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The modern World Series, the current championship series of Major League Baseball, began in 1903, and was established as an annual event in 1905. Before the formation of the American Association (AA), there were no playoff rounds—all championships went to the team with the best record at the end of the season. In the initial season of the National League (NL) in 1876, there was controversy as to which team was the champion: the Chicago White Stockings, who had the best overall record (52–14), or the St. Louis Brown Stockings (45–19), who were the only team to have a winning record against every other franchise in the league. The teams agreed to play a five-game "Championship of the West" series, won by St. Louis, 4 games to 1. Beginning in 1884, the championship series between the National League and the American Association were promoted and referred to as the "World's Championship Series" (WCS), or "World's Series" for short; however, they are not officially recognized by Major League Baseball as part of World Series history.[1] Though early publications, such as Ernest Lanigan's Baseball Cyclopedia and Turkin and Thompson's Encyclopedia of Baseball, listed the 19th-century games on an equal basis with those of the 20th century, Sporting News publications about the World Series, which began in the 1920s, ignored the 19th-century games, as did most publications about the Series after 1960. Major League Baseball, in general, regards 19th-century events as a prologue to the modern era of baseball, which is defined by the emergence of the two present major leagues.

In the second year of the WCS, a dispute in the 1885 series concerned Game 2, which was forfeited by the St. Louis Browns when they pulled their team off the field protesting an umpiring decision. The managers, Cap Anson and Charles Comiskey, initially agreed to disregard the game. When St. Louis won the final game and an apparent 3–2 series championship, Chicago owner Albert Spalding overruled his manager and declared that he wanted the forfeit counted. The result of a tied WCS was that neither team got the prize money that had been posted by the owners before the series (and was returned to them after they both agreed it was a tie). Following the collapse of the AA in 1891, four of its clubs were admitted to the National League. The league championship was awarded in 1892 by a playoff between half-season champions. This scheme was abandoned after one season. Beginning in 1893—and continuing until divisional play was introduced in 1969—the pennant was awarded to the first-place club in the standings at the end of the season. For four seasons, the pennant winner played the runners-up in the postseason championship series called the Temple Cup. A second attempt at this format was the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup series in 1900.

Champions before 1876[edit]

The only championship teams to last beyond 1876 (when the National League was founded) were the Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs, NL) and the Boston Red Stockings (now the Atlanta Braves, NL).

The Philadelphia Athletics (1860–76) were not the same team as either the Philadelphia Athletics (American Association) of 1882–1890, or the former Philadelphia Athletics (American League) who now play in Oakland, California.

Nor were the Brooklyn Atlantics of 1855 to circa 1882 the same team as the Brooklyn Atlantics founded in 1883-1884, to become later known successively as the Brooklyn Grays, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Brooklyn Grooms, Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, Brooklyn Superbas, Brooklyn Robins, Brooklyn Dodgers, and (since 1958) Los Angeles Dodgers.

National Association of
Base Ball Players		 National Association of
Professional Base Ball Players
YearChampions YearChampionsYearChampions
1857Atlantic (of Brooklyn)1864Atlantic1871Athletic (of Philadelphia)
1858 [2]Mutual (of New York)1865Atlantic1872Boston ("Red Stockings")
1859Atlantic1866Atlantic1873Boston
1860Atlantic1867Union (of Morrisania, NY)1874Boston
1861Atlantic1868Mutual1875Boston
1862Eckford of Brooklyn1869AtlanticThe "White Stockings" became (1907) the Cubs, while the "Red Stockings" were later (1912) named the Braves.
1863Eckford1870Chicago ("White Stockings")

Champions from 1876 to 1904[edit]

Notes:

  • After 1871, a team's name links to the team's season that year (rather than to the team in general).
  • Italicized names refer to years when two teams and their managers could claim equal status as champion, either because they did not play a series against each other, or because they tied such a series.
  • A third bracketed and asterisked number in a series score, for example " 3–3–(1)* ", refers to a tied game.

† A dagger indicates an exhibition series (1876, 1882 and 1883)

YearWinning (or tying) teamManagerSeasonGamesLosing (or tying) teamManagerSeasonNotes
National League champions
1876†St. Louis Brown Stockings †George McManus45-194-1 †Chicago White Stockings †Albert Spalding52-14† unofficial Championship of the West
1877Boston Red CapsHarry Wright31–17     
1878Boston Red CapsHarry Wright41–19
1879Providence GraysGeorge Wright55–23
1880Chicago White StockingsCap Anson67–17
1881Chicago White StockingsCap Anson56–28
National League versus American Association — exhibition
1882†Chicago White Stockings (NL)†Cap Anson55–291–1 †Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA) †Pop Snyder55–25† (exhibition series)
1883†Boston Beaneaters (NL) †John Morrill63–35canceled †Athletics (Philadelphia) (AA) †Lon Knight66–32† (cancelled exhibition series)
National League versus American Association
1884Providence Grays (NL)Frank Bancroft84–283–0Metropolitans (New York) (AA)Jim Mutrie75–321884 World Series
1885St. Louis Browns (AA)Charles Comiskey79–333–3–(1)*Chicago White Stockings (NL)Cap Anson87–251885 World Series
1886St. Louis Browns (AA)Charles Comiskey93–464–2Chicago White Stockings (NL)Cap Anson90–341886 World Series
1887Detroit Wolverines (NL)Bill Watkins79–4510–5St. Louis Browns (AA)Charles Comiskey95–401887 World Series
1888New York Giants (NL)Jim Mutrie84–476–4St. Louis Browns (AA)Charles Comiskey92–431888 World Series
1889New York Giants (NL)Jim Mutrie83–436–3Brooklyn Bridegrooms (AA)Bill McGunnigle93–441889 World Series
1890Louisville Colonels (AA)Jack Chapman88–443–3–(1)*Brooklyn Bridegrooms (NL)Bill McGunnigle86–431890 World Series
1891Boston Beaneaters (NL)Frank Selee87–51no SeriesBoston Reds (AA)Arthur Irwin93–42 
National League champions — (The 1894–1897 series were for the Temple Cup; the 1900 one for the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup)
1892Boston BeaneatersFrank Selee102–485–0–1Cleveland SpidersPatsy Tebeau93–561892 World Series 
1893Boston BeaneatersFrank Selee86–44no Series—  
1894New York GiantsJohn Montgomery Ward88–444–0Baltimore OriolesNed Hanlon89–391894 Temple Cup
1895Cleveland SpidersPatsy Tebeau84–464–1Baltimore OriolesNed Hanlon87–431895 Temple Cup
1896Baltimore OriolesNed Hanlon90–394–0Cleveland SpidersPatsy Tebeau80–481896 Temple Cup
1897Baltimore OriolesNed Hanlon90–404–1Boston BeaneatersFrank Selee93–391897 Temple Cup
1898Boston BeaneatersFrank Selee102–47no Series    
1899Brooklyn SuperbasNed Hanlon101–47no Series
1900Brooklyn SuperbasNed Hanlon82–543–1Pittsburgh PiratesFred Clarke79–601900 Chronicle-Telegraph Cup
American League and National League champions
1901Chicago White Sox (AL)Clark Griffith83–53no SeriesPittsburgh Pirates (NL)Fred Clarke90–49 
1902Philadelphia Athletics (AL)Connie Mack83–53no SeriesPittsburgh Pirates (NL)Fred Clarke103–36
1903Boston Americans (AL)Jimmy Collins91–475–3Pittsburgh Pirates (NL)Fred Clarke91–491st modern World Series
1904Boston Americans (AL)Jimmy Collins95–59no SeriesNew York Giants (NL)John McGraw106–47 
* tied game; † exhibition series
Sources: World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1929,[3] Baseball Almanac.com

Totals[edit]

Championship of the National Association of Base Ball Players[edit]

TeamNumberYearsCurrent statusLeague
Brooklyn Atlantics81857, 1859−1861, 1864−1866, 1869Defunct (1875)-
Brooklyn Eckfords21862−1863Defunct (1872)-
New York Mutuals21858, 1868Defunct (1876)-
Union of Morrisania11867Defunct (1873)-
Chicago White Stockings11870Chicago CubsNat'l

Championship of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players[edit]

TeamNo. of
championships		YearsCurrent statusLeague
Boston Red Stockings41872–1875Atlanta BravesNat'l
Philadelphia Athletics11871Defunct (1876)-

Championship of the National League (through 1904)[edit]

TeamNo. of
championships		YearsCurrent statusLeague
Boston Red Caps/Beaneaters71877–1878, 1883, 1891–1893, 1898Atlanta BravesNat'l
Chicago White Stockings61876, 1880–1882, 1885–1886Chicago CubsNat'l
New York Giants41888–1889, 1894, 1904San Francisco GiantsNat'l
Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Superbas31890, 1899–1900Los Angeles DodgersNat'l
Pittsburgh Pirates31901–1903Pittsburgh PiratesNat'l
Providence Grays21879, 1884Defunct (1885)-
Baltimore Orioles21896–1897Defunct (1899)-
Detroit Wolverines11887Defunct (1888)-
Cleveland Spiders11895Defunct (1899)-

Championship of the American Association[edit]

TeamNo. of
championships		YearsCurrent statusLeague
St. Louis Browns41885–1888St. Louis CardinalsNat'l
Cincinnati Red Stockings11882Cincinnati RedsNat'l
Philadelphia Athletics11883Defunct (1890)-
New York Metropolitans11884Defunct (1887)-
Brooklyn Bridegrooms11889Los Angeles DodgersNat'l
Louisville Colonels11890Defunct (1899)-
Boston Reds11891Defunct (1891)-

Championship of the American League (through 1904)[edit]

TeamNo. of
championships		YearsCurrent statusLeague
Boston Americans21903–1904Boston Red SoxAmer.
Chicago White Sox11901Chicago White SoxAmer.
Philadelphia Athletics11902Oakland AthleticsAmer.

Winner of the World's Championship Series[edit]

TeamNo. of
championships		YearsCurrent status
New York Giants (NL)21888–1889San Francisco Giants (NL)
Providence Grays (NL)11884Defunct (1885)
St. Louis Browns (AA)11886St. Louis Cardinals (NL)
Detroit Wolverines (NL)11887Defunct (1888)
Boston Beaneaters (NL)11892Atlanta Braves (NL)

See also[edit]

  • List of World Series champions

References[edit]

  1. ^ World Series Summary, Major League Baseball website, accessed 2006-10-24
  2. ^ Charlton, James. "The Chronology – 1858". Baseball Library. Baseball Library. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  3. ^ 1929 World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1971 reprint by Workman Publishing, ISBN 978-0-07-071882-1, pages 776-777