List of American Association (20th century) champions

The American Association of Minor League Baseball was a Triple-A baseball league that operated in the United States from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997.[1] A league champion was determined at the end of each season. From 1902 to 1932 and in 1935 and 1969, champions were simply the regular season pennant winners.[2] In 1932 and 1933, the winners of each of the league's two divisions competed in a postseason series to determine a champion.[3] This arrangement was abandoned for 1935,[4] but the league adopted the Shaughnessy playoff system in which the top four teams qualified for postseason play in 1936.[5] These playoffs varied between being best-of-five and best-of-seven contests.[2]

The Indianapolis Indians won the first American Association championship (1902).

The inaugural 1902 pennant was won by the Indianapolis Indians with a 96–45 record, two games ahead of the Louisville Colonels.[2][6] The first playoffs, held in 1932, were won by the Columbus Red Birds, who beat the Minneapolis Millers, four games to two.[3] In 1936, the league's first multi-round Shaughnessy playoffs were won by the Milwaukee Brewers after they defeated Indianapolis, four games to one.[7] The league's final championship was won by the Buffalo Bisons in 1997.[2]

The Louisville Colonels won 15 American Association titles, the most in the league's history, followed by the Indianapolis Indians (12); Columbus Senators/Red Birds (10); Minneapolis Millers (9); St. Paul Saints (8); Denver Bears/Zephyrs (7); Kansas City Blues (6); Milwaukee Brewers (5); Omaha Royals (4); Evansville Triplets and Louisville Redbirds (3); Oklahoma City 89ers and Tulsa Oilers (2); and Buffalo Bisons, Iowa Cubs, Springfield Redbirds, and Toledo Mud Hens (1).

Indianapolis won four consecutive championships from 1986 to 1989, the most consecutive titles in the history of the league. Three teams won three titles consecutively: Columbus (1905–1907; 1941–1943), Minneapolis (1910–1912), and Louisville Colonels (1944–1946; 1960–1962). Ten teams won back-to-back championships: St. Paul (1903–1904; 1919–1920), Milwaukee (1913–1914), Louisville Colonels (1925–1926; 1939–1940), Columbus (1933–1934), Kansas City (1952–1953), Minneapolis (1958–1959), Omaha (1969–1970), Tulsa (1973–1974), Denver (1976–1977), and Louisville Redbirds (1984–1985).

League champions
Scores and runner-up teams are absent when no playoffs were held and pennant winners were declared champions.
Year Champion Score Runner-up
1902 Indianapolis Indians ——
1903 St. Paul Saints ——
1904 St. Paul Saints ——
1905 Columbus Senators ——
1906 Columbus Senators ——
1907 Columbus Senators ——
1908 Indianapolis Indians ——
1909 Louisville Colonels ——
1910 Minneapolis Millers ——
1911 Minneapolis Millers ——
1912 Minneapolis Millers ——
1913 Milwaukee Brewers ——
1914 Milwaukee Brewers ——
1915 Minneapolis Millers ——
1916 Louisville Colonels ——
1917 Indianapolis Indians ——
1918 Kansas City Blues ——
1919 St. Paul Saints ——
1920 St. Paul Saints ——
1921 Louisville Colonels ——
1922 St. Paul Saints ——
1923 Kansas City Blues ——
1924 St. Paul Saints ——
1925 Louisville Colonels ——
1926 Louisville Colonels ——
1927 Toledo Mud Hens ——
1928 Indianapolis Indians ——
1929 Kansas City Blues ——
1930 Louisville Colonels ——
1931 St. Paul Saints ——
1932 Minneapolis Millers ——
1933 Columbus Red Birds 4–2Minneapolis Millers
1934 Columbus Red Birds 5–2Minneapolis Millers
1935 Minneapolis Millers ——
1936 Milwaukee Brewers 4–1Indianapolis Indians
1937 Columbus Red Birds 4–2Milwaukee Brewers
1938 Kansas City Blues 4–3St. Paul Saints
1939 Louisville Colonels 4–1Indianapolis Indians
1940 Louisville Colonels 4–2Kansas City Blues
1941 Columbus Red Birds 4–1Louisville Colonels
1942 Columbus Red Birds 4–0Toledo Mud Hens
1943 Columbus Red Birds 3–0Indianapolis Indians
1944 Louisville Colonels 4–0St. Paul Saints
1945 Louisville Colonels 4–2St. Paul Saints
1946 Louisville Colonels 4–0Indianapolis Indians
1947 Milwaukee Brewers 4–3Louisville Colonels
1948 St. Paul Saints 4–3Columbus Red Birds
1949 Indianapolis Indians 4–3Milwaukee Brewers
1950 Columbus Red Birds 4–3Indianapolis Indians
1951 Milwaukee Brewers 4–2St. Paul Saints
1952 Kansas City Blues 4–3Milwaukee Brewers
1953 Kansas City Blues 4–3Toledo Sox
1954 Louisville Colonels 4–1Indianapolis Indians
1955 Minneapolis Millers 4–0Omaha Cardinals
1956 Indianapolis Indians 4–0Denver Bears
1957 Denver Bears 4–2St. Paul Saints
1958 Minneapolis Millers 4–0Denver Bears
1959 Minneapolis Millers 4–3Fort Worth Cats
1960 Louisville Colonels 4–2Denver Bears
1961 Louisville Colonels 4–2Houston Buffs
1962 Louisville Colonels 4–2Denver Bears
1969 Omaha Royals ——
1970 Omaha Royals 4–1Denver Bears
1971 Denver Bears 4–3Indianapolis Indians
1972 Evansville Triplets 3–0Wichita Aeros
1973 Tulsa Oilers 4–3Iowa Oaks
1974 Tulsa Oilers 4–3Indianapolis Indians
1975 Evansville Triplets 4–2Denver Bears
1976 Denver Bears 4–2Omaha Royals
1977 Denver Bears 4–2Omaha Royals
1978 Omaha Royals 4–1Indianapolis Indians
1979 Evansville Triplets 4–2Oklahoma City 89ers
1980 Springfield Redbirds 4–1Denver Bears
1981 Denver Bears 4–0Omaha Royals
1982 Indianapolis Indians 4–2Omaha Royals
1983 Denver Bears 4–0Louisville Redbirds
1984 Louisville Redbirds 4–1Denver Zephyrs
1985 Louisville Redbirds 4–1Oklahoma City 89ers
1986 Indianapolis Indians 4–3Denver Zephyrs
1987 Indianapolis Indians 4–1Denver Zephyrs
1988 Indianapolis Indians 3–1Omaha Royals
1989 Indianapolis Indians 3–2Omaha Royals
1990 Omaha Royals 3–2Nashville Sounds
1991 Denver Zephyrs 3–2Buffalo Bisons
1992 Oklahoma City 89ers 4–0Buffalo Bisons
1993 Iowa Cubs 4–3Nashville Sounds
1994 Indianapolis Indians 3–1Nashville Sounds
1995 Louisville Redbirds 3–2Buffalo Bisons
1996 Oklahoma City 89ers 3–1Indianapolis Indians
1997 Buffalo Bisons 3–0Iowa Cubs

Championship wins by club
Wins Team Championship years
15 Louisville Colonels 1909, 1916, 1921, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1939, 1940, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1954, 1960, 1961, 1962
12 Indianapolis Indians 1902, 1908, 1917, 1928, 1949, 1956, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994
10 Columbus Senators/Red Birds 1905, 1906, 1907, 1933, 1934, 1937, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1950
9 Minneapolis Millers 1910, 1911, 1912, 1915, 1932, 1935, 1955, 1958, 1959
8 St. Paul Saints 1903, 1904, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1931, 1948
7 Denver Bears/Zephyrs 1957, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1991
6 Kansas City Blues 1918, 1923, 1929, 1938, 1952, 1953
5 Milwaukee Brewers 1913, 1914, 1936, 1947, 1951
4 Omaha Royals 1969, 1970, 1978, 1990
3 Evansville Triplets 1972, 1975, 1979
3 Louisville Redbirds 1984, 1985, 1995
2 Oklahoma City 89ers 1992, 1996
2 Tulsa Oilers 1973, 1974
1 Buffalo Bisons 1997
1 Iowa Cubs 1993
1 Springfield Redbirds 1980
1 Toledo Mud Hens 1927

See also

References

Specific

  1. "American Association (AAA) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  2. "American Association Playoff Results". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  3. O'Neal 1991, p. 71–74.
  4. O'Neal 1991, p. 75.
  5. O'Neal 1991, p. 78.
  6. O'Neal 1991, p. 352.
  7. O'Neal 1991, p. 80–81.

General

  • "American Association Playoff Results". Triple-A Baseball. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  • O'Neal, Bill (1991). The American Association: A Baseball History, 1902–1991. Eakin Press. pp. 352–363. ISBN 0-89015-812-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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