Writers have long posited that the American League East is the toughest division in MLB;[1][2] throughout its 46-year existence, an East division team has gone on to play in the World Series 25 occasions, and 14 of these teams are crowned World Series winners. Since the 1995 season once the wild-card playoff berth has been released, the AL East has generated the wild-card group for the American League in 13 out of the 17 years (the West division three, and the Central division one).
After the Major Leagues split into branches for the 1969 season, the American League, unlike the National League, split its 12 teams purely on geography. The six groups located in the Eastern Time Zone were put at the East division, and another 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 subsequently debated if 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 into the East, saying 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.
The Oakland Athletics objected to moving the White Sox to the East; owner Charlie Finley was a Chicago native who wanted to continue to make three trips per year with his club to the Windy City. The Minnesota Twins went a step further and objected to switching either the White Sox or Brewers. The Twins wished to keep nearby Chicago and Milwaukee as division rivals, citing the National League’s lack of geographic accuracy in forming its divisions as a reason why the Rangers should not have been shifted out of the East. The Twins also noted that the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys played in the NFC East.
The White Sox’ pleas fell on deaf ears, along with the Brewers, who started as the Seattle Pilots in 1969, were moved to the East.
Read more here: http://usecuritygt.com/wp/?p=4154