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Team names
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National League | American League |
ANAHEIM ANGELS (1961): The team opened play as the Los Angeles Angels but became the California Angels when they moved to a new stadium in Anaheim. In 1997, the team became known as the Anaheim Angels. It took the Angels just three seasons to have their first winning season.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES (1901): During the 1901 season, the team played in Milwaukee, then moved to St. Louis in 1902 and became known as the Browns. The team moved to Baltimore in 1954 and team officials and fans made the call to revive a traditional Baltimore team nickname, the Orioles.
BOSTON RED SOX (1901): In the early years of the American League, the team was known as the Pilgrims or Puritans. The team was also briefly known as the Somersets -- a reference to owner Charles Somers. The team later became known as the Red Stockings, but the team's name was shortened to the current Red Sox by sports writers.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX (1901): Originally the team was called the Invaders because they invaded Chicago before the opening of the 1900 season. The team adopted the Chicago White Stockings name used by the National League team in the late 1880s. Sportswriters shortened the name to White Sox when writing headlines.
CLEVELAND INDIANS (1901): Team names have included Broncos, Blues (for the uniform color) and the Naps (in honor of team manager Nap LaJoie). From 1912 to 1915, the team was called the Molly McGuires because of the large number of Irish players it fielded. In 1915, after a losing season, the team ownership decided to make a fresh start and adopted the Indians.
DETROIT TIGERS (1901): The team was originally known as the Wolverines -- named after the former Detroit team in the old National League. Sportswriter Phil Reid of the Detroit Free PRess thought that the team's blue and orange stripes looked like the uniforms looked like those of the Princeton Tigers and he started to call them the Tigers. The name stuck.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS (1969): The name Royals was chosen by the team's fans.
MINNESOTA TWINS (1901): Named for the Twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The team moved to Minnesota from Washington in 1960.
NEW YORK YANKEES (1901): The team first appeared in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles and then moved to New York in 1903. The team was originally called the Highlanders for its Hilltop Park. In 1914, Jim Price of the New York Press is credited with coming up with the Yankees name.
OAKLAND ATHLETICS (1901): The team began in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics. The team moved to Kansas City in 1955 and then to Oakland in 1968.
SEATTLE MARINERS (1977): Named the Mariners to reflect the nautical heritage of Washington State.
TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (1998): The team name was chosen by the Tampa Bay fans.
TEXAS RANGERS (1961): From 1960-1971, the team was known as the Washington Senators. The franchise left Washington in 1971 and moved to Texas. The team name was chosen to honor Texas' legendary law enforcement group.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS (1977): The team name was chosen in a fan contest.