National League Central
The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League East (the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals).
League | National League |
---|---|
Sport | Major League Baseball |
Founded | 1994 |
No. of teams | 5 |
Most recent champion(s) | Milwaukee Brewers (2023; 4th title) |
Most titles | St. Louis Cardinals (12) |
When the division was created in 1994, the Pirates were originally supposed to stay in the East while the Atlanta Braves were to be moved to the Central from the West. However, the Braves, wanting to form a natural rivalry with the expansion Florida Marlins, requested to remain in the East. Despite the Marlins offering to go to the Central, the Pirates instead gave up their spot in the East to the Braves.[1] Since then, the Pirates have tried several times unsuccessfully to be placed back in the East.[2]
In 1998, the NL Central became the largest division in Major League Baseball when the Milwaukee Brewers were moved in from the American League Central, which gave them six teams. In 2013, the Astros moved to the American League West.
This division has been dominated by the Cardinals, who have accounted for 12 of the 26 division championships, plus three wild card wins. Aside from the Cardinals, the Cubs have the second most division championships with six, as well as three wild card wins. The Brewers have four divisional championships, with two wild card wins. The Astros have four division titles and two wild card wins. The Reds have three division titles, along with one wild card win. The Pirates have not won the division since the division was created, but possess three wild card appearances. The 2013 win was the Piratesβ first and only playoff berth since 1992.
Division membership
Current members
- Chicago Cubs β Founding member; formerly of the NL East
- Cincinnati Reds β Founding member; formerly of the NL West
- Milwaukee Brewers β Since 1998; formerly of the AL West, AL East, AL Central
- Pittsburgh Pirates β Founding member; formerly of the NL East
- St. Louis Cardinals β Founding member; formerly of the NL East
Former member
- Houston Astros β Founding member; formerly of the NL West; moved to the AL West in 2013
Division lineups
Place cursor over year for division champ or World Series team.
NL Central Division[A] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | |||||||||
Chicago Cubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cincinnati Reds | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Houston Astros[C] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pittsburgh Pirates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Milwaukee Brewers[B] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team not in division Division Won World Series Division Won NL Championship |
- A Creation of division due to the 1994 realignment into three divisions (with Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis from NL East, and Cincinnati and Houston from NL West)
- B Milwaukee switched leagues due to the 1998 expansion, moving in from AL Central
- C Houston switched leagues after the 2012 season, and joined the AL West
Champions by year
- Team names link to the season in which each team played
Year | Winner | Record | Win% | Playoff Results |
---|---|---|---|---|
1994Β§ | No playoffs due to 1994β95 Major League Baseball strike | |||
1995 | Cincinnati Reds (1) | 85β59 | .590 | Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3β0 Lost NLCS (Braves) 4β0 |
1996 | St. Louis Cardinals (1) | 88β74 | .543 | Won NLDS (Padres) 3β0 Lost NLCS (Braves) 4β3 |
1997 | Houston Astros (1) | 84β78 | .519 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3β0 |
1998 | Houston Astros (2) | 102β60 | .630 | Lost NLDS (Padres) 3β1 |
1999 | Houston Astros (3) | 97β65 | .599 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3β1 |
2000 | St. Louis Cardinals (2) | 95β67 | .586 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3β0 Lost NLCS (Mets) 4β1 |
2001* | Houston Astros (4) | 93β69 | .574 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3β0 |
2002 | St. Louis Cardinals (3) | 97β65 | .599 | Won NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3β0 Lost NLCS (Giants) 4β1 |
2003 | Chicago Cubs (1) | 88β74 | .543 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3β2 Lost NLCS (Marlins) 4β3 |
2004 | St. Louis Cardinals (4) | 105β57 | .648 | Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3β1 Won NLCS (Astros) 4β3 Lost World Series (Red Sox) 4β0 |
2005 | St. Louis Cardinals (5) | 100β62 | .617 | Won NLDS (Padres) 3β0 Lost NLCS (Astros) 4β2 |
2006 | St. Louis Cardinals (6) | 83β78 | .516 | Won NLDS (Padres) 3β1 Won NLCS (Mets) 4β3 Won World Series (Tigers) 4β1 |
2007 | Chicago Cubs (2) | 85β77 | .525 | Lost NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3β0 |
2008 | Chicago Cubs (3) | 97β64 | .602 | Lost NLDS (Dodgers) 3β0 |
2009 | St. Louis Cardinals (7) | 91β71 | .562 | Lost NLDS (Dodgers) 3β0 |
2010 | Cincinnati Reds (2) | 91β71 | .562 | Lost NLDS (Phillies) 3β0 |
2011 | Milwaukee Brewers (1) | 96β66 | .593 | Won NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3β2 Lost NLCS (Cardinals) 4β2 |
2012 | Cincinnati Reds (3) | 97β65 | .599 | Lost NLDS (Giants) 3β2 |
2013 | St. Louis Cardinals (8) | 97β65 | .599 | Won NLDS (Pirates) 3β2 Won NLCS (Dodgers) 4β2 Lost World Series (Red Sox) 4β2 |
2014 | St. Louis Cardinals (9) | 90β72 | .556 | Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3β1 Lost NLCS (Giants) 4β1 |
2015 | St. Louis Cardinals (10) | 100β62 | .617 | Lost NLDS (Cubs) 3β1 |
2016 | Chicago Cubs (4) | 103β58 | .640 | Won NLDS (Giants) 3β1 Won NLCS (Dodgers) 4β2 Won World Series (Indians) 4β3 |
2017 | Chicago Cubs (5) | 92β70 | .568 | Won NLDS (Nationals) 3β2 Lost NLCS (Dodgers) 4β1 |
2018 | Milwaukee Brewers (2) | 96β67 | .589 | Won NLDS (Rockies) 3β0 Lost NLCS (Dodgers) 4β3 |
2019 | St. Louis Cardinals (11) | 91β71 | .562 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3β2 Lost NLCS (Nationals) 4β0 |
2020β | Chicago Cubs (6) | 34β26 | .567 | Lost NLWC (Marlins) 2β0 |
2021 | Milwaukee Brewers (3) | 95β67 | .586 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3β1 |
2022 | St. Louis Cardinals (12) | 93β69 | .574 | Lost NLWC (Phillies) 2β0 |
2023 | Milwaukee Brewers (4) | 92β70 | .568 | Lost NLWC (Diamondbacks) 2β0 |
Β§ β Due to the 1994β95 Major League Baseball strike on August 12, no official winner was awarded. Cincinnati was leading by half a game over Houston at the time of the strike.
* β The Astros and Cardinals finished with identical regular season records. Because the Astros won the season series 9β7 against the Cardinals, they were awarded the National League Central division title, and the Cardinals were declared the National League Wild Card team.
β β Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games. By virtue of the eight-team postseason format used for that season, division runner-up St. Louis (30β28, .517) also automatically qualified for the playoffs.
National League Championships
The division has produced six National League Pennant winners: St. Louis in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2013, Houston in 2005, and Chicago in 2016.
Other postseason teams
The wild card was introduced in 1994 and was initially assigned to the team with the best record in each league that did not win its division. The first year of implementation was 1995 as a player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season. Since implementation, each of the NL Central teams has won the wild card. In 2012, a second wild card was added to post-season play, and in 2022, a third was also added.
Year | Winner | Record | % | GB | Playoff Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Chicago Cubs* | 90β73 | .552 | 12.5 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3β0 |
2001 | St. Louis Cardinalsβ | 93β69 | .574 | 0 | Lost NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3β2 |
2004 | Houston Astros | 92β70 | .568 | 13 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3β2 Lost NLCS (Cardinals) 4β3 |
2005 | Houston Astros | 89β73 | .549 | 11 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3β1 Won NLCS (Cardinals) 4β2 Lost World Series (White Sox) 4β0 |
2008 | Milwaukee Brewers | 90β72 | .556 | 7.5 | Lost NLDS (Phillies) 3β1 |
2011 | St. Louis Cardinals | 90β72 | .556 | 6 | Won NLDS (Phillies) 3β2 Won NLCS (Brewers) 4β2 Won World Series (Rangers) 4β3 |
2012 | St. Louis Cardinals** | 88β74 | .543 | 9 | Won NLWC (Braves) Won NLDS (Nationals) 3β2 Lost NLCS (Giants) 4β3 |
2013 | Pittsburgh Pirates** | 94β68 | .580 | 3 | Won NLWC (Reds) Lost NLDS (Cardinals) 3β2 |
Cincinnati Reds** | 90β72 | .556 | 7 | Lost NLWC (Pirates) | |
2014 | Pittsburgh Pirates** | 88β74 | .543 | 2 | Lost NLWC (Giants) |
2015 | Pittsburgh Pirates** | 98β64 | .605 | 2 | Lost NLWC (Cubs) |
Chicago Cubs** | 97β65 | .599 | 3 | Won NLWC (Pirates) Won NLDS (Cardinals) 3β1 Lost NLCS (Mets) 4β0 | |
2018 | Chicago Cubs** | 95β68 | .583 | 1 | Lost NLWC (Rockies) |
2019 | Milwaukee Brewers** | 89β73 | .549 | 2 | Lost NLWC (Nationals) |
2020β β | St. Louis Cardinals** | 30β28 | .517 | 3 | Lost NLWC (Padres) 2β1 |
Cincinnati Reds** | 31β29 | .517 | 3 | Lost NLWC (Braves) 2β0 | |
Milwaukee Brewers** *** | 29β31 | .483 | 5 | Lost NLWC (Dodgers) 2β0 | |
2021 | St. Louis Cardinals** | 90β72 | .556 | 5 | Lost NLWC (Dodgers) |
* β Defeated the San Francisco Giants in a one game playoff for the Wild Card, 5β3.
β β 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.
** β From 2012 to 2019, and in 2021, the Wild Card was expanded to two teams. Those teams faced each other in the Wild Card Game to determine the final participant in the National League Division Series. In 2020 only, eight teams, including the three division winners, played in a best-of-three Wild Card Series, with the winners advancing to the Division Series. Starting in 2022, the Wild Card field was increased to three teams, and along with the lowest-ranked division winner, qualified for the best-of-three Wild Card Series to determine the remaining two slots in the Division Series.
β β β Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games.
*** β Finished with the same record as the San Francisco Giants but won the wild-card spot due to a superior intra-divisional record (Brewers went 19β21 vs. the NL Central while the Giants went 18β22 vs. the NL West).
Season results
(#) | Denotes team that won the World Series |
(#) | Denotes team that won the National League pennant, but lost World Series |
(#) | Denotes team that qualified for the MLB postseason |
Season | Team (record) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | ||
| |||||||
1994 | Cincinnati (66β48) | Houston (66β49) | Pittsburgh (53β61) | St. Louis (53β61) | Chicago Cubs (49β64) | ||
1995 | (2) Cincinnati (85β59) | Houston (76β68) | Chicago Cubs (73β71) | St. Louis (62β81) | Pittsburgh (58β86) | ||
1996 | (1) St. Louis (88β74) | Houston (82β80) | Cincinnati (81β81) | Chicago Cubs (76β86) | Pittsburgh (73β89) | ||
1997 | (1) Houston (84β78) | Pittsburgh (79β83) | Cincinnati (76β86) | St. Louis (73β89) | Chicago Cubs (68β94) | ||
| |||||||
1998 | (2) Houston (102β60) | (4) Chicago Cubs[a] (90β73) | St. Louis (83β79) | Cincinnati (77β85) | Milwaukee (74β88) | Pittsburgh (69β93) | |
1999 | (3) Houston (97β65) | Cincinnati[b] (96β67) | Pittsburgh (78β83) | St. Louis (75β86) | Milwaukee (74β87) | Chicago Cubs (67β95) | |
2000 | (2) St. Louis[c] (95β67) | Cincinnati (85β77) | Milwaukee (73β89) | Houston (72β90) | Pittsburgh (69β93) | Chicago Cubs (65β97) | |
2001 | (1) Houston[d] (93β69) | (4) St. Louis (93β69) | Chicago Cubs (88β74) | Milwaukee (68β94) | Cincinnati (66β96) | Pittsburgh (62β100) | |
2002 | (3) St. Louis (97β65) | Houston (84β78) | Cincinnati (78β84) | Pittsburgh (72β89) | Chicago Cubs (67β95) | Milwaukee (56β106) | |
2003 | (3) Chicago Cubs (88β74) | Houston (87β75) | St. Louis (85β77) | Pittsburgh (75β87) | Cincinnati (69β93) | Milwaukee (68β94) | |
2004 | (1) St. Louis (105β57) | (4) Houston (92β70) | Chicago Cubs (89β73) | Cincinnati (76β86) | Pittsburgh (72β89) | Milwaukee (67β94) | |
2005 | (1) St. Louis (100β62) | (4) Houston (89β73) | Milwaukee (81β81) | Chicago Cubs (79β83) | Cincinnati (73β89) | Pittsburgh (67β95) | |
2006 | (3) St. Louis (83β78) | Houston (82β80) | Cincinnati (80β82) | Milwaukee (75β87) | Pittsburgh (67β95) | Chicago Cubs (66β96) | |
2007 | (3) Chicago Cubs (85β77) | Milwaukee (83β79) | St. Louis (78β84) | Houston (73β89) | Cincinnati (72β90) | Pittsburgh (68β94) | |
2008 | (1) Chicago Cubs (97β64) | (4) Milwaukee (90β72) | Houston (86β75) | St. Louis (86β76) | Cincinnati (74β88) | Pittsburgh (67β95) | |
2009 | (3) St. Louis (91β71) | Chicago Cubs (83β78) | Milwaukee (80β82) | Cincinnati (78β84) | Houston (74β88) | Pittsburgh (62β99) | |
2010 | (3) Cincinnati (91β71) | St. Louis (86β76) | Milwaukee (77β85) | Houston (76β86) | Chicago Cubs (75β87) | Pittsburgh (57β105) | |
2011 | (2) Milwaukee (96β66) | (4) St. Louis (90β72) | Cincinnati (79β83) | Pittsburgh (72β90) | Chicago Cubs (71β91) | Houston (56β106) | |
2012 | (2) Cincinnati (97β65) | (5) St. Louis (88β74) | Milwaukee (83β79) | Pittsburgh (79β83) | Chicago Cubs (61β101) | Houston (55β107) | |
| |||||||
2013 | (1) St. Louis (97β65) | (4) Pittsburgh (94β68) | (5) Cincinnati (90β72) | Milwaukee (74β88) | Chicago Cubs (66β96) | ||
2014 | (3) St. Louis (90β72) | (4) Pittsburgh (88β74) | Milwaukee (82β80) | Cincinnati (76β86) | Chicago Cubs (73β89) | ||
2015 | (1) St. Louis (100β62) | (4) Pittsburgh (98β64) | (5) Chicago Cubs (97β65) | Milwaukee (68β94) | Cincinnati (64β98) | ||
2016 | (1) Chicago Cubs (103β58) | St. Louis (86β76) | Pittsburgh (78β83) | Milwaukee (73β89) | Cincinnati (68β94) | ||
2017 | (3) Chicago Cubs (92β70) | Milwaukee (86β76) | St. Louis (83β79) | Pittsburgh (75β87) | Cincinnati (68β94) | ||
2018 | (1) Milwaukee[e] (96β67) | (4) Chicago Cubs (95β68) | St. Louis (88β74) | Pittsburgh (82β79) | Cincinnati (67β95) | ||
2019 | (3) St. Louis (91β71) | (5) Milwaukee (89β73) | Chicago Cubs (84β78) | Cincinnati (75β87) | Pittsburgh (69β93) | ||
| |||||||
2020 | (3) Chicago Cubs (34β26) | (5) St. Louis (30β28) | (7) Cincinnati (31β29) | (8) Milwaukee[f] (29β31) | Pittsburgh (19β41) | ||
2021 | (2) Milwaukee (95β67) | (5) St. Louis (90β72) | Cincinnati (83β79) | Chicago Cubs (71β91) | Pittsburgh (61β101) | ||
2022 | (3) St. Louis (93β69) | Milwaukee (86β76) | Chicago Cubs (74β88) | Pittsburgh (62β100) | Cincinnati (62β100) | ||
2023 | (3) Milwaukee (92β70) | Chicago Cubs (83β79) | Cincinnati (82β80) | Pittsburgh (76β86) | St. Louis (71β91) |
- Notes and Tiebreakers
- a Chicago and San Francisco of the National League West were tied for the wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Cubs won 5β3 to claim the wild-card spot.
- b Cincinnati and New York of the National League East were tied for the wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Reds lost 5β0 and were eliminated from postseason contention.
- c St. Louis and Atlanta of the National League East were tied for the second and third seed, but the Cardinals claimed the second seed by winning the season series 4β3.
- d Houston and St. Louis were tied for the division championship and wild-card berth, but the Astros claimed the division crown by winning the season series 9β7, relegating St. Louis to the wild-card spot.
- e Milwaukee and Chicago were tied for the division championship and first wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Brewers won 3β1 to claim the division crown, while the Cubs were relegated to the first wild-card spot.
- f Milwaukee and San Francisco of the National League West were tied for the second wild-card berth, but the Brewers clinched the final postseason spot due to a superior intra-division record (Milwaukee had a 19β21 record while San Francisco had an 18β22 record).
NL Central titles won by team
Team | Number of Championship(s) Won |
Years Won |
---|---|---|
St. Louis Cardinals | 12 | 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004β2006, 2009, 2013β2015, 2019, 2022 |
Chicago Cubs | 6 | 2003, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2020 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 4 | 2011, 2018*, 2021, 2023 |
Houston Astros | 4 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001* |
Cincinnati Reds | 3 | 1995, 2010, 2012 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 0 | -- |
* β Won division via tiebreaker
Italics indicates former division member
Rivalries
- Cardinals-Cubs rivalry
- Brewers-Cubs rivalry
- Pirates-Reds rivalry
See also
References
- Chass, Murray. "BASEBALL; Pirates Relent on New Alignment". nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- "Starkey: Pirates in American League' Yes!". TribLIVE.com. 16 June 2011. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.