The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The club was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871 as the Boston Red Stockings. The Braves are one of two remaining National League charter franchises that debuted in 1876 and are the oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise in North America. The franchise was known by various names until it adopted the Boston Braves name in 1912.
After 82 seasons and one World Series title in Boston, the club moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1953. With a roster of Hall-of-Fame players such as Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Warren Spahn, the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series in 1957. Despite the team's success, fan attendance declined. The club's owners moved the team to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966.
The Braves did not find much success in Atlanta until 1991. From 1991 to 2005, the Braves were one of the most successful teams in baseball, winning an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles, making an MLB record eight consecutive National League Championship Series appearances, and producing one of the greatest pitching rotations in the history of baseball including Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine.
The club has won an MLB record 24 divisional titles, 18 National League pennants, and four World Series championships. The Braves are the only Major League Baseball franchise to have won the World Series in three different home cities. At the end of the 2025 season, the Braves' overall win–loss record is (). Since moving to Atlanta in 1966, the Braves have an overall win–loss record of () through the end of 2025.
History
Boston (1871–1952)
1871–1913
The Cincinnati Red Stockings, formed in 1869, were the first openly all-professional baseball team but disbanded after the 1870 season. Manager Harry Wright and players moved to Boston, forming the Boston Red Stockings, a charter team in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP). Led by the Wright brothers, Ross Barnes, and Al Spalding, they dominated the National Association, winning four of five championships. The original Boston Red Stockings team and its successors can lay claim to being the oldest continuously playing franchise in American professional sports.
The club was known as the Boston Red Caps when they played the first National League game in 1876, winning against the Philadelphia Athletics.Events of Saturday, April 22, 1876 . Retrosheet. Retrieved September 30, 2011. Despite a weaker roster in the league's first year, they rebounded to secure the 1877 and 1878 pennants. Managed by Frank Selee, they were a dominant force in the 19th century, winning eight pennants. By 1898, the team was known as the Beaneaters and had won 102 games that season, with stars like Hugh Duffy, Tommy McCarthy, and "Slidin'" Billy Hamilton.
In 1901, the American League was introduced, causing many Beaneaters players including stars Duffy and Jimmy Collins to leave for clubs of the rival league. The team struggled, recording only one winning season from 1900 to 1913. In 1907, they temporarily dropped the red color from their stockings due to infection concerns.
The club underwent various nickname changes until becoming the Braves before the 1912 season. The president of the club, John M. Ward, named the club after the owner, James Gaffney. Gaffney was called one of the "braves" of New York City's political machine, Tammany Hall, which used a Native American chief as its symbol.Kaese, Harold The Boston Braves, Northeastern University Press, 1948.
1914: Miracle
In 1914, the Boston Braves experienced a remarkable turnaround in what would become one of the most memorable seasons in baseball history. Starting with a dismal 4–18 record, the Braves found themselves in last place, trailing the league-leading New York Giants by 15 games after losing a doubleheader to the Brooklyn Robins on July 4. However, the team rebounded with an incredible hot streak, going 41–12 from July 6 to September 5. On August 3, Joseph Lannin, the president of the Red Sox, offered Fenway Park to the Braves free of charge for the remainder of the season as their usual home, the South End Grounds, was too small. On September 7 and 8, they defeated the Giants in two out of three games, propelling them into first place. Despite being in last place as late as July 18, the Braves secured the pennant. They became the only team under the old eight-team league format to achieve this after being in last place on the Fourth of July. They were in last place as late as July 18, but were close to the pack, moving into fourth on July 21 and second place on August 12.Cohen, Neft, Johnson and Deutsch, The World Series, The Dial Press, 1976.
The Braves entered the 1914 World Series led by captain and National League Most Valuable Player, Johnny Evers. The Boston club was a slight underdog against Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's. However, they swept the Athletics and won the world championship. Inspired by their success, owner Gaffney constructed a modern park, Braves Field, which opened in August 1915. At the time it was the largest park in the majors, boasting 40,000 seats and convenient public transportation access.
1915–1952
From 1917 to 1933, the Boston Braves struggled. After a series of different owners, a syndicate led by Emil Fuchs and including pitching great and Fuchs' longtime friend Christy Mathewson bought the team in 1923. Mathewson's death in 1925 left Fuchs in control of the team. Despite Fuchs' commitment to success, the team faced challenges overcoming the damage from previous years. It was not until 1933 and 1934, under manager Bill McKechnie, that the Braves became competitive, but the team's improvement in performance did little to help its finances.
In an effort to boost fan attendance and finances, Fuchs orchestrated a deal with the New York Yankees to acquire Babe Ruth in 1935. Ruth was appointed team vice president with promises of profit shares and managerial prospects. Initially, Ruth seemed to provide a spark on opening day, but his declining skills became evident. Ruth's inability to run and poor fielding led to internal strife, and it became clear that his titles were symbolic. Ruth retired on June 1, 1935, shortly after hitting his last three home runs. The Braves finished the season with a dismal 38–115 record, marking the franchise's worst season.
Fuchs lost control of the team in August 1935, leading to a rebranding attempt as the Boston Bees, but it did little to alter the team's fortune. Construction magnate Lou Perini took over, eventually restoring the Braves' name. Despite World War II causing a brief setback, the team, led by pitcher Warren Spahn, enjoyed impressive seasons in 1946 and 1947 under Perini's ownership.
In 1948, the team won the pennant, behind the pitching of Spahn and Johnny Sain. The remainder of the rotation was so thin that in September, Boston Post writer Gerald Hern wrote the poem "Pray for Rain" about the pair: First we'll use Spahn then we'll use Sain Then an off day followed by rain Back will come Spahn followed by Sain And followed we hope by two days of rain.
The poem reached and found favor with an audience so wide that the poem's sentiment, now usually paraphrased as "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" or "Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain"Bill Gutman (for hire by Brompton Books Corp.), The Golden Age of Baseball: 1941–1964 (as on book spine and dust jacket) / The Golden Age of Baseball: 1941–1963 (as in book interior), New York / Hong Kong: W. H. Smith Publishers / Gallery Books, 1989, p. 62., entered the baseball vocabulary.
The 1948 World Series, which the Braves lost in six games to the Indians, turned out to be the Braves' last hurrah in Boston. On March 13, 1953, Perini announced the club's move to Milwaukee. Perini cited the advent of television and the lack of fan enthusiasm for the Braves in Boston as the key factors in deciding to move the franchise.
Milwaukee (1953–1965)
The Milwaukee Braves' move to Wisconsin for the 1953 season was an immediate success, as they drew a National League-record 1.8 million fans and finished the season second in the league. Manager Charlie Grimm was named NL Manager of the Year.
Throughout the 1950s, the Braves were a National League power. After relocating to Milwaukee in 1953, the Braves were led by future Hall of Famers Warren Spahn and Eddie Matthews, and Hank Aaron. The trio helped establish the team as a dominant National League club, leading Milwaukee to the 1957 World Series championship and another National League pennant in 1958.Bowman, The Franchise: Atlanta Braves Driven by sluggers Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron, the team won two pennants and finished second twice between 1956 and 1959. In 1957, Aaron's MVP season led the Braves to their first pennant in nine years, followed by a World Series victory against the formidable New York Yankees. Despite a strong start in the World Series rematch the following season, the Braves ultimately lost the last three games and the World Series. The 1959 season ended in a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated the Braves in a playoff series. The ensuing years saw fluctuating success, including the Braves finishing fifth in 1963, their first time in the "second division".
In 1962, team owner Louis Perini sold the Braves to a Chicago-based group led by William Bartholomay. Bartholomay intended to move the team to Atlanta in 1965, but legal hurdles kept them in Milwaukee for an extra season.
Atlanta (1966–present)
1966–1974
The Braves' relocation from Milwaukee to Atlanta was approved by team ownership on October 21, 1964, by a 12-6 vote. However, legal action in Wisconsin delayed the move, requiring the team to remain in Milwaukee for the 1965 season before relocating to Atlanta in 1966. After National League owners approved the relocation, the Braves signed a 25-year lease to play at Atlanta Stadium beginning with the 1966 season.Loserville, pp. 79-80
After arriving in Atlanta in 1966, the Braves found success in 1969, winning the first National League West Division title with the onset of divisional play. In the National League Championship Series the Braves were swept by the "Miracle Mets". They posted only two winning seasons between 1970 and 1981. Fans in Atlanta had to be satisfied with the achievements of Hank Aaron, who by the end of the 1973 season, had hit 713 home runs, one short of Babe Ruth's record. On April 4, opening day of the next season, he hit No. 714 in Cincinnati, and on April 8, in front of his home fans and a national television audience, he finally beat Ruth's mark with a home run to left-center field off left-hander Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Aaron spent most of his career as a Milwaukee and Atlanta Brave before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on November 2, 1974.
Ted Turner and Time Warner era
1976–1977: Ted Turner buys the team