning in 1969, the league was divided into East and West divisions, with the champions of each playing for the pennant in the League Championship Series (NLCS). Since 1995, there have been three divisions and a two-round playoff bracket which begins with two Division Series (NLDS).
The pennant has been awarded every year since 1876, except for 1994, when a players' strike forced the cancellation of the postseason. Until 1969, the pennant was presented to the team with the best win–loss record at the end of the season. In 1969, the league split into two divisions, and the teams with the best records in each division played one another in the NLCS to determine the pennant winner. The format of the NLCS was changed from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format for the 1985 postseason. In 1995, an additional playoff series was added when MLB restructured the two divisions in each league into three. , the winners of the Eastern, Central, and Western Divisions, as well as one wild card team, play in the NL Division Series, a best-of-five playoff to determine the opponents who will play for the pennant.
By pennants, the Los Angeles Dodgers (formerly the Brooklyn Dodgers; 26 pennants, 39 playoff appearances) are the winningest team in NL history. The San Francisco Giants (formerly the New York Giants; 23 pennants, 27 playoff appearances) are in second place, with the St. Louis Cardinals (19 pennants and 28 playoff appearances), in third place, followed by the Atlanta Braves (18 pennants and 23 postseason appearances between their three home cities of Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Boston) in fourth place and the Chicago Cubs (17 pennants and 20 playoff appearances as the Cubs and White Stockings) in fifth. The Philadelphia Phillies were NL champions in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first NL team to do so since the Braves in 1995 and 1996. The Dodgers were also league champions in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018. The modern World Series began in 1903, when the National League recognized the upstart American League, founded in 1901. There was an earlier "World's Championship Series" played between the pennant winners of the NL and the American Association 1884–1890; from 1894 to 1897 the NL's first- and second-place teams played a postseason series for the Temple Cup, which was considered to be the league championship. As of 2021, the Dodgers have the most modern-era World Series appearances at 21, followed by the San Francisco Giants with 20.
The team with the best record to win the NL pennant was the 1906 Cubs, who won 116 of 152 games during that season and finished 20 games ahead of the New York Giants. The best record by a pennant winner in the Championship Series era is 108–54, which was achieved by the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and the New York Mets in 1986; both of these teams went on to win the World Series.
NL champions have gone on to win the World Series 53 times, most recently in 2025. Pennant winners have also won the Temple Cup and the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, two pre-World Series league championships, although second-place teams won three of the four Temple Cup meetings. The largest margin of victory for a pennant winner, before the league split into two divisions in 1969, is games; the Pittsburgh Pirates led the Brooklyn Superbas (now the Dodgers) by that margin on the final day of the 1902 season.
The only currently existing National League franchise to have never won an NL pennant are the Milwaukee Brewers; however, they did win a pennant during their time in the American League.
Key Year Links to the corresponding "year in baseball" (1876–1900) or "Major League Baseball season" (1901–present) article Team Links to the corresponding season in which each team played Series Links to the corresponding "National League Championship Series" article Record Regular season win–loss record GA Games ahead of the second-place team (pre-NLCS era) Ref Reference Won World Series (1884–1890, 1892) Won Temple Cup (1894–1897) Won Chronicle-Telegraph Cup (1900) Won World Series (1903–present) E National League East division member (1969–present) C National League Central division member (1995–present) W National League West division member (1969–present) † Wild card team (1995–present)
Single table era (1876–1968)
YearTeamManagerRecordGAAhead ofManager Ref Chicago White Stockings St. Louis Brown Stockings Boston Red Caps Louisville Grays Boston Red Caps Cincinnati Reds Providence Grays Boston Red Caps Chicago White Stockings 15 Providence Grays Chicago White Stockings Providence Grays Chicago White Stockings Providence Grays Boston Beaneaters Chicago White Stockings Providence Grays Boston Beaneaters Chicago White Stockings New York Giants Chicago White Stockings Detroit Wolverines Detroit Wolverines Philadelphia Quakers New York Giants Chicago White Stockings New York Giants Boston Beaneaters Brooklyn Bridegrooms Chicago Colts Boston Beaneaters Chicago Colts Boston Beaneaters 102–48 Cleveland Spiders Boston Beaneaters Pittsburgh Pirates Baltimore Orioles New York Giants Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Spiders Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Spiders Boston Beaneaters Baltimore Orioles Boston Beaneaters 102–47 Baltimore Orioles Brooklyn Superbas 101–47 Boston Beaneaters Brooklyn Superbas Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh Pirates Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates 103–36 Brooklyn Superbas Pittsburgh Pirates New York Giants New York Giants 106–47 13 Chicago Cubs New York Giants 106–47 Pittsburgh Pirates Chicago Cubs 116–36 20 New York Giants Chicago Cubs 107–45 17 Pittsburgh Pirates Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh Pirates 110–42 Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs 104–50 13 New York Giants New York Giants Chicago Cubs New York Giants 103–48 10 Pittsburgh Pirates New York Giants 101–51 Philadelphia Phillies Boston Braves New York Giants Philadelphia Phillies Boston Braves Brooklyn Robins Philadelphia Phillies New York Giants 10 Philadelphia Phillies Chicago Cubs New York Giants Cincinnati Reds New York Giants Brooklyn Robins New York Giants New York Giants Pittsburgh Pirates New York Giants Cincinnati Reds New York Giants Cincinnati Reds New York Giants Brooklyn Robins Pittsburgh Pirates New York Giants St. Louis Cardinals Cincinnati Reds Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals New York Giants Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals Chicago Cubs St. Louis Cardinals 101–53 13 New York Giants Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh Pirates New York Giants Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals New York Giants Chicago Cubs 100–54 St. Louis Cardinals New York Giants St. Louis Cardinals New York Giants Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh Pirates Cincinnati Reds St. Louis Cardinals Cincinnati Reds 100–53 12 Brooklyn Dodgers Brooklyn Dodgers 100–54 St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals 106–48 Brooklyn Dodgers St. Louis Cardinals 105–49 18 Cincinnati Reds St. Louis Cardinals 105–49 Pittsburgh Pirates Chicago Cubs St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals Brooklyn Dodgers Brooklyn Dodgers St. Louis Cardinals Boston Braves St. Louis Cardinals Brooklyn Dodgers St. Louis Cardinals Philadelphia Phillies Brooklyn Dodgers New York Giants Brooklyn Dodgers Brooklyn Dodgers New York Giants Brooklyn Dodgers 105–49 13 Milwaukee Braves New York Giants Brooklyn Dodgers Brooklyn Dodgers Milwaukee Braves Brooklyn Dodgers Milwaukee Braves Milwaukee Braves St. Louis Cardinals Milwaukee Braves Pittsburgh Pirates Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Braves Pittsburgh Pirates Milwaukee Braves Cincinnati Reds Los Angeles Dodgers San Francisco Giants 103–62 Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals Philadelphia Phillies Los Angeles Dodgers San Francisco Giants Los Angeles Dodgers San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals 101–60 San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals San Francisco Giants
League Championship Series era (1969–present)
Year SeriesWinning teamRecord GamesLosing teamRecord Ref New York MetsE 100–62 3–0 Atlanta BravesW Cincinnati RedsW 102–60 3–0 Pittsburgh PiratesE Pittsburgh PiratesE 3–1 San Francisco GiantsW Cincinnati RedsW 3–2 Pittsburgh PiratesE New York MetsE 3–2 Cincinnati RedsW Los Angeles DodgersW 102–60 3–1 Pittsburgh PiratesE Cincinnati RedsW 108–54 3–0 Pittsburgh PiratesE Cincinnati RedsW 102–60 3–0 Philadelphia PhilliesE 101–61 Los Angeles DodgersW 3–1 Philadelphia PhilliesE 101–61 Los Angeles DodgersW 3–1 Philadelphia PhilliesE Pittsburgh PiratesE 3–0 Cincinnati RedsW Philadelphia PhilliesE 3–2 Houston AstrosW Los Angeles DodgersW 3–2 Montréal ExposE St. Louis CardinalsE 3–0 Atlanta BravesW Philadelphia PhilliesE 3–1 Los Angeles DodgersW San Diego PadresW 3–2 Chicago CubsE St. Louis CardinalsE 101–61 4–2 Los Angeles DodgersW New York MetsE 108–54 4–2 Houston AstrosW St. Louis CardinalsE 4–3 San Francisco Giants Los Angeles DodgersW 4–3 New York MetsE 100–60 San Francisco GiantsW 4–1 Chicago CubsE Cincinnati RedsW 4–2 Pittsburgh PiratesE Atlanta BravesW 4–3 Pittsburgh PiratesE Atlanta BravesW 4–3 Pittsburgh PiratesE Philadelphia PhilliesE 4–2 Atlanta BravesW 104–58 Not held due to players' strike. Atlanta BravesE 4–0 Cincinnati RedsC Atlanta BravesE 4–3 St. Louis CardinalsC Florida MarlinsE† 4–2 Atlanta BravesE 101–61 San Diego PadresW 4–2 Atlanta BravesE 106–56 Atlanta BravesE 103–59 4–2 New York MetsE† New York MetsE† 4–1 St. Louis CardinalsC Arizona DiamondbacksW 4–1 Atlanta BravesE San Francisco GiantsW† 4–1 St. Louis CardinalsC Florida MarlinsE† 4–3 Chicago CubsC St. Louis CardinalsC 105–57 4–3 Houston AstrosC† Houston AstrosC† 4–2 St. Louis CardinalsC 100–62 St. Louis CardinalsC 4–3 New York MetsE Colorado RockiesW† 4–0 Arizona DiamondbacksW Philadelphia PhilliesE 4–1 Los Angeles DodgersW Philadelphia PhilliesE 4–1 Los Angeles DodgersW San Francisco GiantsW 4–2 Philadelphia PhilliesE St. Louis CardinalsC† 4–2 Milwaukee BrewersC San Francisco GiantsW 4–3 St. Louis CardinalsC† St. Louis CardinalsC 4–2 Los Angeles DodgersW San Francisco GiantsW† 4–1 St. Louis CardinalsC New York MetsE 4–0 Chicago CubsC† Chicago CubsC 4–2 Los Angeles DodgersW Los Angeles DodgersW 4–1 Chicago CubsC Los Angeles DodgersW 4–3 Milwaukee BrewersC Washington NationalsE† 4–0 St. Louis CardinalsC Los Angeles DodgersW 4–3 Atlanta BravesE Atlanta BravesE 4–2 Los Angeles DodgersW† Philadelphia PhilliesE† 4–1 San Diego PadresW† Arizona DiamondbacksW† 4–3 Philadelphia PhilliesE† Los Angeles DodgersW 4–2 New York MetsE† Los Angeles DodgersW 4–0 Milwaukee BrewersC
Notes A mid-season labor stoppage split the season into two halves. The winner of the first half played the winner of the second half in each division in the 1981 National League Division Series. The winners played in the 1981 NLCS for the National League pennant. The leagues were re-aligned in 1994 to three divisions and a wild card was added to the playoffs, but the labor stoppage cancelled the postseason. Wild cards were first used in the 1995 playoffs.
NL pennants won by franchise
Italics represent a franchise that is defunct in Major League Baseball as of the 2023 season.