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Houston Astros to Make Switch to the American League

By Casey Kulik
November 18, 2011 - 10:22 am
New ownership pushes for change in 2013

The Houston Astros will be leaving the National League in only two short years. The club will be making the switch to the American League in 2013, a move to which the team’s owners agreed, the MLB said Thursday. The move came after the Astros were sold to a group led by Houston businessman, Jim Crane.

The Astros franchise has been part of the National League since it joined the MLB in 1962 as the Colt .45s.  But, now it will be the fifteenth team in the American League. Before now the National League had 16 teams and the American League only had 14, but now the scale is even.

“There was a goal to have two 15-team leagues, and there were many reasons – logistical, competitive and otherwise – why this decision was in the game's best interest,” MLB spokesman Michael Teevan said in an e-mail, according to CNN. “An intradivision rivalry between the Astros and Rangers is one of them.”

The Astros will be joining the AL West, which only had four teams; the Mariners, Angels, Athletics and Rangers.  The Rangers and Astros will make for a popular inter-Texas rivalry.  The Astros current division the NL West will now drop to five teams instead of six.

Drayton McLane sold the team to Jim Crane and others for $680 million, but with a $70 million price cut in exchange for agreeing to switch leagues because of the move’s potential negative effect on the Astros’ TV ratings, according to NPR.  Crane and his group initially were against the switch but he said he realized that anyone who owned the team would make the switch, according to CNN. 

“This is a dream come true for us, and it’s been a lot of fun getting it done,” Crane said, according to CNN.

Commisioner Bud Selig may also add another wild card team to each league for playoffs but it will have to be agreed on by the players union and baseball.

Last year, the Astros had the worst record in baseball at 56-106, time will tell if the move will help or keep the team losing.

Photo by M Glasgow.

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