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Every spring, 30 Major League Baseball teams begin the season with one goal, and that is winning the Major League World Series. By fall, 29 of them go back to the drawing board.
Only one MLB team can claim the World Series every year but a lot of fans have been waiting for a long time to see their home team hoist the Commissioners Trophy. Last season, the Nationals waited 14 years since the team moved in from Montreal as the Expos, and 95 total years since the Senators won the World Series for D.C. in 1924.
This coming season, one team’s wait could end too but with the 2020 MLB season still under suspension because of the Coronavirus pandemic, these teams will have to wait. While waiting, let’s take a look at the MLB teams who have not the Fall Classic for at least 10 straight seasons:
Cleveland Indians, 71 years
The Indians last won the World Series in 1948 when they defeated the Boston Braves. Since then, they’ve made four appearances in the World Series: 1954, 1995, 1997, and 2016 but lost on all occasions. They’ve been close more than once, as they have gone 0-4 in World Series clinchers over their last two appearances in the Fall Classic. The Tribe was up 3-1 on the Chicago Cubs in 2016 before they collapsed.
Texas Rangers, 59 years
A reason for the long wait is that the franchise didn’t make the postseason during their first 35 years of existence ( including the 11 seasons in Washington). The Rangers have since become better and they made the Fall Classic in back to back seasons from 2010-11. There were several instances when they were one strike away from winning the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 but it was never meant to be.
Milwaukee Brewers, 51 years
The franchise spent only one season in Seattle before moving to Milwaukee in 1970. The Brew Crew has made it to the World Series only once in 1982 where they took a 3-2 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals but couldn’t finish the job. Since then, they have made just two National League championship appearances.
San Diego Padres, 51 years
San Diego was an expansion team in 1969 and they have not won a title in the history of their franchise. They made it to the World Series in 1984 and 1998 but lost 4-1 in both instances to the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees, respectively. Aside from ending their World Series drought, this team is also trying to end a playoff drought that began in 2007.
Seattle Mariners, 43 years
The Seattle Mariners are the only Major League franchise never to appear in the World Series after the Nationals ended their wait last season. The Mariners have made the American League Championship series only thrice in their history, the latest of which was in 2001 when they won a total of 116 regular-season games. That year was also their last trip to the postseason.
Pittsburgh Pirates, 40 years
The Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the most successful teams in MLB history with only six teams winning more than their five World Series titles. However, since their heartbreaking Game 7 loss in the 1992 NLCS which saw Barry Bonds leave, their only postseason appearances were from 2013-15 where they didn’t make it to the NLCS.
Baltimore Orioles, 36 years
Cal Ripken Jr. was only a 23-year old and barely 18 months into his consecutive-games streak when the Orioles won their last World Series in 1983. That also was their last time to make it to the Fall Classic as trips to the American League Championship Series in 1996, 1997, and 2014 all ended in defeat for the O’s.
Detroit Tigers, 35 years
The Tigers last won the World Series in 1984 and have made a couple of trips since then. Their last Fall Classic appearance was in 2012 where they were swept by the Giants. They have also made it to the ALCS three times since ’84, losing in 1987, 2011, and 2013. Detroit also won the pennant in 2006 where they lost in five games to a Cardinals team that won just 83 regular-season games.
New York Mets, 33 years
Mike Piazza, the latest Hall of Famer from the Mets, was only 18 years old when the Mets last won a World Series in 1986. New York needed miracles to win Game 6 of that series before prevailing in Game 7. The magic has been gone since then as they only had two pennant runs after that in 2000 and 2015.
Los Angeles Dodgers, 31 years
The Dodgers dominated the National League during the 2010s decade as they won a total of seven NL West Division titles during the decade. They also made back to back World Series appearances in 2017 and 2018 but they have not won the Fall Classic since 1988 when they were sparked by Kirk Gibson’s walk-off homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
Oakland Athletics, 30 years
Oakland has remained competitive especially during their “Moneyball” era in the early 2000s’ but this franchise has not replicated their early dynasty runs since last winning the World Series in 1989. The A’s have made two ALCS since then with their recent appearance in 2006 ending in a sweep against the Tigers.
Cincinnati Reds, 29 years
The Cincinnati Reds’ Big Red Machine dominated the 1970s but it has been a different story for Queen City since its last World Series triumph in 1990. Cincinnati was swept by the Atlanta Braves in the 1995 National League Championship Series. Since then, they have not made it past the League Division series.
Minnesota Twins, 28 years
The days of Jack Morris, Kirby Puckett and the “Homer Hanky” look like a distant memory for the Twins. The likes of Joe Mauer, Johan Santana, and Justin Morneau led them to six AL Central titles during the 2000s decade. However, they have not advanced past the LDS since 2002 while suffering early playoff exits.
Colorado Rockies, 27 years
The Colorado Rockies have never won the World Series. They were close in 2007 when “Rocktober” swept Denver and won the NL pennant against the Padres. But Colorado got swept by the Red Sox in the Fall Classic in what stands as the closest they have been to the Commissioners Trophy. The Rockies have never won the NL West division too.
Toronto Blue Jays, 26 years
The Toronto Blue Jays were World Series regulars during the 90s. But after winning their last Commissioner’s Trophy in 1993, things have gone sour up North. The closest they have been to the Fall Classic was in 2015 and 2016 where they lost back to back American League Championship Series.
Atlanta Braves, 24 years
The Atlanta Braves were the winningest team in the majors during the 1990s but they lost two World Series tries to the Yankees. They had a 14-year National League East Division championship streak up to the 2000s but they always came out empty during the postseason.
Tampa Bay Rays, 22 years
The Tampa Bay Rays were an expansion team in 1998 and they have never won the World Series. They struggled at first, averaging 97 losses per season during their first decade of existence. Things looked good in 2008 when they changed the name and team colors and they won their only pennant before losing to the Phillies in 5 games during the Fall Classic.
Arizona Diamondbacks, 18 years
The Arizona Diamondbacks became the fastest expansion team to win a World Series when they triumphed in 2001, four years after their first MLB appearance. They have never made it to the Fall Classic nor win the pennant since then. The Diamondbacks have won only three NL West division titles since then.
Los Angeles Angels, 17 years
The current Los Angeles Angels franchise was one of the two expansion teams in 1961. The teams have won a total of nine division titles since their inception but they have made the World Series only once, winning the Commissioners Trophy in 2007 as a wild card team.
Miami Marlins, 16 years
The Marlins were an expansion team in 1993 and were known back then as the Florida Marlins. They are one of only two MLB franchises never to win a division title, the other being Colorado. However, they have won two World Series titles as a wild card team. Since their last Fall Classic triumph in 2003, they have never made the postseason and their current 16-year playoff drought is the second-longest in the Majors.
Chicago White Sox, 14 years
The White Sox were one of the American League’s eight original franchises in 1901. They’ve only won two World Series after their first triumph as the “Hitless Wonders” in 1906. Chicago has not won division titles since 2008 and they have not won a pennant since 2005.
Philadelphia Phillies, 11 years
The Phillies played 77 seasons before they won their first-ever World Series. They have won a total of two and have captured seven National League Pennants. The Phillies have been very successful since the Divisional era with a total of 11 division titles. They have not advanced to the Fall Classic though since 2009 and have not won the titles since 2008.
New York Yankees, 10 years
It’s been a decade since the most successful professional sports team in America won the World Series. The Yankees have won a total of 27 World Series titles, 40 American League pennants, and 19 AL East division titles. But they have only three division titles in the last 10 seasons and have not advanced to the World Series since their last win in 2009.
