The team known as the Atlanta Braves is the oldest continuously running baseball team in Major League Baseball. It is the only team out of twenty-eight that has fielded a team every single season Major League Baseball has been in existence. Since its inception in 1870 as the Boston Red Stockings, the team now known as the Atlanta Braves has gone through high points and low points, it has been in the spotlight and in the shadows, and it has won world championships and finished in last place. However, throughout all of these years the Braves have remained the one constant in baseball. They are the team that has always been there and will always be there.
On January 20, 1871 the Boston Red Stockings came into existence as one of the nine charter members of the National League. They were a dominant force in the League. They won six of the first eight pennants and in 1875 they won twenty-six games in a row along with every single home game at the Union Baseball Grounds in South Boston. In 1883, in order to tie their identity to Boston and to avoid confusion with the Cincinnati Reds of the American League, the Red Stockings change their name to the Beaneaters. By 1812 the Boston began to be called the Braves. This was in response to growing number of fans nicknaming the now lackluster team the Doves after the Dovey brothers who owned the team.
The Braves team of 1914 is one of the most famous teams in baseball history. With a cold start, winning only four games and losing eighteen, the team finished in a blaze of fire, winning fifty-one and only losing sixteen. They had gone from last place in their league to first place, finishing ten and a half games ahead of their nearest competitor. The Braves then went on the sweep the World Series in four games from the heavily favored Philadelphia team. This year marks the apex of the Boston Braves popularity. After that a decline in fan support reached rock bottom in 1952 when the team was forced to move to Milwaukee.
In 1957 the Braves won their first World Series championship in Milwaukee. Hank Aaron who won the League MVP and led the league in home runs and RBI’s led the team to victory. That same year Warren Spahn, a future Hall of Famer, won the Cy Young Award for the best picture. This was the first and only time the Braves won bring a championship home to Milwaukee. In 1966 due once again to dwindling fan support the Braves moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1974 one of the truly memorable scenes in baseball history occurred. Hank Aaron hit career home run 715 off of Dodger’s lefty Al Downing. This placed him above Babe Ruth as the all time leading home run hitting. In 1976, Ted Turner purchased the Braves. In the 90’s the Braves became one of the best team dynasties in all of sports, winning ten consecutive divisional pennants and winning the World Series in 1995. 1991 marked the start of this meteoric rise to the top. The Braves became to first team in Major League history to go to the World Series after finishing with the worst record in baseball the previous season.
The Braves roaster boasted names like Dale Murphy, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Phil Niekro, Eddie Matthews, and Warren Spahn. These players attracted hundreds of millions of fans. Despite the stadium, the city, or the players, the Braves have always been there. They are the team that has always been and will always be.
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1966-present Atlanta Braves (NL)
1953-1965 Milwaukee Braves (NL)
1941-1952 Boston Braves (NL)
1936-1940 Boston Bees (NL)
1912-1935 Boston Braves (NL)
1911 Boston Rustlers (NL)
1907-1910 Boston Doves (NL)
1883-1906 Boston Beaneaters (NL)
1876-1882 Boston Red Caps (NL)
1997-present Turner Field 50,062
1966-1996 Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium 52,769
1953-1965 County Stadium (Milwaukee) 43,394
1915-1952 Braves Field (Boston) 40,000
1894-1914 South End Grounds II (Boston) na
1876-1894 South End Grounds (Boston) na
World Series Champions 3 - 1914, 1957, 1995
League Champions 17 - 1877(NL), 1878(NL), 1883(NL), 1891(NL), 1892(NL), 1893(NL), 1897(NL), 1898(NL), 1914(NL), 1948(NL), 1957(NL), 1958(NL), 1991(NL), 1992(NL), 1995(NL), 1996(NL), 1999(NL)
Division Champions 12 - 1969(NL West), 1982(NL West), 1991(NL West), 1992(NL West), 1993(NL West), 1995(NL East), 1996(NL East), 1997(NL East), 1998(NL East), 1999(NL East), 2000(NL East), 2001 (NL East), 2002 (NL East), 2003 (NL East)
Wild-Card None
3 Dale Murphy
21 Warren Spahn
35 Phil Niekro
41 Eddie Mathews
44 Hank Aaron
More Club History......
David C. Barker
Augusta, GA
