List of American League pennant winners

thumb|right|350px|The 1926 New York Yankees were one of 41 pennant-winning teams in the Yankees' history.

Every Major League Baseball (MLB) season, one American League (AL) team wins the pennant, signifying that they are the league's champion and have the right to play in the World Series against the champion of the National League (NL). The pennant was presented to the team with the best win–loss record each year through the 1968 season, after which the AL Championship Series (ALCS) was introduced to decide the pennant winner. The first modern World Series was played in 1903 and, after a hiatus in 1904, has taken place every season except 1994, The current AL pennant holders are the Toronto Blue Jays, who beat the Seattle Mariners for the pennant on October 20, 2025.

In 1969, the AL split into two divisions, and the teams with the best records in each division played one another in the five-game ALCS to determine the pennant winner, who received (and continues to receive) the William Harridge Trophy. The trophy featured a golden eagle, the league's emblem, sitting atop a silver baseball and clutching the AL banner. Since 2017, the trophy is all silver with a pennant on top. The trophy is named for Will Harridge, who was league president from 1931 to 1958. The format of the ALCS was changed from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format in the 1985 postseason. In 1995, an additional playoff series was added when MLB restructured into three divisions in each league. An additional Wild Card Game was added in 2012. Beginning in 2022, three Wild Card teams and the division winner with the worst record play in the three-game Wild Card Series, with the winners facing the other two of the East, Central, and West Division winners in the AL Division Series, a best-of-five playoff to determine the opponents who will play in the ALCS. AL pennant winners have gone on to win the World Series 68 times, most recently in 2023.

The New York Yankees have won 41 AL pennants, winning their first in 1921 and their most recent in 2024. This total is more than twice that of the next-closest team, the Oakland Athletics, who have won 15. They are followed by the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers, with 14 and 11 pennants won respectively. The Yankees have the most pennants since the introduction of the ALCS in 1969 with 11, followed by the Athletics, Red Sox, and the Baltimore Orioles with 6, 6, and 5 respectively. The Yankees also hold the record for most wins by a pennant-winning team, with their 1998 team winning 114 out of 162 games, finishing 22 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. The 1954 Cleveland Indians won the most games of any pennant winner under the pre-1969 system, winning 111 out of their 154 games and finishing eight games ahead of the Yankees. The Milwaukee Brewers won the AL pennant in 1982 but later moved to the NL starting in the 1998 season.

The only current MLB franchise to have never won a league pennant—and therefore, to have never appeared in the World Series—is the Seattle Mariners.

Key

thumb|right|350px|[[President of the United States|President Calvin Coolidge shakes hands with Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson celebrating the Senators' 1924 American League pennant, one of three won by the franchise while in Washington.|alt=Two men stand in front of a crowd shaking hands. The man on the left of the photo is wearing a tan suit and hat and the man on the right is wearing a light-colored pinstriped baseball uniform.]]

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"

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| Year || Links to the corresponding "Major League Baseball season" article

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| Team || Links to the corresponding year in which the team played

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| Record || Regular season win–loss record

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| GA || Games ahead of the second-place team (1901–1968)

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| Ahead of || The second-place team (1901–1968)

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| Ref || Reference

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|bgcolor="#fcc"| || Won World Series (modern era only)

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| E || American League East division member (1969–present)

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| C || American League Central division member (1995–present)

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| W || American League West division member (1969–present)

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| † || Wild card team (1995–present)

|}

Single table era (1901–1968)

thumb|right|The Chicago White Stockings won the American League pennant in 1900 and 1901. The latter year was the AL's first season as a recognized "major league."

{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"

|-

! scope="col"|Year

! scope="col"|Team

! scope="col"|Manager

! scope="col"|Record

! scope="col"|GA

! scope="col"|Ahead of

! scope="col"|Manager

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref

|-

|align="center"| || Chicago White Sox || || || || Boston Americans || ||

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|align="center"| || Philadelphia Athletics || || || || St. Louis Browns || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Boston Americans || || || || Philadelphia Athletics || ||

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|align="center"| || Boston Americans || || || || New York Highlanders || ||

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|align="center"| || Philadelphia Athletics || || || || Chicago White Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Chicago White Sox || || || || New York Highlanders || ||

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|align="center"| || Detroit Tigers || || || || Philadelphia Athletics || ||

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|align="center"| || Detroit Tigers || || || || Cleveland Naps || ||

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|align="center"| || Detroit Tigers || || || || Philadelphia Athletics || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Philadelphia Athletics || || || || New York Highlanders || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Philadelphia Athletics || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

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|align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Boston Red Sox || || 105–47 || || Washington Senators || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Philadelphia Athletics || || || || Washington Senators || ||

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|align="center"| || Philadelphia Athletics || || || || Boston Red Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Boston Red Sox || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Boston Red Sox || || || || Chicago White Sox || ||

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|align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Chicago White Sox || || 100–54 || || Boston Red Sox || ||

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|align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Boston Red Sox || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| || Chicago White Sox || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Cleveland Indians || || || || Chicago White Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || New York Yankees || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| || New York Yankees || || || || St. Louis Browns || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Washington Senators || || || || New York Yankees || ||

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|align="center"| || Washington Senators || || || || Philadelphia Athletics || ||

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|align="center"| || New York Yankees || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Philadelphia Athletics || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Philadelphia Athletics || ||

|-

|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Philadelphia Athletics || || || || New York Yankees || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Philadelphia Athletics || || || || Washington Senators || ||

|-

|align="center"| || Philadelphia Athletics || || || || New York Yankees || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Philadelphia Athletics || ||

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|align="center"| || Washington Senators || || || || New York Yankees || ||

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|align="center"| || Detroit Tigers || || || || New York Yankees || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Detroit Tigers || || || || New York Yankees || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

|-

|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

|-

|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Boston Red Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Boston Red Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || Detroit Tigers || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Boston Red Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || New York Yankees || || || || Boston Red Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Washington Senators || ||

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|align="center"| || St. Louis Browns || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

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|align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Detroit Tigers || || || || Washington Senators || ||

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|align="center"| || Boston Red Sox || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

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|align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| New York Yankees || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

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|align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Cleveland Indians || || || || Boston Red Sox || ||

|-

|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Boston Red Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

|-

|align="center"| || Cleveland Indians || || || || New York Yankees || ||

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|align="center"| || New York Yankees || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| || New York Yankees || || || || Chicago White Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Chicago White Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || Chicago White Sox || || || || Cleveland Indians || ||

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|align="center"| || New York Yankees || || || || Baltimore Orioles || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || 109–53 || || Detroit Tigers || ||

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|align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees || || || || Minnesota Twins || ||

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|align="center"| || New York Yankees || || || || Chicago White Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || New York Yankees || || || || Chicago White Sox || ||

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|align="center"| || Minnesota Twins || || || || Chicago White Sox || ||

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|align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Baltimore Orioles || || || || Minnesota Twins || ||

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|align="center"| || Boston Red Sox || || || || Detroit Tigers || ||

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|align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Detroit Tigers || || || || Baltimore Orioles || ||

|}

League Championship Series era (1969–present)

{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"

|-

! scope="col"| Year

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Series

! scope="col"| Winning team

! scope="col"| Manager

! scope="col"| Record

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Games

! scope="col"| Losing team

! scope="col"| Manager

! scope="col"| Record

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref

|-

|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Baltimore Orioles^E || || 109–53 || align="center"| 3–0 || Minnesota Twins^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Baltimore Orioles^E || || 108–54 || align="center"| 3–0 || Minnesota Twins^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Baltimore Orioles^E || || || align="center"| 3–0 || Oakland Athletics^W || || 101–60 ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Oakland Athletics^W || || || align="center" | 3–2 || Detroit Tigers^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Oakland Athletics^W || || || align="center" | 3–2 || Baltimore Orioles^E|| || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Oakland Athletics^W || || ||align="center"| 3–1 || Baltimore Orioles^E|| || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Boston Red Sox^E || || ||align="center"| 3–0 || Oakland Athletics^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || New York Yankees^E || || || align="center" | 3–2 || Kansas City Royals^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees^E || || || align="center" | 3–2 || Kansas City Royals^W || || 102–60 ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees^E || || ||align="center"| 3–1 || Kansas City Royals^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Baltimore Orioles^E || || 102–57 ||align="center"| 3–1 || California Angels^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Kansas City Royals^W || || ||align="center"| 3–0 || New York Yankees^E || || 103–59 ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || New York Yankees^E || || ||align="center"| 3–0 || Oakland Athletics^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Milwaukee Brewers^E || || ||align="center"| 3–2 || California Angels^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Baltimore Orioles^E || || ||align="center"| 3–1 || Chicago White Sox^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Detroit Tigers^E || || 104–58 ||align="center"| 3–0 || Kansas City Royals^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Kansas City Royals^W || || ||align="center"| 4–3 || Toronto Blue Jays^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Boston Red Sox^E || || ||align="center"| 4–3 || California Angels^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Minnesota Twins^W || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Detroit Tigers^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Oakland Athletics^W || || 104–58 ||align="center"| 4–0 || Boston Red Sox^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Oakland Athletics^W || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Toronto Blue Jays^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Oakland Athletics^W || || 103–59 ||align="center"| 4–0 || Boston Red Sox^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Minnesota Twins^W || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Toronto Blue Jays^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Toronto Blue Jays^E || || || align="center" | 4–2 || Oakland Athletics^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | Toronto Blue Jays^E || || || align="center" | 4–2 || Chicago White Sox^W || || ||

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|align="center"| || colspan="8" align="center" | Not held due to players' strike. ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Cleveland Indians^C || || ||align="center"| 4–2 || Seattle Mariners^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Cleveland Indians^C || || ||align="center"| 4–2 || Baltimore Orioles^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees^E || || 114–48 ||align="center"| 4–2 || Cleveland Indians^C || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees^E || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Boston Red Sox^E† || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || bgcolor="#fcc" | New York Yankees^E || || ||align="center"| 4–2 || Seattle Mariners^W† || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || New York Yankees^E || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Seattle Mariners^W || || 116–46 ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Anaheim Angels^W† || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Minnesota Twins^C || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || New York Yankees^E || || ||align="center"| 4–3 || Boston Red Sox^E† || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Boston Red Sox^E† || || ||align="center"| 4–3 || New York Yankees^E || || 101–61 ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Chicago White Sox^C || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Detroit Tigers^C† || || ||align="center"| 4–0 || Oakland Athletics^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Boston Red Sox^E || || ||align="center"| 4–3 || Cleveland Indians^C || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Tampa Bay Rays^E || || ||align="center"| 4–3 || Boston Red Sox^E† || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| New York Yankees^E || || 103–59 ||align="center"| 4–2 || Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Texas Rangers^W || || || align="center" | 4–2 || New York Yankees^E† || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Texas Rangers^W || || || align="center" | 4–2 || Detroit Tigers^C || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Detroit Tigers^C || || ||align="center"| 4–0 || New York Yankees^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Boston Red Sox^E || || ||align="center"| 4–2 || Detroit Tigers^C || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Kansas City Royals^C† || || ||align="center"| 4–0 || Baltimore Orioles^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Kansas City Royals^C || || ||align="center"| 4–2 || Toronto Blue Jays^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Cleveland Indians^C || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Toronto Blue Jays^E† || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"|Houston Astros^W|||||| align="center" | 4–3 ||New York Yankees^E†||||||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Boston Red Sox^E || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Houston Astros^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Houston Astros^W || || ||align="center"| 4–2 || New York Yankees^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Tampa Bay Rays^E || || ||align="center"| 4–3 || Houston Astros^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Houston Astros^W || || ||align="center"| 4–2 || Boston Red Sox^E† || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Houston Astros^W || || ||align="center"| 4–0 || New York Yankees^E || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| ||bgcolor="#fcc"| Texas Rangers^W† || || ||align="center"| 4–3 || Houston Astros^W || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || New York Yankees^E || || ||align="center"| 4–1 || Cleveland Guardians^C || || ||

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|align="center"| ||align="center"| || Toronto Blue Jays^E|| || || align="center" | 4–3|| Seattle Mariners^W|| || ||

|}

;Notes

• A mid-season labor stoppage split the season into two halves. The winner of the first half played the winner of the second half in each division in the 1981 American League Division Series. The winners played in the 1981 ALCS for the American League pennant. the team was commonly referred to simply as "Los Angeles Angels", which they changed back to in 2016.

Pennants won by franchise

thumb|right|300px|The Boston Red Sox won an American League pennant and the World Series in 2007, three years after accomplishing the same feat in 2004.|alt=Several men in suits stand behind a man holding a white baseball jersey which reads "BUSH 07" on it.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;"

|-

! scope="col"|Team

! scope="col"|Pennants won

! scope="col"|Postseason appearances

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref

|-

| New York Yankees ||align="center"| 41 || align="center" | 60 ||

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| Minnesota Twins ||align="center"| 6 ||align="center"| 18 ||

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| Cleveland Guardians ||align="center"| 6 ||align="center"| 18 ||

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| Chicago White Sox ||align="center"| 6 ||align="center"| 11 ||

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| Kansas City Royals ||align="center"| 4 ||align="center"| 10 ||

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|Houston Astros|| align="center" | 4 || align="center" | 9 ||

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| Toronto Blue Jays ||align="center"| 3 || align="center" | 11 ||

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| Texas Rangers ||align="center"| 3 ||align="center"| 9 ||

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| Tampa Bay Rays ||align="center"| 2 ||align="center"| 9 ||

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| Los Angeles Angels ||align="center"| 1 ||align="center"| 10 ||

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| Milwaukee Brewers ||align="center"| 1 ||align="center"| 2 ||

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| Seattle Mariners ||align="center"| 0 ||align="center"| 6 ||

|}

;Notes

• Also known as New York Highlanders. In addition to their 41 official pennants, the Yankees had the best record in the American League when the 1994 season was cut short by a labor dispute.