American League

The older National League at first refused to recognize the new league and it was only after much contention that an agreement (the National Agreement) was signed that produced an acceptance of each league by the other as an equal partner in major league baseball.

Teams

Starting in 1901, the eight charter teams were the following:

• Baltimore Orioles
• Boston Americans (unofficial name)
• Chicago White Sox
• Cleveland Blues
• Detroit Tigers
• Milwaukee Brewers
• Philadelphia Athletics
• Washington Senators

The Baltimore Orioles moved to New York in 1903 and are today known as the New York Yankees. The Milwaukee Brewers became the St. Louis Browns in 1902 and became today's Baltimore Orioles in 1954. The Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City in 1955 and then to Oakland in 1968. The Washington Senators relocated in 1961, becoming the Minnesota Twins.

Expansion and relocation

The American League has expanded four times. The first occurred in 1961, when the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators joined the league, the latter replacing the previous Washington franchise, which had just relocated to Minnesota. The Los Angeles Angels are today formally known as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The second Washington franchise moved to Dallas-Fort Worth in 1972 and became the Texas Rangers.

The second expansion occurred in 1969 when the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots joined the league. The Pilots stayed just one season in Seattle before moving to Milwaukee and becoming today's Milwaukee Brewers. In 1977, the third expansion occurred adding the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. A fourth expansion took place in 1998 when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined, and in a reorganization, the Milwaukee Brewers moved to the National League.

Divisions

The American League is broken up into three Divisions, as follows:

American League East