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American League Central

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AL Central
LeagueAmerican League
SportMajor League Baseball
Founded1994
No. of teams5
Most recent
champion(s)		Cleveland Indians
(8th title)
Most titlesCleveland Indians (8)

The American League Central is one of six divisions in Major League Baseball. This division was formed in the realignment in 1994, and its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States. The Central is currently the only division in the Major Leagues in which all of its members have won a World Series title. In fact, each team has captured at least two World Series championships.

Division membership

Current members

Former member

Membership timeline

Place cursor over year for division champ or World Series team.

Years
AL Central Division[A]
94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Milwaukee Brewers[B]  
  Detroit Tigers[B]
  Team not in division   Division won World Series   Division won AL Championship
A The Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins came from the AL West, and the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers from the AL East.
B Due to expansion in 1998 and the placement of the new Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the AL East, the Tigers moved to the Central. To give each league an even number of teams, the Brewers moved to the NL Central.

Champions by year

The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals are the only teams from the AL Central division to have won the World Series since the league realignment in 1994.

  • Team names link to the season in which each team played
Year Winner Record % Playoff finish
1994 No winner *
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
2008 Chicago White Sox ** 89–74 .546 Lost ALDS to Tampa Bay 3–1
2009 Minnesota Twins # 87–76 .534 Lost ALDS to New York, 3–0
2010 Minnesota Twins 94–68 .580 Lost ALDS to New York, 3–0
2011 Detroit Tigers 95–67 .586 Lost ALCS to Texas, 4–2
2012 Detroit Tigers 88–74 .543 Lost World Series to San Francisco, 4–0
2013 Detroit Tigers 93–69 .574 Lost ALCS to Boston, 4–2
2014 Detroit Tigers 90–72 .556 Lost ALDS to Baltimore, 3–0
2015 Kansas City Royals 95–67 .586 Won World Series over New York, 4–1
2016 Cleveland Indians 94–67 .584 World Series vs. TBD

* Due to the 1994 Major League Baseball strike starting August 12, no official winner became victorious. The Chicago White Sox were leading at the time that the strike began.

** In 2008, the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox finished the season with the identical records of 88–74. The White Sox won the one-game playoff 1–0.

# In 2009, the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers finished the season with identical records of 86–76. The Twins won the one-game playoff 6–5 in 12 innings.

Wild-card winners produced

Main article: List of American League Wild Card winners

In 1994, the Cleveland Indians were sitting atop the wild-card standings and would have qualified for the postseason as the AL's first wild card but on August 12 of that year, the season came to an early end due to a players strike, cancelling the remainder of the regular season and postseason. The 2006 Detroit Tigers were the first team from the Central to qualify as the wild card, making the AL Central the last division to produce a wild card team. MLB revamped the postseason starting in 2012, creating a new single-game playoff where two wildcards competed against each other while the division winners each received a bye. The winner of the American League wild card game moves on to face the top-seeded team of the AL in the American League Division Series. In 2013, the Indians became the first team from the AL Central to qualify as a wild card under the new postseason format. In 2014, the Kansas City Royals ended a 29-year postseason drought returning to the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series in 1985.

Year Winner Record % GB Playoffs
2006 Detroit Tigers 95–67 .586 1 Lost World Series to St. Louis, 4–1
2013 Cleveland Indians 92–70 .568 1 Lost ALWC to Tampa Bay
2014 Kansas City Royals 89–73 .549 1 Lost World Series to San Francisco, 4–3

Championships won by team

Team Championships Last year won Year(s)
Cleveland Indians 8 2016 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2016
Minnesota Twins 6 2010 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010
Detroit Tigers 4 2014 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Chicago White Sox 3 2008 2000, 2005, 2008
Kansas City Royals 1 2015 2015
Milwaukee Brewers 0 N/A N/A

Current division members in bold

See also

References

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