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36-786: The League Championship Series was created in 1969 , when both the National League and the American League increased in size from ten teams to twelve with the addition, via expansion , of the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres to the former and the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers of the NL) to the latter. Both leagues then formed Eastern and Western Divisions,

72-621: A best-of-five League Championship Series to decide the pennant. The AL was divided purely along geographic lines, but when it came to assign divisions in the NL, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals insisted on being placed in the same division with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, on the basis that a schedule with more games with eastern teams would create a more lucrative schedule. Thus, Atlanta and Cincinnati were placed in

108-628: A division champion faces a wild card team, the division champion always gets home-field advantage regardless of record. As of 2024 , all thirty MLB teams have reached the LCS at least once. The Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers are the only teams to have played in both the ALCS and NLCS. Four teams have never lost an LCS: the Colorado Rockies (won in 2007 ), the Miami Marlins (won as

144-613: A new team called the Mariners . A special silhouetted batter logo , still in use by the league today, was created by Jerry Dior to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the league. It has served as inspiration for logos for other sports leagues in the United States—most notably the National Basketball Association , which used the silhouette of Jerry West to create their current logo, unveiled after

180-577: A new team. The leagues agreed and moved expansion up to 1969, with the AL putting one of its new franchises in Kansas City. Ewing Kauffman won the bidding for that franchise, naming it the Kansas City Royals , after the local American Royal livestock show. The other AL team was awarded to Seattle . A consortium led by Dewey Soriano and William Daley won the bidding for the Seattle franchise, and named it

216-543: A row and 10 of 11 to fall to 4th place. The Braves then went on a 10-game winning streak, ultimately clinching the division over the Giants on the next to last day of the season with a 3–2 win over the Reds. For the Giants, it was the 5th year in a row they would finish in 2nd place. Baseball Hall of Fame American League National League Gold Glove Award NBC was the exclusive national TV broadcaster of MLB, airing

252-450: A series at home, possibly having home-field advantage in a three-game series, and a guarantee that they play two games at home. In 1985 , the LCS was lengthened to best-of-seven games in the 2–3–2 format with the team holding home-field advantage opening the series at home and playing the next three games on the road, before returning home for two more possible games. The disadvantaged team would have had more games played at home than on

288-532: A trend of low-scoring games and pitching ruling overall, Major League Baseball adopted two measures during the Baseball Winter Meetings held in December 1968. The strike zone was reduced to the area over home plate between the armpits and the top of the knees of a batter . Also, the height of the pitching mound was reduced from 15 inches to 10 inches, and it was recommended that

324-527: The 1968–69 season . After the 1968 season, the Major League Baseball Players' Association and the owners had concluded the first collective bargaining agreement in major league history. However, one point remained unresolved: the owners refused to increase their contribution to the players' pension plan commensurately with revenues from television broadcasts, which were increasing as more and more fans watched games that way. With

360-615: The AL East with an MLB-best 109–53 record, and then defeated the AL West champion Minnesota Twins in three games in the first American League Championship Series . The New York Mets won the NL East with an NL-best 100–62 record, and then defeated the NL West champion Atlanta Braves in three games in the first National League Championship Series . The "Miracle Mets", having joined

396-590: The NL West . This alignment also addressed concerns that putting the league's three strongest clubs at the time—St. Louis, San Francisco, and the Cubs—in the west would result in divisional inequity. The Padres and Expos each finished with 110 losses and at the bottom of their respective divisions. The Royals did better, finishing 69–93 and in fourth in the AL West, ahead of the Chicago White Sox . Even though

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432-677: The Seattle Pilots , a salute to the harbor pilots of the Puget Sound maritime industry and to the city's place in the aviation industry. In the NL, one franchise was awarded to San Diego , California ; the other to Montreal , Quebec , resulting in the first MLB franchise outside the United States. C. Arnholdt Smith, former owner of the AAA Pacific Coast League 's San Diego Padres , won the bidding for

468-533: The American League lacked drama. In the east, the Baltimore Orioles won 109 games and won the division by a whopping 19 games over the defending world champion Detroit Tigers. The surprise team was the "new" Washington Senators. Under new manager Ted Williams , they went 86–76; it was their first winning season since joining the league in 1961. The Western Division race was a little closer, but

504-593: The American League's approval of Kansas City Athletics owner Charles O. Finley 's arrangement to move his team to Oakland, California , for the 1968 season. This happened even though Finley had just signed a deal to play at Municipal Stadium at AL president Joe Cronin 's behest, and Jackson County, Missouri , had just issued public bonds to build a stadium, the future Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium ), which would be completed in 1973. Symington drew up legislation to remove baseball's anti-trust exemption, and threatened to pursue its passage if Kansas City did not get

540-795: The Cubs went 20–28 in the same time period and the Mets won the division by 8 games. In the West, with 3 weeks to play in the season, 5 teams were all within 2 games of each other. The Houston Astros were the first to drop out of the race, losing 8 of 10. With two weeks to play, the San Francisco Giants led the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves by ½ game while the Cincinnati Reds were 2 games back. The Dodgers then lost 8 in

576-684: The Florida Marlins in 1997 and 2003 ), the Tampa Bay Rays (won in 2008 and 2020 ), and the Texas Rangers (won in 2010 , 2011 , and 2023 ). 1969 Major League Baseball season The 1969 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 7 to October 16, 1969. It included the third Major League Baseball expansion of the decade, with the Kansas City Royals , Montreal Expos , San Diego Padres , and Seattle Pilots each beginning play this season. The season

612-451: The LCS was allocated on a rotating basis between the two (three from 1995 through 1997 ) division champions; since 1998, that advantage is given to the team with the better regular season record, except that if a division champion faces a wild card team, the division champion always gets home-field advantage regardless of record. As of 2024 , all thirty MLB teams have reached the LCS at least once. The Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers are

648-578: The Minnesota Twins led most of the season and were never really threatened in winning the division by 9 games over the Oakland Athletics (who were the only other west team to finish over .500). The National League, on the other hand, was very dramatic. The Chicago Cubs won 35 of their first 50 games, and on August 16, they led the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals by 9 games. But the Mets proceeded to win 37 of their last 48 games while

684-546: The Pilots managed to avoid losing 100 games (they finished 64–98, last in the AL West), financial trouble would lead to a battle for team control, ending with bankruptcy and the sale of the team to Bud Selig and its move to Milwaukee , Wisconsin , as the Milwaukee Brewers for the 1970 season. The legal fallout of the battle would lead eventually to another round of expansion for the AL in the 1977 season , with Seattle getting

720-736: The San Diego franchise, and the new San Diego MLB team inherited the Padres moniker. Charles Bronfman , owner of Seagram , won the bidding for the Montreal franchise, naming them the Expos , in honor of the World's Fair that year. This was the last NL expansion until the 1993 season, and the last expansion for MLB overall until 1977. As part of the 1969 expansion, each league was to be split into two divisions of six teams each, with each league holding

756-612: The boycott as it progressed. After the first week only 11 of those who initially boycotted had reported; at the time many had off-season jobs which they continued to work at, and those who did report were in many cases not certain of their futures with their teams. Meanwhile, the owners were being pressured by the television broadcasters, who would also lose money without games to broadcast, or if teams played games with largely unknown rookies—one NBC executive said his company "would not pay major league prices for minor league games". After that first week, new commissioner Bowie Kuhn leaned on

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792-502: The first-place teams from which faced off in the LCS. For its first sixteen seasons, the League Championship Series were best-of-five , using the 2–3 format in which the team without home field advantage hosted the first two games, and the team with it hosted the rest of the LCS, making it impossible for the disadvantaged team to win the series at home. It also allowed those teams the unusual luxury of starting

828-415: The former and the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers of the NL) to the latter. Both leagues then formed Eastern and Western Divisions, the first-place teams from which faced off in the LCS. For its first sixteen seasons, the League Championship Series were best-of-five , using the 2–3 format in which the team without home field advantage hosted the first two games, and

864-529: The league in 1962, were the first expansion team to win a pennant. The upstart Mets went on to upset the heavily favored Orioles in the World Series , four games to one, in what is considered one of the greatest upsets in World Series history. Bowie Kuhn was named the 5th commissioner of baseball at the start of the season replacing previous commissioner William Eckert . Eckert was forced out by

900-409: The other five teams in their own division 18 times each (90 games) and playing the six teams in their league's other division 12 times each (72 games). The winners of each division would advance to the postseason and face each other in a League Championship Series , then a best-of-five series, to determine the pennant winners that would face each other in the World Series . The Baltimore Orioles won

936-554: The owners in December 1968 mainly because of his refusal to cancel games in the wake of the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King and for his refusal to help the owners during a player strike they anticipated was around the corner. Kuhn was named interim commissioner during that time, and became the official commissioner by the start of the season. Kuhn remains the youngest ever commissioner of baseball, being only 42 when he took office. In an effort to counteract

972-446: The owners to reach an agreement as well, and they soon sat down with the players again. By February 25 they had acceded to most of the players' demands: a higher contribution of approximately $ 5.45 million annually, an earlier age at which players could begin drawing pensions, a wider range of benefits and less playing time required for eligibility. By the end of the month, all players had reported to spring training. The pennant races in

1008-399: The owners' offer of a higher yet still fixed contribution on February 17, the day before spring training was to begin, 400 players refused to report. The owners expected the situation to resolve itself soon in their favor, since they usually lost money on training camps while the players were foregoing their pay in the meantime. The players remained united, and few changed their minds about

1044-507: The road if the series ends in five games. Since 1995 , the LCS has matched up the winners of the Division Series , which were added when both leagues realigned into three divisions. Until 1998 , the home-field advantage in the LCS was allocated on a rotating basis between the two (three from 1995 through 1997 ) division champions; since 1998, that advantage is given to the team with the better regular season record, except that if

1080-418: The series at home and playing the next three games on the road, before returning home for two more possible games. The disadvantaged team would have had more games played at home than on the road if the series ends in five games. Since 1995 , the LCS has matched up the winners of the Division Series , which were added when both leagues realigned into three divisions. Until 1998 , the home-field advantage in

1116-401: The slope be gradual and uniform in every park. A save became an official MLB statistic to reward relief pitchers who preserve a lead while finishing a game . MLB called for a four-team expansion to take place in 1971 at the 1967 Winter Meetings, the first expansion since 1962. However, there was a complication: influential U.S. Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri was irate over

League Championship Series - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-443: The team with it hosted the rest of the LCS, making it impossible for the disadvantaged team to win the series at home. It also allowed those teams the unusual luxury of starting a series at home, possibly having home-field advantage in a three-game series, and a guarantee that they play two games at home. In 1985 , the LCS was lengthened to best-of-seven games in the 2–3–2 format with the team holding home-field advantage opening

1188-399: The two sides at an impasse, at the beginning of the year the union called on players to refuse to sign contracts until the issue was resolved. Many did, including stars like Brooks Robinson . The owners did not change their position, so the players' union called for members to boycott spring training the following month if the issue had not been resolved by then. After the union rejected

1224-596: The weekend Game of the Week , the All-Star Game , both League Championship Series, and the World Series . League Championship Series The League Championship Series ( LCS ) is the semifinal round of postseason play in Major League Baseball which has been conducted since 1969 . In 1981 , and since 1995 , the two annual series have matched up the winners of the Division Series , and

1260-501: The winners advance to meet in the World Series . The LCS comprises the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and National League Championship Series (NLCS). The League Championship Series was created in 1969 , when both the National League and the American League increased in size from ten teams to twelve with the addition, via expansion , of the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres to

1296-642: Was also celebrated as the 100th anniversary of professional baseball, honoring the first professional touring baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869. This year saw the adoption of rule changes to counteract the dominance of pitching in recent seasons. The mound was lowered and the strike zone adjusted. This was also the first season of the "Divisional Era". With each league expanding from 10 teams to 12 teams, both leagues were divided into two six-team divisions. Teams continued to play 162-game schedules, in place since 1962, by now playing

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