During his 18-year reign as chief executive of the Senior Circuit (including the full seasons of 1952–1969), Giles presided over several historic events. The NL opened the
West Coast and
Southeastern United States territories by approving the transfers of the
Los Angeles Dodgers and
San Francisco Giants in , and the
Atlanta Braves in . Giles' first full season, , had been the last in which the eight-team league operated in the same cities as it had since . In March 1953, the Braves
pulled up stakes in
Boston, where they had played since 1876 as a charter member of the National League, and moved to
Milwaukee. That transfer — initially wildly successful, although the Braves would stay in Milwaukee only 13 seasons before settling in
Atlanta — was the first in the series of franchise moves that shook Major League Baseball for the next two decades. In addition, Giles' National League
expanded to 12 teams by adding two clubs in both and . Although, "who says you have to have a team in New York?" was Giles' notorious reply when asked if his league would seek to replace the Dodgers and Giants in
New York City, the 1962 expansion, which created the
Mets, returned the Senior Circuit to the city after a four-year absence. The same expansion brought Major League Baseball to
Texas and the
Southwest, with the
Houston Colt .45s. In 1969, Giles' last year in office, his league expanded into
Canada with the
Montreal Expos, adopted divisional play, and played the first
National League Championship Series, between the Braves and Mets. Between 1952 and 1969, the NL's member clubs, except the
Chicago Cubs, also opened or were planning to open new stadiums. Giles' presidency also saw the National League widen its advantage over the
American League in the signing of
African-American and
Latin American players, resulting in a three-decade-long domination of the
Major League Baseball All-Star Game. During the early weeks of the season, Giles became a figure of some controversy after he instructed the NL's
umpires to strictly enforce the
balk rule then in place. In response, the Senior Circuit's arbiters called 74 balks from the opening of the season on April 8 until April 26, when Giles announced a relaxation of the policy. Only two balks were called in the American League over the same period. Giles, then 73, announced his intention to retire after the season and on December 5, Giants' executive
Chub Feeney was elected to succeed him as president of the National League. ==Honors==