National League Central
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The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. It was created in 1994, merging two teams from the West (Cincinnati and Houston) and three teams from the East (Chicago, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis) divisions of the National League. In 1998 it became the largest division in Major League Baseball, with the addition of a sixth member (Milwaukee). The most recent team to win the division is the Chicago Cubs.
This division has been dominated by St. Louis and Houston, who have accounted for all but 3 of the official division titles (from 1995 onward), as well as 3 of the 4 wild card berths from the division. The Cubs have been rising to prominence in the division recently, capturing the division's first wild card berth in 1998, and winning the division in 2003 and 2007 while also fielding strong teams in other years.
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[edit] Current members
- Chicago Cubs - Founding member; formerly of the NL East
- Cincinnati Reds - Founding member; formerly of the NL West
- Houston Astros - Founding member; formerly of the NL West
- Milwaukee Brewers - Joined in 1998; formerly of the AL Central
- Pittsburgh Pirates - Founding member; formerly of the NL East
- St. Louis Cardinals - Founding member; formerly of the NL East
[edit] Division Lineups
[edit] 1994-1997
- Chicago Cubs
- Cincinnati Reds
- Houston Astros
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- St. Louis Cardinals
[edit] Changes from 1993
- Creation of division due to 1994 MLB realignment
- Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals moved in from the NL East
- Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros moved in from the NL West
[edit] 1998-present
- Chicago Cubs
- Cincinnati Reds
- Houston Astros
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- St. Louis Cardinals
[edit] Changes from 1997
- Milwaukee Brewers moved in from the AL Central, due to 1998 MLB expansion. The Kansas City Royals, also from the AL Central, were given the opportunity to move to the NL Central, but the team's board of directors declined. [1]
[edit] Division champions
| Year | Winner | Record | % | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Cincinnati Reds§ | 66-48 | .579 | No Playoffs |
| 1995 | Cincinnati Reds | 85-59 | .590 | Lost NLCS to Atlanta, 4-0 |
| 1996 | St. Louis Cardinals | 88-74 | .543 | Lost NLCS to Atlanta, 4-3 |
| 1997 | Houston Astros | 84-78 | .519 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-0 |
| 1998 | Houston Astros | 102-60 | .630 | Lost NLDS to San Diego, 3-1 |
| 1999 | Houston Astros | 97-65 | .599 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-1 |
| 2000 | St. Louis Cardinals | 95-67 | .586 | Lost NLCS to New York, 4-1 |
| 2001 | St. Louis Cardinals & Houston Astros† | 93-69 | .574 | Lost NLDS to Arizona, 3-2/Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-0 |
| 2002 | St. Louis Cardinals | 97-65 | .599 | Lost NLCS to San Francisco, 4-1 |
| 2003 | Chicago Cubs | 88-74 | .543 | Lost NLCS to Florida, 4-3 |
| 2004 | St. Louis Cardinals | 105-57 | .648 | Lost World Series to Boston, 4-0 |
| 2005 | St. Louis Cardinals | 100-62 | .617 | Lost NLCS to Houston, 4-2 |
| 2006 | St. Louis Cardinals | 82-79 | .503 | Won World Series over Detroit, 4-1 |
| 2007 | Chicago Cubs | 85-77 | .525 | Lost NLDS to Arizona, 3-0 |
§ - Due to the players' strike, no official winner was awarded. Cincinnati was leading at the strike.
† - The Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals finished the 2001 season tied for first place with identical records and both teams were awarded division championships.[2]
For the purpose of playoff seeding, the Astros received the NL Central slot and the Cardinals received the Wild Card seeding. 2001 is considered by MLB to be the first shared divisional championship in MLB history.[3]
[edit] National League Championships
The division has produced three National League Pennant winners: St. Louis in 2004 and 2006 and Houston in 2005. In 2004 and 2005 the American League Champions swept both World Series and in 2006 the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in five games.
[edit] Wildcard winners
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 Central teams have won this award.
| Year | Winner | Record | % | GB | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Chicago Cubs* | 90-73 | .552 | 12.5 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-0 |
| 2001 | St. Louis Cardinals† | 93-69 | .574 | 0 | Lost NLDS to Arizona, 3-2 |
| 2004 | Houston Astros | 92-70 | .568 | 13 | Lost NLCS to St. Louis, 4-3 |
| 2005 | Houston Astros | 89-73 | .549 | 11 | Lost World Series to Chicago White Sox, 4-0 |
* - Defeated the San Francisco Giants in a One Game Playoff for the Wild Card, 5-3.
† - 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.
[edit] NL Central Titles Won By Team
| Team | Number of Championship(s)Won | Last Year Won |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 2006 |
| Houston Astros | 4 | 2001 |
| Chicago Cubs | 2 | 2007 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 1 | 1995 |
[edit] See also
- American League East
- American League Central
- American League West
- National League East
- National League West
[edit] References
- ^ Mellinger, Sam. NL grass looks greener now Kansas City Star, 10 June 2007.
- ^ http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/teams/nl/cardinals.htm< Baseball Hall of Fame Official Site
- ^ St. Louis Cardinal History
