The American League was formed in 1901 with eight teams. Except for the first two years when New York did not have an AL team, the eight original franchises have been steady. Though a few of them have moved to new cities, the original eight are still the core of the American League.
This visualization shows the franchise win totals over time. No surprise that the Yankees are on top, but did you know it took more than three decades for the Yankees to get to the #1 spot?
Date Source: Baseball-Reference.com