Now that the Astros have finally won a World Series, we can start to wonder who will be next to break their own losing cycle. Can you tell I’m already bored by the off-season? All of the original MLB teams have won a World Series, but since Major League expansion began in 1961, 7/14 expansion teams have never won a World Series. Every team in the MLB has made it to the postseason, but a few teams have never made it all the way to the Fall Classic, let alone won it.
Droughts
Since 2004, the Red Sox and Cubs have both broken their 86-year and 108-year curses, and in 2005, the White Sox also won their first championship in 88 years. Now these are the teams with the longest dry spells, i.e. longer than 25 years:
- Cleveland Indians – 1948
- Pittsburgh Pirates – 1979
- Baltimore Orioles – 1983
- Detroit Tigers – 1984
- New York Mets – 1986
- Los Angeles Dodgers – 1988
- Oakland Athletics – 1989
- Cincinnati Reds – 1990
- Minnesota Twins – 1991
Losers
Now, I don’t mean losers as an insult, but in the literal sense, these teams have gotten to the World Series and lost. They’ve never won. They’re the new Houston Astros.
- Milwaukee Brewers won the AL pennant 1982, but are pennant-less since switching to the National League
- San Diego Padres lost in 1984 and 1998
- Colorado Rockies lost to the Red Sox in 2007, their only World Series appearance
- Texas Rangers took decades to make it to the World Series and they lost back to back series in 2010 and 2011
- Tampa Bay Rays are only a 19-year-old franchise, but they’ve made it to the postseason in 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2013
One-Hit Wonders
When you think about the fact that the Yankees have 27 trophies and the Red Sox had 3 in 10 years, it’s crazy to think that some teams have only won once.
- Anaheim Angels 2002
- Arizona Diamondbacks are the fastest expansion team to win a World Series in 2001, only four years after their founding in 1998
Nevers
The Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals (formerly the Expos) are the only two teams to have never even been to a World Series. The Mariners are one of the youngest teams, only a part of the league since 1977. But that’s already forty years (HBD Seattle) without even making it to the Fall Classic.
Young Teams
The Astros, Red Sox, Yankees, Diamondbacks, and Nationals all have young cores. With the right guidance and leadership, some of these teams can develop into dynasties. It will be interesting to see them all go head-to-head in the coming years.
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Obviously, I’ve already got my hopes pinned on my Red Sox for 2018, but we did win three championships in ten years. The sportsmanlike, fair side of me thinks one of these teams deserves a shot. It’s was thrilling to see the Astros have their moment last night; I hope every fan can feel the joy I’ve felt watching my team make miracles. Yeah, I’m cheesy and emotional AF, but we all deserve to be happy. It actually kind of makes me sad to think that one day all of the teams will have won, and we won’t have these incredible milestones to look forward to anymore. Luckily, baseball always has another great moment just around the corner…