American Association (1902–1997)
The American Association (AA) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated primarily in the Midwestern and South Central United States from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997. It was classified as a Triple-A league, which is one grade below Major League Baseball, for most of its existence.
| Classification |
|
|---|---|
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Ceased | 1997 |
| No. of teams | 30 (total) |
| Country | United States |
| Last champion(s) | Buffalo Bisons (1997) |
| Most titles | Louisville Colonels (15) |
A league champion was determined at the end of every season. The Louisville Colonels won 15 American Association titles, the most in the league's history, followed by the Indianapolis Indians (12) and the Columbus Red Birds (10).
Intermittently throughout its history, the American Association champion competed against the champion of the International League, which operated in the Eastern U.S., to determine an overall Triple-A champion. On rare occasions, the champion of the West Coast-based Pacific Coast League also participated. The first such meetings were called the Little World Series. Later, the teams would also compete in the Junior World Series, Triple-A World Series, and Triple-A Classic. Additional interleague play consisted of the regular season's Triple-A Alliance and Triple-A All-Star Game.