NL Central
| League | National League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Major League Baseball |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Teams | |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Championships | |
| Most recent NL Central champion(s) |
Chicago Cubs (4th title) |
| Most NL Central titles | St. Louis Cardinals (10) |
The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League East (the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals).
When the division was created in 1994, the Pirates were originally supposed to stay in the East while the Atlanta Braves were to be moved to the Central from the West. However, the Braves, wanting to form a natural rivalry with the expansion Florida Marlins (a rivalry that as of today has yet to develop, largely due to the Marlins being noncompetitive except for their two World Series-winning seasons), requested to be moved to the East instead. Despite the Marlins offering to go to the Central, the Pirates instead gave up its spot in the East to the Braves. Since then, the Pirates have tried several times unsuccessfully to be placed back in the East.
In 1998, the NL Central became the largest division in Major League Baseball when the Milwaukee Brewers were moved in from the American League Central. In 2013, the Astros moved to the American League West.
This division has been dominated by the Cardinals, who have accounted for ten of the 22 division championships, plus three wild card wins. Aside from the Cardinals, the Astros and Cubs have the most division championships with four, as well as two wild card wins each. The Reds have three division titles, along with one wild card win. The Brewers have one divisional championship, with one wild card win. The Pirates have not won the division since the division was created, but possesses three wild card wins. The 2013 win was the team's first playoff berth since 1992.
Place cursor over year for division champ or World Series team.
§ – Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike on August 12, no official winner was awarded. Cincinnati was leading at the time of the strike.
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