National League Central
The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League East (the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals).
| League | National League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Major League Baseball |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Teams | |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Championships | |
| Most recent champion(s) | Chicago Cubs (6th title) |
| Most titles | St. Louis Cardinals (11) |
When the division was created in 1994, the Pirates were originally supposed to stay in the East while the Atlanta Braves were to be moved to the Central from the West. However, the Braves, wanting to form a natural rivalry with the expansion Florida Marlins, requested to remain in the East. Despite the Marlins offering to go to the Central, the Pirates instead gave up their spot in the East to the Braves.[1] Since then, the Pirates have tried several times unsuccessfully to be placed back in the East.[2]
In 1998, the NL Central became the largest division in Major League Baseball when the Milwaukee Brewers were moved in from the American League Central. In 2013, the Astros moved to the American League West.
This division has been dominated by the Cardinals, who have accounted for 11 of the 25 division championships, plus three wild card wins. Aside from the Cardinals, the Cubs have the second most division championships with six, as well as three wild card wins. The Astros have four division titles and two wild card wins. The Reds have three division titles, along with one wild card win. The Brewers have two divisional championships, with two wild card wins. The Pirates have not won the division since the division was created, but possess three wild card wins. The 2013 win was the Pirates’ first playoff berth since 1992.
The current division champion for the NL Central is the 2020 Chicago Cubs. This is the third division championship for the Cubs in five years, winning last in 2017. The Cubs division championship comes in the pandemic shortened 60 game season.
Division membership
Current members
- Chicago Cubs – Founding member; formerly of the NL East
- Cincinnati Reds – Founding member; formerly of the NL West
- Milwaukee Brewers - Since 1998; formerly of the AL West, AL East, AL Central
- Pittsburgh Pirates – Founding member; formerly of the NL East
- St. Louis Cardinals – Founding member; formerly of the NL East
Former member
- Houston Astros – Founding member; formerly of the NL West; moved to the AL West in 2013
Division lineups
Place cursor over year for division champ or World Series team.
| Years | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL 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 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | |||||||
| Chicago Cubs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati Reds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Louis Cardinals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh Pirates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Milwaukee Brewers[B] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston Astros[C] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team not in division Division Won World Series Division Won NL Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- A Creation of division due to the 1994 realignment into three divisions (with Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis from NL East, and Cincinnati and Houston from NL West)
- B Milwaukee switched leagues due to the 1998 expansion, moving in from AL Central
- C Houston switched leagues after the 2012 season, and joined the AL West
Champions by year
- Team names link to the season in which each team played
| Year | Winner | Record | Win% | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994§ | No playoffs due to 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike | |||
| 1995 | Cincinnati Reds | 85–59 | .590 | Won NLDS over Los Angeles (NL), 3–0 Lost NLCS to Atlanta, 4–0 |
| 1996 | St. Louis Cardinals | 88–74 | .543 | Won NLDS over San Diego, 3–0 Lost NLCS to Atlanta, 4–3 |
| 1997 | Houston Astros | 84–78 | .519 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3–0 |
| 1998 | Houston Astros (2) | 102–60 | .630 | Lost NLDS to San Diego, 3–1 |
| 1999 | Houston Astros (3) | 97–65 | .599 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3–1 |
| 2000 | St. Louis Cardinals (2) | 95–67 | .586 | Won NLDS over Atlanta, 3–0 Lost NLCS to New York (NL), 4–1 |
| 2001* | Houston Astros (4) | 93–69 | .574 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3–0 |
| 2002 | St. Louis Cardinals (3) | 97–65 | .599 | Won NLDS over Arizona, 3–0 Lost NLCS to San Francisco, 4–1 |
| 2003 | Chicago Cubs | 88–74 | .543 | Won NLDS over Atlanta, 3–2 Lost NLCS to Florida, 4–3 |
| 2004 | St. Louis Cardinals (4) | 105–57 | .648 | Won NLDS over Los Angeles (NL), 3–1 Won NLCS over Houston, 4–3 Lost World Series to Boston, 4–0 |
| 2005 | St. Louis Cardinals (5) | 100–62 | .617 | Won NLDS over San Diego, 3–0 Lost NLCS to Houston, 4–2 |
| 2006 | St. Louis Cardinals (6) | 83–78 | .516 | Won NLDS over San Diego, 3–1 Won NLCS over New York (NL), 4–3 Won World Series over Detroit, 4–1 |
| 2007 | Chicago Cubs (2) | 85–77 | .525 | Lost NLDS to Arizona, 3–0 |
| 2008 | Chicago Cubs (3) | 97–64 | .602 | Lost NLDS to Los Angeles (NL), 3–0 |
| 2009 | St. Louis Cardinals (7) | 91–71 | .562 | Lost NLDS to Los Angeles (NL), 3–0 |
| 2010 | Cincinnati Reds (2) | 91–71 | .562 | Lost NLDS to Philadelphia, 3–0 |
| 2011 | Milwaukee Brewers | 96–66 | .593 | Won NLDS over Arizona, 3–2 Lost NLCS to St. Louis, 4–2 |
| 2012 | Cincinnati Reds (3) | 97–65 | .599 | Lost NLDS to San Francisco, 3–2 |
| 2013 | St. Louis Cardinals (8) | 97–65 | .599 | Won NLDS over Pittsburgh, 3–2 Won NLCS over Los Angeles (NL), 4–2 Lost World Series to Boston, 4–2 |
| 2014 | St. Louis Cardinals (9) | 90–72 | .556 | Won NLDS over Los Angeles (NL), 3–1 Lost NLCS to San Francisco, 4–1 |
| 2015 | St. Louis Cardinals (10) | 100–62 | .617 | Lost NLDS to Chicago (NL), 3–1 |
| 2016 | Chicago Cubs (4) | 103–58 | .640 | Won NLDS over San Francisco, 3–1 Won NLCS over Los Angeles (NL), 4–2 Won World Series over Cleveland, 4–3 |
| 2017 | Chicago Cubs (5) | 92–70 | .568 | Won NLDS over Washington, 3–2 Lost NLCS to Los Angeles (NL), 4–1 |
| 2018 | Milwaukee Brewers (2) | 96–67 | .589 | Won NLDS over Colorado, 3–0 Lost NLCS to Los Angeles (NL), 4–3 |
| 2019 | St. Louis Cardinals (11) | 91–71 | .562 | Won NLDS over Atlanta, 3–2 Lost NLCS to Washington, 4–0 |
| 2020† | Chicago Cubs (6) | 34–26 | .567 | Lost NLWC to Miami, 2–0 |
§ – Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike on August 12, no official winner was awarded. Cincinnati was leading by half a game over Houston at the time of the strike.
* – The Astros and Cardinals finished with identical regular season records. Because the Astros edged the Cardinals in head-to-head games, 9–7, they were awarded the National League Central division title, and the Cardinals were designated as winners of the National League Wild Card.
† – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games. By virtue of the eight-team postseason format used for that season, division runner-up St. Louis (30–28, .517) also automatically qualified for the playoffs. The St. Louis Cardinals Lost NLWC to San Diego, 2–1.
National League Championships
The division has produced six National League Pennant winners: St. Louis in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2013, Houston in 2005, and Chicago in 2016.
Wild-card winners
The wild card was introduced in 1994 and was initially assigned to the team with the best record in each league that did not win its division. The first year of implementation was 1995 as a player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season. Since implementation, each of the NL Central teams has won the wild card. In 2012, a second wild card was added to post-season play.
| 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 | Won NLDS over Atlanta, 3–2 Lost NLCS to St. Louis, 4–3 |
| 2005 | Houston Astros | 89–73 | .549 | 11 | Won NLDS over Atlanta, 3–1 Won NLCS over St. Louis, 4–2 Lost World Series to Chicago (AL), 4–0 |
| 2008 | Milwaukee Brewers | 90–72 | .556 | 7.5 | Lost NLDS to Philadelphia, 3–1 |
| 2011 | St. Louis Cardinals | 90–72 | .556 | 6 | Won NLDS over Philadelphia, 3–2 Won NLCS over Milwaukee, 4–1 Won World Series over Texas, 4–3 |
| 2012 | St. Louis Cardinals** | 88–74 | .543 | 9 | Won NLWC over Atlanta Won NLDS over Washington, 3–2 Lost NLCS to San Francisco, 4–3 |
| 2013 | Pittsburgh Pirates** | 94–68 | .580 | 3 | Won NLWC over Cincinnati Lost NLDS to St. Louis, 3–2 |
| Cincinnati Reds** | 90–72 | .556 | 7 | Lost NLWC to Pittsburgh | |
| 2014 | Pittsburgh Pirates** | 88–74 | .543 | 2 | Lost NLWC to San Francisco |
| 2015 | Pittsburgh Pirates** | 98–64 | .605 | 2 | Lost NLWC to Chicago (NL) |
| Chicago Cubs** | 97–65 | .599 | 3 | Won NLWC over Pittsburgh Won NLDS over St. Louis, 3–1 Lost NLCS to New York, 4–0 | |
| 2018 | Chicago Cubs** | 95–68 | .583 | 1 | Lost NLWC to Colorado |
| 2019 | Milwaukee Brewers | 89–73 | .549 | 2 | Lost NLWC to Washington |
| 2020†† | Cincinnati Reds | 31–29 | .517 | 3 | Lost NLWC to Atlanta, 2–0 |
| Milwaukee Brewers*** | 29–31 | .483 | 5 | Lost NLWC to Los Angeles (NL), 2–0 |
* – 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.
** – Starting with the 2012 season, there are two Wild Card winners in each league. The qualifiers will play a single-game playoff to determine who will face the top-seeded team in the National League Division Series.
†† – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games.
*** – Finished with the same record as the San Francisco Giants but won the wild-card spot due to a superior intra-divisional record (Brewers went 19–21 vs. the NL Central while the Giants went 18–22 vs. the NL West).
Season results
| (#) | Denotes team that won the World Series |
| (#) | Denotes team that won the National League pennant, but lost World Series |
| (#) | Denotes team that qualified for the MLB postseason |
| Season | Team (record) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | ||
| |||||||
| 1994 | Cincinnati (66–48) | Houston (66–49) | Pittsburgh (53–61) | St. Louis (53–61) | Chicago Cubs (49–64) | ||
| 1995 | (2) Cincinnati (85–59) | Houston (76–68) | Chicago Cubs (73–71) | St. Louis (62–81) | Pittsburgh (58–86) | ||
| 1996 | (1) St. Louis (88–74) | Houston (82–80) | Cincinnati (81–81) | Chicago Cubs (76–86) | Pittsburgh (73–89) | ||
| 1997 | (1) Houston (84–78) | Pittsburgh (79–83) | Cincinnati (76–86) | St. Louis (73–89) | Chicago Cubs (68–94) | ||
| |||||||
| 1998 | (2) Houston (102–60) | (4) Chicago Cubs[a] (90–73) | St. Louis (83–79) | Cincinnati (77–85) | Milwaukee (74–88) | Pittsburgh (69–93) | |
| 1999 | (3) Houston (97–65) | Cincinnati[b] (96–67) | Pittsburgh (78–83) | St. Louis (75–86) | Milwaukee (74–87) | Chicago Cubs (67–95) | |
| 2000 | (2) St. Louis[c] (95–67) | Cincinnati (85–77) | Milwaukee (73–89) | Houston (72–90) | Pittsburgh (69–93) | Chicago Cubs (65–97) | |
| 2001 | (1) Houston[d] (93–69) | (4) St. Louis (93–69) | Chicago Cubs (88–74) | Milwaukee (68–94) | Cincinnati (66–96) | Pittsburgh (62–100) | |
| 2002 | (3) St. Louis (97–65) | Houston (84–78) | Cincinnati (78–84) | Pittsburgh (72–89) | Chicago Cubs (67–95) | Milwaukee (56–106) | |
| 2003 | (3) Chicago Cubs (88–74) | Houston (87–75) | St. Louis (85–77) | Pittsburgh (75–87) | Cincinnati (69–93) | Milwaukee (68–94) | |
| 2004 | (1) St. Louis (105–57) | (4) Houston (92–70) | Chicago Cubs (89–73) | Cincinnati (76–86) | Pittsburgh (72–89) | Milwaukee (67–94) | |
| 2005 | (1) St. Louis (100–62) | (4) Houston (89–73) | Milwaukee (81–81) | Chicago Cubs (79–83) | Cincinnati (73–89) | Pittsburgh (67–95) | |
| 2006 | (3) St. Louis (83–78) | Houston (82–80) | Cincinnati (80–82) | Milwaukee (75–87) | Pittsburgh (67–95) | Chicago Cubs (66–96) | |
| 2007 | (3) Chicago Cubs (85–77) | Milwaukee (83–79) | St. Louis (78–84) | Houston (73–89) | Cincinnati (72–90) | Pittsburgh (68–94) | |
| 2008 | (1) Chicago Cubs (97–64) | (4) Milwaukee (90–72) | Houston (86–75) | St. Louis (86–76) | Cincinnati (74–88) | Pittsburgh (67–95) | |
| 2009 | (3) St. Louis (91–71) | Chicago Cubs (83–78) | Milwaukee (80–82) | Cincinnati (78–84) | Houston (74–88) | Pittsburgh (62–99) | |
| 2010 | (3) Cincinnati (91–71) | St. Louis (86–76) | Milwaukee (77–85) | Houston (76–86) | Chicago Cubs (75–87) | Pittsburgh (57–105) | |
| 2011 | (2) Milwaukee (96–66) | (4) St. Louis (90–72) | Cincinnati (79–83) | Pittsburgh (72–90) | Chicago Cubs (71–91) | Houston (56–106) | |
| 2012 | (2) Cincinnati (97–65) | (5) St. Louis (88–74) | Milwaukee (83–79) | Pittsburgh (79–83) | Chicago Cubs (61–101) | Houston (55–107) | |
| |||||||
| 2013 | (1) St. Louis (97–65) | (4) Pittsburgh (94–68) | (5) Cincinnati (90–72) | Milwaukee (74–88) | Chicago Cubs (66–96) | ||
| 2014 | (3) St. Louis (90–72) | (4) Pittsburgh (88–74) | Milwaukee (82–80) | Cincinnati (76–86) | Chicago Cubs (73–89) | ||
| 2015 | (1) St. Louis (100–62) | (4) Pittsburgh (98–64) | (5) Chicago Cubs (97–65) | Milwaukee (68–94) | Cincinnati (64–98) | ||
| 2016 | (1) Chicago Cubs (103–58) | St. Louis (86–76) | Pittsburgh (78–83) | Milwaukee (73–89) | Cincinnati (68–94) | ||
| 2017 | (3) Chicago Cubs (92–70) | Milwaukee (86–76) | St. Louis (83–79) | Pittsburgh (75–87) | Cincinnati (68–94) | ||
| 2018 | (1) Milwaukee[e] (96–67) | (4) Chicago Cubs (95–68) | St. Louis (88–74) | Pittsburgh (82–79) | Cincinnati (67–95) | ||
| 2019 | (3) St. Louis (91–71) | (5) Milwaukee (89–73) | Chicago Cubs (84–78) | Cincinnati (75–87) | Pittsburgh (69–93) | ||
| |||||||
| 2020 | (3) Chicago Cubs (34–26) | (5) St. Louis (30–28) | (7) Cincinnati (31–29) | (8) Milwaukee[f] (29–31) | Pittsburgh (19–41) | ||
- Notes and Tiebreakers
- a Chicago and San Francisco of the National League West were tied for the wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Cubs won 5–3 to claim the wild-card spot.
- b Cincinnati and New York of the National League East were tied for the wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Reds lost 5–0 and were eliminated from postseason contention.
- c St. Louis and Atlanta of the National League East were tied for the second and third seed but the Cardinals claimed the second seed by winning the season series 4–3.
- d Houston and St. Louis were tied for the division championship and wild-card berth but the Astros claimed the division crown by winning the season series 9–7, relegating St. Louis to the wild-card spot.
- e Milwaukee and Chicago were tied for the division championship and first wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Brewers won 3–1 to claim the division crown, while the Cubs were relegated to the first wild-card spot.
- f Milwaukee and San Francisco of the National League West were tied for the second wild-card berth but the Brewers clinched the final postseason spot due to a superior intra-division record (Milwaukee had a 19–21 record while San Francisco had an 18–22 record).
NL Central titles won by team
| Team | Number of Championship(s) Won |
Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 11 | 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004-2006, 2009, 2013-2015, 2019 |
| Chicago Cubs | 6 | 2003, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2020 |
| Houston Astros | 4 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001* |
| Cincinnati Reds | 3 | 1995, 2010, 2012 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 2 | 2011, 2018* |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 0 | -- |
* – Won division via tiebreaker
Italics indicates former division member
See also
References
- Chass, Murray. "BASEBALL; Pirates Relent on New Alignment". nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- "Starkey: Pirates in American League' Yes!". TribLIVE.com. 16 June 2011. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.