List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason droughts

List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason droughts

This is a list of Major League Baseball franchise postseason and World Series droughts. Those teams which have never achieved a particular accomplishment in their franchise history are listed by the date they entered the leagues. The list includes only the modern World Series between the American League and the National League, not the various 19th-century championship series.

All 16 of the original Major League franchises (i.e., those in place when the World Series began in 1903) have won the World Series, with the longest wait for a franchise's first Championship being for the Phillies (77 years, ending in 1980). Since expansion began in 1961, eight of the 14 expansion teams have never won the World Series. Further, two franchises (the Cubs and Indians) have current Championship droughts that pre-date the expansion era. The second- and third-longest Championship droughts in history (after the Cubs' current 103-year drought) were ended recently by the Red Sox (85 years, ending in 2004) and the White Sox (87 years, ending in 2005). Notably, the Cubs' current World Series drought began before the creation of any of the other three major American sports leagues—the NHL was founded in 1917, the NFL in 1920, and the NBA in 1946.

Fewer teams have never won a pennant (i.e., the league championship, the two winners of which meet in the World Series). Two expansion franchises (the Expos/Nationals and Mariners) have never won a pennant, both of which have waited for more than 30 years, and only the Cubs have a current pennant drought that pre-dates the expansion era.

Every MLB franchise has at least been to the postseason, especially since expansion of the playoffs in 1995 made that feat easier. Two franchises (the Expos/Nationals and the Royals) have waited at least a quarter-century since their most recent playoff experience.

Contents

MLB franchises with the longest current World Series crown drought

Seasons Team Last championship won Last World Series appearance
103 Chicago Cubs 1908 1945
63 Cleveland Indians 1948 1997
51 Texas Rangers (Washington Senators) never (franchise started in 1961) 2011
50 Houston Astros (Houston Colt .45s) never (franchise started in 1962) 2005
43 Milwaukee Brewers (Seattle Pilots) never (franchise started in 1969) 1982
43 San Diego Padres never (franchise started in 1969) 1998
43 Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) never (franchise started in 1969) never
35 Seattle Mariners never (franchise started in 1977) never
32 Pittsburgh Pirates 1979 1979
28 Baltimore Orioles 1983 1983
27 Detroit Tigers 1984 2006
26 Kansas City Royals 1985 1985
25 New York Mets 1986 2000
23 Los Angeles Dodgers 1988 1988
22 Oakland Athletics 1989 1990
21 Cincinnati Reds 1990 1990
20 Minnesota Twins 1991 1991
19 Colorado Rockies never (franchise started in 1993) 2007
18 Toronto Blue Jays 1993 1993
16 Atlanta Braves 1995 1999
14 Tampa Bay Rays never (franchise started in 1998) 2008
10 Arizona Diamondbacks 2001 2001
9 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2002 2002
8 Florida Marlins 2003 2003
6 Chicago White Sox 2005 2005
4 Boston Red Sox 2007 2007
3 Philadelphia Phillies 2008 2009
2 New York Yankees 2009 2009
1 San Francisco Giants 2010 2010
0 St. Louis Cardinals 2011 2011

Longest World Series crown droughts through history

The first World Series was played in 1903. Note that no World Series was played in 1904 or 1994. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons. Active droughts are listed in bold type.

Seasons Team Prev. Title Next Title
103 Chicago Cubs 1908
87 Chicago White Sox 1917 2005
85 Boston Red Sox 1918 2004
77 Philadelphia Phillies 1903* 1980
63 St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles 1903* 1966
63 Cleveland Indians 1948
62 Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins 1924 1987
55 New York-San Francisco Giants 1954 2010
52 Brooklyn Dodgers 1903* 1955
51 Washington Senators/Texas Rangers 1961*
50 Houston Colt .45s/Astros 1962*
43 Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers 1969*
43 San Diego Padres 1969*
43 Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals 1969*
42 Boston-Milwaukee Braves 1914 1957
41 Philadelphia-Kansas City-Oakland Athletics 1930 1972
41 Los Angeles-California-Anaheim Angels 1961* 2002
38 Milwaukee-Atlanta Braves 1957 1995
35 Seattle Mariners 1977*
34 Pittsburgh Pirates 1925 1960
34 Cincinnati Reds 1940 1975
32 Detroit Tigers 1903* 1935
32 Pittsburgh Pirates 1979

* Year does not indicate a title won, but rather the team's first year of existence or the first year of the modern World Series (1903).


MLB franchises with the longest current league pennant drought

Seasons Team Last pennant
66 Chicago Cubs 1945
43 Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) never (franchise started in 1969)
35 Seattle Mariners never (franchise started in 1977)
32 Pittsburgh Pirates 1979
29 Milwaukee Brewers 1982 (never since joining NL in 1998)
28 Baltimore Orioles 1983
26 Kansas City Royals 1985
23 Los Angeles Dodgers 1988
21 Cincinnati Reds 1990
21 Oakland Athletics 1990
20 Minnesota Twins 1991
18 Toronto Blue Jays 1993
14 Cleveland Indians 1997
13 San Diego Padres 1998
12 Atlanta Braves 1999
11 New York Mets 2000
10 Arizona Diamondbacks 2001
9 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2002
8 Florida Marlins 2003
6 Chicago White Sox 2005
6 Houston Astros 2005
5 Detroit Tigers 2006
4 Boston Red Sox 2007
4 Colorado Rockies 2007
3 Tampa Bay Rays 2008
2 New York Yankees 2009
2 Philadelphia Phillies 2009
1 San Francisco Giants 2010
0 St. Louis Cardinals 2011
0 Texas Rangers 2011

Longest major league pennant droughts through history

List begins with 1903, about the time the current configuration of National League and American League stabilized and also the year of the first World Series. Note that no pennants were won in 1994 due to strike. This list only shows droughts of 20 or more seasons. Active droughts are listed in bold type.

Seasons Team Prev. Pennant Next Pennant
66 Chicago Cubs 1945
49 Washington Senators/Texas Rangers 1961* 2010
45 Chicago White Sox 1959 2005
43 Houston Colt .45s/Astros 1962* 2005
43 Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals 1969*
41 St. Louis Browns 1903* 1944
41 Los Angeles-California-Anaheim Angels 1961* 2002
40 Philadelphia-Kansas City-Oakland Athletics 1931 1972
40 Cleveland Indians 1954 1995
39 Chicago White Sox 1919 1959
35 Seattle Mariners 1977*
34 Philadelphia Phillies 1915 1950
33 Boston Braves 1914 1948
32 Pittsburgh Pirates 1927 1960
32 Milwaukee-Atlanta Braves 1958 1991
32 Pittsburgh Pirates 1979
31 Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins 1933 1965
29 Philadelphia Phillies 1950 1980
29 Milwaukee Brewers 1982
28 Baltimore Orioles 1983
27 Boston Red Sox 1918 1946
27 Cleveland Indians 1920 1948
26 San Francisco Giants 1962 1989
26 Kansas City Royals 1985
24 Detroit Tigers 1909 1934
23 St. Louis Cardinals 1903* 1926
23 Los Angeles Dodgers 1988
22 Detroit Tigers 1945 1968
21 St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles 1944 1966
21 Minnesota Twins 1965 1987
21 Detroit Tigers 1984 2006
21 Washington Senators 1903* 1924
21 Oakland Athletics 1990
21 Cincinnati Reds 1990
20 Brooklyn Dodgers 1920 1941
20 Cincinnati Reds 1940 1961
20 Boston Red Sox 1946 1967
20 Minnesota Twins 1991

* Year does not indicate a pennant, but rather the team's first year of existence or the first year of the modern World Series (1903).

MLB franchises with the longest current postseason drought

Seasons Team Last appearance
30 Washington Nationals 1981 NLCS (as the Montreal Expos)
26 Kansas City Royals 1985 World Series
19 Pittsburgh Pirates 1992 NLCS
18 Toronto Blue Jays 1993 World Series
14 Baltimore Orioles 1997 ALCS
10 Seattle Mariners 2001 ALCS
8 Florida Marlins 2003 World Series
6 Houston Astros 2005 World Series
5 New York Mets 2006 NLCS
5 Oakland Athletics 2006 ALCS
5 San Diego Padres 2006 NLDS
4 Cleveland Indians 2007 ALCS
3 Chicago Cubs 2008 NLDS
3 Chicago White Sox 2008 ALDS
2 Boston Red Sox 2009 ALDS
2 Colorado Rockies 2009 NLDS
2 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2009 ALCS
2 Los Angeles Dodgers 2009 NLCS
1 Atlanta Braves 2010 NLDS
1 Cincinnati Reds 2010 NLDS
1 Minnesota Twins 2010 ALDS
1 San Francisco Giants 2010 World Series
0 Arizona Diamondbacks 2011 NLDS
0 Detroit Tigers 2011 ALCS
0 Milwaukee Brewers 2011 NLCS
0 New York Yankees 2011 ALDS
0 Philadelphia Phillies 2011 NLDS
0 Tampa Bay Rays 2011 ALDS
0 St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series
0 Texas Rangers 2011 World Series

Cities waiting for their first World Series crown

City First Season Seasons waited Furthest round reached
Houston 1962 50 2005 World Series
San Diego 1969 43 1984 and 1998 World Series
Dallas-Fort Worth 1972 40 2010 and 2011 World Series
Seattle 1977 35^ 1995, 2000, and 2001 ALCS
Denver 1993 19 2007 World Series
Tampa Bay Area 1998 14 2008 World Series

^Not counting 1969, when the Brewers franchise played one season as the Seattle Pilots.

World Series crown droughts by region

Years during which a region did not field a MLB team are not counted.

Region Drought (seasons) Last World Series title
Cleveland 63 Cleveland Indians, 1948
Milwaukee 50^ Milwaukee Braves, 1957
Houston 50** None
San Diego 43** None
Dallas-Ft. Worth 40** None
Montreal 36**‡ None
Seattle 35** None
Pittsburgh 32 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1979
Baltimore-Washington 28 Baltimore Orioles, 1983
Detroit 27 Detroit Tigers, 1984
Kansas City 26 Kansas City Royals, 1985
Cincinnati 21 Cincinnati Reds, 1990
Minneapolis-St. Paul 20 Minnesota Twins, 1991
Denver 19** None
Toronto 18 Toronto Blue Jays, 1993
Atlanta 16 Atlanta Braves, 1995
Tampa-St. Petersburg 14** None
Phoenix 10 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001
Greater Los Angeles Area 9 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 2002
South Florida 8 Florida Marlins, 2003
Chicago 6 Chicago White Sox, 2005
Boston 4 Boston Red Sox, 2007
Philadelphia 3 Philadelphia Phillies, 2008
New York City 2 New York Yankees, 2009
San Francisco Bay Area 1 San Francisco Giants, 2010
St. Louis 0 St. Louis Cardinals, 2011

^region without MLB for 4 seasons (1966-1969)

‡region no longer fields a MLB team (2005-present)

**number doesn't indicate a title won, but rather total seasons played

Pennant droughts by region

Years during which a region did not field a MLB team are not counted.

Region Drought (seasons) Last pennant
Montreal 36**‡ None
Seattle 35** None
Pittsburgh 32 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1979
Milwaukee 29 Milwaukee Brewers, 1982 (in A.L.)
Baltimore-Washington 28 Baltimore Orioles, 1983
Kansas City 26 Kansas City Royals, 1985
Cincinnati 21 Cincinnati Reds, 1990
Minneapolis-St. Paul 20 Minnesota Twins, 1991
Toronto 18 Toronto Blue Jays, 1993
Cleveland 14 Cleveland Indians, 1997
San Diego 13 San Diego Padres, 1998
Atlanta 12 Atlanta Braves, 1999
Phoenix 10 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001
Greater Los Angeles Area 9 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 2002
South Florida 8 Florida Marlins, 2003
Chicago 6 Chicago White Sox, 2005
Houston 6 Houston Astros, 2005
Detroit 5 Detroit Tigers, 2006
Denver 4 Colorado Rockies, 2007
Boston 4 Boston Red Sox, 2007
Tampa-St. Petersburg 3 Tampa Bay Rays, 2008
New York City 2 New York Yankees, 2009
Philadelphia 2 Philadelphia Phillies, 2009
San Francisco Bay Area 1 San Francisco Giants, 2010
St. Louis 0 St. Louis Cardinals, 2011
Dallas-Ft. Worth 0 Texas Rangers, 2011

‡region no longer fields a MLB team (2005-present)

**number doesn't indicate a title won, but rather total seasons played

World Series in which neither team had previously won a championship

In these instances, the World Series matchup ensured that one team would win the first championship in its history

Season Won Lost
1980 Philadelphia Phillies Kansas City Royals
1920 Cleveland Indians Brooklyn Dodgers
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates Detroit Tigers
1907 Chicago Cubs Detroit Tigers
1906* Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs
1905* New York Giants Philadelphia Athletics
1903* Boston Americans Pittsburgh Pirates

*In these cases, each team was making its first World Series appearance. Given Major League Baseball's current membership, the only possible future instance would be a World Series between the Washington Nationals and the Seattle Mariners.

World Series in which both teams were ending 20-season-plus pennant droughts

Season Won Drought (seasons) Lost Drought (seasons)
2005 Chicago White Sox 45 Houston Astros 43
1948 Cleveland Indians 27 Boston Braves 33

World Series in which neither franchise had won a championship in 30-plus seasons

Teams that had never won the World Series are included, even if they were less than 30 seasons old at the time.

Season Won Drought (seasons) Lost Drought (seasons)
2010 San Francisco Giants 55 Texas Rangers 49*
2005 Chicago White Sox 87 Houston Astros 43*
2002 Anaheim Angels 41* San Francisco Giants 47
1997 Florida Marlins 4* Cleveland Indians 48
1995 Atlanta Braves 37 Cleveland Indians 46
1992 Toronto Blue Jays 15* Atlanta Braves 34
1980 Philadelphia Phillies 77* Kansas City Royals 11*
1975 Cincinnati Reds 34 Boston Red Sox 56
1972 Oakland Athletics 40 Cincinnati Reds 31
1920 Cleveland Indians 17* Brooklyn Dodgers 17*
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates 6* Detroit Tigers 6*
1907 Chicago Cubs 4* Detroit Tigers 4*
1906 Chicago White Sox 3* Chicago Cubs 3*
1905 New York Giants 2* Philadelphia Athletics 2*
1903 Boston Americans 0* Pittsburgh Pirates 0*

Numbers marked with * indicates that the number is counted from either the franchise's first year of existence or the first year of the modern World Series (1903).

See also


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