List of National League pennant winners

Home Page | List of National League pennant winners

The National League pennant winner of a given Major League Baseball season is the team that wins the championship—the pennant—of MLB's National League (NL). This team receives the Warren C. Giles Trophy and the right to play in the World Series against the champion of the American League (AL). The current NL pennant winners are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat out the Milwaukee Brewers to win the NL pennant in October 2025.

The trophy is named for Warren Giles, the league president from 1951 to 1969, and is presented immediately after each NL Championship Series (NLCS) by Warren's son Bill Giles, the honorary league president and former owner of the Philadelphia Phillies.

From 1876 through 1968, the pennant was awarded to the team with the best regular-season record. Beginning in 1969, the league was divided into East and West divisions, with the champions of each playing for the pennant in the League Championship Series (NLCS). Since 1995, there have been three divisions and a two-round playoff bracket which begins with two Division Series (NLDS).

The pennant has been awarded every year since 1876, except for 1994, when a players' strike forced the cancellation of the postseason. Until 1969, the pennant was presented to the team with the best win–loss record at the end of the season. In 1969, the league split into two divisions, and the teams with the best records in each division played one another in the NLCS to determine the pennant winner. The format of the NLCS was changed from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format for the 1985 postseason. In 1995, an additional playoff series was added when MLB restructured the two divisions in each league into three. As of 2010, the winners of the Eastern, Central, and Western Divisions, as well as one wild card team, play in the NL Division Series, a best-of-five playoff to determine the opponents who will play for the pennant.

By pennants, the Los Angeles Dodgers (formerly the Brooklyn Dodgers; 26 pennants, 39 playoff appearances) are the winningest team in NL history. The San Francisco Giants (formerly the New York Giants; 23 pennants, 27 playoff appearances) are in second place, with the St. Louis Cardinals (19 pennants and 28 playoff appearances), in third place, followed by the Atlanta Braves (18 pennants and 23 postseason appearances between their three home cities of Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Boston) in fourth place and the Chicago Cubs (17 pennants and 20 playoff appearances as the Cubs and White Stockings) in fifth. The Philadelphia Phillies were NL champions in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009, becoming the first NL team to do so since the Braves in 1995 and 1996. The Dodgers were also league champions in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018. The modern World Series began in 1903, when the National League recognized the upstart American League, founded in 1901. There was an earlier "World's Championship Series" played between the pennant winners of the NL and the American Association 1884–1890; from 1894 to 1897 the NL's first- and second-place teams played a postseason series for the Temple Cup, which was considered to be the league championship. As of 2021, the Dodgers have the most modern-era World Series appearances at 21, followed by the San Francisco Giants with 20.

The team with the best record to win the NL pennant was the 1906 Cubs, who won 116 of 152 games during that season and finished 20 games ahead of the New York Giants. The best record by a pennant winner in the Championship Series era is 108–54, which was achieved by the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and the New York Mets in 1986; both of these teams went on to win the World Series.

NL champions have gone on to win the World Series 53 times, most recently in 2025. Pennant winners have also won the Temple Cup and the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup, two pre-World Series league championships, although second-place teams won three of the four Temple Cup meetings. The largest margin of victory for a pennant winner, before the league split into two divisions in 1969, is 27+1⁄2 games; the Pittsburgh Pirates led the Brooklyn Superbas (now the Dodgers) by that margin on the final day of the 1902 season.

The only currently existing National League franchise to have never won an NL pennant are the Milwaukee Brewers; however, they did win a pennant during their time in the American League.

Key

Year Links to the corresponding "year in baseball" (1876–1900) or "Major League Baseball season" (1901–present) article
Team Links to the corresponding season in which each team played
Series Links to the corresponding "National League Championship Series" article
Record Regular season win–loss record
GA Games ahead of the second-place team (pre-NLCS era)
Ref Reference
Won World Series (1884–1890, 1892)
Won Temple Cup (1894–1897)
Won Chronicle-Telegraph Cup (1900)
Won World Series (1903–present)
E National League East division member (1969–present)
C National League Central division member (1995–present)
W National League West division member (1969–present)
† Wild card team (1995–present)

Single table era (1876–1968)

Year Team Manager Record GA Ahead of Manager Ref
1876 Chicago White Stockings Albert Spalding 52–14 6 St. Louis Brown Stockings George McManus
1877 Boston Red Caps Harry Wright 42–18 7 Louisville Grays Jack Chapman
1878 Boston Red Caps Harry Wright 41–19 4 Cincinnati Reds Jack Chapman
1879 Providence Grays George Wright 59–25 5 Boston Red Caps Cal McVey
1880 Chicago White Stockings Cap Anson 67–17 15 Providence Grays Mike Dorgan
1881 Chicago White Stockings Cap Anson 56–28 9 Providence Grays Tom York
1882 Chicago White Stockings Cap Anson 55–29 3 Providence Grays Harry Wright
1883 Boston Beaneaters John Morrill 63–35 4 Chicago White Stockings Cap Anson
1884 Providence Grays Frank Bancroft 84–28 10+1⁄2 Boston Beaneaters John Morrill
1885 Chicago White Stockings Cap Anson 87–25 2 New York Giants Jim Mutrie
1886 Chicago White Stockings Cap Anson 90–34 2+1⁄2 Detroit Wolverines Bill Watkins
1887 Detroit Wolverines Bill Watkins 79–45 3+1⁄2 Philadelphia Quakers Harry Wright
1888 New York Giants Jim Mutrie 84–47 9 Chicago White Stockings Cap Anson
1889 New York Giants Jim Mutrie 83–43 1 Boston Beaneaters Jim Hart
1890 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Bill McGunnigle 86–43 6+1⁄2 Chicago Colts Cap Anson
1891 Boston Beaneaters Frank Selee 87–51 3+1⁄2 Chicago Colts Cap Anson
1892 Boston Beaneaters Frank Selee 102–48 8+1⁄2 Cleveland Spiders Patsy Tebeau
1893 Boston Beaneaters Frank Selee 86–43 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Al Buckenberger
1894 Baltimore Orioles Ned Hanlon 89–39 3 New York Giants John Montgomery Ward
1895 Baltimore Orioles Ned Hanlon 87–43 3 Cleveland Spiders Patsy Tebeau
1896 Baltimore Orioles Ned Hanlon 90–39 9+1⁄2 Cleveland Spiders Patsy Tebeau
1897 Boston Beaneaters Frank Selee 93–39 2 Baltimore Orioles Ned Hanlon
1898 Boston Beaneaters Frank Selee 102–47 6 Baltimore Orioles Ned Hanlon
1899 Brooklyn Superbas Ned Hanlon 101–47 8 Boston Beaneaters Frank Selee
1900 Brooklyn Superbas Ned Hanlon 82–54 4+1⁄2 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke
1901 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke 90–49 7+1⁄2 Philadelphia Phillies Bill Shettsline
1902 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke 103–36 27+1⁄2 Brooklyn Superbas Ned Hanlon
1903 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke 91–49 6+1⁄2 New York Giants John McGraw
1904 New York Giants John McGraw 106–47 13 Chicago Cubs Frank Selee
1905 New York Giants John McGraw 106–47 9 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke
1906 Chicago Cubs Frank Chance 116–36 20 New York Giants John McGraw
1907 Chicago Cubs Frank Chance 107–45 17 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke
1908 Chicago Cubs Frank Chance 99–55 1 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke 110–42 6+1⁄2 Chicago Cubs Frank Chance
1910 Chicago Cubs Frank Chance 104–50 13 New York Giants John McGraw
1911 New York Giants John McGraw 99–54 7+1⁄2 Chicago Cubs Frank Chance
1912 New York Giants John McGraw 103–48 10 Pittsburgh Pirates Fred Clarke
1913 New York Giants John McGraw 101–51 12+1⁄2 Philadelphia Phillies Red Dooin
1914 Boston Braves George Stallings 94–59 10+1⁄2 New York Giants John McGraw
1915 Philadelphia Phillies Pat Moran 90–62 7 Boston Braves George Stallings
1916 Brooklyn Robins Wilbert Robinson 94–60 2+1⁄2 Philadelphia Phillies Pat Moran
1917 New York Giants John McGraw 98–56 10 Philadelphia Phillies Pat Moran
1918 Chicago Cubs Fred Mitchell 84–45 10+1⁄2 New York Giants John McGraw
1919 Cincinnati Reds Pat Moran 96–44 9 New York Giants John McGraw
1920 Brooklyn Robins Wilbert Robinson 93–61 7 New York Giants George Gibson
1921 New York Giants John McGraw 94–59 4 Pittsburgh Pirates George Gibson
1922 New York Giants John McGraw 93–61 7 Cincinnati Reds Pat Moran
1923 New York Giants John McGraw 95–58 4+1⁄2 Cincinnati Reds Pat Moran
1924 New York Giants John McGraw 93–60 1+1⁄2 Brooklyn Robins Wilbert Robinson
1925 Pittsburgh Pirates Bill McKechnie 95–58 8+1⁄2 New York Giants John McGraw
1926 St. Louis Cardinals Rogers Hornsby 89–65 2 Cincinnati Reds Jack Hendricks
1927 Pittsburgh Pirates Donie Bush 94–60 1+1⁄2 St. Louis Cardinals Bob O'Farrell
1928 St. Louis Cardinals Bill McKechnie 95–59 2 New York Giants John McGraw
1929 Chicago Cubs Joe McCarthy 98–54 2 Pittsburgh Pirates Jewel Ens
1930 St. Louis Cardinals Gabby Street 92–62 2 Chicago Cubs Rogers Hornsby
1931 St. Louis Cardinals Gabby Street 101–53 13 New York Giants John McGraw
1932 Chicago Cubs Charlie Grimm 90–64 4 Pittsburgh Pirates George Gibson
1933 New York Giants Bill Terry 91–61 5 Pittsburgh Pirates George Gibson
1934 St. Louis Cardinals Frankie Frisch 95–58 2 New York Giants Bill Terry
1935 Chicago Cubs Charlie Grimm 100–54 4 St. Louis Cardinals Frankie Frisch
1936 New York Giants Bill Terry 92–62 5 St. Louis Cardinals Frankie Frisch
1937 New York Giants Bill Terry 95–57 3 Chicago Cubs Charlie Grimm
1938 Chicago Cubs Charlie Grimm 89–63 2 Pittsburgh Pirates Pie Traynor
1939 Cincinnati Reds Bill McKechnie 97–57 4+1⁄2 St. Louis Cardinals Ray Blades
1940 Cincinnati Reds Bill McKechnie 100–53 12 Brooklyn Dodgers Leo Durocher
1941 Brooklyn Dodgers Leo Durocher 100–54 2+1⁄2 St. Louis Cardinals Billy Southworth
1942 St. Louis Cardinals Billy Southworth 106–48 2 Brooklyn Dodgers Leo Durocher
1943 St. Louis Cardinals Billy Southworth 105–49 18 Cincinnati Reds Bill McKechnie
1944 St. Louis Cardinals Billy Southworth 105–49 14+1⁄2 Pittsburgh Pirates Frankie Frisch
1945 Chicago Cubs Charlie Grimm 98–56 3 St. Louis Cardinals Billy Southworth
1946 St. Louis Cardinals Eddie Dyer 98–58 2 Brooklyn Dodgers Leo Durocher
1947 Brooklyn Dodgers Burt Shotton 94–60 5 St. Louis Cardinals Eddie Dyer
1948 Boston Braves Billy Southworth 91–62 6+1⁄2 St. Louis Cardinals Eddie Dyer
1949 Brooklyn Dodgers Burt Shotton 97–57 1 St. Louis Cardinals Eddie Dyer
1950 Philadelphia Phillies Eddie Sawyer 91–63 2 Brooklyn Dodgers Burt Shotton
1951 New York Giants Leo Durocher 98–59 1 Brooklyn Dodgers Chuck Dressen
1952 Brooklyn Dodgers Chuck Dressen 96–57 4+1⁄2 New York Giants Leo Durocher
1953 Brooklyn Dodgers Chuck Dressen 105–49 13 Milwaukee Braves Charlie Grimm
1954 New York Giants Leo Durocher 97–57 5 Brooklyn Dodgers Walter Alston
1955 Brooklyn Dodgers Walter Alston 98–55 13+1⁄2 Milwaukee Braves Charlie Grimm
1956 Brooklyn Dodgers Walter Alston 93–61 1 Milwaukee Braves Fred Haney
1957 Milwaukee Braves Fred Haney 95–59 8 St. Louis Cardinals Fred Hutchinson
1958 Milwaukee Braves Fred Haney 92–62 8 Pittsburgh Pirates Danny Murtaugh
1959 Los Angeles Dodgers Walter Alston 88–68 2 Milwaukee Braves Fred Haney
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates Danny Murtaugh 95–59 7 Milwaukee Braves Chuck Dressen
1961 Cincinnati Reds Fred Hutchinson 93–61 4 Los Angeles Dodgers Walter Alston
1962 San Francisco Giants Alvin Dark 103–62 1 Los Angeles Dodgers Walter Alston
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers Walter Alston 99–63 6 St. Louis Cardinals Johnny Keane
1964 St. Louis Cardinals Johnny Keane 93–69 1 Philadelphia Phillies Gene Mauch
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers Walter Alston 97–65 2 San Francisco Giants Herman Franks
1966 Los Angeles Dodgers Walter Alston 95–67 1+1⁄2 San Francisco Giants Herman Franks
1967 St. Louis Cardinals Red Schoendienst 101–60 10+1⁄2 San Francisco Giants Herman Franks
1968 St. Louis Cardinals Red Schoendienst 97–65 9 San Francisco Giants Herman Franks

League Championship Series era (1969–present)

Year Series Winning team Record Games Losing team Record Ref
1969 1969 New York MetsE 100–62 3–0 Atlanta BravesW 93–69
1970 1970 Cincinnati RedsW 102–60 3–0 Pittsburgh PiratesE 87–63
1971 1971 Pittsburgh PiratesE 97–65 3–1 San Francisco GiantsW 90–72
1972 1972 Cincinnati RedsW 95–59 3–2 Pittsburgh PiratesE 96–59
1973 1973 New York MetsE 82–79 3–2 Cincinnati RedsW 99–63
1974 1974 Los Angeles DodgersW 102–60 3–1 Pittsburgh PiratesE 88–74
1975 1975 Cincinnati RedsW 108–54 3–0 Pittsburgh PiratesE 92–69
1976 1976 Cincinnati RedsW 102–60 3–0 Philadelphia PhilliesE 101–61
1977 1977 Los Angeles DodgersW 98–64 3–1 Philadelphia PhilliesE 101–61
1978 1978 Los Angeles DodgersW 95–67 3–1 Philadelphia PhilliesE 90–72
1979 1979 Pittsburgh PiratesE 98–64 3–0 Cincinnati RedsW 90–71
1980 1980 Philadelphia PhilliesE 91–71 3–2 Houston AstrosW 93–70
1981[a] 1981 Los Angeles DodgersW 63–47 3–2 Montréal ExposE 60–48
1982 1982 St. Louis CardinalsE 92–70 3–0 Atlanta BravesW 89–73
1983 1983 Philadelphia PhilliesE 90–72 3–1 Los Angeles DodgersW 91–71
1984 1984 San Diego PadresW 92–70 3–2 Chicago CubsE 96–65
1985 1985 St. Louis CardinalsE 101–61 4–2 Los Angeles DodgersW 95–67
1986 1986 New York MetsE 108–54 4–2 Houston AstrosW 96–66
1987 1987 St. Louis CardinalsE 95–67 4–3 San Francisco Giants 90–72
1988 1988 Los Angeles DodgersW 94–67 4–3 New York MetsE 100–60
1989 1989 San Francisco GiantsW 92–70 4–1 Chicago CubsE 93–69
1990 1990 Cincinnati RedsW 91–71 4–2 Pittsburgh PiratesE 95–67
1991 1991 Atlanta BravesW 94–68 4–3 Pittsburgh PiratesE 98–64
1992 1992 Atlanta BravesW 98–64 4–3 Pittsburgh PiratesE 96–66
1993 1993 Philadelphia PhilliesE 97–65 4–2 Atlanta BravesW 104–58
1994 Not held due to players' strike.
1995[b] 1995 Atlanta BravesE 90–54 4–0 Cincinnati RedsC 85–59
1996 1996 Atlanta BravesE 96–66 4–3 St. Louis CardinalsC 88–74
1997 1997 Florida MarlinsE† 92–70 4–2 Atlanta BravesE 101–61
1998 1998 San Diego PadresW 98–64 4–2 Atlanta BravesE 106–56
1999 1999 Atlanta BravesE 103–59 4–2 New York MetsE† 97–66
2000 2000 New York MetsE† 94–68 4–1 St. Louis CardinalsC 95–67
2001 2001 Arizona DiamondbacksW 92–70 4–1 Atlanta BravesE 88–74
2002 2002 San Francisco GiantsW† 95–66 4–1 St. Louis CardinalsC 97–65
2003 2003 Florida MarlinsE† 91–71 4–3 Chicago CubsC 88–74
2004 2004 St. Louis CardinalsC 105–57 4–3 Houston AstrosC† 92–70
2005 2005 Houston AstrosC† 89–73 4–2 St. Louis CardinalsC 100–62
2006 2006 St. Louis CardinalsC 83–78 4–3 New York MetsE 97–65
2007 2007 Colorado RockiesW† 90–73 4–0 Arizona DiamondbacksW 90–72
2008 2008 Philadelphia PhilliesE 92–70 4–1 Los Angeles DodgersW 84–78
2009 2009 Philadelphia PhilliesE 93–69 4–1 Los Angeles DodgersW 95–67
2010 2010 San Francisco GiantsW 92–70 4–2 Philadelphia PhilliesE 97–65
2011 2011 St. Louis CardinalsC† 90–72 4–2 Milwaukee BrewersC 96–66
2012 2012 San Francisco GiantsW 94–68 4–3 St. Louis CardinalsC† 88–74
2013 2013 St. Louis CardinalsC 97–65 4–2 Los Angeles DodgersW 92–70
2014 2014 San Francisco GiantsW† 88–74 4–1 St. Louis CardinalsC 90–72
2015 2015 New York MetsE 90–72 4–0 Chicago CubsC† 97–65
2016 2016 Chicago CubsC 103–58 4–2 Los Angeles DodgersW 91–71
2017 2017 Los Angeles DodgersW 104–58 4–1 Chicago CubsC 92–70
2018 2018 Los Angeles DodgersW 92–71 4–3 Milwaukee BrewersC 96–67
2019 2019 Washington NationalsE† 93–69 4–0 St. Louis CardinalsC 91–71
2020 2020 Los Angeles DodgersW 43–17 4–3 Atlanta BravesE 35–25
2021 2021 Atlanta BravesE 88–73 4–2 Los Angeles DodgersW† 106–56
2022 2022 Philadelphia PhilliesE† 87–75 4–1 San Diego PadresW† 89–73
2023 2023 Arizona DiamondbacksW† 84–78 4–3 Philadelphia PhilliesE† 90–72
2024 2024 Los Angeles DodgersW 98–64 4–2 New York MetsE† 89–73
2025 2025 Los Angeles DodgersW 93–69 4–0 Milwaukee BrewersC 97–65

Notes

  • a A mid-season labor stoppage split the season into two halves. The winner of the first half played the winner of the second half in each division in the 1981 National League Division Series. The winners played in the 1981 NLCS for the National League pennant.
  • b The leagues were re-aligned in 1994 to three divisions and a wild card was added to the playoffs, but the labor stoppage cancelled the postseason. Wild cards were first used in the 1995 playoffs.

NL pennants won by franchise

Italics represent a franchise that is defunct in Major League Baseball as of the 2023 season.
Team Pennants won Postseason appearances Ref
Los Angeles Dodgers[a] 26 39
San Francisco Giants[b] 23 27
St. Louis Cardinals[c] 19 32
Atlanta Braves[d] 18 30
Chicago Cubs[e] 17 21
Pittsburgh Pirates[f] 9 17
Cincinnati Reds[g] 9 16
Philadelphia Phillies[h] 8 17
New York Mets 5 11
Baltimore Orioles (NL)[i] 3 –
San Diego Padres 2 8
Arizona Diamondbacks 2 7
Miami Marlins 2 4
Providence Grays 2 –
Houston Astros[j] 1 9
Washington Nationals[k] 1 6
Colorado Rockies 1 5
Detroit Wolverines 1 –
Milwaukee Brewers[l] 0 8

Notes

  • a Previously known as Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn Robins, Brooklyn Superbas, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Brooklyn Grooms, Brooklyn Grays and Brooklyn Atlantics. Does not include American Association pennant won in 1889
  • b Previously known as New York Giants and New York Gothams
  • c Previously known as St. Louis Perfectos, St. Louis Browns, and St. Louis Brown Stockings. Does not include four American Association pennants won in 1885–1888
  • d Previously known as Milwaukee Braves, Boston Braves, Boston Bees, Boston Rustlers, Boston Doves, Boston Beaneaters and Boston Red Caps
  • e Previously known as Chicago Orphans, Chicago Colts and Chicago White Stockings
  • f Previously known as Pittsburgh Alleghenys
  • g Previously known as Cincinnati Redlegs and Cincinnati Red Stockings. Does not include American Association pennant won in 1882
  • h Previously known as Philadelphia Quakers and unofficially as Philadelphia Blue Jays
  • i The 19th-century Baltimore Orioles who played in the National League are no longer in existence; two current American League franchises later used the Orioles name (New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles).
  • j Previously known as Houston Colt .45s. Does not include four American League pennants.
  • k Previously known as Montreal Expos. In 1994, the Expos led the National League East and had the best win–loss record in the league when the season was cut short by a labor dispute.
  • l The Brewers were members of the American League through the 1997 season after which they switched to the National League. This table records only the Brewers' National League accomplishments. They won the American League pennant in 1982.

See also

  • American League Championship Series – the American League counterpart to the NLCS
    • List of American League pennant winners
  • National League Division Series – has preceded this series since 1994

wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about List of National League pennant winners, What is List of National League pennant winners? What does List of National League pennant winners mean?

Home Page | Go up