The Major League Baseball (MLB) teams have relocated to other cities for one reason or another over the years. The rationale behind relocation varies from low fan attendance and financial troubles, to issues with the local stadiums while some teams relocated owing to heavy competition from another team in the same city.
New York Giants To San Francisco Giants (1958)
The New York Giants had flickering periods of success and failure, when it came to playing as well as in finance. For the most part, the NY Giants had high levels of success, however, their last three years in New York City were unremarkable as the attendance and the level of play declined considerably. Finally, Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley and San Francisco mayor George Christopher convinced the New York Giants to move to San Francisco.
Milwaukee Braves To Atlanta Braves (1966)
The current franchise of the Atlanta Braves has its roots in Boston. After struggling to compete with the neighbouring Boston Red Sox, owner Lou Perini moved the base of Boston Braves to Milwaukee back in 1953, and hence, Milwaukee Braves came into existence. Everything was going well with them in the 1950s before the attendance would begin to drop during the early 1960s. Adding to this, the team remained decent, the level of play was not the same as it was earlier.
Kansas City Athletics To Oakland Athletics (1968)
Many of the MLB fans who don’t know, the Oakland Athletics have something in common with the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles as these teams originated from two other cities. In 1955, the Athletics moved from Philadelphia to Kansas City but they continued to perform poorly. As a result, the attendance remained poor and Charlie Finley was seeking to relocate the team. Finally, he received permission to move the team, and the Kansas City Athletics relocated to Oakland in 1968.
Washington Senators To Texas Rangers (1972)
After the first Washington Senators team moved to the Minnesota Twins in 1961, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Washington, DC was awarded another MLB team, also named the Washington Senators. Just like the old Washington Senators, this side also suffered from poor playing on the field. They had to compete for fan attendance with the Baltimore Orioles, who played 40 miles away. A few years down the line, the problem compounded and the team’s owner, Bob Short, threatened to move the team if no one would buy the team.
Montreal Expos To Washington Nationals (2005)
The latest instance marking an MLB team relocated, took place in 2005 when Montreal Expos moved their base to Washinton Nationals. Going back in time, 1969 marked the first time Canada would get a team in MLB and the city of Montreal hosted their country’s maiden Major League Baseball team. This was named for Expo 67, an exposition celebrating Canada’s 100th birthday. However, their joy didn’t last long as the Expos almost didn’t survive its first decade in Montreal.
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