American League East

American League East
League	American League
Sport	Major League Baseball
Founded	1969
No. of teams	5 (1994–present); 7 (1977–1993); 6 (1969–1976);
Most recent; champion(s)	New York Yankees ; (2024; 21st title)
Most titles	New York Yankees (21)

Last updated November 07, 2024

800km
500miles

Red Sox

Blue Jays

Orioles

Yankees

Rays

American League East Teams Location

The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the American League West. Before that time, each league consisted of 10 teams without any divisions.

Four of the division's five teams are located in the Eastern United States, with the other team, the Toronto Blue Jays, in Eastern Canada. It is currently the only division that contains a non-American team. At the end of the Major League Baseball season, the team with the best record in the division earns one of the AL's six playoff spots.^{[lower-alpha 1]}

History

Baseball writers have long posited that the American League East is the toughest division in MLB;^[1]^[2] during its 50-year existence, an AL East team has gone on to play in the World Series 28 times, and 16 of those teams have been crowned World Series champions. Since the 1995 season, when the wild-card playoff berth was introduced, the AL East has produced 20 of the 32 wild-card teams for the American League, with the AL West sending seven teams, and only five coming from the AL Central.

When MLB split into divisions for the 1969 season, the American League, unlike the National League, split its 12 teams strictly on geography. The six teams then located in the Eastern Time Zone were all placed in the AL East, with the other six teams making up the AL West.

Realignment of 1972

In September 1971, American League owners approved the move of the second Washington Senators franchise to Arlington, Texas, to become the Texas Rangers. With the Rangers moving to the AL West, the owners then debated whether the Chicago White Sox or Milwaukee Brewers should move to the AL East for 1972. The White Sox requested they be moved to the East under the argument of being an original AL franchise and playing most of their longtime rival teams, of which five were in the East.

The Oakland Athletics (formerly from Kansas City and Philadelphia) objected to moving the White Sox to the East; owner Charlie Finley was a Chicago native who wanted to continue to make three trips per season with his club to the Second City. The Minnesota Twins went a step further and objected to switching either the White Sox or Brewers out of fear of losing their closest geographic rivals and the Twins, citing the National League's lack of geographic accuracy (which placed the Atlanta Braves in the NL West) in forming its divisions as a reason why the Rangers should not have been shifted out of the East. The Twins also argued that the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys played (and still do play) in the NFC East despite being far from the Northeast.

The White Sox' pleas notwithstanding, the Brewers, who began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and had to endure long divisional road trips to Oakland and Anaheim (and vice-versa) in the AL West, were moved to the AL East.

Division membership

Current members

Baltimore Orioles – Founding member
Boston Red Sox – Founding member
New York Yankees – Founding member
Tampa Bay Rays – Joined in 1998 as an expansion team. Known as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before 2008
Toronto Blue Jays – Joined in 1977 as an expansion team.

Former members

Cleveland Indians, founding member, moved to the newly created AL Central in 1994
Detroit Tigers, founding member, moved to the AL Central in 1998 to make room for the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Milwaukee Brewers, joined from the AL West in 1972 to replace the Texas Rangers, moved to the newly created AL Central in 1994
Washington Senators, founding member, moved to the AL West as the Texas Rangers in 1972

Membership timeline

Years
AL East Division^[A]
69	70	71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80	81	82	83	84	85	86	87	88	89	90	91	92	93	94	95	96	97

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Cleveland Indians ^[D]
Detroit Tigers ^[E]
New York Yankees
Washington Senators ^[B]
			Milwaukee Brewers ^[B]^[D]
								Toronto Blue Jays ^[C]
Years
AL East Division^[A]
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	24	25

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Devil Rays										Tampa Bay Rays ^[F]
Team not in division Division Won World Series Division Won AL Championship

^A AL East was formed with six teams due to the 1969 expansion, as the AL grew from 10 teams to 12.

^B Following the 1971 season, the Washington Senators franchise relocated and became the Texas Rangers of the AL West; the Milwaukee Brewers moved to the AL East to maintain an equal number of teams in each division.

^C The Toronto Blue Jays were added in the 1977 expansion, becoming the seventh team of the AL East.

^D As part of the 1994 realignment, Cleveland and Milwaukee were moved to the newly created AL Central, reducing the AL East to five teams.

^E The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were added in the 1998 expansion while Detroit moved to the AL Central, maintaining the AL East at five teams.

^F Entering the 2008 season, Tampa Bay's team name changed from Devil Rays to Rays.

Champions by year

Team names link to the season in which each team played

Year	Winner	Record	%	Playoff Results
1969	Baltimore Orioles (1)	109–53	.673	Won ALCS (Twins) 3–0 Lost World Series (Mets) 4–1
1970	Baltimore Orioles (2)	108–54	.667	Won ALCS (Twins) 3–0 Won World Series (Reds) 4–1
1971	Baltimore Orioles (3)	101–57	.639	Won ALCS (Athletics) 3–0 Lost World Series (Pirates) 4–3
1972	Detroit Tigers (1)	86–70	.551	Lost ALCS (Athletics) 3–2
1973	Baltimore Orioles (4)	97–65	.599	Lost ALCS (Athletics) 3–2
1974	Baltimore Orioles (5)	91–71	.562	Lost ALCS (Athletics) 3–1
1975	Boston Red Sox (1)	95–65	.594	Won ALCS (Athletics) 3–0 Lost World Series (Reds) 4–3
1976	New York Yankees (1)	97–62	.610	Won ALCS (Royals) 3–2 Lost World Series (Reds) 4–0
1977	New York Yankees (2)	100–62	.617	Won ALCS (Royals) 3–2 Won World Series (Dodgers) 4–2
1978	New York Yankees (3)*	100–63	.613	Won ALCS (Royals) 3–1 Won World Series (Dodgers) 4–2
1979	Baltimore Orioles (6)	102–57	.642	Won ALCS (Angels) 3–1 Lost World Series (Pirates) 4–3
1980	New York Yankees (4)	103–59	.636	Lost ALCS (Royals) 3–0
1981 †	New York Yankees (5)	59–48	.551	Won ALDS (Brewers) 3–2 Won ALCS (Athletics) 3–0 Lost World Series (Dodgers) 4–2
1982	Milwaukee Brewers (1)	95–67	.586	Won ALCS (Angels) 3–2 Lost World Series (Cardinals) 4–3
1983	Baltimore Orioles (7)	98–64	.605	Won ALCS (White Sox) 3–1 Won World Series (Phillies) 4–1
1984	Detroit Tigers (2)	104–58	.642	Won ALCS (Royals) 3–0 Won World Series (Padres) 4–1
1985	Toronto Blue Jays (1)	99–62	.615	Lost ALCS (Royals) 4–3
1986	Boston Red Sox (2)	95–66	.590	Won ALCS (Angels) 4–3 Lost World Series (Mets) 4–3
1987	Detroit Tigers (3)	98–64	.605	Lost ALCS (Twins) 4–1
1988	Boston Red Sox (3)	89–73	.549	Lost ALCS (Athletics) 4–0
1989	Toronto Blue Jays (2)	89–73	.549	Lost ALCS (Athletics) 4–1
1990	Boston Red Sox (4)	88–74	.543	Lost ALCS (Athletics) 4–0
1991	Toronto Blue Jays (3)	91–71	.562	Lost ALCS (Twins) 4–1
1992	Toronto Blue Jays (4)	96–66	.593	Won ALCS (Athletics) 4–2 Won World Series (Braves) 4–2
1993	Toronto Blue Jays (5)	95–67	.586	Won ALCS (White Sox) 4–2 Won World Series (Phillies) 4–2
1994 ††	No playoffs due 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike
1995	Boston Red Sox (5)	86–58	.597	Lost ALDS (Indians) 3–0
1996	New York Yankees (6)	92–70	.568	Won ALDS (Rangers) 3–1 Won ALCS (Orioles) 4–1 Won World Series (Braves) 4–2
1997	Baltimore Orioles (8)	98–64	.605	Won ALDS (Mariners) 3–1 Lost ALCS (Indians) 4–2
1998	New York Yankees (7)	114–48	.704	Won ALDS (Rangers) 3–0 Won ALCS (Indians) 4–2 Won World Series (Padres) 4–0
1999	New York Yankees (8)	98–64	.605	Won ALDS (Rangers) 3–0 Won ALCS (Red Sox) 4–1 Won World Series (Braves) 4–0
2000	New York Yankees (9)	87–74	.540	Won ALDS (Athletics) 3–2 Won ALCS (Mariners) 4–2 Won World Series (Mets) 4–1
2001	New York Yankees (10)	95–65	.594	Won ALDS (Athletics) 3–2 Won ALCS (Mariners) 4–1 Lost World Series (Diamondbacks) 4–3
2002	New York Yankees (11)	103–58	.640	Lost ALDS (Angels) 3–1
2003	New York Yankees (12)	101–61	.623	Won ALDS (Twins) 3–1 Won ALCS (Red Sox) 4–3 Lost World Series (Marlins) 4–2
2004	New York Yankees (13)	101–61	.623	Won ALDS (Twins) 3–1 Lost ALCS (Red Sox) 4–3
2005	New York Yankees (14)+	95–67	.586	Lost ALDS (Angels) 3–2
2006	New York Yankees (15)	97–65	.599	Lost ALDS (Tigers) 3–1
2007	Boston Red Sox (6)	96–66	.593	Won ALDS (Angels) 3–0 Won ALCS (Indians) 4–3 Won World Series (Rockies) 4–0
2008	Tampa Bay Rays (1)	97–65	.599	Won ALDS (White Sox) 3–1 Won ALCS (Red Sox) 4–3 Lost World Series (Phillies) 4–1
2009	New York Yankees (16)	103–59	.636	Won ALDS (Twins) 3–0 Won ALCS (Angels) 4–2 Won World Series (Phillies) 4–2
2010	Tampa Bay Rays (2)	96–66	.593	Lost ALDS (Rangers) 3–2
2011	New York Yankees (17)	97–65	.599	Lost ALDS (Tigers) 3–2
2012	New York Yankees (18)	95–67	.586	Won ALDS (Orioles) 3–2 Lost ALCS (Tigers) 4–0
2013	Boston Red Sox (7)	97–65	.599	Won ALDS (Rays) 3–1 Won ALCS (Tigers) 4–2 Won World Series (Cardinals) 4–2
2014	Baltimore Orioles (9)	96–66	.593	Won ALDS (Tigers) 3–0 Lost ALCS (Royals) 4–0
2015	Toronto Blue Jays (6)	93–69	.574	Won ALDS (Rangers) 3–2 Lost ALCS (Royals) 4–2
2016	Boston Red Sox (8)	93–69	.574	Lost ALDS (Indians) 3–0
2017	Boston Red Sox (9)	93–69	.574	Lost ALDS (Astros) 3–1
2018	Boston Red Sox (10)	108–54	.667	Won ALDS (Yankees) 3–1 Won ALCS (Astros) 4–1 Won World Series (Dodgers) 4–1
2019	New York Yankees (19)	103–59	.636	Won ALDS (Twins) 3–0 Lost ALCS (Astros) 4–2
2020 †††	Tampa Bay Rays (3)	40–20	.667	Won ALWC (Blue Jays) 2–0 Won ALDS (Yankees) 3–2 Won ALCS (Astros) 4–3 Lost World Series (Dodgers) 4–2
2021	Tampa Bay Rays (4)	100–62	.617	Lost ALDS (Red Sox) 3–1
2022	New York Yankees (20)	99–63	.611	Won ALDS (Guardians) 3–2 Lost ALCS (Astros) 4–0
2023	Baltimore Orioles (10)	101–61	.623	Lost ALDS (Rangers) 3–0
2024	New York Yankees (21)	94–68	.580	Won ALDS (Royals) 3–1 Won ALCS (Guardians) 4–1 Lost World Series (Dodgers) 4–1

* – The Yankees and Red Sox finished with exact records, tied for the division championship; the Yankees won a one-game tie-breaker.

† – Due to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, the season was split. The Yankees won the first half and defeated the second-half champion Brewers (62–45) in the postseason.

†† – Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike starting August 12, the season was not played to completion. The Yankees were leading at the time of the strike.

+ – The Red Sox and Yankees finished tied for first place with identical records. The Yankees were declared division winners, due to having won the season series against the Red Sox, and the Red Sox received the wild card berth.^{[lower-alpha 2]}

††† – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was shortened to 60 games. By virtue of an expanded eight-team postseason format, the division runner-up Yankees also qualified for the playoffs.

Season results

^(#)	Denotes team that won the World Series
^(#)	Denotes team that won the American League pennant, but lost World Series
^(#)	Denotes team that qualified for the MLB postseason

Season	Team (record)
Season	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th
1969: The American League East was formed with six inaugural members: the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Washington Senators.
1969	Baltimore (109–53)	Detroit (90–72)	Boston (87–75)	Washington (86–76)	N.Y. Yankees (80–81)	Cleveland (62–99)
1970	Baltimore (108–54)	N.Y. Yankees (93–69)	Boston (87–75)	Detroit (79–83)	Cleveland (76–86)	Washington (70–92)
1971	Baltimore (101–57)	Detroit (91–71)	Boston (85–77)	N.Y. Yankees (82–80)	Washington (63–96)	Cleveland (60–102)
1972: The Washington Senators relocated to Arlington, Texas as the Texas Rangers and left to join the American League West. The Milwaukee Brewers joined from the American League West.
1972	Detroit (86–70)	Boston (85–70)	Baltimore (80–74)	N.Y. Yankees (79–76)	Cleveland (72–84)	Milwaukee (65–91)
1973	Baltimore (97–65)	Boston (89–73)	Detroit (85–77)	N.Y. Yankees (80–82)	Milwaukee (74–88)	Cleveland (71–91)
1974	Baltimore (91–71)	N.Y. Yankees (89–73)	Boston (84–78)	Cleveland (77–85)	Milwaukee (76–86)	Detroit (72–90)
1975	Boston (95–65)	Baltimore (90–69)	N.Y. Yankees (83–77)	Cleveland (79–80)	Milwaukee (68–94)	Detroit (57–102)
1976	N.Y. Yankees (97–62)	Baltimore (88–74)	Boston (83–79)	Cleveland (81–78)	Detroit (74–87)	Milwaukee (66–95)
1977: An expansion team, Toronto Blue Jays, joined the division.
1977	N.Y. Yankees (100–62)	Baltimore (97–64)	Boston (97–64)	Detroit (74–88)	Cleveland (71–90)	Milwaukee (67–95)	Toronto (54–107)
1978	N.Y. Yankees ^[a] (100–63)	Boston (99–64)	Milwaukee (93–69)	Baltimore (90–71)	Detroit (86–76)	Cleveland (69–90)	Toronto (59–102)
1979	Baltimore (102–57)	Milwaukee (95–66)	Boston (91–69)	N.Y. Yankees (89–71)	Detroit (85–76)	Cleveland (81–80)	Toronto (53–109)
1980	N.Y. Yankees (103–59)	Baltimore (100–62)	Milwaukee (86–76)	Detroit (84–78)	Boston (83–77)	Cleveland (79–81)	Toronto (67–95)
1981: Due to the player's strike, the season was split and a Division Series was created to pit the first and second half champions from each division. The New York Yankees won the first half and the Milwaukee Brewers won the second half. The Yankees won the ALDS 3–2 to claim the American League East championship.
1981	Milwaukee (62–47)	Baltimore (59–46)	N.Y. Yankees (59–48)	Detroit (60–49)	Boston (59–49)	Cleveland (52–51)	Toronto (37–69)
1982	Milwaukee (95–67)	Baltimore (94–68)	Boston (89–73)	Detroit (83–79)	N.Y. Yankees (79–83)	Cleveland (78–84)	Toronto (78–84)
1983	Baltimore (98–64)	Detroit (92–70)	N.Y. Yankees (91–71)	Toronto (89–73)	Milwaukee (87–75)	Boston (78–84)	Cleveland (70–92)
1984	Detroit (104–58)	Toronto (89–73)	N.Y. Yankees (87–75)	Boston (86–76)	Baltimore (85–77)	Cleveland (75–87)	Milwaukee (67–94)
1985	Toronto (99–62)	N.Y. Yankees (97–64)	Detroit (84–77)	Baltimore (83–78)	Boston (81–81)	Milwaukee (71–90)	Cleveland (60–102)
1986	Boston (95–66)	N.Y. Yankees (90–72)	Detroit (87–75)	Toronto (86–76)	Cleveland (84–78)	Milwaukee (77–84)	Baltimore (73–89)
1987	Detroit (98–64)	Toronto (96–66)	Milwaukee (91–71)	N.Y. Yankees (89–73)	Boston (78–84)	Baltimore (67–95)	Cleveland (61–101)
1988	Boston (89–73)	Detroit (88–74)	Milwaukee (87–75)	Toronto (87–75)	N.Y. Yankees (85–76)	Cleveland (78–84)	Baltimore (54–107)
1989	Toronto (89–73)	Baltimore (87–75)	Boston (83–79)	Milwaukee (81–81)	N.Y. Yankees (74–87)	Cleveland (73–89)	Detroit (59–103)
1990	Boston (88–74)	Toronto (86–76)	Detroit (79–83)	Cleveland (77–85)	Baltimore (76–85)	Milwaukee (74–88)	N.Y. Yankees (67–95)
1991	Toronto (91–71)	Boston (84–78)	Detroit (84–78)	Milwaukee (83–79)	N.Y. Yankees (71–91)	Baltimore (67–95)	Cleveland (57–105)
1992	Toronto (96–66)	Milwaukee (92–70)	Baltimore (89–73)	Cleveland (76–86)	N.Y. Yankees (76–86)	Detroit (75–87)	Boston (73–89)
1993	Toronto (95–67)	N.Y. Yankees (88–74)	Baltimore (85–77)	Detroit (85–77)	Boston (80–82)	Cleveland (76–86)	Milwaukee (69–93)
1994: The Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers left to join the American League Central. Due to the player's strike, the remainder of the season was cancelled on August 12. The postseason and World Series was also cancelled.
1994	N.Y. Yankees (70–43)	Baltimore (63–49)	Toronto (55–60)	Boston (54–61)	Detroit (53–62)
1995	⁽²⁾ Boston (86–58)	⁽⁴⁾ N.Y. Yankees (79–65)	Baltimore (71–73)	Detroit (60–84)	Toronto (56–88)
1996	⁽²⁾ N.Y. Yankees (92–70)	⁽⁴⁾ Baltimore (88–74)	Boston (85–77)	Toronto (74–88)	Detroit (53–109)
1997	⁽¹⁾ Baltimore (98–64)	⁽⁴⁾ N.Y. Yankees (96–66)	Detroit (79–83)	Boston (78–84)	Toronto (76–86)
1998: The Detroit Tigers left to join the American League Central. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined as an expansion franchise.
1998	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (114–48)	⁽⁴⁾ Boston (92–70)	Toronto (88–74)	Baltimore (79–83)	Tampa Bay (63–99)
1999	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (98–64)	⁽⁴⁾ Boston (94–68)	Toronto (84–78)	Baltimore (78–84)	Tampa Bay (69–93)
2000	⁽³⁾ N.Y. Yankees (87–74)	Boston (85–77)	Toronto (83–79)	Baltimore (74–88)	Tampa Bay (69–92)
2001	⁽²⁾ N.Y. Yankees (95–65)	Boston (82–79)	Toronto (80–82)	Baltimore (63–98)	Tampa Bay (62–100)
2002	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (103–58)	Boston (93–69)	Toronto (78–84)	Baltimore (67–95)	Tampa Bay (55–106)
2003	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (101–61)	⁽⁴⁾ Boston (95–67)	Toronto (86–76)	Baltimore (71–91)	Tampa Bay (63–99)
2004	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (101–61)	⁽⁴⁾ Boston (98–64)	Baltimore (78–84)	Tampa Bay (70–91)	Toronto (67–94)
2005	⁽³⁾ N.Y. Yankees ^[b] (95–67)	⁽⁴⁾ Boston (95–67)	Toronto (80–82)	Baltimore (74–88)	Tampa Bay (67–95)
2006	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (97–65)	Toronto (87–75)	Boston (86–76)	Baltimore (70–92)	Tampa Bay (61–101)
2007	⁽¹⁾ Boston ^[c] (96–66)	⁽⁴⁾ N.Y. Yankees (94–68)	Toronto (83–79)	Baltimore (69–93)	Tampa Bay (66–96)
2008: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays rebranded as the Tampa Bay Rays.
2008	⁽²⁾ Tampa Bay (97–65)	⁽⁴⁾ Boston (95–67)	N.Y. Yankees (89–73)	Toronto (86–76)	Baltimore (68–93)
2009	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (103–59)	⁽⁴⁾ Boston (95–67)	Tampa Bay (84–78)	Toronto (75–87)	Baltimore (64–98)
2010	⁽¹⁾ Tampa Bay (96–66)	⁽⁴⁾ N.Y. Yankees (95–67)	Boston (89–73)	Toronto (85–77)	Baltimore (66–96)
2011	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (97–65)	⁽⁴⁾ Tampa Bay (91–71)	Boston (90–72)	Toronto (81–81)	Baltimore (69–93)
2012	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (95–67)	⁽⁵⁾ Baltimore (93–69)	Tampa Bay (90–72)	Toronto (73–89)	Boston (69–93)
2013	⁽¹⁾ Boston (97–65)	⁽⁵⁾ Tampa Bay ^[d] (92–71)	N.Y. Yankees (85–77)	Baltimore (85–77)	Toronto (74–88)
2014	⁽²⁾ Baltimore (96–66)	N.Y. Yankees (84–78)	Toronto (83–79)	Tampa Bay (77–85)	Boston (71–91)
2015	⁽²⁾ Toronto (93–69)	⁽⁴⁾ N.Y. Yankees (87–75)	Baltimore (81–81)	Tampa Bay (80–82)	Boston (78–84)
2016	⁽³⁾ Boston (93–69)	⁽⁴⁾ Toronto ^[e] (89–73)	⁽⁵⁾ Baltimore (89–73)	N.Y. Yankees (84–78)	Tampa Bay (68–94)
2017	⁽³⁾ Boston (93–69)	⁽⁴⁾ N.Y. Yankees (91–71)	Tampa Bay (80–82)	Toronto (76–86)	Baltimore (75–87)
2018	⁽¹⁾ Boston (108–54)	⁽⁴⁾ N.Y. Yankees (100–62)	Tampa Bay (90–72)	Toronto (73–89)	Baltimore (47–115)
2019	⁽²⁾ N.Y. Yankees (103–59)	⁽⁴⁾ Tampa Bay (96–66)	Boston (84–78)	Toronto (67–95)	Baltimore (54–108)
2020: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games. The postseason field was expanded to eight teams and the wild-card round became a best-of-three series.
2020	⁽¹⁾ Tampa Bay (40–20)	⁽⁵⁾ N.Y. Yankees (33–27)	⁽⁸⁾ Toronto (32–28)	Baltimore (25–35)	Boston (24–36)
2021	⁽¹⁾ Tampa Bay (100–62)	⁽⁴⁾ Boston (92–70) ^[f]	⁽⁵⁾ N.Y. Yankees (92–70)	Toronto (91–71)	Baltimore (52–110)
2022	⁽²⁾ N.Y. Yankees (99–63)	⁽⁴⁾ Toronto (92–70)	⁽⁶⁾ Tampa Bay (86–76)	Baltimore (83–79)	Boston (78–84)
2023	⁽¹⁾ Baltimore (101–61)	⁽⁴⁾ Tampa Bay (99–63)	⁽⁶⁾ Toronto (89–73)	N.Y. Yankees (82–80)	Boston (78–84)
2024	⁽¹⁾ N.Y. Yankees (94–68)	⁽⁴⁾ Baltimore (91–71)	Boston (81–81)	Tampa Bay (80–82)	Toronto (74–88)

Notes and Tiebreakers

^a New York and Boston were tied for the division championship and played in a tie-breaker game. The Yankees won 5–4 to claim the division crown.
^b New York and Boston were tied for the division championship and wild-card berth, but the Yankees claimed the division crown by winning the season series 10–9, relegating Boston to the wild-card spot. New York and Los Angeles Angels of the American League West were also tied for the second and third seed, but the Yankees were relegated to the third seed by losing the season series 6–4.
^c Boston and Cleveland of the American League Central were tied for the first and second seed, but the Red Sox claimed the top overall seed by winning the season series 5–2, relegating Cleveland to the second seed.
^d Tampa Bay and Texas of the American League West were tied for the second wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Rays won 5–2 to claim the second wild-card spot.
^e Toronto and Baltimore were tied for both wild-card berths, but the Blue Jays claimed the first wild-card spot by winning the season series 10–9, relegating Baltimore to the second wild-card spot.
^f Boston and New York both finished with identical records, but the Red Sox claimed the first wild-card spot by winning the season series 10–9, relegating the Yankees to the second wild-card spot.

AL East statistics

Team	Division championships			Postseason records^{[lower-alpha 3]}
Team	Number	Year(s)	Most recent	Wild Card ^{[lower-alpha 4]}	ALWC	ALDS	ALCS	World Series
Current Teams in Division
New York Yankees	21	1976–1977, 1978*, 1980–1981, 1996, 1998–2006, 2009, 2011–2012, 2019, 2022, 2024	2024	8	3–2	15–9	12–7	7–5
Baltimore Orioles	10	1969–1971, 1973–1974, 1979, 1983, 1997, 2014, 2023	2023	3	1–2	3–2	5–5	2–3
Boston Red Sox	10	1975, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2007, 2013, 2016–2018	2018	8	1–0	8–6	6–6	4–2
Toronto Blue Jays	6	1985, 1989, 1991–1993, 2015	2015	4	1–3	2–0	2–5	2–0
Tampa Bay Rays ^{[lower-alpha 5]}	4	2008, 2010, 2020–2021	2021	5	3–2	2–5	2–0	0–2
Former Teams in Division
Detroit Tigers§	3	1972, 1984, 1987	1987	—	—	0–0	1–2	1–0
Milwaukee Brewers#	1	1982	1982	—	—	0–1	1–0	0–1
Cleveland Indians †	0	—	—	—	—	0–0	0–0	0–0
Washington Senators^	0	—	—	—	—	—	0–0	0–0
Total	55	1969–1993, 1995–present	2024	28	9‍–‍9	30‍–‍23	29‍–‍25	16‍–‍13

* – Won division via tiebreaker
^ indicates no longer in division since 1972
† indicates no longer in division since 1994
# indicates no longer in division since 1994, and no longer part of AL since 1998
§ indicates no longer in division since 1998

Totals updated through conclusion of the 2024 postseason.

Rivalries

Notes

↑ The three division winners, plus three wild card teams, advance to the postseason.
↑ Had a team from another division been the wild card, a one-game tie-breaker would have been played between the Yankees and Red Sox to decide the division champion.
↑ Reflects postseason record of each team only during the team's time as a member of the AL East
↑ Number of times qualifying as a wild card team
↑ Formerly known as Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Related Research Articles

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major league status. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season, 25 years after the formation of the National League.

Kevin Forrest Cash is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, Cash played catcher in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros. As a player, Cash was listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 200 pounds (91 kg); he batted and threw right-handed. He was the bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians before being hired as the Rays' manager in December 2014. Cash was the American League Manager of the Year in 2020 and 2021, the first AL manager to win the award consecutively. He entered the 2024 season as the longest-tenured manager in MLB.

The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States. Along with the National League East, the AL Central is one of two divisions 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. The Kansas City Royals were the most recent team from the division to win the World Series.

The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the division has had teams as far east as Chicago and Minnesota. From 1998 to 2012, the AL West was the only MLB division with four teams.

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 and three teams from the National League East.

The 2011 American League Division Series were two best-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round of the Major League Baseball postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the 2011 American League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a fourth team—a wild card—played in two series. TBS televised all games but the Game 2's of both series in the United States. The Game 2's of both series were aired on TNT due to schedule conflicts with other ALDS games or the NLDS. The regular season finished on September 28, with the ALDS beginning September 30. Game 5 of the Yankees–Tigers series was played on October 6.

Throughout its history, Major League Baseball rivalries have occurred between many teams and cities. Rivalries have arisen for many different reasons, the primary ones including geographic proximity, familiarity with opponents, various incidents, and cultural, linguistic, or national pride.

The 2013 American League Wild Card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 regular season, played between the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays to determine the second participant in the 2013 American League (AL) Wild Card Game. It was played at the Globe Life Park in Arlington on September 30, 2013. The Rays defeated the Rangers, 5–2, and advanced to the AL Wild Card Game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, which they won 4–0; the Rangers failed to qualify for the postseason.

The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venue has been Tropicana Field.

The 2018 New York Yankees season was the 116th season for the New York Yankees. This was the team's first season without manager Joe Girardi since 2007, and first season with manager Aaron Boone. The Yankees defeated the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card Game before losing to the Boston Red Sox in four games in the Division Series.

The 2020 American League Championship Series was the best-of-seven series between the two American League Division Series winners, the defending American League Champion Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays, for the American League (AL) pennant and the right to play in the 2020 World Series. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all games for the series were held behind closed doors at a neutral site at Petco Park in San Diego. The games were televised nationally by TBS.

The 2021 American League Division Series were the two best-of-five-games series in Major League Baseball (MLB) that determined the participating teams of the 2021 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners, seeded first through third, and a fourth team—determined by the AL Wild Card Game—played in two series. These matchups were:

The 2021 American League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during the Major League Baseball (MLB) 2021 postseason, contested between the two wild card teams in the American League (AL), the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. It was played on October 5 at Fenway Park in Boston, with the winner—the Boston Red Sox—advancing to the American League Division Series to face the Tampa Bay Rays, winner of the AL East.

The Rays–Red Sox rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox clubs. The rivalry intensified in 2008, after the two clubs had their first postseason meeting in the ALCS. Since then, both teams have won the American League (AL) East division a combined seven times in the past 13 years. While the rivalry is more recent than the storied Yankees–Red Sox rivalry, it has been called one of the most competitive in modern baseball.

The 2011 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2011 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. This was the last postseason to feature the 8-team format, as next season a new League Wild Card Game was introduced as the new opening round of the postseason, as well as the last time that two teams from the same division could not face each other in the opening round.

The 2020 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2020 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league played only a 60-game season, and an expanded 16-team postseason tournament began on September 29, with games of all but the first round being played at neutral sites. A new best-of-three Wild Card series was added as the opening round of this postseason due to the shortened season caused by the pandemic; it would become a permanent addition to the postseason format starting in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Major League Baseball postseason</span> 2021 Major League Baseball playoffs

The 2021 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 2021 season. The winners of the Division Series advanced to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. After the 2020 postseason, MLB returned to a 10-team playoff format following the loosening of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This was the last postseason to feature the 10-team format, as the league expanded to a 12 team-format for the 2022 postseason.

The 2022 American League Wild Card Series were two best-of-three playoff series in Major League Baseball (MLB) that determined the participating teams of the 2022 American League Division Series (ALDS). Both Wild Card Series began on October 7, with Game 2s scheduled for October 8. ESPN broadcast both Wild Card Series in the United States together with ESPN Radio. For the first time, Canadian rightsholder Sportsnet – a sibling property to the Toronto Blue Jays under Rogers Communications – was allowed to produce its own broadcast of a Blue Jays postseason series; previously, it was required to simulcast a U.S. or MLB International broadcast. These matchups were:

The 2011 Major League Baseball wild card chase was a playoff chase involving the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays in the American League and the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals in the National League.

The 2023 American League Wild Card Series were the two best-of-three playoff series in Major League Baseball (MLB) that determined the participating teams of the 2023 American League Division Series (ALDS). Both Wild Card Series began on October 3, with Game 2s scheduled for October 4. ESPN broadcast both Wild Card Series in the United States together with ESPN Radio while Sportsnet broadcast the Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays series in Canada.

References

↑ Leitch, Will. "MLB Preview: American League East". Sports on Earth. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
↑ Stark, Jayson (February 5, 2013). "Ranking MLB's six divisions". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2017.

External links

MLB Final Standings By Year at shrpsports.com

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] The three division winners, plus three wild card teams, advance to the postseason.

[4] Had a team from another division been the wild card, a one-game tie-breaker would have been played between the Yankees and Red Sox to decide the division champion.

[5] Reflects postseason record of each team only during the team's time as a member of the AL East

[6] Number of times qualifying as a wild card team

[7] Formerly known as Tampa Bay Devil Rays

[2] Leitch, Will. "MLB Preview: American League East". Sports on Earth. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2016.

[3] Stark, Jayson (February 5, 2013). "Ranking MLB's six divisions". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2017.

[lower-alpha 1]

[1]

[2]

[lower-alpha 2]

[lower-alpha 3]

[lower-alpha 4]

[lower-alpha 5]