Atlanta Braves

The oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise in North America.

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball team from the Atlanta area, playing in the National League East division of Major League Baseball. They started in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871 as the Boston Red Stockings. The Braves are one of only two original National League franchises from 1876 still around, and they hold the record as the oldest continuously operating pro sports team in North America. The team went by several names before settling on the Boston Braves in 1912.

After 82 seasons in Boston, where they won one World Series, the franchise moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1953. There, Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Warren Spahn led the Milwaukee Braves to a World Series win in 1957. But attendance dropped, and the owners relocated the team to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966. Success in Atlanta didn’t come until 1991.

From then through 2005, the Braves were a powerhouse, reeling off an unmatched 14 straight division titles, eight consecutive National League Championship Series appearances (an MLB record), and fielding a legendary pitching rotation featuring Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine. Overall, the franchise has collected an MLB-best 23 division titles, 18 National League pennants, and four World Series championships. They are the only MLB team to win the World Series in three different cities.

As of the end of the 2025 season, the Braves’ all-time win-loss record is (). Since moving to Atlanta in 1966, their record through 2025 is ().

Background

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. 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. 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.