National League

National League East

By Patrick Mondout

The National League East is a division of the National League featuring the east coast teams.

At a glance... NL East Division Facts Established 1969 Current Teams Atlanta Braves Florida Marlins New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals

The division was created along with the NL West when the league expanded in 1969. When the Washington Nationals finished 81-81 in 2005, the NL East became only the second division in MLB history to have no teams with a losing record (1991 AL West was first).

See also: National League, NL Central, NL West.

The composition of the division has changes as teams have moved around and other divisions have been formed. Here is how the AL East has looked over time.

1969-1992

• Chicago Cubs
• Montreal Expos
• New York Mets
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• St. Louis Cardinals

1993: Expansion Marlins added

• Chicago Cubs
• Florida Marlins
• Montreal Expos
• New York Mets
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• St. Louis Cardinals

1994-2004: Cubs, Pirates and Cardinals moved to new NL Central; Braves moved in from NL West.

• Atlanta Braves
• Florida Marlins
• New York Mets
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Montreal Expos

2005-: Montreal franchise moved to Washington D.C.

• Atlanta Braves
• Florida Marlins
• New York Mets
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Washington Nationals

NL East Champions by year

1969: New York Mets*
1970: Pittsburgh Pirates
1971: Pittsburgh Pirates*
1972: Pittsburgh Pirates
1973: New York Mets
1974: Pittsburgh Pirates
1975: Pittsburgh Pirates
1976: Philadelphia Phillies
1977: Philadelphia Phillies
1978: Philadelphia Phillies
1979: Pittsburgh Pirates*
1980: Philadelphia Phillies*
1981: Philadelphia Phillies (first half), Montreal Expos (second half) (split season)
1982: St. Louis Cardinals*
1983: Philadelphia Phillies
1984: Chicago Cubs
1985: St. Louis Cardinals
1986: New York Mets*
1987: St. Louis Cardinals
1988: New York Mets
1989: Chicago Cubs
1990: Pittsburgh Pirates
1991: Pittsburgh Pirates
1992: Pittsburgh Pirates
1993: Philadelphia Phillies
1994: None (Due to strike; Expos had 6 game lead on Braves)
1995: Atlanta Braves*
1996: Atlanta Braves
1997: Atlanta Braves
1998: Atlanta Braves
1999: Atlanta Braves
2000: Atlanta Braves
2001: Atlanta Braves
2002: Atlanta Braves
2003: Atlanta Braves
2004: Atlanta Braves
2005: Atlanta Braves

* - Won World Series

Wildcards

The wildcard entry to the Major League postseason was introduced in 1994, and the Marlins have twice won the World Series from the wildcard position:

1997: Florida Marlins*
1999: New York Mets
2000: New York Mets
2003: Florida Marlins*

American League sources/bibliography:
National League Story, The by Lee Allen
The History of National League Baseball, Since 1876 by Glenn Dickey
The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present by David Pietrusza.
May the Best Team Win: Baseball Economics and Public Policy by Andrew Zimbalist.
Total Baseball: The Ultimate Baseball Encyclopedia by John Thorn, et al.