14-Year Division Title Streak

Lore & Background

The Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee in 1953, approved by the National League on March 18, 1953. Milwaukee County gave the Braves a favorable stadium deal, paying only $1,000 a year for the first two years. The team drew a then-NL record 1.8 million fans in their first season. Sluggers Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron drove the offense, while Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, and Bob Buhl anchored the rotation. The Braves won the 1957 World Series, defeating the New York Yankees in seven games, with Burdette throwing three complete game victories. In 1958, they won a second consecutive pennant but lost the World Series to the Yankees in seven games. The 1959 season ended in a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won a best-of-three tie-breaker series to take the pennant. Attendance declined after 1959.

Reader's Guide

The Milwaukee Braves played at Milwaukee County Stadium. Key seasons include 1957 (World Series champions, 95–59), 1958 (National League pennant, 92–62), and 1959 (tied for first, lost tie-breaker). The team never had a losing record in their 13 seasons. Three former Milwaukee Braves players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• The Braves' 1953 move was not the first relocation of a Major League team in half a century; the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore after the 1953 season, and other relocations had occurred earlier in the 20th century.
• Eddie Mathews hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning on September 23, 1957, to clinch the National League pennant.
• The Braves drew over 2.2 million fans at home during the 1957 regular season.