The National League is the oldest league in baseball with the National League championship dating back to the Chicago White Stockings beating the St. Louis Brown Stockings in 1876. That was quite a long time ago and probably doesn’t much resemble the baseball that we know and love today, but it is still the National League.
Today, the National League Pennant is the name of the championship that represents the NL in the World Series. Betting on the winner of the National League Pennant is a a pastime as old as baseball itself and is something that many of us still enjoy doing today.
We are going to cover how betting on the NL Pennant works today, how to bet on it yourself, where you can bet on it and our strategy for picking a winner.
Where To Bet NL Pennant Winners:
America: The Bovada NL Pennant odds are an industry leader and are often cited on mainstream sports websites. You can bet all of the futures here including the AL Pennant, World Series, and MVP. They also offer a great selection of lines for every game of the regular season and playoffs, including 5-inning lines.
Canada: It’s hard to do any better than Sports Interaction for MLB Futures and their NL Pennant odds are no different. This site has you covered for futures, game props, moneylines, totals and more. One of the easiest sites to navigate online and a great resource for MLB bettors.
Everywhere Else: 888 always offer great NL Pennant odds and are constantly updating them throughout the season. This is one of the easiest sites to use online and they offer a ton of options for MLB bettors to bet on every game of the season. They offer a wide variety of game props as well as the 5-inning lines, moneylines, totals, and more.
What is NL Pennant Winners Betting?
This is not a bet about who the best team in the regular season is, but a bet on who will be the team that comes out of the American League playoffs and goes on to win the World Series. Picking the best team in the regular season can often result in failure as the Wild Card era has been bad to top seeded teams.
Common NL Pennant Winner Questions:
How often do teams repeat as National League Pennant winners?
Since 1969 when the National League Pennant started being decided by a League Championship series (before this the team with the best record went straight to the World Series), there have only been five teams to go to back-to-back World Series. They are the Reds in 1975-76, the Dodgers in 1977-78, the Braves in 1991-92, the Braves in 1995-96 and the most recent was the Phillies in 2008-2009.
In the Wild Card era, the Phillies are the only team to accomplish this feat. Over the past ten seasons, six teams have won the NL Pennant.
What is the best regular season record of an NL Pennant winner?
The best record of a National League Pennant winner is the same as the record for the best ever regular season record, the 116 win Chicago Cubs in 1906. Most impressive about this is that it took place in an era when teams only played 152 games. That record and that winning percentage is a mark that may never be broken.
Since the Championship Series era, the best record among NL Pennant winners is held by two teams: the 1986 New York Mets and the 1975 Cincinnati Reds.
What team has won the most NL Pennants?
Two teams have won a record 23 National League Pennants, the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants have the slightly more impressive record, depending on your outlook, as they have 26 playoff appearances and 23 pennants. If they make the playoffs, the odds are pretty good they are winning the pennant. The Dodgers have 33 appearances and 23 pennants as of 2019.
How To Bet NL Pennant Winners:
Bovada: From the sportsbook, select “Baseball” from the menu, then “MLB”. There will then be a link within MLB to “Futures” and the National League Pennant odds can be found there.
Sports Interaction:: From the left side of the website find “Baseball” and click that. Underneath there you should find “MLB” and an option for “Futures” will be underneath that with a list of the NL Pennant odds.
888: Right from the homepage find “Baseball” under the “Sports A-Z” section. Click “MLB” from there and you will see an option for “Futures”. This section will contain the National League Pennant odds.
NL Pennant Winners Betting Strategy:
The National League is a pitcher’s league and when you look back over the past ten seasons, you see teams with great pitching making the World Series more often than not.
A good way to pick a winner would be to study the top teams in the National League and then take a look at the pitching. What team has a great bullpen? What starters are going to be durable? Who can flat out strike people out? This is what matters in the National League playoffs and finding out who does it best is a great way to pick a winner.