American League

The American League is one of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the United States and Canada that constitute Major League Baseball. It was founded as a minor league association in 1893 and was initially called the Western League. The Western League changed its name to the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs after the 1899 season, declared itself a major league in 1901 (the year now recognized as the league’s first official season), and was granted equal status by the older National League in 1903. Beginning in 1903 the champions of the American and National leagues have engaged in a World Series contest, held annually except in 1904 and 1994, to decide the championship of MLB.

The American League consists of 15 baseball teams (including one Canadian team) aligned in three divisions:

• AL East: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays
• AL Central: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins
• AL West: Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers

The New York Yankees have won 41 American League (AL) pennants, the most by far in AL history. The team won its first league championship in 1921 and its most recent in 2024. In addition, New York has won 27 World Series, which is the most of any team in Major League Baseball. The current AL teams ranked by AL pennant wins are:

• 1. New York Yankees (41)
• 2. Athletics (15)
• 3. Boston Red Sox (14)
• 4. Detroit Tigers (11)
• 5. Baltimore Orioles (7)
• 6. Minnesota Twins (6)
• 6. Cleveland Guardians (6)
• 6. Chicago White Sox (6)
• 9. Kansas City Royals (4)
• 9. Houston Astros (4)
• 11. Toronto Blue Jays (3)
• 11. Texas Rangers (3)
• 13. Tampa Bay Rays (2)
• 14. Los Angeles Angels (1)
• 15. Seattle Mariners (0)

The Seattle Mariners are the only current American League team to have never won an AL pennant. The Mariners were founded in 1977 and posted losing records until 1991 (an all-time mark for the longest period before a franchise’s first winning season). The Mariners qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 1995 and have made five postseason appearances since. The team is the only current major-league organization to have never played in the World Series.