A report on National League, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and World Series

Rooftop view of a 1903 World Series game in Boston

Shea Stadium prior to the start of a New York Mets game in 2008. Shea had the best attendance in the National League that year, drawing over 53,000 fans per game on average.

Charles Comiskey, shown here circa 1910, guided the Browns to four American Association titles.

The 1876 White Stockings won the NL championship.

Christy Mathewson threw 3 complete-game shutouts in the 1905 World Series.

Morgan Bulkeley, the first president of the National League

Rogers Hornsby won two Triple Crowns as a Cardinal.

The 1906 Cubs won a record 116 of 154 games. They then won back-to-back World Series titles in 1907–08.

Stan Musial retired owning numerous National League and team batting records.

Bill Mazeroski hit a dramatic ninth-inning walk-off home run that decided the 1960 World Series

Bob Gibson, the most decorated pitcher in team history, won two Cy Young Awards.

The Catch: Willie Mays hauls in Vic Wertz's drive near the wall in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.

Pitcher Chris Carpenter, essential in two World Series titles, won 10 playoff games with a 3.00 postseason ERA.

1959 World Series action at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Albert Pujols is one of the most accomplished players in Cardinals' history.

1968 World Series program and tickets for Games 4 and 5 at Tiger Stadium

Sportsman's Park during the 1946 World Series

A sports-related curse that was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series.

Carlton Fisk, best known for his "waving fair" home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series

Busch Memorial Stadium, home stadium from 1966 to 2005

Reggie Jackson earned the nickname "Mr. October" by hitting three consecutive home runs in the clinching game six of the 1977 World Series

Ryne Sandberg set numerous league and club records in his career and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2005.

President Ronald Reagan with the 1988 World Series champions: Los Angeles Dodgers

Andre Dawson, 5× All-Star and 1987 NL MVP during tenure in Chicago

In Game 6 of the 1991 World Series, Kirby Puckett made a memorable leaping catch in left field to rob an extra-base hit. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Puckett hit a game-winning home run to send the Series to Game 7

Sammy Sosa was the captain of the Chicago Cubs during his tenure with the team.

Fireworks in SkyDome after Joe Carter's 1993 World Series-winning home run

Kerry Wood, along with Mark Prior, led the Cubs' rotation in 2003.

Game 1 of the 2008 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies (NL) and Tampa Bay Rays (AL) at Tropicana Field

Joe Medwick's Triple Crown in 1937 is the last in the history of the National League

Dempster emerged in 2004 and became the Cubs' regular closer.

In 2011, David Freese hit a game-tying two-run triple (with two outs) to send it into extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th, Freese led off with a game-winning home run to send the Series to Game 7

Alfonso Soriano signed with the club in 2007.

Chicago Cubs celebrate their 2016 World Series victory, their first in 108 years

Carlos Zambrano warming up before a game

Game action in the 1906 Series in Chicago (the only all-Chicago World Series to date)

Starlin Castro during his 2010 rookie season

Bill Wambsganss completes his unassisted triple play in 1920

One of two Cubs building blocks, Anthony Rizzo, swinging in the box

Washington's Bucky Harris scores his home run in the fourth inning of Game 7 (October 10, 1924)

The Cubs celebrate after winning the 2016 World Series.

The Chicago Cubs celebrate winning the 2016 World Series, which ended the club's 108-year championship drought.

2016 Champions visit the White House in June 2017.

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL).

- World Series

The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division.

- St. Louis Cardinals

The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division.

- Chicago Cubs

Each league established a team in the nation's largest metropolis of New York City, and the league champions of 1903 arranged to compete against each other in the new professional baseball championship tournament with the inaugural "World Series" that Fall of 1903, succeeding earlier similar national series in previous decades since the 1880s.

- National League

The team won four league championships, qualifying them to play in the era's professional baseball championship series, a forerunner of the modern World Series.

- St. Louis Cardinals

In two of these championships, the Browns met the Chicago White Stockings, now the Chicago Cubs, launching the enduring Cardinals–Cubs rivalry.

- St. Louis Cardinals

The two remaining original NL franchises, Boston and Chicago, remain still in operation today as the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs.

- National League

Both seasons resulted in matchups with the St. Louis Brown Stockings, with the clubs tying in 1885 and with St. Louis winning in 1886.

- Chicago Cubs

With the merger, the NL absorbed the St. Louis Browns (now known as the St. Louis Cardinals), along with three other teams that did not survive into the 20th century (for those three teams, see Partnership with the American League below).

- National League

The two most prolific World Series winners to date, the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals, did not win their first championship until the 1920s; and three of the teams that were highly successful prior to 1920 (the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs) went the rest of the 20th century without another World Series win.

- World Series

Season 1 Episode 3 of the American television show Kolchak: The Night Stalker ("They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be...") is supposed to take place during a fictional 1974 World Series matchup between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox.

- Chicago Cubs

5 related topics with Alpha

Major League Baseball

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Professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world.

Graph showing, by year, the average number of runs per MLB game

Mark McGwire was one of several central figures in baseball's steroids scandal

A Grapefruit League game at the former Los Angeles Dodgers camp in Vero Beach, Florida

President John F. Kennedy throwing out the first pitch at the 1962 All-Star Game at DC Stadium

Rafael Palmeiro (batter), one of the MLB players suspended for steroid use

, a total of 30 teams play in Major League Baseball—15 teams in the National League (NL) and 15 in the American League (AL)—with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.

Each team plays 162 games per each season and six teams in each league advance to a four-round postseason tournament that culminates in the World Series, a best-of-seven championship series between the two league champions that dates to 1903.

The modern Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves franchises trace their histories back to the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in the 1870s.

Had the Dodgers moved out west alone, the St. Louis Cardinals—1600 mi away —would have been the closest NL team.

New York Yankees

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American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of The Bronx.

The Polo Grounds, home of the Yankees from 1913 to 1922, was demolished in 1964, after the Mets had moved to Shea Stadium in Flushing.

With his hitting prowess, Babe Ruth ushered in an offensive-oriented era of baseball and helped lead the Yankees to four World Series titles.

In 1941, Joe DiMaggio set an MLB record with a 56-game hitting streak that stands to this day and will probably never be broken.

Opening Day of the 1951 baseball season at Griffith Stadium. President Harry Truman throws out the first ball as Bucky Harris and Casey Stengel look on.

Mickey Mantle was one of the franchise's most celebrated hitters, highlighted by his 1956 Triple Crown and World Series championship.

During 1974 and 1975, Yankee Stadium was renovated into its final shape and structure, as shown here in 2002, seven years before demolition.

The mask and catcher's mitt of Thurman Munson, the team captain who was killed in a plane crash in 1979

Don Mattingly headlined a Yankees franchise that struggled in the 1980s.

The Yankees' success in the late 1990s and early 2000s was built from a core of productive players that included Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter.

Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez, 2007

Joe Girardi was a Yankees catcher before he became manager in 2008.

The new Yankee Stadium opened in 2009 and was christened with a World Series victory in the same way that the original Yankee Stadium was christened with a World Series victory when it opened in 1923.

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge quickly became the new face of the team.

"Freddy Sez" holding one of his signs near the bleachers entrance before a game between the Yankees and the Texas Rangers

A shirt worn by a number of Bleacher Creatures

The grounds crew at Yankee Stadium dancing to "Y.M.C.A."

Announcers Michael Kay, Paul O'Neill, Ken Singleton, and Ryan Ruocco in the YES Network broadcast booth at Yankee Stadium in 2009

The first four in the row of retired numbers at the old Yankee Stadium

They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the National League's (NL) New York Mets.

In 1931, Joe McCarthy, who was previously manager of the Chicago Cubs, was hired as manager and brought the Yankees back to the top of the AL. They swept the Chicago Cubs in the 1932 World Series, and brought the team's streak of consecutive World Series game wins to 12.

The St. Louis Cardinals are in second place with 11 World Series championships with their last win in 2011.

The term's historic usage has been in reference to World Series games played between New York teams.

Chicago White Sox

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American professional baseball team based in Chicago.

Ed Walsh holds the record for lowest career earned run average (ERA), 1.82

The White Sox celebrate after winning a tie-breaker game against the Minnesota Twins for a spot in the 2008 playoffs

View from the upper deck of U.S. Cellular Field in 2006

Eddie Murphy, John "Shano" Collins, Joe Jackson, Happy Felsch, and Nemo Leibold in their dugout during the 1917 World Series

Minnie Miñoso (1951–57, 1960–61, 1964, 1976, 1980)

Bill Veeck, White Sox owner (1959–61, 1975–80) who revolutionized baseball by introducing many innovations in promotion

Fielder Jones of the White Sox hits the ball against Cubs at West Side Grounds, 1905

Harrelson in the broadcast booth in 2007

The White Sox are one of two MLB teams based in Chicago, the other being the Chicago Cubs of the National League (NL) Central division.

However, that would be the end of the season, as the World Series did not begin until 1903.

La Russa went on to manage in six World Series (winning three) with the Oakland A's and St. Louis Cardinals, ending up in the Hall of Fame as the third-winningest manager of all time.

Cincinnati Reds

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American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati.

Hall of famer Edd Roush led Cincinnati to the 1919 World Series.

Crosley Field (pictured in 1969), the Reds' home stadium from 1912 to 1970

Riverfront Stadium (pictured in 1974), the home stadium of the Reds from 1970 to 2002

Pete Rose at bat in a game at Dodger Stadium during the 1970s

George Foster slugged 52 home runs in 1977, earning the NL MVP award.

Great American Ball Park, the Reds' home stadium since 2003

Ken Griffey Jr. played in his hometown of Cincinnati from 2000 to 2008.

Joey Votto, first baseman (2007–present)

Great American Ball Park opened in 2003 along the Ohio River.

Scott Rolen wearing the current Reds away uniform, featuring classic lettering.

Barry Larkin playing in Riverfront Stadium in 1990

Marty Brennaman, the Hall of Fame "voice of the Reds"

The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division, and were a charter member of the American Association in 1881 before joining the NL in 1890.

They have won five World Series championships, nine NL pennants, one AA pennant, and ten division titles.

In other deals that proved to be less successful, the Reds traded Gary Nolan to the California Angels for Craig Hendrickson; Rawly Eastwick to the St. Louis Cardinals for Doug Capilla; and Mike Caldwell to the Milwaukee Brewers for Rick O'Keeffe and Garry Pyka, as well as Rick Auerbach from Texas.

In, the Reds were in the newly created National League Central Division with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and fellow rivals Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros.

National League East

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One of Major League Baseball's six divisions.

Along with the American League Central it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title.

The division was created when the National League (along with the American League) added two expansion teams and divided into two divisions, East and West effective for the 1969 season.

This was due to the demands of the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, who refused to support expansion unless they were promised they would be kept together in the newly created East division.