American League East
| League | American League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Major League Baseball |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Teams | |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Championships | |
| Most recent AL East champion(s) |
Boston Red Sox (8th title) |
| Most AL East titles | New York Yankees (18) |
The American League East is one of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s six divisions (An East, Central, and West division for each of the two leagues). This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the American League West division. Before that time the American League (AL) had existed as a single league of 10 teams.
Four of its five teams are located in the Eastern United States, with the other in Central Canada. At the end of the MLB season, the team with the best record in the division earns one of the American League's five playoff spots. The most recent team to win this division was the Boston Red Sox in 2016.
Writers have posited that the American League East is the toughest division in MLB; during its 46-year existence, an East division team has gone on to play in the World Series 25 times, and 14 of those teams have been crowned World Series champions. Since the 1995 season when the wild-card playoff berth was introduced, the AL East has produced the wild-card team for the American League in 13 out of the 17 years (the West division three, and the Central division just one).
When the Major Leagues split into divisions for the 1969 season, the American League, unlike the National League, split its 12 teams strictly on geography. The six teams located in the Eastern Time Zone were placed in the East division, and the other six were placed in the West division.
In September 1971, American League owners approved the move of the second Washington Senators franchise to Arlington, Texas to become the Texas Rangers. The owners then debated whether the Chicago White Sox or Milwaukee Brewers should move to the East division for 1972, with the Rangers moving to the West. The White Sox requested they be moved to the East, stating they were an original American League franchise and wanted to play more games against other old-line A.L. teams, five of which were in the East.
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