The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions (An East, Central, and West division for each of the two leagues). This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the West Division. Before that time the American League had existed as a single league of 10 teams.
Four of its five teams are located in the Eastern United States, with the other in Central Canada. At the end of the MLB season, the team with the best record in the division earns one of the American League's five playoff spots. The most recent team to win this division was the New York Yankees in 2012.
During its 43-year existence, an East Division team has gone on to play in the World Series 25 times, and 14 of those teams have been crowned World Series Champions. Since the 1995 season when the wild-card playoff berth was introduced, the AL East has produced the wild-card team for the American League in 13 out of the 17 years (the Western Division three, and the Central Division just one).
Read more about American League East: Current Members, Former Members, The Division Members, AL East Champions By Year, AL East Statistics, Wild-Card Winners Produced
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“Once did She hold the gorgeous East in fee;
And was the safeguard of the West:”
—William Wordsworth (1770–1850)