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.
Contents |
- 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
- 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
- Atlanta Braves
- Cincinnati Reds
- Houston Astros
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
- Creation of division due to 1969 expansion
- Atlanta Braves
- Cincinnati Reds
- Colorado Rockies
- Houston Astros
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
- The Colorado Rockies were added in the 1993 expansion
- Colorado Rockies
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
- 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
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Colorado Rockies
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
- The Arizona Diamondbacks were added in the 1998 expansion
Overall, the National League West has recorded a 27-30 record in the postseason. Division champions have complied 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.
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.
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.
- American League East
- American League Central
- American League West
- National League East
- National League Central
| 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