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National League Central
Division of Major League Baseball
Division of Major League Baseball
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | National League Central |
| league | National League |
| sport | Major League Baseball |
| founded | |
| teams | 5 |
| champion | Milwaukee Brewers |
| (2025; 6th title) | |
| most_champs | St. Louis Cardinals (12) |
(2025; 6th title)
| mark-coord1 = | label-pos1 = top | label-color1 = black | mark-coord2 = | label-pos2 = top | label-color2 = black | mark-coord3 = | label-pos3 = top | label-color3 = black | mark-coord4 = | label-pos4 = top | label-color4 = black | mark-coord5 = | label-pos5 = bottom | label-color5 = black
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, requested to remain in the East. Despite the Marlins offering to go to the Central, the Pirates instead gave up their 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, which gave them six teams. In 2013, the Astros moved to the American League West.
This division has been dominated by the Cardinals, who have accounted for 12 of the 26 division championships, plus three wild card appearances. Aside from the Cardinals, the Cubs and the Brewers both have the second-most division championships with six, as well as four wild card appearances for the Cubs and three for the Brewers. The Astros had four division titles and two wild card appearances, while the Reds have three division titles, along with one wild card appearance. The Pirates have never won the NL Central, though they do possess three wild card appearances.
Division membership
Current members
- Chicago Cubs – Founding member; formerly of the NL East
- Cincinnati Reds – Founding member; formerly of the NL West
- Milwaukee Brewers – Since 1998; formerly of the AL West, AL East, AL Central
- Pittsburgh Pirates – Founding member; formerly of the NL East
- St. Louis Cardinals – Founding member; formerly of the NL East
Former member
- Houston Astros – Founding member; formerly of the NL West; moved to the AL West in 2013
Membership timeline
Place cursor over year for division champ or World Series team.
| NL Central Division | Years | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | Team not in division Division Won World Series Division Won NL Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati Reds | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston Astros | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh Pirates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Milwaukee Brewers |
: Creation of division due to the 1994 realignment into three divisions (with Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis from NL East, and Cincinnati and Houston from NL West) : Milwaukee switched leagues due to the 1998 expansion, moving in from AL Central : Houston switched leagues after the 2012 season, and joined the AL West
Champions by year
- Team names link to the season in which each team played
| Year | Winner | Record | Win% | Playoff Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| § | No playoffs due to 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike | ||||||
| 1995 | Cincinnati Reds | 1}} | Cincinnati Reds (1) | 85–59 | .590 | Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3–0 | |
| Lost NLCS (Braves) 4–0 | |||||||
| 1996 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (1) | 88–74 | .543 | Won NLDS (Padres) 3–0 | |
| Lost NLCS (Braves) 4–3 | |||||||
| 1997 | Houston Astros 1994thru1999 | 1}} | Houston Astros (1) | 84–78 | .519 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–0 | |
| 1998 | Houston Astros 1994thru1999 | 1}} | Houston Astros (2) | 102–60 | .630 | Lost NLDS (Padres) 3–1 | |
| 1999 | Houston Astros 1994thru1999 | 1}} | Houston Astros (3) | 97–65 | .599 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–1 | |
| 2000 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (2) | 95–67 | .586 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3–0 | |
| Lost NLCS (Mets) 4–1 | |||||||
| 2001* | Houston Astros 2000thru2012 | 1}} | Houston Astros (4) | 93–69 | .574 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–0 | |
| 2002 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (3) | 97–65 | .599 | Won NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–0 | |
| Lost NLCS (Giants) 4–1 | |||||||
| 2003 | Chicago Cubs | 1}} | Chicago Cubs (1) | 88–74 | .543 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3–2 | |
| Lost NLCS (Marlins) 4–3 | |||||||
| 2004 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (4) | 105–57 | .648 | Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3–1 | |
| Won NLCS (Astros) 4–3 | |||||||
| Lost World Series (Red Sox) 4–0 | |||||||
| 2005 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (5) | 100–62 | .617 | Won NLDS (Padres) 3–0 | |
| Lost NLCS (Astros) 4–2 | |||||||
| 2006 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (6) | 83–78 | .516 | Won NLDS (Padres) 3–1 | |
| Won NLCS (Mets) 4–3 | |||||||
| Won World Series (Tigers) 4–1 | |||||||
| 2007 | Chicago Cubs | 1}} | Chicago Cubs (2) | 85–77 | .525 | Lost NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–0 | |
| 2008 | Chicago Cubs | 1}} | Chicago Cubs (3) | 97–64 | .602 | Lost NLDS (Dodgers) 3–0 | |
| 2009 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (7) | 91–71 | .562 | Lost NLDS (Dodgers) 3–0 | |
| 2010 | Cincinnati Reds | 1}} | Cincinnati Reds (2) | 91–71 | .562 | Lost NLDS (Phillies) 3–0 | |
| 2011 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1}} | Milwaukee Brewers (1) | 96–66 | .593 | Won NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–2 | |
| Lost NLCS (Cardinals) 4–2 | |||||||
| 2012 | Cincinnati Reds | 1}} | Cincinnati Reds (3) | 97–65 | .599 | Lost NLDS (Giants) 3–2 | |
| 2013 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (8) | 97–65 | .599 | Won NLDS (Pirates) 3–2 | |
| Won NLCS (Dodgers) 4–2 | |||||||
| Lost World Series (Red Sox) 4–2 | |||||||
| 2014 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (9) | 90–72 | .556 | Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3–1 | |
| Lost NLCS (Giants) 4–1 | |||||||
| 2015 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (10) | 100–62 | .617 | Lost NLDS (Cubs) 3–1 | |
| 2016 | Chicago Cubs | 1}} | Chicago Cubs (4) | 103–58 | .640 | Won NLDS (Giants) 3–1 | |
| Won NLCS (Dodgers) 4–2 | |||||||
| Won World Series (Indians) 4–3 | |||||||
| 2017 | Chicago Cubs | 1}} | Chicago Cubs (5) | 92–70 | .568 | Won NLDS (Nationals) 3–2 | |
| Lost NLCS (Dodgers) 4–1 | |||||||
| 2018 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1}} | Milwaukee Brewers (2) | 96–67 | .589 | Won NLDS (Rockies) 3–0 | |
| Lost NLCS (Dodgers) 4–3 | |||||||
| 2019 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (11) | 91–71 | .562 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3–2 | |
| Lost NLCS (Nationals) 4–0 | |||||||
| 2020† | Chicago Cubs | 1}} | Chicago Cubs (6) | 34–26 | .567 | Lost NLWC (Marlins) 2–0 | |
| 2021 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1}} | Milwaukee Brewers (3) | 95–67 | .586 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–1 | |
| 2022 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals (12) | 93–69 | .574 | Lost NLWC (Phillies) 2–0 | |
| 2023 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1}} | Milwaukee Brewers (4) | 92–70 | .568 | Lost NLWC (Diamondbacks) 2–0 | |
| 2024 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1}} | Milwaukee Brewers (5) | 93–69 | .574 | Lost NLWC (Mets) 2–1 | |
| 2025 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1}} | Milwaukee Brewers (6) | 97–65 | .599 | Won NLDS (Cubs) 3–2 | |
| Lost NLCS (Dodgers) 4–0 |
§ – Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike on August 12, no official winner was awarded. Cincinnati was leading by half a game over Houston at the time of the strike.
- – The Astros and Cardinals finished with identical regular season records. Because the Astros won the season series 9–7 against the Cardinals, they were awarded the National League Central division title, and the Cardinals were declared the National League Wild Card team.
† – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games. By virtue of the eight-team postseason format used for that season, division runner-up St. Louis (30–28, .517) also automatically qualified for the playoffs.
Other postseason teams
The wild card was introduced in 1994 and was initially assigned to the team with the best record in each league that did not win its division. The first year of implementation was 1995 as a player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season. Since implementation, each of the NL Central teams has won the wild card. In 2012, a second wild card was added to post-season play, and in 2022, a third was also added.
| Year | Winner | Record | % | GB | Playoff Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Chicago Cubs | 1}} | Chicago Cubs* | 90–73 | .552 | 12.5 | Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–0 |
| 2001 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals† | 93–69 | .574 | 0 | Lost NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–2 |
| 2004 | Houston Astros 2000thru2012 | 1}} | Houston Astros | 92–70 | .568 | 13 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3–2 |
| Lost NLCS (Cardinals) 4–3 | |||||||
| 2005 | Houston Astros 2000thru2012 | 1}} | Houston Astros | 89–73 | .549 | 11 | Won NLDS (Braves) 3–1 |
| Won NLCS (Cardinals) 4–2 | |||||||
| Lost World Series (White Sox) 4–0 | |||||||
| 2008 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1}} | Milwaukee Brewers | 90–72 | .556 | 7.5 | Lost NLDS (Phillies) 3–1 |
| 2011 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | St. Louis Cardinals | 90–72 | .556 | 6 | Won NLDS (Phillies) 3–2 |
| Won NLCS (Brewers) 4–2 | |||||||
| Won World Series (Rangers) 4–3 | |||||||
| 2012 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | [St. Louis Cardinals](2012-st-louis-cardinals-season)** | 88–74 | .543 | 9 | Won NLWC (Braves) |
| Won NLDS (Nationals) 3–2 | |||||||
| Lost NLCS (Giants) 4–3 | |||||||
| 2013 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1}} | [Pittsburgh Pirates](2013-pittsburgh-pirates-season)** | 94–68 | .580 | 3 | Won NLWC (Reds) |
| Lost NLDS (Cardinals) 3–2 | |||||||
| Cincinnati Reds | 1}} | [Cincinnati Reds](2013-cincinnati-reds-season)** | 90–72 | .556 | 7 | Lost NLWC (Pirates) | |
| 2014 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1}} | [Pittsburgh Pirates](2014-pittsburgh-pirates-season)** | 88–74 | .543 | 2 | Lost NLWC (Giants) |
| 2015 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1}} | [Pittsburgh Pirates](2015-pittsburgh-pirates-season)** | 98–64 | .605 | 2 | Lost NLWC (Cubs) |
| Chicago Cubs | 1}} | [Chicago Cubs](2015-chicago-cubs-season)** | 97–65 | .599 | 3 | Won NLWC (Pirates) | |
| Won NLDS (Cardinals) 3–1 | |||||||
| Lost NLCS (Mets) 4–0 | |||||||
| 2018 | Chicago Cubs | 1}} | [Chicago Cubs](2018-chicago-cubs-season)** | 95–68 | .583 | 1 | Lost NLWC (Rockies) |
| 2019 | Milwaukee Brewers | 1}} | [Milwaukee Brewers](2019-milwaukee-brewers-season)** | 89–73 | .549 | 2 | Lost NLWC (Nationals) |
| 2020†† | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | [St. Louis Cardinals](2020-st-louis-cardinals-season)** | 30–28 | .517 | 3 | Lost NLWC (Padres) 2–1 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 1}} | [Cincinnati Reds](2020-cincinnati-reds-season)** | 31–29 | .517 | 3 | Lost NLWC (Braves) 2–0 | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 1}} | [Milwaukee Brewers *](2020-milwaukee-brewers-season) | 29–31 | .483 | 5 | Lost NLWC (Dodgers) 2–0 | |
| 2021 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1}} | [St. Louis Cardinals](2021-st-louis-cardinals-season)** | 90–72 | .556 | 5 | Lost NLWC (Dodgers) |
| 2025 | Chicago Cubs | 1}} | [Chicago Cubs](2025-chicago-cubs-season)** | 92–70 | .568 | 5 | Won NLWC (Padres) 2–1 |
| Lost NLDS (Brewers) 3–2 | |||||||
| Cincinnati Reds | 1}} | [Cincinnati Reds **](2025-cincinnati-reds-season) | 83–79 | .512 | 14 | Lost NLWC (Dodgers) 2–0 |
- – Defeated the San Francisco Giants in a one game playoff for the Wild Card, 5–3.
† – Finished with the same record as the Houston Astros, but Houston won the season series vs. the Cardinals that year, and were given the higher seed in the playoffs.
** – From 2012 to 2019, and in 2021, the Wild Card was expanded to two teams. Those teams faced each other in the Wild Card Game to determine the final participant in the National League Division Series. In 2020 only, eight teams, including the three division winners, played in a best-of-three Wild Card Series, with the winners advancing to the Division Series. Starting in 2022, the Wild Card field was increased to three teams, and along with the lowest-ranked division winner, qualified for the best-of-three Wild Card Series to determine the remaining two slots in the Division Series.
†† – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games.
*** – Finished with the same record as the San Francisco Giants but won the wild-card spot due to a superior intra-divisional record (Brewers went 19–21 vs. the NL Central while the Giants went 18–22 vs. the NL West).
**** – Finished with the same record as the New York Mets, but won the wild-card spot due to the Reds winning the season series 4–2.
Season results
| (#) | Denotes team that qualified for the MLB postseason |
|---|
| Season | colspan="7" | Team (record) | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati (66–48) | ||||||||||||||
| (2) Cincinnati (85–59) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) St. Louis (88–74) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) Houston (84–78) | ||||||||||||||
| (2) Houston (102–60) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) Houston (97–65) | ||||||||||||||
| (2) St. Louis (95–67) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) Houston (93–69) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) St. Louis (97–65) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) Chicago Cubs (88–74) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) St. Louis (105–57) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) St. Louis (100–62) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) St. Louis (83–78) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) Chicago Cubs (85–77) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) Chicago Cubs (97–64) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) St. Louis (91–71) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) Cincinnati (91–71) | ||||||||||||||
| (2) Milwaukee (96–66) | ||||||||||||||
| (2) Cincinnati (97–65) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) St. Louis (97–65) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) St. Louis (90–72) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) St. Louis (100–62) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) Chicago Cubs (103–58) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) Chicago Cubs (92–70) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) Milwaukee (96–67) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) St. Louis (91–71) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) Chicago Cubs (34–26) | ||||||||||||||
| (2) Milwaukee (95–67) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) St. Louis (93–69) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) Milwaukee (92–70) | ||||||||||||||
| (3) Milwaukee (93–69) | ||||||||||||||
| (1) Milwaukee (97–65) |
;Notes and Tiebreakers
- Chicago and San Francisco of the National League West were tied for the wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Cubs won 5–3 to claim the wild-card spot.
- Cincinnati and New York of the National League East were tied for the wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Reds lost 5–0 and were eliminated from postseason contention.
- St. Louis and Atlanta of the National League East were tied for the second and third seed, but the Cardinals claimed the second seed by winning the season series 4–3.
- Houston and St. Louis were tied for the division championship and wild-card berth, but the Astros claimed the division crown by winning the season series 9–7, relegating St. Louis to the wild-card spot.
- Milwaukee and Chicago were tied for the division championship and first wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Brewers won 3–1 to claim the division crown, while the Cubs were relegated to the first wild-card spot.
- Milwaukee and San Francisco of the National League West were tied for the second wild-card berth, but the Brewers clinched the final postseason spot due to a superior intra-division record (Milwaukee had a 19–21 record while San Francisco had an 18–22 record).
- Cincinnati and the New York Mets of the National League East were tied for the third wild-card berth, but the Reds clinched the final postseason spot by winning the season series 4–2
NL Central statistics
| Team | Division championships | Postseason records | Number | Year(s) | Most recent | Wild Card | NLWC | NLDS | NLCS | World Series | Current Teams in Division | Former Team in Division | Total | 30 | 1995–present | 2024 | 18 | 313 | 2116 | 615 | 33 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 12 | 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004–2006, 2009, 2013–2015, 2019, 2022 | 2022 | 5 | 1–3 | 11–3 | 4–7 | 2–2 | |||||||||||||
| Milwaukee Brewers | 6 | 2011, 2018*, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 | 2025 | 3 | 0–4 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | |||||||||||||
| Chicago Cubs | 6 | 2003, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2020 | 2020 | 4 | 2–2 | 4–4 | 1–3 | 1–0 | |||||||||||||
| Cincinnati Reds | 3 | 1995, 2010, 2012 | 2012 | 3 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | |||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 0 | — | — | 3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | |||||||||||||
| Houston Astros | 4 | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001* | 2001 | 2 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
- – Won division via tiebreaker
indicates no longer in division or part of NL since 2013 :Totals updated through conclusion of the 2024 postseason.
Rivalries
- Cardinals–Cubs rivalry
- Brewers–Cubs rivalry
- Pirates–Reds rivalry
Notes
References
References
- Chass, Murray. "BASEBALL; Pirates Relent on New Alignment".
- (June 16, 2011). "Starkey: Pirates in American League' Yes!". TribLIVE.com.
- Starkey, Joe. (June 16, 2011). "Starkey: Pirates in American League? Yes!".
- Service, New York Times News. (1997-11-06). "BREWERS TO PLAY IN NL".
- Newhan, Ross. (1998-03-08). "Brewers Gain a National Following".
- Holtzman, Jerome. (1997-11-07). "BREWERS’ MOVE TO NL TAKES THEM BACK TO THEIR LEAGUE OF GLORY".
- José, Roberto. (2023-10-18). "How Astros-Rangers rivalry defines the state of Texas".
- Barzilla, Scott. "Houston Astros: How To Build a Rivalry with the Texas Rangers".
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