MLB History: Looking Back at MLB Teams That Relocated

The Next Four:

• 1955: Philadelphia Athletics → Kansas City Athletics
• 1958: Brooklyn Dodgers → Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Giants → San Francisco Giants
• 1961: Washington Senators → Minnesota Twins
• 1966: Milwaukee Braves → Atlanta Braves

Yes, I know there are technically five relocations on this slide, but the Dodgers’ and Giants’ moves held so many parallels that they will be considered as one. The Dodgers have seen most of their success come in Los Angeles, as they have won five World Series titles there compared to one in Brooklyn. The Giants were largely unsuccessful in capturing World Series gold on the west coast, as their 2010 World Series win was the first since moving cities. We all know that they won three in the next five years, so it can be forgiven.

As for the Athletics, yes, they are the Athletics we know today and they did not become the Kansas City Royals. We all know that the A’s eventually moved again, based on the city they currently play in. Kansas City seemed to be a dud for the Athletics, as all nine of their World Series championships came either before they moved to Kansas City, or when they moved away. The A’s likely prefer to ignore that time frame in history, as Kansas City was not their best venture.

Then there is the Washington Senators moving to the Minnesota Twins. The Twins managed to win one World Series title under the Senators name, and two under the Twins name. With those moves, however, Major League Baseball did not want to rip Washington, D.C. of a baseball team. Therefore, they introduced a new expansion team, also fittingly named the Senators. Those Senators are the ones we are perhaps more familiar with, not the Twins’ old version.