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Team names
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National League | American League |
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (1998): The name was chosen by the fans. Arizona joined Major League Baseball along with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
ATLANTA BRAVES (1876): The team began in Boston, then moved to Milwaukee in 1953 and then to Atlanta in 1965. As a member of the National Assocation, the team was known as the Red Caps. Later, the team became the Red Stockings, but was most commonly was known as the Beaneaters. In 1912, the team became known as the Braves because owner Jim Galtney was a Tammany Hall chieftain. The team's names have also included the Pilgrims, Doves and Bees.
CHICAGO CUBS (1876): Originally known as the White Stockings, the team was later known as the Colts, Orphans, Cowboys and Broncos. In 1901, two sportswriters started calling the team the Cubs because it was loaded with very young players and the name stuck.
CINCINNATI REDS (1890): Named for the abbreviated form of Red Stockings as a tribute to the great Cincinnati team of the 1860s. Called the Red Legs briefly in the 1940s during the time of the Communist scare.
COLORADO ROCKIES (1993): The team took the nickname used by several previous teams in the Denver area.
FLORIDA MARLINS (1993): The team was named after the Miami Marlins, a former AAA franchise.
HOUSTON ASTROS (1967): The team was orginally known as the Colt 45s, but became known as the Astros when the Astrodome opened.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS (1890): In 1889, the team located in Brooklyn picked up the nickname Bridegrooms after three players got married in the offseason. Other names have included the Superbas, the Atlantics and the Robins. By World War I, the team had become known as the Dodgers. The name had its root in the term New Yorkers used to describe Brooklyn residents -- trolley dodgers. In 1958, the team moved to Los Angeles and kept the Dodgers nickname.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS (1970): Brewers was the name of the first National League team in Milwaukee in 1878, the name of the first American League team there in 1901 and the minor league American Association team.
MONTREAL EXPOS (1969): The team was named after Expo '67, the World's Fair.
NEW YORK METS (1962): Short for Metropolitans. This team name is a throwback to New York's American Association franchise of the late 1800s. The team also selected its team colors of blue and orange as a tribute to the Giants and Dodgers, two teams that had left New York for the West Coast.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (1883): The name for the original National League team in Philadelphia. Also spelled Fillies in the early days. The team was briefly known as the Quakers and Bluejays.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES (1887): Originally known as the Alleghenies when it was a part of the American Association. The team was later known as the Innocents after they left the American Association to join the National League. The team got its current name because it pirated Lou Bierbauer, star second baseman from the Philadelphia American Association team.
SAN DIEGO PADRES (1969) San Diego was awarded a franchise in 1968 and team made its debut in 1969. The name came from the minor league franchise that played in San Diego for many years.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (1892): The team was originally known as the St. Louis Browns in the American Association. Other names included the Maroons and the Perfectos. A sportswriter noticed the red trim on the team's jerseys and coined the Cardinals' name.