Relocation Series: MLB (Part 1)
By Shawn Stewart
There are several Major League Baseball teams that have relocated for one reason or another. The reasons for relocating can vary from low attendance or financial hardships to issues with the neighboring stadiums. Some teams have located due to intense competition from another team in the same city. The geographic component in relocation is where teams were relocating to. Most teams were moving from the East Coast to the Midwest and the Sunbelt region. Baseball wanted to expand westward and southward. With Major League Baseball teams relocating, it represented the sport expanding from its main inner-city cores to areas further west and south. Let's take a deeper look into some of the biggest franchise moves in Major League Baseball history.
Milwaukee Brewers became St. Louis Browns (1902) which then became the Baltimore Orioles (1954):
The Orioles official logo in 1954 (logos-marcas.com)
The Milwaukee Brewers of the American League were the first professional baseball team in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they would not be the last, nor would this be the last time a baseball team relocated from Milwaukee. The franchise played in Milwaukee from 1894 to 1901. The Brewers started as a minor league team, and a member of the Western League, which was renamed the American League at the end of the 1900 season. The American League would break from the National Agreement, and it became a competing league within the majors. The Milwaukee Brewers were one of two teams not kicked out of the league. The 1901 season was the only one played in Milwaukee, and after a dead-last finish in the division, the Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis and became the Browns in 1902. The Milwaukee Brewers received their name from the beer brewing business that is well-known in the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin.
With the St. Louis Cardinals becoming an established major league baseball organization in the city of St. Louis, this left little hope for the St. Louis Browns franchise to continue to be successful. The Brown’s poor play and low fan attendance made it difficult to keep 2 major league baseball franchises in one city. In 52 seasons of playing in St. Louis, the Browns only won the American League Pennant one time. Ironically, it happened in 1944, when they played the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series and lost in 6 games. In 1954, the team moved from St. Louis to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Orioles where they still reside today.
The Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves (1953) which then became the Atlanta Braves (1966):
Boston Braves logo (Spencer McKain)
Surprisingly the Boston Red Sox were not the first baseball team in Boston, that honor goes to the Boston Braves, who were also a founding member of the National League. The team was founded in 1871 as the Boston Red Stockings. They were part of the NAPBP (National Association of Professional Baseball Players and this would be replaced by the National League in 1876, and the Red Stockings would become part of that. They changed their name to the Braves in 1912, and the Boston Red Sox of the American League was recognized in 1901. Several players decided to leave the Braves organization and play for the Red Sox because more money was being offered to play for the Red Sox. This would result in the Boston Braves being known as "the other team". While both teams had periods where they saw the attendance decline and a few losing seasons along the way, the Red Sox were the first team in Boston to win a World Series Championship. The Red Sox won the first-ever World Series in 1903 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which actually was a best of 9 series and not a best of 7. The Red Sox would win 4 more championships between 1912 and 1918.
The Boston Braves did win their lone championship in 1914 against the Philadelphia Athletics (hold your horses, we will get there!), and the Braves would win the National League Pennant twice. As time went on, the Boston Braves found it tough to compete with the Red Sox, and with both teams being in the same city, that made it even more of a challenge. With poor play and low attendance crippling the Boston Braves franchise, Owner Lou Perini sought to relocate to another city and establish a fresh start. The Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953, and that same season, the Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves. But, wait! There is more! After spending 13 seasons in Milwaukee, which was a success on the field, including a World Series Championship in 1957 against the New York Yankees. Hall of Fame players such as Hank Aaron and Eddie Matthews put the Milwaukee Braves on the map. They never had a losing record while playing in Wisconsin. In 1960, the attendance started to decline, and while the team continued to play solid baseball it was not at the same level as the team of the 1950s. With a bigger market, a new stadium being constructed, and television publicity at a high level, the Milwaukee Brewers relocated the franchise to Atlanta in 1966, becoming the Atlanta Braves.
The Philadelphia Athletics became the Kansas City Athletics (1955) which then became the Oakland Athletics (1968):
The Philadelphia Athletics logo (sportslogo.net)
The city of Philadelphia was another city that contained two teams. The Philadelphia Phillies, who play in the National League were established first in 1883. The Philadelphia Athletics of the American League was established years later in 1901. For several years, the Athletics were very successful. They won 6 American League Pennants, and three World Series Championships in its first 13 seasons as an organization. The team would hit its decline for about a decade after its early success. The Philadelphia Athletics would rise to success again in the late 1920s and early 1930s. After this success, both Philadelphia teams would play poorly for several years. The Philadelphia Phillies won the National League Pennant in 1950 and then lost to the Yankees in the World Series. This Philadelphia Phillies team was known as the "Whiz Kids." The reason behind the nickname is because the Phillies had many young players on the roster, and the average age of the roster was just over 26 years of age. This made the Phillies more of a success and left the Athletics struggling with low attendance and financial problems. Arnold Johnson was a businessman who bought the organization in 1954, and he had already owned Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. So he decided to move the team out of Philadelphia and to Kansas City in 1955, where they became the Kansas City Athletics. Once again, this marks another geographic move from the East Coast to the Midwest.
The Oakland Athletics, Atlanta Braves, and Baltimore Orioles all have something in common. These teams had originated from two other cities. After the Athletics moved from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 1955, the team continued to perform at a very low level. The initial numbers for attendance was over 1.3 million people in their first season, which is very good numbers in the 1950s. However, after the first season in Kansas City, the attendance numbers continued to decline, and every season between 1955 and 1967, the Kansas City Athletics finished without a winning record. In 1960, there was talk to relocate the team from Kansas City to the west coast. Charlie Finley, the owner at the time was seeking relocation requests. He was actually denied by big cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, and Louisville. However, in 1968, he finally received permission to move the team to Oakland, where they remain today. In 1969, Kansas City was awarded another Major League Baseball team, the Royals.
The Brooklyn Dodgers became the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958):
Brooklyn Dodgers logo (logos-world.net)
The Brooklyn Dodgers were one of three baseball teams in the United States’ largest city. They were also one of the New York-based teams in the National League. The Brooklyn Dodgers had a history of success and high attendance, with several National League Pennants and one World Series title, in 1955, against the New York Yankees. The Brooklyn Dodgers would also become well known for breaking the color barrier when they signed future Hall of Famer, Jackie Robinson in 1947. Robinson became the first African-American to play Major League Baseball in the current era. The Dodgers had some very successful seasons in Brooklyn, but they have also had some unsuccessful seasons as well. The biggest factor that caused the Dodgers to move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles was the failure to acquire a new stadium in Brooklyn in the 1950s. The owner at the time, Walter O'Malley, was promised a new stadium in Los Angeles, so in 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers made the cross country trip from New York to Los Angeles, becoming the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers would continue the success that once happened in Brooklyn. They were one of two teams to move to California in 1958. Any guesses, who the other team is?
As you can see, there have been many moves and name changes throughout Major League Baseball history. Most of the moves were due to financial struggles or poor attendance, but those moves were needed and required to help save a particular franchise and of course save the game of baseball. Two other minor name changes have occurred more recently. In 1993, the Florida Marlins were established and kept the team name until 2011. In 2012, the Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins. Most recently, in 1998, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were founded, and they kept the name until 2007, and then in 2008, they dropped the word devil and were known as the Tampa Bay Rays. It was interesting writing about the biggest moves in baseball history. I am curious though, could we see another Major League Baseball team change locations or their team name soon? I guess we will have to wait and found out? In part 3 of the relocation series, I will look at the NBA franchises that have changed names and locations.
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