American League East - AL East Champions By Year

AL East Champions By Year

  • Team names link to the season in which each team played
Year Winner Record % Playoffs
1969 Baltimore Orioles 109–53 .673 Lost World Series to New York, 4–1
1970 Baltimore Orioles 108–54 .667 Won World Series over Cincinnati, 4–1
1971 Baltimore Orioles 101–57 .639 Lost World Series to Pittsburgh, 4–3
1972 Detroit Tigers 86–70 .551 Lost ALCS to Oakland, 3–2
1973 Baltimore Orioles 97–65 .599 Lost ALCS to Oakland, 3–2
1974 Baltimore Orioles 91–71 .562 Lost ALCS to Oakland, 3–1
1975 Boston Red Sox 95–65 .594 Lost World Series to Cincinnati, 4–3
1976 New York Yankees 97–62 .610 Lost World Series to Cincinnati, 4–0
1977 New York Yankees 100–62 .617 Won World Series over Los Angeles, 4–2
1978 New York Yankees‡ 100–63 .613 Won World Series over Los Angeles, 4–2
1979 Baltimore Orioles 102–57 .642 Lost World Series to Pittsburgh, 4–3
1980 New York Yankees 103–59 .636 Lost ALCS to Kansas City, 3–0
1981 New York Yankees* 59–48 .551 Lost World Series to Los Angeles, 4–2
1982 Milwaukee Brewers 95–67 .586 Lost World Series to St. Louis, 4–3
1983 Baltimore Orioles 98–64 .605 Won World Series over Philadelphia, 4–1
1984 Detroit Tigers 104–58 .642 Won World Series over San Diego, 4–1
1985 Toronto Blue Jays 99–62 .615 Lost ALCS to Kansas City, 4–3
1986 Boston Red Sox 95–66 .590 Lost World Series to New York, 4–3
1987 Detroit Tigers 98–64 .605 Lost ALCS to Minnesota, 4–1
1988 Boston Red Sox 89–73 .549 Lost ALCS to Oakland, 4–0
1989 Toronto Blue Jays 89–73 .549 Lost ALCS to Oakland, 4–1
1990 Boston Red Sox 88–74 .543 Lost ALCS to Oakland, 4–0
1991 Toronto Blue Jays 91–71 .562 Lost ALCS to Minnesota, 4–1
1992 Toronto Blue Jays 96–66 .593 Won World Series over Atlanta, 4–2
1993 Toronto Blue Jays 95–67 .586 Won World Series over Philadelphia, 4–2
1994 Strike Shortened Season§ No Postseason
1995 Boston Red Sox 86–58 .597 Lost ALDS to Cleveland, 3–0
1996 New York Yankees 92–70 .568 Won World Series over Atlanta, 4–2
1997 Baltimore Orioles 98–64 .605 Lost ALCS to Cleveland, 4–2
1998 New York Yankees 114–48 .704 Won World Series over San Diego, 4–0
1999 New York Yankees 98–64 .605 Won World Series over Atlanta, 4–0
2000 New York Yankees 87–74 .540 Won World Series over New York, 4–1
2001 New York Yankees 95–65 .594 Lost World Series to Arizona, 4–3
2002 New York Yankees 103–58 .640 Lost ALDS to Anaheim, 3–1
2003 New York Yankees 101–61 .623 Lost World Series to Florida, 4–2
2004 New York Yankees 101–61 .623 Lost ALCS to Boston, 4–3
2005 New York Yankees†† 95–67 .586 Lost ALDS to Los Angeles, 3–2
2006 New York Yankees 97–65 .599 Lost ALDS to Detroit, 3–1
2007 Boston Red Sox 96–66 .593 Won World Series over Colorado, 4–0
2008 Tampa Bay Rays 97–65 .599 Lost World Series to Philadelphia, 4–1
2009 New York Yankees 103–59 .636 Won World Series over Philadelphia, 4–2
2010 Tampa Bay Rays 96–66 .593 Lost ALDS to Texas, 3–2
2011 New York Yankees 97–65 .599 Lost ALDS to Detroit, 3–2
2012 New York Yankees 95–67 .586 Lost ALCS to Detroit, 4–0


‡ - In 1978, the New York Yankees ended up in a tie with the Boston Red Sox for the division championship, and won a 1-game playoff against Boston.

* - Due to the players' strike, the season was split. New York won the first half and defeated second-half champion Milwaukee (62–45) in the postseason.

§ - Due to the 1994 baseball strike starting August 12, no official winner was awarded. New York was leading at the strike.

†† - The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees finished the 2005 season tied for first place with identical records. New York won the season series against Boston and was awarded the tie-breaker; Boston was awarded the wild card berth. Had a team from another division won the wild card, a one game playoff would have decided the division champion.

The Cleveland Indians were the only team to not win the AL East before the 1994 division realignment.

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Famous quotes containing the words east, champions and/or year:

    “At length, having come up fifty rods off, he uttered one of those prolonged howls, as if calling on the god of loons to aid him, and immediately there came a wind from the east and rippled the surface, and filled the whole air with misty rain, and I was impressed as if it were the prayer of the loon answered, and his god was angry with me; and so I left him disappearing far away on the tumultuous surface.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men’s reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of “the rat race” is not yet final.”
    —Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)

    “The phenomena of the year take place every day in a pond on a small scale. Every morning, generally speaking, the shallow water is being warmed more rapidly than the deep, though it may not be made so warm after all, and every evening it is being cooled more rapidly until the morning. The day is an epitome of the year. The night is the winter, the morning and evening are the spring and fall, and the noon is the summer. The cracking and booming of the ice indicate a change of temperature.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)