Daily Archives: July 9, 2011

The Brooklyn Bridegrooms: 1888-1890 and 1896-1898 (wikipedia.org)

Every baseball fan knows about the storied franchise, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

But did you know the Brooklyn Dodgers were only around for 28 years?  In that short time, the Dodgers left an indelible historical mark on the game.  Before 1932, they were known as the Brooklyn Atlantics, Grays, Bridegrooms, Grooms, Superbas and Robins.

Now of course, they are the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There is a lot more fascinating name-change history in baseball.  Just take a look at the list below.  The Atlanta Braves started out in Boston, not Milwaukee.  For over 20 years they were known as the Boston Beaneaters, for example.

And how about the Baltimore Orioles, who were once known as the Milwaukee Brewers?  Or the New York Yankees, who were once known as the Baltimore Orioles?

Tragic were those New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers moves to San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1958.  But, those teams are hogging your empathy.  Other teams, like the Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers had their origins in the East, too.

Looking at these name changes and the inclusion of expansion teams over the years, one can follow baseball as it “went west.”

Source: baseball-reference.com