List of pre-World Series baseball champions

This article discusses major-league champions before 1905, including championship series contested in that era, primarily between teams of the National League and the American Association.

Before the formation of the American Association (AA), which debuted in 1882, there were no playoff rounds—all championships went to the team with the best record at the end of the season.

MLB, in general, regards 19th-century events as a prologue to the modern era of baseball, with the birth of the present American League in 1901.

Beginning in 1893—and continuing until divisional play was introduced in 1969—the pennant was awarded to the first-place club in the standings at the end of the season.

For four seasons, the pennant winner played the runners-up in the postseason championship series called the Temple Cup.