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To: colorado tanker
Your mention of the Orioles' relocation reminded me that I've been curious about early franchise moves, so I researched it--which being retired is something I've time for now. I began following baseball in the mid-'50s and so am personally familiar with the franchise shifts and expansions since, but now I've stretched that knowledge back to 1900. I had been unaware of any franchise shifts at all prior to the Braves' all the way back to the first World Series in 1903--and that turned out to be correct.

The Braves had moved from Boston to Milwaukee for the '53 season, and that marked the first National League change since the league shrank from twelve teams to eight for the 1900 season. The Braves' move sparked the flurry of migrations that soon ensued.

The Browns' move in 1954 made them the first American League team to uproot to another city since 1903, when the original Baltimore Orioles moved to NYC and became the Yankees.

They were followed by the Philadelphia Athletics' 1955 move to Kansas City (where after last night they probably wish they had remained instead of moving on later to Oakland), the Brooklyn Dodgers & NY Giants moving to Los Angeles and San Francisco in 1958, and the Washington Senators' move to Minneapolis in 1961.

To complete the study: the Milwaukee Braves became the Atlantas, the Seattle Pilots became the Milwaukee Brewers, the second Washington Senators team became the Texas Rangers, and the Montreal Expos became the Washington Natinals. I'm unaware of any other relocations (leaving aside expansion teams and the Astros' recent league-change), although the Angels are a curious case: born in Los Angeles, then moved 35 miles to Anaheim, then renamed the L.A. Angels while remaining in Anaheim. But then, I've always been a Dodger fan.

17 posted on 10/01/2014 6:12:45 PM PDT by Hebrews 11:6 (Do you REALLY believe that (1) God IS, and (2) God IS GOOD?)
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To: Hebrews 11:6

According to Wiki the Milwaukee Brewers of the Western League, which became the American League, were moved in 1902 to St. Louis to become the St. Louis Browns. I did not realize there was a Brewers team in Milwaukee before the current team.


19 posted on 10/02/2014 10:03:41 AM PDT by colorado tanker
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