National League West
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other half in a Western division.
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[edit] Inaugural season
The very first year of division play featured 2 of the greatest pennant races in baseball history. In the NL West, as many as 5 teams vied for the first division title - with only the expansion San Diego Padres failing to be major contenders late into the season. The remaining 5 teams were separated by as little as 1.5 games on August 18. This came after the Houston Astros had lost 20 of their first 24 games. Eventually, the Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers suffered late September collapses, and the Atlanta Braves ended up winning the division title in their next-to-last game. But perhaps, this race was overshadowed by the New York Mets coming back from a large deficit to overtake the Chicago Cubs for the NL East title. The "Miracle Mets" would go on to win the World Series in only their 8th year of existence.
[edit] Divisional membership
[edit] Current members
- Arizona Diamondbacks - Joined in 1998 as an expansion team
- Colorado Rockies - Joined in 1993 as an expansion team
- Los Angeles Dodgers - Founding member
- San Diego Padres - Founding member
- San Francisco Giants - Founding member
[edit] Former members
- Atlanta Braves - Founding member; Currently part of the NL East
- Cincinnati Reds - Founding member; Currently part of the NL Central
- Houston Astros - Founding member; Currently part of the NL Central
[edit] Division Lineups
[edit] Lineup for 1969-1992
- Atlanta Braves
- Cincinnati Reds
- Houston Astros
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
[edit] Changes from 1968
- Creation of division due to 1969 expansion
[edit] Lineup for 1993
- Atlanta Braves
- Cincinnati Reds
- Colorado Rockies
- Houston Astros
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
[edit] Changes from 1992
- The Colorado Rockies were added in the 1993 expansion
[edit] Lineup for 1994-1997
- Colorado Rockies
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
[edit] Changes from 1993
- The Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros moved into the newly created NL Central division due to the 1994 MLB realignment
- The Atlanta Braves moved into the NL East
[edit] Lineup from 1998-Present
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Colorado Rockies
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
[edit] Changes from 1997
- The Arizona Diamondbacks were added in the 1998 expansion
[edit] Championships
Overall, the National League West has recorded a 27-30 record in the postseason. Division champions have compiled an overall mark of 29-36, winning sixteen National League pennants and six World Series. Wildcard winners from the division have recorded a record of 2-2, winning one pennant (2002 San Francisco Giants) and no World Series titles.
[edit] Division champions
Prior to the establishment of a third division in both leagues in 1994, the winner of each division faced off in a Best-of-five (the series was lengthened in 1985 to a Best-of-seven set) series, dubbed the "League Championship Series" to determine the winner of the league pennant. This format was altered in 1994 (though not implemented until the following year due to a player strike), with the addition of two further teams in each league's postseason. This has led to the creation of a "Division Series" round of the playoffs, in which two Best-of-five series' are conducted to determine the participants of the League Championship Series. As always, the winners of each league's pennant face off in the Best-of-seven World Series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball.
* - Defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a One Game Playoff for the division title, 7-1.
† - Due to the players' strike, the season was split. Los Angeles won the first half and defeated second-half champion Houston (61-49) in the postseason.
§ - Due to the players' strike, no official winner was awarded. Los Angeles was leading at the strike.
†† - The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers finished the 2006 season tied for first place with identical records. San Diego won the season series against Los Angeles and was awarded the tie-breaker; Los Angeles was awarded the wild card berth. Had a team from another division won the wild card, a one game playoff would have decided the division champion.
[edit] Wildcard winners produced
The Wildcard is given to the team in each league with the best record that did not win its division and was first introduced in 1994, however, the system was not implemented until the following season, as a player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season. Since its implementation four NL West teams have won this award.
| Year | Winner | Record | % | GB | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Colorado Rockies | 77-67 | .535 | 1 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-1 |
| 1996 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 90-72 | .556 | 1 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-0 |
| 2002 | San Francisco Giants | 95-66 | .590 | 2.5 | Lost World Series to Anaheim, 4-3 |
| 2006 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 88-74 | .543 | 0 | Lost NLDS to New York, 3-0 |
| 2007 | Colorado Rockies | 90-73* | .552 | 0.5 | Lost World Series to Boston, 4-0 |
* The Colorado Rockies played the San Diego Padres in a wild card tie-breaker game after both teams finished the season with the same record, 89-73. The Rockies defeated the Padres, 9-8, in 13 innings. A wild card tie-breaker game is still considered part of the regular season, and thus, the Rockies' win made it their 90th victory of the season - a franchise record.
[edit] See also
- American League East
- American League Central
- American League West
- National League East
- National League Central
[edit] NL West Titles Won By Team
| Team | Number of Championships Won | Last Year Won |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 9 | 2004 |
| Cincinnati Reds & | 7 | 1990 |
| San Francisco Giants | 6 | 2003 |
| San Diego Padres | 5 | 2006 |
| Atlanta Braves & | 5 | 1993 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks && | 4 | 2007 |
| Houston Astros & | 2 | 1986 |
& - Left division in 1993 && - Current Division Champion
