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National League Central

{{short description|Division of Major League Baseball}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{infobox sports division

| title = National League Central

| league = National League

| sport = Major League Baseball

| founded = {{mlby|1994}}

| teams = 5

| champion = Milwaukee Brewers
(2024; 5th title)

| most_champs = St. Louis Cardinals (12)

}}

{{OSM Location map

| coord = {{coord|40.825|-85.099}}

| zoom = 5

| width = 300

| height = 300

| caption = National League Central Teams Location

| mark1 = Red pog.svg

| label1 = Cardinals

| mark-coord1 = {{coord|38.62269|-90.19275}}

| label-pos1 = top

| label-color1 = black

| mark2 = Blue pog.svg

| label2 = Cubs

| mark-coord2 = {{coord|41.94841|-87.65537}}

| label-pos2 = top

| label-color2 = black

| mark3 = Gold pog.svg

| label3 = Brewers

| mark-coord3 = {{coord|43.02812|-87.97112}}

| label-pos3 = top

| label-color3 = black

| mark4 = Yellow pog.svg

| label4 = Pirates

| mark-coord4 = {{coord|40.44683|-80.00557}}

| label-pos4 = top

| label-color4 = black

| mark5 = Red pog.svg

| label5 = Reds

| mark-coord5 = {{coord|39.09721|-84.50653}}

| label-pos5 = bottom

| label-color5 = black

}}

The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League East (the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals).

When the division was created in 1994, the Pirates were originally supposed to stay in the East while the Atlanta Braves were to be moved to the Central from the West. However, the Braves, wanting to form a natural rivalry with the expansion Florida Marlins, requested to remain in the East. Despite the Marlins offering to go to the Central, the Pirates instead gave up their spot in the East to the Braves.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/16/sports/baseball-pirates-relent-on-new-alignment.html?pagewanted=print|title=BASEBALL; Pirates Relent on New Alignment|first=Murray|last=Chass|website=nytimes.com|access-date=May 7, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824094121/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/16/sports/baseball-pirates-relent-on-new-alignment.html?pagewanted=print|archive-date=August 24, 2017}} Since then, the Pirates have tried several times unsuccessfully to be placed back in the East.{{cite web|url=http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_742330.html#axzz2YtXG2iD2|title=Starkey: Pirates in American League' Yes!|date=June 16, 2011|work=TribLIVE.com|access-date=October 1, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006101149/http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_742330.html#axzz2YtXG2iD2|archive-date=October 6, 2014}}{{Cite web |last=Starkey |first=Joe |date=June 16, 2011 |title=Starkey: Pirates in American League? Yes! |url=https://archive.triblive.com/news/starkey-pirates-in-american-league-yes/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=www.tribliveoffers.com}}

In 1998, the NL Central became the largest division in Major League Baseball when the Milwaukee Brewers were moved in from the American League Central, which gave them six teams.{{Cite web |last=Service |first=New York Times News |date=1997-11-06 |title=BREWERS TO PLAY IN NL |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/11/06/brewers-to-play-in-nl/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Newhan |first=Ross |date=1998-03-08 |title=Brewers Gain a National Following |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-08-sp-26912-story.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Holtzman |first=Jerome |date=1997-11-07 |title=BREWERS’ MOVE TO NL TAKES THEM BACK TO THEIR LEAGUE OF GLORY |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/11/07/brewers-move-to-nl-takes-them-back-to-their-league-of-glory/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}} In 2013, the Astros moved to the American League West.{{Cite web |last=José |first=Roberto |last2=Franco |first2=Andrade |date=2023-10-18 |title=How Astros-Rangers rivalry defines the state of Texas |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38683444/alcs-playoffs-houston-astros-texas-rangers-rivalry |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Barzilla |first=Scott |title=Houston Astros: How To Build a Rivalry with the Texas Rangers |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/969584-houston-astros-how-to-build-a-rivalry-with-the-texas-rangers |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}

This division has been dominated by the Cardinals, who have accounted for 12 of the 26 division championships, plus three wild card wins. Aside from the Cardinals, the Cubs have the second most division championships with six, as well as three wild card wins. The Brewers have five divisional championships, with two wild card wins. The Astros had four division titles and two wild card wins. The Reds have three division titles, along with one wild card win. The Pirates have not won the division since the division was created, but possess three wild card appearances. The 2013 win was the Pirates’ first playoff berth since 1992.

Division membership

=Current members=

=Former member=

=Membership timeline=

Place cursor over year for division champ or World Series team.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! colspan="32" style="text-align:center; font-size:125%; background:#DEB887;" | NL Central Division{{ref label|NL Central|A|A}}

colspan="32" style="text-align:center;" | Years
94

! 95

! 96

! 97

! 98

! 99

! 00

! 01

! 02

! 03

! style="background:#ffe87c;"|04

! style="background:#ffe87c;"|05

! style="background:#00ff00;"|06

! 07

! 08

! 09

! 10

! style="background:#00ff00;"|11

! 12

! style="background:#ffe87c;"|13

! 14

! 15

! style="background:#00ff00;"|16

! 17

! 18

! 19

! 20

! 21

! 22

! 23

! 24

! 25

colspan="32" style="background:lightgrey; height:.5px;" |
colspan="32" | Chicago Cubs
colspan="32" | Cincinnati Reds
colspan="19" | Houston Astros{{ref label|HOU|C|C}}

| colspan="13" style="background:lightgrey;" |  

colspan="32" | St. Louis Cardinals
colspan="32" | Pittsburgh Pirates
colspan="4" style="background:lightgrey;"|  

| colspan="28" | Milwaukee Brewers{{ref label|MIL|B|B}}

colspan="32" style="background:#fff; height:15px; font-size:75%;" | {{color box|lightgrey}} Team not in division {{color box|#00ff00}} Division Won World Series {{color box|#FFE87C}} Division Won NL Championship

:{{note label|NL Central|A|A}} Creation of division due to the 1994 realignment into three divisions (with Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis from NL East, and Cincinnati and Houston from NL West)

:{{note label|MIL|B|B}} Milwaukee switched leagues due to the 1998 expansion, moving in from AL Central

:{{note label|HOU|C|C}} Houston switched leagues after the 2012 season, and joined the AL West

Champions by year

  • Team names link to the season in which each team played

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Winner

!Record

!Win%

!Playoff Results

{{mlby|1994}}§

|colspan=4 align=center|No playoffs due to 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike

1995

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Cincinnati Reds|1}} | 1995 Cincinnati Reds season

|85–59

|.590

|Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3–0
Lost NLCS (Braves) 4–0

1996

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 1996 St. Louis Cardinals season

|88–74

|.543

|Won NLDS (Padres) 3–0
Lost NLCS (Braves) 4–3

1997

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Houston Astros 1994thru1999|1}} | 1997 Houston Astros season

|84–78

|.519

|Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–0

1998

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Houston Astros 1994thru1999|1}} | 1998 Houston Astros season

|102–60

|.630

|Lost NLDS (Padres) 3–1

1999

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Houston Astros 1994thru1999|1}} | 1999 Houston Astros season

|97–65

|.599

|Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–1

2000

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2000 St. Louis Cardinals season

|95–67

|.586

|Won NLDS (Braves) 3–0
Lost NLCS (Mets) 4–1

2001*

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Houston Astros 2000thru2012|1}} | 2001 Houston Astros season

|93–69

|.574

|Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–0

2002

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2002 St. Louis Cardinals season

|97–65

|.599

|Won NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–0
Lost NLCS (Giants) 4–1

2003

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Chicago Cubs|1}} | 2003 Chicago Cubs season

|88–74

|.543

|Won NLDS (Braves) 3–2
Lost NLCS (Marlins) 4–3

2004

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2004 St. Louis Cardinals season

|105–57

|.648

| bgcolor="#ddffdd" | Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3–1
Won NLCS (Astros) 4–3
Lost World Series (Red Sox) 4–0

2005

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2005 St. Louis Cardinals season

|100–62

|.617

|Won NLDS (Padres) 3–0
Lost NLCS (Astros) 4–2

2006

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2006 St. Louis Cardinals season

|83–78

|.516

| bgcolor="#ffcccc" | Won NLDS (Padres) 3–1
Won NLCS (Mets) 4–3
Won World Series (Tigers) 4–1

2007

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Chicago Cubs|1}} | 2007 Chicago Cubs season

|85–77

|.525

|Lost NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–0

2008

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Chicago Cubs|1}} | 2008 Chicago Cubs season

|97–64

|.602

|Lost NLDS (Dodgers) 3–0

2009

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2009 St. Louis Cardinals season

|91–71

|.562

|Lost NLDS (Dodgers) 3–0

2010

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Cincinnati Reds|1}} | 2010 Cincinnati Reds season

|91–71

|.562

|Lost NLDS (Phillies) 3–0

2011

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Milwaukee Brewers|1}} | 2011 Milwaukee Brewers season

|96–66

|.593

|Won NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–2
Lost NLCS (Cardinals) 4–2

2012

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Cincinnati Reds|1}} | 2012 Cincinnati Reds season

|97–65

|.599

Lost NLDS (Giants) 3–2
2013

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2013 St. Louis Cardinals season

|97–65

|.599

| bgcolor="#ddffdd" | Won NLDS (Pirates) 3–2
Won NLCS (Dodgers) 4–2
Lost World Series (Red Sox) 4–2

2014

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2014 St. Louis Cardinals season

|90–72

|.556

|Won NLDS (Dodgers) 3–1
Lost NLCS (Giants) 4–1

2015

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2015 St. Louis Cardinals season

|100–62

|.617

|Lost NLDS (Cubs) 3–1

2016

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Chicago Cubs|1}} | 2016 Chicago Cubs season

|103–58

|.640

| bgcolor="#ffcccc" | Won NLDS (Giants) 3–1
Won NLCS (Dodgers) 4–2
Won World Series (Indians) 4–3

2017

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Chicago Cubs|1}} | 2017 Chicago Cubs season

|92–70

|.568

|Won NLDS (Nationals) 3–2
Lost NLCS (Dodgers) 4–1

2018

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Milwaukee Brewers|1}} | 2018 Milwaukee Brewers season

|96–67

|.589

|Won NLDS (Rockies) 3–0
Lost NLCS (Dodgers) 4–3

2019

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2019 St. Louis Cardinals season

|91–71

|.562

|Won NLDS (Braves) 3–2
Lost NLCS (Nationals) 4–0

2020†

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Chicago Cubs|1}} | 2020 Chicago Cubs season

|34–26

|.567

|Lost NLWC (Marlins) 2–0

2021

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Milwaukee Brewers|1}} | 2021 Milwaukee Brewers season

|95–67

|.586

| Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–1

2022

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2022 St. Louis Cardinals season

|93–69

|.574

|Lost NLWC (Phillies) 2–0

2023

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Milwaukee Brewers|1}} | 2023 Milwaukee Brewers season

|92–70

|.568

| Lost NLWC (Diamondbacks) 2–0

2024

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Milwaukee Brewers|1}} | 2024 Milwaukee Brewers season

| 93–69

| .574

| Lost NLWC (Mets) 2–1

§ – Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike on August 12, no official winner was awarded. Cincinnati was leading by half a game over Houston at the time of the strike.

* – The Astros and Cardinals finished with identical regular season records. Because the Astros won the season series 9–7 against the Cardinals, they were awarded the National League Central division title, and the Cardinals were declared the National League Wild Card team.

† – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games. By virtue of the eight-team postseason format used for that season, division runner-up St. Louis (30–28, .517) also automatically qualified for the playoffs.

Other postseason teams

{{further information|List of National League Wild Card winners}}

The wild card was introduced in 1994 and was initially assigned to the team with the best record in each league that did not win its division. The first year of implementation was 1995 as a player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season. Since implementation, each of the NL Central teams has won the wild card. In 2012, a second wild card was added to post-season play, and in 2022, a third was also added.

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Winner

!Record

!%

!GB

!Playoff Results

1998

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Chicago Cubs|1}} | 1998 Chicago Cubs season

|90–73

|.552

|12.5

|Lost NLDS (Braves) 3–0

2001

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2001 St. Louis Cardinals season

|93–69

|.574

|0

|Lost NLDS (Diamondbacks) 3–2

2004

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Houston Astros 2000thru2012|1}} | 2004 Houston Astros season

|92–70

|.568

|13

|Won NLDS (Braves) 3–2
Lost NLCS (Cardinals) 4–3

2005

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Houston Astros 2000thru2012|1}} | 2005 Houston Astros season

|89–73

|.549

|11

| bgcolor="#ddffdd" | Won NLDS (Braves) 3–1
Won NLCS (Cardinals) 4–2
Lost World Series (White Sox) 4–0

2008

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Milwaukee Brewers|1}} | 2008 Milwaukee Brewers season

|90–72

|.556

|7.5

|Lost NLDS (Phillies) 3–1

2011

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2011 St. Louis Cardinals season

|90–72

|.556

|6

| bgcolor="#ffcccc" | Won NLDS (Phillies) 3–2
Won NLCS (Brewers) 4–2
Won World Series (Rangers) 4–3

2012

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2012 St. Louis Cardinals season

|88–74

|.543

|9

|Won NLWC (Braves)
Won NLDS (Nationals) 3–2
Lost NLCS (Giants) 4–3

rowspan=2|2013

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Pittsburgh Pirates|1}} | 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates season

|94–68

|.580

|3

|Won NLWC (Reds)
Lost NLDS (Cardinals) 3–2

bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Cincinnati Reds|1}} | 2013 Cincinnati Reds season

|90–72

|.556

|7

|Lost NLWC (Pirates)

2014

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Pittsburgh Pirates|1}} | 2014 Pittsburgh Pirates season

|88–74

|.543

|2

|Lost NLWC (Giants)

rowspan=2|2015

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Pittsburgh Pirates|1}} | 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates season

|98–64

|.605

|2

|Lost NLWC (Cubs)

bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Chicago Cubs|1}} | 2015 Chicago Cubs season

|97–65

|.599

|3

|Won NLWC (Pirates)
Won NLDS (Cardinals) 3–1
Lost NLCS (Mets) 4–0

2018

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Chicago Cubs|1}} | 2018 Chicago Cubs season

|95–68

|.583

|1

|Lost NLWC (Rockies)

2019

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Milwaukee Brewers|1}} | 2019 Milwaukee Brewers season

|89–73

|.549

|2

|Lost NLWC (Nationals)

rowspan=3|2020††

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2020 St. Louis Cardinals season

|30–28

|.517

|3

|Lost NLWC (Padres) 2–1

bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Cincinnati Reds|1}} | 2020 Cincinnati Reds season

|31–29

|.517

|3

|Lost NLWC (Braves) 2–0

bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|Milwaukee Brewers|1}} | 2020 Milwaukee Brewers season

|29–31

|.483

|5

|Lost NLWC (Dodgers) 2–0

2021

|bgcolor="#{{Baseball color|St. Louis Cardinals|1}} | 2021 St. Louis Cardinals season

|90–72

|.556

|5

|Lost NLWC (Dodgers)

* – Defeated the San Francisco Giants in a one game playoff for the Wild Card, 5–3.

† – Finished with the same record as the Houston Astros, but Houston won the season series vs. the Cardinals that year, and were given the higher seed in the playoffs.

** – From 2012 to 2019, and in 2021, the Wild Card was expanded to two teams. Those teams faced each other in the Wild Card Game to determine the final participant in the National League Division Series. In 2020 only, eight teams, including the three division winners, played in a best-of-three Wild Card Series, with the winners advancing to the Division Series. Starting in 2022, the Wild Card field was increased to three teams, and along with the lowest-ranked division winner, qualified for the best-of-three Wild Card Series to determine the remaining two slots in the Division Series.

†† – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games.

*** – Finished with the same record as the San Francisco Giants but won the wild-card spot due to a superior intra-divisional record (Brewers went 19–21 vs. the NL Central while the Giants went 18–22 vs. the NL West).

Season results

class="wikitable"

|bgcolor=#FFCC00 align=center width=10px| (#)

| Denotes team that won the World Series

bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align=center width=10px| (#)

| Denotes team that won the National League pennant, but lost World Series

bgcolor=#CCFFCC align=center width=10px| (#)

| Denotes team that qualified for the MLB postseason

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"

!rowspan="2" width=60px| Season

colspan="7"| Team (record)
1st || 2nd || 3rd || 4th || 5th || 6th
colspan="7"|

{{mlby|1994}}Cincinnati (66–48)Houston (66–49)Pittsburgh (53–61)St. Louis (53–61)Chicago Cubs (49–64)
{{mlby|1995}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (2) Cincinnati (85–59)Houston (76–68)Chicago Cubs (73–71)St. Louis (62–81)Pittsburgh (58–86)
{{mlby|1996}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (1) St. Louis (88–74)Houston (82–80)Cincinnati (81–81)Chicago Cubs (76–86)Pittsburgh (73–89)
{{mlby|1997}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (1) Houston (84–78)Pittsburgh (79–83)Cincinnati (76–86)St. Louis (73–89)Chicago Cubs (68–94)
colspan="7"|
  • 1998: The Milwaukee Brewers joined from the American League Central.
    • {{mlby|1998}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (2) Houston (102–60)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (4) Chicago Cubs{{ref label|a|a}} (90–73)St. Louis (83–79)Cincinnati (77–85)Milwaukee (74–88)Pittsburgh (69–93)
    {{mlby|1999}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) Houston (97–65)Cincinnati{{ref label|b|b}} (96–67)Pittsburgh (78–83)St. Louis (75–86)Milwaukee (74–87)Chicago Cubs (67–95)
    {{mlby|2000}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (2) St. Louis{{ref label|c|c}} (95–67)Cincinnati (85–77)Milwaukee (73–89)Houston (72–90)Pittsburgh (69–93)Chicago Cubs (65–97)
    {{mlby|2001}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (1) Houston{{ref label|d|d}} (93–69)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (4) St. Louis (93–69)Chicago Cubs (88–74)Milwaukee (68–94)Cincinnati (66–96)Pittsburgh (62–100)
    {{mlby|2002}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) St. Louis (97–65)Houston (84–78)Cincinnati (78–84)Pittsburgh (72–89)Chicago Cubs (67–95)Milwaukee (56–106)
    {{mlby|2003}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) Chicago Cubs (88–74)Houston (87–75)St. Louis (85–77)Pittsburgh (75–87)Cincinnati (69–93)Milwaukee (68–94)
    {{mlby|2004}}bgcolor=#C0C0C0| (1) St. Louis (105–57)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (4) Houston (92–70)Chicago Cubs (89–73)Cincinnati (76–86)Pittsburgh (72–89)Milwaukee (67–94)
    {{mlby|2005}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (1) St. Louis (100–62)bgcolor=#C0C0C0| (4) Houston (89–73)Milwaukee (81–81)Chicago Cubs (79–83)Cincinnati (73–89)Pittsburgh (67–95)
    {{mlby|2006}}bgcolor=#FFCC00| (3) St. Louis (83–78)Houston (82–80)Cincinnati (80–82)Milwaukee (75–87)Pittsburgh (67–95)Chicago Cubs (66–96)
    {{mlby|2007}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) Chicago Cubs (85–77)Milwaukee (83–79)St. Louis (78–84)Houston (73–89)Cincinnati (72–90)Pittsburgh (68–94)
    {{mlby|2008}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (1) Chicago Cubs (97–64)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (4) Milwaukee (90–72)Houston (86–75)St. Louis (86–76)Cincinnati (74–88)Pittsburgh (67–95)
    {{mlby|2009}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) St. Louis (91–71)Chicago Cubs (83–78)Milwaukee (80–82)Cincinnati (78–84)Houston (74–88)Pittsburgh (62–99)
    {{mlby|2010}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) Cincinnati (91–71)St. Louis (86–76)Milwaukee (77–85)Houston (76–86)Chicago Cubs (75–87)Pittsburgh (57–105)
    {{mlby|2011}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (2) Milwaukee (96–66)bgcolor=#FFCC00| (4) St. Louis (90–72)Cincinnati (79–83)Pittsburgh (72–90)Chicago Cubs (71–91)Houston (56–106)
    {{mlby|2012}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (2) Cincinnati (97–65)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (5) St. Louis (88–74)Milwaukee (83–79)Pittsburgh (79–83)Chicago Cubs (61–101)Houston (55–107)
    colspan="7"|
  • 2013: The Houston Astros left to join the American League West.
    • {{mlby|2013}}bgcolor=#C0C0C0| (1) St. Louis (97–65)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (4) Pittsburgh (94–68)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (5) Cincinnati (90–72)Milwaukee (74–88)Chicago Cubs (66–96)
    {{mlby|2014}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) St. Louis (90–72)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (4) Pittsburgh (88–74)Milwaukee (82–80)Cincinnati (76–86)Chicago Cubs (73–89)
    {{mlby|2015}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (1) St. Louis (100–62)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (4) Pittsburgh (98–64)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (5) Chicago Cubs (97–65)Milwaukee (68–94)Cincinnati (64–98)
    {{mlby|2016}}bgcolor=#FFCC00| (1) Chicago Cubs (103–58)St. Louis (86–76)Pittsburgh (78–83)Milwaukee (73–89)Cincinnati (68–94)
    {{mlby|2017}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) Chicago Cubs (92–70)Milwaukee (86–76)St. Louis (83–79)Pittsburgh (75–87)Cincinnati (68–94)
    {{mlby|2018}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (1) Milwaukee{{ref label|e|e}} (96–67)bgcolor=#CCFFCC|(4) Chicago Cubs (95–68)St. Louis (88–74)Pittsburgh (82–79)Cincinnati (67–95)
    {{mlby|2019}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) St. Louis (91–71)bgcolor=#CCFFCC|(5) Milwaukee (89–73)Chicago Cubs (84–78)Cincinnati (75–87)Pittsburgh (69–93)
    colspan="7"|
  • 2020: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games. The postseason field was expanded to eight teams and the wild-card round became a best-of-three series.
    • {{mlby|2020}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) Chicago Cubs (34–26)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (5) St. Louis (30–28)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (7) Cincinnati (31–29)bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (8) Milwaukee{{ref label|f|f}} (29–31)Pittsburgh (19–41)
    {{mlby|2021}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (2) Milwaukee (95–67)bgcolor=#CCFFCC|(5) St. Louis (90–72)Cincinnati (83–79)Chicago Cubs (71–91)Pittsburgh (61–101)
    {{mlby|2022}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) St. Louis (93–69)Milwaukee (86–76)Chicago Cubs (74–88)Pittsburgh (62–100)Cincinnati (62–100)
    {{mlby|2023}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) Milwaukee (92–70)Chicago Cubs (83–79)Cincinnati (82–80)Pittsburgh (76–86)St. Louis (71–91)
    {{mlby|2024}}bgcolor=#CCFFCC| (3) Milwaukee (93–69)Chicago Cubs (83–79)St. Louis (83–79)Cincinnati (77–85)Pittsburgh (76–86)

    ;Notes and Tiebreakers

    • {{note label|NLC1|a|a}} Chicago and San Francisco of the National League West were tied for the wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Cubs won 5–3 to claim the wild-card spot.
    • {{note label|NLC1|b|b}} Cincinnati and New York of the National League East were tied for the wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Reds lost 5–0 and were eliminated from postseason contention.
    • {{note label|NLC1|c|c}} St. Louis and Atlanta of the National League East were tied for the second and third seed, but the Cardinals claimed the second seed by winning the season series 4–3.
    • {{note label|NLC1|d|d}} Houston and St. Louis were tied for the division championship and wild-card berth, but the Astros claimed the division crown by winning the season series 9–7, relegating St. Louis to the wild-card spot.
    • {{note label|NLC1|e|e}} Milwaukee and Chicago were tied for the division championship and first wild-card berth and played in a tie-breaker game. The Brewers won 3–1 to claim the division crown, while the Cubs were relegated to the first wild-card spot.
    • {{note label|NLC1|f|f}} Milwaukee and San Francisco of the National League West were tied for the second wild-card berth, but the Brewers clinched the final postseason spot due to a superior intra-division record (Milwaukee had a 19–21 record while San Francisco had an 18–22 record).

    NL Central statistics

    class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

    ! rowspan=2|Team

    ! colspan=3|Division championships

    ! colspan="5" |Postseason records{{efn|Reflects postseason record of each team only during the team's time as a member of the NL Central}}

    Number

    !Year(s)

    !Most recent

    !Wild Card{{efn|Number of times qualifying as a wild card team}}

    !NLWC

    !NLDS

    !NLCS

    !World Series

    colspan="9" |Current Teams in Division
    St. Louis Cardinals

    |12

    |1996, 2000, 2002, 2004–2006, 2009, 2013–2015, 2019, 2022

    |2022

    |5

    |1–3

    |11–3

    |4–7

    |2–2

    Chicago Cubs

    |6

    |2003, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2020

    |2020

    |3

    |1–2

    |4–3

    |1–3

    |1–0

    {{nowrap|Milwaukee Brewers}}

    |5

    |2011, 2018*, 2021, 2023, 2024

    |2024

    |3

    |0–4

    |2–2

    |0–2

    |0–0

    Cincinnati Reds

    |3

    |1995, 2010, 2012

    |2012

    |2

    |0–2

    |1–2

    |0–1

    |0–0

    Pittsburgh Pirates

    |0

    |—

    |—

    |3

    |1–2

    |0–1

    |0–0

    |0–0

    colspan="9" |Former Team in Division
    Houston Astros{{dagger}}

    |4

    |1997, 1998, 1999, 2001*

    |2001

    |2

    |0–0

    |2–4

    |1–1

    |0–1

    Total301995–present2024183{{nbnd}}1320{{nbnd}}156{{nbnd}}143{{nbnd}}3

    * – Won division via tiebreaker

    {{dagger}} indicates no longer in division or part of NL since 2013

    :Totals updated through conclusion of the 2024 postseason.

    Rivalries

    See also

    Notes

    {{notelist}}

    References

    • [http://shrpsports.com/mlb/stand.htm MLB Final Standings By Year]

    {{reflist}}

    External links

    • [http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/ MLB Regular Season Standings]

    {{MLB}}

    {{National League}}

    {{Chicago Cubs}}

    {{Cincinnati Reds}}

    {{Milwaukee Brewers}}

    {{Pittsburgh Pirates}}

    {{St. Louis Cardinals}}

    Category:Major League Baseball divisions

    Category:Sports leagues established in 1994

    Category:1994 in baseball