The modern World Series, the current championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) between teams of the National League and the American League, began in 1903, and was established as an annual event in 1905. This article discusses major-league champions before 1905, including championship series contested in that era, primarily between teams of the National League and the American Association.
History Before the formation of the American Association (AA), which debuted in 1882, there were no playoff rounds—all championships went to the team with the best record at the end of the season.
In the initial season of the National League (NL) in 1876, there was controversy as to which team was the champion: the Chicago White Stockings, who had the best overall record (52–14), or the St. Louis Brown Stockings (45–19), who were the only team to have a winning record against every other franchise in the league. The teams agreed to play a five-game "Championship of the West" series, won by St. Louis, four games to one.
National League and American Association, 1882–1891
Beginning with an exhibition series after the American Association's birth in 1882, a championship series between the NL and AA regular-season champions was promoted and referred to as the "World's Championship Series" (WCS), or "World's Series" for short; however, these series are not officially recognized by Major League Baseball as part of World Series history.World Series Summary, Major League Baseball website, accessed 2006-10-24 Though early publications, such as Ernest Lanigan's Baseball Cyclopedia and Hy Turkin and S. C. Thompson's Encyclopedia of Baseball, listed the 19th-century games on an equal basis with those of the 20th century, The Sporting News publications about the World Series, which began in the 1920s, ignored the 19th-century games, as did most publications about the Series after 1960. MLB, in general, regards 19th-century events as a prologue to the modern era of baseball, with the birth of the present American League in 1901.
In the second year of the WCS, a dispute in the 1885 series concerned Game 2, which was forfeited by the St. Louis Browns (AA) to the Chicago White Stockings (NL) when the Browns pulled their team off the field protesting an umpiring decision. The managers, Cap Anson (St. Louis) and Charles Comiskey (Chicago), initially agreed to disregard the game. When St. Louis won the final game and an apparent series championship, three games to two, Chicago owner Albert Spalding overruled his manager and declared that he wanted the forfeit counted. The result of a tied WCS was that neither team got the prize money that had been posted by the owners before the series (and was returned to them after they both agreed it was a tie).
Series within the National League, 1892–1900 Following the collapse of the AA in 1891, four of its clubs (Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Brooklyn) were admitted to the NL. The league championship was awarded in 1892 by a playoff between half-season champions. This scheme was abandoned after one season. Beginning in 1893—and continuing until divisional play was introduced in 1969—the pennant was awarded to the first-place club in the standings at the end of the season. For four seasons, the pennant winner played the runners-up in the postseason championship series called the Temple Cup. A second attempt at this format was the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup series in 1900.
Champions before 1876 Notes: A team's name links to an article about that team's season (rather than to the team in general) for 1871 and later. The only championship teams to last beyond 1876 (when the National League was founded) were the Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs, NL) and the Boston Red Stockings (now the Atlanta Braves, NL). The Athletic of Philadelphia of 1860–1876 were not the same franchise as either the Philadelphia Athletics (American Association) of 1882–1890, or the former Philadelphia Athletics of the American League, which later became the Kansas City Athletics, the Oakland Athletics, and then simply the Athletics. Nor were the Atlantic of Brooklyn of 1855 to circa 1882 the same franchise as the Brooklyn Atlantics founded in 1883–1884 and later known successively as the Brooklyn Grays, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Brooklyn Grooms, Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, Brooklyn Superbas, Brooklyn Robins, Brooklyn Dodgers, and (since 1958) the Los Angeles Dodgers.
National Association of Base Ball PlayersNational Association of Professional Base Ball Players Year Champions Year Champions Year Champions 1857 Atlantic of Brooklyn 1864 Atlantic of Brooklyn Athletic of Philadelphia 1858 Mutual of New York 1865 Atlantic of Brooklyn Boston Red Stockings 1859 Atlantic of Brooklyn 1866 Atlantic of Brooklyn Boston Red Stockings 1860 Atlantic of Brooklyn 1867 Union of Morrisania Boston Red Stockings 1861 Atlantic of Brooklyn 1868 Mutual of New York Boston Red Stockings 1862 Eckford of Brooklyn Atlantic of BrooklynThe "White Stockings" became (1907) the Cubs, while the "Red Stockings" were later (1912) named the Braves. 1863 Eckford of Brooklyn Chicago White Stockings
Champions from 1876 to 1904
Notes: Italicized names refer to years when two teams and their managers could claim equal status as champion, either because they did not play a series against each other, or because they tied such a series. A third bracketed and asterisked number in a series score refers to a tied game, such as 3–3–(1). A dagger () indicates an exhibition series, such as in 1876, 1882 and 1883.
Year Winning (or tying) team Manager Season Games Losing (or tying) team Manager Season NotesNational League champions †St. Louis Brown Stockings †George McManus 45–194–1 †Chicago White Stockings †Albert Spalding 52–14 † unofficial Championship of the West Boston Red CapsHarry Wright 31–17no Series— —— — Boston Red CapsHarry Wright 41–19 Providence GraysGeorge Wright 55–23 Chicago White StockingsCap Anson 67–17 Chicago White StockingsCap Anson 56–28National League versus American Association champions — exhibition†Chicago White Stockings (NL)†Cap Anson 55–29 1–1 †Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) †Pop Snyder 55–25 † exhibition series †Boston Beaneaters (NL) †John Morrill 63–35 canceled †Philadelphia Athletics (AA) †Lon Knight 66–32 † canceled exhibition seriesNational League versus American Association champions Providence Grays (NL)Frank Bancroft 84–28 3–0New York Metropolitans (AA)Jim Mutrie 75–32 1884 World SeriesChicago White Stockings (NL)Cap Anson 87–253–3–(1)*St. Louis Browns (AA)Charles Comiskey 79–331885 World SeriesSt. Louis Browns (AA)Charles Comiskey 93–46 4–2Chicago White Stockings (NL)Cap Anson 90–341886 World Series Detroit Wolverines (NL)Bill Watkins79–45 10–5St. Louis Browns (AA)Charles Comiskey 95–40 1887 World Series New York Giants (NL)Jim Mutrie 84–47 6–4St. Louis Browns (AA)Charles Comiskey 92–43 1888 World Series New York Giants (NL)Jim Mutrie 83–43 6–3Brooklyn Bridegrooms (AA)Bill McGunnigle 93–441889 World SeriesBrooklyn Bridegrooms (NL)Bill McGunnigle 86–433–3–(1)*Louisville Colonels (AA)Jack Chapman 88–441890 World Series Boston Beaneaters (NL)Frank Selee 87–51 no SeriesBoston Reds (AA)Arthur Irwin 93–42 —National League champions — (The 1894–1897 series were for the Temple Cup; the 1900 series for the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup) Boston BeaneatersFrank Selee 102–48 5–0–(1)* Cleveland SpidersPatsy Tebeau 93–56 1892 World Series Boston BeaneatersFrank Selee 86–44 no Series— ——— New York GiantsJohn Montgomery Ward 88–44 4–0 Baltimore OriolesNed Hanlon 89–39 1894 Temple Cup Cleveland SpidersPatsy Tebeau 84–46 4–1Baltimore OriolesNed Hanlon 87–43 1895 Temple Cup Baltimore OriolesNed Hanlon 90–39 4–0Cleveland SpidersPatsy Tebeau 80–48 1896 Temple Cup Baltimore OriolesNed Hanlon 90–40 4–1 Boston BeaneatersFrank Selee 93–39 1897 Temple Cup Boston BeaneatersFrank Selee 102–47 no Series— —— — Brooklyn SuperbasNed Hanlon 101–47 Brooklyn SuperbasNed Hanlon 82–54 3–1Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke 79–60 1900 Chronicle-Telegraph CupNational League versus American League champions Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)Fred Clarke 90–49no SeriesChicago White Stockings (AL)Clark Griffith 83–53 — Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)Fred Clarke103–36Philadelphia Athletics (AL)Connie Mack83–53 Boston Americans (AL) Jimmy Collins91–47 5–3 Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)Fred Clarke 91–49 1st modern World Series New York Giants (NL)John McGraw106–47no SeriesBoston Americans (AL)Jimmy Collins95–59 — * tied game; † exhibition series Sources: World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1929,1929 World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1971 reprint by Workman Publishing, , pages 776-777 Baseball Almanac.com
Totals Championship of the National Association of Base Ball Players Team No. of championships Years Current statusAtlantic of Brooklyn 81857, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1864, 1865, 1866, 1869 Defunct (1875)Mutual of New York 21858, 1868 Defunct (1876)Eckford of Brooklyn 21862, 1863Defunct (1872)Union of Morrisania 11867 Defunct (1873)Chicago White Stockings 11870 Chicago Cubs (NL)
Championship of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players Team No. of championships Years Current statusBoston Red Stockings 41872, 1873, 1874, 1875 Atlanta Braves (NL)Athletic of Philadelphia 11871 Defunct (1876)
Championship of the National League (through 1904) Team No. of championships Years Current statusBoston Red Caps/Beaneaters 71877, 1878, 1883, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1898 Atlanta Braves (NL)Chicago White Stockings 61876, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1885, 1886 Chicago Cubs (NL)New York Giants 41888, 1889, 1894, 1904 San Francisco Giants (NL)Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Superbas 31890, 1899, 1900 Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)Pittsburgh Pirates 31901, 1902, 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)Providence Grays 21879, 1884 Defunct (1885)Baltimore Orioles 21896, 1897 Defunct (1899)Detroit Wolverines 11887 Defunct (1888)Cleveland Spiders 11895 Defunct (1899)
Championship of the American Association Team No. of championships Years Current status St. Louis Browns 41885, 1886, 1887, 1888 St. Louis Cardinals (NL)Cincinnati Red Stockings 11882 Cincinnati Reds (NL)Philadelphia Athletics 11883 Defunct (1890)New York Metropolitans 11884 Defunct (1887) Brooklyn Bridegrooms 11889 Los Angeles Dodgers (NL)Louisville Colonels 11890 Defunct (1899) Boston Reds 11891 Defunct (1891)
Championship of the American League (through 1904) Team No. of championships Years Current status Boston Americans 21903, 1904Boston Red Sox (AL) Chicago White Stockings 11901 Chicago White Sox (AL) Philadelphia Athletics 11902 Athletics (AL)
Winner of the World's Championship Series Notes: Does not include the Temple Cup and the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup. Does not include the 1903 World Series. Team No. of championships Years Current statusNew York Giants (NL) 21888, 1889 San Francisco Giants (NL)Providence Grays (NL) 11884 Defunct (1885) St. Louis Browns (AA) 11886 St. Louis Cardinals (NL)Detroit Wolverines (NL) 11887 Defunct (1888)Boston Beaneaters (NL) 11892 Atlanta Braves (NL)
See also List of World Series champions
References