American League Central
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The American League Central is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division was formed in the 1994 realignment. Its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States. It is the only division in the MLB where all of its members have won the World Series at least once (though only one team has won the World Series as a member of the AL Central).
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Current members:
- Chicago White Sox - Founding member; formerly of the AL West
- Cleveland Indians - Founding member; formerly of the AL East
- Detroit Tigers - Joined in 1998; formerly of the AL East
- Kansas City Royals - Founding member; formerly of the AL West
- Minnesota Twins - Founding member; formerly of the AL West
[edit] Division lineups
[edit] 1994-1997
[edit] Lineup for 1994-1997
[edit] Changes from 1993
- Creation of division due to 1994 MLB realignment
- The Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins moved in from the AL West
- The Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers moved in from the AL East
[edit] 1998-present
[edit] Current lineup
[edit] Changes from 1997
- The Detroit Tigers moved in from the AL East
- The Milwaukee Brewers moved into the NL Central
[edit] AL Central champions by year
Since its inception, the Chicago White Sox are the only team from the AL Central division to have won the World Series.
| Year | Winner | Record | % | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Chicago White Sox§ | 67-46 | .593 | No Playoffs |
| 1995 | Cleveland Indians | 100-44 | .694 | Lost World Series to Atlanta, 4-2 |
| 1996 | Cleveland Indians | 99-62 | .615 | Lost ALDS to Baltimore, 3-1 |
| 1997 | Cleveland Indians | 86-75 | .534 | Lost World Series to Florida, 4-3 |
| 1998 | Cleveland Indians | 89-73 | .549 | Lost ALCS to New York, 4-2 |
| 1999 | Cleveland Indians | 97-65 | .599 | Lost ALDS to Boston, 3-2 |
| 2000 | Chicago White Sox | 95-67 | .586 | Lost ALDS to Seattle, 3-0 |
| 2001 | Cleveland Indians | 91-71 | .562 | Lost ALDS to Seattle, 3-2 |
| 2002 | Minnesota Twins | 94-67 | .584 | Lost ALCS to Anaheim, 4-1 |
| 2003 | Minnesota Twins | 90-72 | .556 | Lost ALDS to New York, 3-1 |
| 2004 | Minnesota Twins | 92-70 | .568 | Lost ALDS to New York, 3-1 |
| 2005 | Chicago White Sox | 99-63 | .611 | Won World Series over Houston, 4-0 |
| 2006 | Minnesota Twins | 96-66 | .593 | Lost ALDS to Oakland, 3-0 |
| 2007 | Cleveland Indians | 96-66 | .593 | Lost ALCS to Boston 4-3 |
§ - Due to the players' strike, no official winner was awarded. Chicago was leading at the strike.
[edit] Wild card winners produced
Because of the dominance of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the AL East as well as the AL Central having previously been the weakest division in the American League, this division was the last division in baseball to successfully produce a wild card team in 2006, 12 years after its creation. In 2006, the division has gained the reputation of being the toughest in baseball with the records and play of the Tigers, Twins, Indians, and White Sox. On September 24, 2006, a victory by the Twins guaranteed the wild card would come from the division, eliminating the Red Sox of the American League East from Wild Card contention and ending a three-year streak of wild card appearances by the Red Sox. The Twins eliminated the White Sox from playoff contention on September 25 and then squeaked by the Tigers on the last day of the regular season to give the Tigers the wild card slot.
| Year | Winner | Record | % | GB | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Cleveland Indians§ | 66-47 | .584 | 1 | No Playoffs |
| 2006 | Detroit Tigers | 95-67 | .586 | 1 | Lost World Series to St. Louis, 4-1 |
§ - Due to the players' strike, no official wild card winner was awarded. Cleveland was leading the wild card at the strike.
[edit] AL Central titles won by team
| Team | Championships | Last Year Won |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Indians | 7 | 2007 |
| Minnesota Twins | 4 | 2006 |
| Chicago White Sox | 2 | 2005 |
| Detroit Tigers | 0 | |
| Kansas City Royals | 0 |
[edit] See also
- American League East
- American League West
- National League East
- National League Central
- National League West
