| League | National League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Major League Baseball |
| Founded | 1969 |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Most recent champion(s) | Arizona Diamondbacks (5th title) |
| Most titles | Los Angeles Dodgers (11) |
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other half in a Western division.
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The very first year of division play featured what are considered by many to be two of the greatest pennant races in baseball history. In the NL West, 6 teams vied for the first division title - with only the expansion San Diego Padres failing to be major contenders late into the season. The remaining 5 teams were separated by as little as 1.5 games on August 18. This came after the Houston Astros had lost 20 of their first 24 games. Eventually, the Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers suffered late September collapses, and the Atlanta Braves ended up winning the division title in their next-to-last game. But perhaps, this race was overshadowed by the New York Mets coming back from a large deficit to overtake the Chicago Cubs for the NL East title. The "Miracle Mets" would go on to win the World Series in only their 8th year of existence.
| Time period | Lineup | Changes from previous setup |
|---|---|---|
| 1969-1992 | Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants | Creation of division due to 1969 expansion, San Diego added as well |
| 1993 | Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants | Colorado added in 1993 expansion |
| 1994-1997 | Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants | Due to 1994 realignment, Atlanta moved to NL East, while Cincinnati and Houston moved to NL Central |
| 1998-present | Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants | Arizona added in 1998 expansion |
Overall, the National League West has recorded a 27-30 record in the postseason. Division champions have compiled an overall mark of 29-36, winning sixteen National League pennants and six World Series. Wildcard winners from the division have recorded a record of 4-3, winning two pennants (2002 San Francisco Giants and 2007 Colorado Rockies) and no World Series titles.
Prior to the establishment of a third division in both leagues in 1994, the winner of each division faced off in a best-of-five (the series was lengthened in 1985 to a best-of-seven series) series, dubbed the "League Championship Series" to determine the winner of the league pennant. This format was altered in 1994 (though not implemented until the following year due to a player strike starting August 12), with the addition of two further teams in each league's postseason. This has led to the creation of a "Division Series" round of the playoffs, in which two best-of-five series are conducted to determine the participants of the League Championship Series. As always, the winners of each league's pennant face off in the best-of-seven World Series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball.
* - Defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a one game playoff for the division title, 7-1.
† - Due to the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, the season was split. Los Angeles won the first half and defeated second-half champion Houston (61-49) in the postseason.
§ - Due to the players' strike starting August 12, no official winner was awarded. Los Angeles was leading at the strike.
†† - The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers finished the 2006 season tied for first place with identical records. San Diego won the season series against Los Angeles and was awarded the tie-breaker; Los Angeles 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 wild card is given to the team in each league with the best record that did not win its division and was first introduced in 1994. The system, however, was not implemented until the following season, as a player strike prematurely ended the 1994 season. Since its implementation, three different NL West teams have won the wild card, on six different occasions.
| Year | Winner | Record | % | GB | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Colorado Rockies | 77-67 | .535 | 1 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-1 |
| 1996 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 90-72 | .556 | 1 | Lost NLDS to Atlanta, 3-0 |
| 2002 | San Francisco Giants | 95-66 | .590 | 2.5 | Lost World Series to Anaheim, 4-3 |
| 2006 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 88-74 | .543 | 0 | Lost NLDS to New York, 3-0 |
| 2007 | Colorado Rockies | 90-73* | .552 | 0.5 | Lost World Series to Boston, 4-0 |
| 2009 | Colorado Rockies | 92-70 | .568 | 3 | Lost NLDS to Philadelphia, 3-1 |
* The Colorado Rockies played the San Diego Padres in a wild card tie-breaker game after both teams finished the season with the same record, 89-73. The Rockies defeated the Padres, 9-8, in 13 innings. A wild card tie-breaker game is still considered part of the regular season, and thus, the Rockies' win made it their 90th victory of the season - a franchise record(at the time).
| Team | Number of Championships Won | Last Year Won |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 11 | 2009 |
| San Francisco Giants | 7 | 2010 |
| Cincinnati Reds† | 7 | 1990 |
| San Diego Padres | 5 | 2006 |
| Atlanta Braves† | 5 | 1993 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 5 | 2011 |
| Houston Astros† | 2 | 1986 |
| Colorado Rockies | 0 | n/a |
† indicates no longer in division since 1993