List of American Association (1902–1997) champions
The American Association of Minor League Baseball was a Triple-A baseball league that operated in the United States from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997.[1] A league champion was determined at the end of each season. From 1902 to 1932 and in 1935 and 1969, champions were simply the regular season pennant winners.[2] In 1932 and 1933, the winners of each of the league's two divisions competed in a postseason series to determine a champion.[3] This arrangement was abandoned for 1935,[4] but the league adopted the Shaughnessy playoff system in which the top four teams qualified for postseason play in 1936.[5] These playoffs varied between being best-of-five and best-of-seven contests.[2]
The inaugural 1902 pennant was won by the Indianapolis Indians with a 96–45 record, two games ahead of the Louisville Colonels.[2][6] The first playoffs, held in 1932, were won by the Columbus Red Birds, who beat the Minneapolis Millers, four games to two.[3] In 1936, the league's first multi-round Shaughnessy playoffs were won by the Milwaukee Brewers after they defeated Indianapolis, four games to one.[7] The league's final championship was won by the Buffalo Bisons in 1997.[2]
The Louisville Colonels won 15 American Association titles, the most in the league's history, followed by the Indianapolis Indians (12); Columbus Senators/Red Birds (10); Minneapolis Millers (9); St. Paul Saints (8); Denver Bears/Zephyrs (7); Kansas City Blues (6); Milwaukee Brewers (5); Omaha Royals (4); Evansville Triplets and Louisville Redbirds (3); Oklahoma City 89ers and Tulsa Oilers (2); and Buffalo Bisons, Iowa Cubs, Springfield Redbirds, and Toledo Mud Hens (1).
Indianapolis won four consecutive championships from 1986 to 1989, the most consecutive titles in the history of the league. Three teams won three titles consecutively: Columbus (1905–1907; 1941–1943), Minneapolis (1910–1912), and Louisville Colonels (1944–1946; 1960–1962). Ten teams won back-to-back championships: St. Paul (1903–1904; 1919–1920), Milwaukee (1913–1914), Louisville Colonels (1925–1926; 1939–1940), Columbus (1933–1934), Kansas City (1952–1953), Minneapolis (1958–1959), Omaha (1969–1970), Tulsa (1973–1974), Denver (1976–1977), and Louisville Redbirds (1984–1985).
League champions
- Scores and runner-up teams are absent when no playoffs were held and pennant winners were declared champions.
Championship wins by club
| Wins | Team | Championship years |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Louisville Colonels | 1909, 1916, 1921, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1939, 1940, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1954, 1960, 1961, 1962 |
| 12 | Indianapolis Indians | 1902, 1908, 1917, 1928, 1949, 1956, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994 |
| 10 | Columbus Senators/Red Birds | 1905, 1906, 1907, 1933, 1934, 1937, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1950 |
| 9 | Minneapolis Millers | 1910, 1911, 1912, 1915, 1932, 1935, 1955, 1958, 1959 |
| 8 | St. Paul Saints | 1903, 1904, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1931, 1948 |
| 7 | Denver Bears/Zephyrs | 1957, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1991 |
| 6 | Kansas City Blues | 1918, 1923, 1929, 1938, 1952, 1953 |
| 5 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1913, 1914, 1936, 1947, 1951 |
| 4 | Omaha Royals | 1969, 1970, 1978, 1990 |
| 3 | Evansville Triplets | 1972, 1975, 1979 |
| 3 | Louisville Redbirds | 1984, 1985, 1995 |
| 2 | Oklahoma City 89ers | 1992, 1996 |
| 2 | Tulsa Oilers | 1973, 1974 |
| 1 | Buffalo Bisons | 1997 |
| 1 | Iowa Cubs | 1993 |
| 1 | Springfield Redbirds | 1980 |
| 1 | Toledo Mud Hens | 1927 |
See also
References
Specific
- ^ "American Association (AAA) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "American Association Playoff Results". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ a b O'Neal 1991, p. 71–74.
- ^ O'Neal 1991, p. 75.
- ^ O'Neal 1991, p. 78.
- ^ O'Neal 1991, p. 352.
- ^ O'Neal 1991, p. 80–81.
General
- "American Association Playoff Results". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- O'Neal, Bill (1991). The American Association: A Baseball History, 1902–1991. Eakin Press. pp. 352–363. ISBN 0-89015-812-6.
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