List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason droughts

Throughout the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), franchises have had various postseason and World Series droughts.

All 16 of the original Major League franchises (i.e., those in place when the first World Series was played 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, six of the 14 expansion teams have never won the World Series. Further, one franchise (the Indians) has a current championship drought that pre-dates the expansion era. The three longest championship droughts in history were ended recently by the Red Sox (85 years, ending in 2004), the White Sox (87 years, ending in 2005), and the Cubs (107 years, ending in 2016).

Only one expansion franchise (the Mariners) has never won a pennant (i.e., the league championship, the two winners of which meet in the World Series). The three longest pennant droughts in history were recently ended by the Nationals (51 years, starting with the team's foundation and ending in 2019, and including the franchise's entire 36 years as the Montreal Expos), the Rangers (49 years, starting with the team's foundation and ending in 2010) and the Cubs (70 years, ending in 2016). As the Nationals are the third franchise to be based in the city of Washington, their 2019 pennant also ended a drought of 53 seasons played in Washington since their last pennant, which was in 1933 (here we discount the 33 seasons during which there was no team in Washington).

Every MLB franchise has at least been to the postseason, especially since expansion of the playoffs in 1994 made that feat easier. The Mariners have the longest active postseason drought at 18 years. Long postseason droughts were ended recently by the Nationals (30 years for the franchise, 45 seasons over 78 years for the city, ending in 2012), the Pirates (20 years, ending in 2013), the Royals (28 years, ending in 2014), and the Blue Jays (21 years, ending in 2015).

This list includes only the modern World Series between the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), not the various 19th-century championship series. Those teams which have never achieved a particular accomplishment in their franchise history are listed by the date they entered the leagues.

World Series championship droughts

Longest current World Series championship droughts

No World Series was played in 1994, and counts as a drought season for those franchises.

Seasons Team Last World Series championship won Last World Series appearance
71Cleveland Indians19482016
59Texas RangersNever (franchise began 1961)2011
51Milwaukee BrewersNever (franchise began 1969)1982
51San Diego PadresNever (franchise began 1969)1998
43Seattle MarinersNever (franchise began 1977)Never
40Pittsburgh Pirates19791979
36Baltimore Orioles19831983
35Detroit Tigers19842012
33New York Mets19862015
31Los Angeles Dodgers19882018
30Oakland Athletics19891990
29Cincinnati Reds19901990
28Minnesota Twins19911991
27Colorado RockiesNever (franchise began 1993)2007
26Toronto Blue Jays19931993
24Atlanta Braves19951999
22Tampa Bay RaysNever (franchise began 1998)2008
18Arizona Diamondbacks20012001
17Los Angeles Angels20022002
16Miami Marlins20032003
14Chicago White Sox20052005
11Philadelphia Phillies20082009
10New York Yankees20092009
8St. Louis Cardinals20112013
5San Francisco Giants20142014
4Kansas City Royals20152015
3Chicago Cubs20162016
2Houston Astros20172019
1Boston Red Sox20182018
0Washington Nationals20192019

Longest World Series championship droughts through history

The first World Series was played in 1903. 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.

SeasonsTeamPrevious TitleNext Title
107Chicago Cubs19082016
87Chicago White Sox19172005
85Boston Red Sox19182004
77Philadelphia Phillies1903*1980
71Cleveland Indians1948
63St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles1903*1966
62Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins19241987
59Washington Senators/Texas Rangers1961*
55Houston Colt .45s/Astros1962*2017
55New York/San Francisco Giants19542010
52Brooklyn Dodgers1903*1955
51Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers1969*
51San Diego Padres1969*
50Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals1969*2019
43Seattle Mariners1977*
42Boston/Milwaukee Braves19141957
41Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics19301972
41Los Angeles-California-Anaheim Angels1961*2002
40Pittsburgh Pirates1979
37Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves19571995
36Baltimore Orioles1983
35Detroit Tigers1984
34Pittsburgh Pirates19251960
34Cincinnati Reds19401975
33New York Mets1986
32Detroit Tigers1903*1935
31Los Angeles Dodgers1988
30Oakland Athletics1989

* 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).

World Series championship droughts by city/region

This list only includes cities/regions with current Major League Baseball franchises. Years during which a city/region did not field a Major League Baseball team are not counted.

RegionDrought (seasons)Last World Series title
Cleveland71Cleveland Indians, 1948
Milwaukee58*Milwaukee Braves, 1957
San Diego51None
Dallas-Ft. Worth48None
Seattle44‡ †None
Pittsburgh40Pittsburgh Pirates, 1979
Baltimore36Baltimore Orioles, 1983
Detroit35Detroit Tigers, 1984
Cincinnati29Cincinnati Reds, 1990
Minneapolis–Saint Paul28Minnesota Twins, 1991
Denver27None
Toronto26Toronto Blue Jays, 1993
Atlanta24Atlanta Braves, 1995
Tampa-St. Petersburg22None
Phoenix18Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001
Los Angeles17Anaheim Angels, 2002
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale16Florida Marlins, 2003
Philadelphia11Philadelphia Phillies, 2008
New York City10New York Yankees, 2009
St. Louis8St. Louis Cardinals, 2011
San Francisco Bay Area5San Francisco Giants, 2014
Kansas City4Kansas City Royals, 2015
Chicago3Chicago Cubs, 2016
Houston2Houston Astros, 2017
Boston1Boston Red Sox, 2018
Washington, D.C.0Washington Nationals, 2019

*city without Major League Baseball franchise for 4 seasons (19661969)

city without Major League Baseball franchise for 7 seasons (19701976)

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.

SeasonWonLost
1980Philadelphia PhilliesKansas City Royals
1920Cleveland IndiansBrooklyn Dodgers
1909Pittsburgh PiratesDetroit Tigers
1907Chicago CubsDetroit Tigers
1906*Chicago White SoxChicago Cubs
1905*New York GiantsPhiladelphia Athletics
1903*Boston AmericansPittsburgh Pirates

*In these cases, each team was making its first World Series appearance.

World Series in which both teams had ended pennant droughts of 20-plus seasons

SeasonWonDrought (seasons)LostDrought (seasons)
2005Chicago White Sox45Houston Astros43
1948Cleveland Indians27Boston Braves33

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. Bold denotes team that won.

SeasonAmerican LeagueDrought (seasons)National LeagueDrought (seasons)
2016Cleveland Indians67Chicago Cubs107
2010Texas Rangers49*San Francisco Giants55
2005Chicago White Sox87Houston Astros43*
2002Anaheim Angels41*San Francisco Giants47
1997Cleveland Indians48Florida Marlins4*
1995Cleveland Indians46Atlanta Braves37
1992Toronto Blue Jays15*Atlanta Braves34
1980Kansas City Royals11*Philadelphia Phillies77*
1975Boston Red Sox56Cincinnati Reds34
1972Oakland Athletics40Cincinnati Reds31
1920Cleveland Indians17*Brooklyn Dodgers17*
1909Detroit Tigers6*Pittsburgh Pirates6*
1907Detroit Tigers4*Chicago Cubs4*
1906Chicago White Sox3*Chicago Cubs3*
1905Philadelphia Athletics2*New York Giants2*
1903Boston Americans*Pittsburgh Pirates*

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).

Major League pennant droughts

Longest current Major League pennant droughts

No pennants were won in 1994 due to the players' strike that year.

Seasons Team Last pennant
43Seattle MarinersNever (franchise started in 1977)
40Pittsburgh Pirates1979
37Milwaukee Brewers1982 (never since joining NL in 1998)
36Baltimore Orioles1983
29Cincinnati Reds1990
29Oakland Athletics1990
28Minnesota Twins1991
26Toronto Blue Jays1993
21San Diego Padres1998
20Atlanta Braves1999
18Arizona Diamondbacks2001
17Los Angeles Angels2002
16Miami Marlins2003
14Chicago White Sox2005
12Colorado Rockies2007
11Tampa Bay Rays2008
10New York Yankees2009
10Philadelphia Phillies2009
8Texas Rangers2011
7Detroit Tigers2012
6St. Louis Cardinals2013
5San Francisco Giants2014
4Kansas City Royals2015
4New York Mets2015
3Chicago Cubs2016
3Cleveland Indians2016
1Boston Red Sox2018
1Los Angeles Dodgers2018
0Washington Nationals2019
0Houston Astros2019

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. No pennants were won in 1994 due to the players strike that year. This list only shows droughts of 20 or more seasons. Active droughts are listed in bold type.

SeasonsTeamPrev. PennantNext Pennant
70Chicago Cubs19452016
50Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals1969*2019
49Washington Senators/Texas Rangers1961*2010
45Chicago White Sox19592005
43Houston Colt .45s/Astros1962*2005
43Seattle Mariners1977*
41St. Louis Browns1903*1944
41Los Angeles-California-Anaheim Angels1961*2002
40Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics19311972
40Cleveland Indians19541995
40Pittsburgh Pirates1979
39Chicago White Sox19191959
37Milwaukee Brewers1982
36Baltimore Orioles1983
34Philadelphia Phillies19151950
33Boston Braves19141948
32Pittsburgh Pirates19271960
32Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves19581991
31Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins19331965
29Philadelphia Phillies19501980
29Oakland Athletics1990
29Cincinnati Reds1990
28Kansas City Royals19852014
28Los Angeles Dodgers19882017
28Minnesota Twins1991
27Boston Red Sox19181946
27Cleveland Indians19201948
26San Francisco Giants19621989
26Toronto Blue Jays1993
24Detroit Tigers19091934
23St. Louis Cardinals1903*1926
22Detroit Tigers19451968
21St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles19441966
21Minnesota Twins19651987
21Detroit Tigers19842006
21Washington Senators1903*1924
21San Diego Padres1998
20Brooklyn Dodgers19201941
20Cincinnati Reds19401961
20Boston Red Sox19461967

* 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).

Major League pennant droughts by city/region

This list only includes cities/regions with current Major League Baseball franchises. Years during which a city/region did not field a Major League Baseball team are not counted.

RegionDrought (seasons)Last pennant
Seattle44* †None
Pittsburgh40Pittsburgh Pirates, 1979
Milwaukee37Milwaukee Brewers, 1982 (in A.L.)
Baltimore36Baltimore Orioles, 1983
Cincinnati29Cincinnati Reds, 1990
Minneapolis–Saint Paul28Minnesota Twins, 1991
Toronto26Toronto Blue Jays, 1993
San Diego21San Diego Padres, 1998
Atlanta20Atlanta Braves, 1999
Phoenix18Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale16Florida Marlins, 2003
Denver12Colorado Rockies, 2007
Tampa-St. Petersburg11Tampa Bay Rays, 2008
Philadelphia10Philadelphia Phillies, 2009
Dallas-Ft. Worth8Texas Rangers, 2011
Detroit7Detroit Tigers, 2012
St. Louis6St. Louis Cardinals, 2013
San Francisco Bay Area5San Francisco Giants, 2014
Kansas City4Kansas City Royals, 2015
New York City4New York Mets, 2015
Cleveland3Cleveland Indians, 2016
Chicago3Chicago Cubs, 2016
Los Angeles1Los Angeles Dodgers, 2018
Boston1Boston Red Sox, 2018
Houston0Houston Astros, 2019
Washington, D.C.0Washington Nationals, 2019

*city without Major League Baseball franchise for 7 seasons (19701976)

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

League championship appearance droughts

Longest current league championship appearance droughts

No league championships were played in 1994 due to the players' strike that year.

Seasons Team Last appearance
27Pittsburgh Pirates1992
24Cincinnati Reds1995
21San Diego Padres1998
18Atlanta Braves2001
18Seattle Mariners2001
17Minnesota Twins2002
16Miami Marlins2003
14Chicago White Sox2005
13Oakland Athletics2006
12Arizona Diamondbacks2007
12Colorado Rockies2007
11Tampa Bay Rays2008
10Los Angeles Angels2009
9Philadelphia Phillies2010
8Texas Rangers2011
6Detroit Tigers2013
5San Francisco Giants2014
5Baltimore Orioles2014
4Kansas City Royals2015
4New York Mets2015
3Toronto Blue Jays2016
3Cleveland Indians2016
2Chicago Cubs2017
1Milwaukee Brewers2018
1Boston Red Sox2018
1Los Angeles Dodgers2018
0New York Yankees2019
0St. Louis Cardinals2019
0Washington Nationals2019
0Houston Astros2019

League division champion droughts

Longest current division champion droughts

No league division champions were won in 1994 due to the players' strike that year.

Seasons Team Division Last division champion
27Colorado RockiesNL WestNever (franchise began in 1993)
27Miami Marlins*NL EastNever (franchise began in 1993)
27Pittsburgh Pirates**NL Central1992 (never since moved from NL East in 1994)
18Seattle MarinersAL West2001
13San Diego PadresNL West2006
11Chicago White SoxAL Central2008
9Tampa Bay RaysAL East2010
8Arizona DiamondbacksNL West2011
8Philadelphia PhilliesNL East2011
7Cincinnati RedsNL Central2012
7San Francisco GiantsNL West2012
6Oakland AthleticsAL West2013
5Baltimore OriolesAL East2014
5Detroit TigersAL Central2014
5Los Angeles AngelsAL West2014
4Kansas City RoyalsAL Central2015
4New York MetsNL East2015
4Toronto Blue JaysAL East2015
3Texas RangersAL West2016
2Chicago CubsNL Central2017
2Washington NationalsNL East2017
1Boston Red SoxAL East2018
1Cleveland IndiansAL Central2018
1Milwaukee BrewersNL Central2018
0Atlanta BravesNL East2019
0Houston AstrosAL West2019
0Los Angeles DodgersNL West2019
0Minnesota TwinsAL Central2019
0New York YankeesAL East2019
0St. Louis CardinalsNL Central2019

* Because of the wild card postseason berth, the franchise have won two World Series champions (1997, 2003) without winning the division.
** Also the franchise without a winning record for 20 consecutive seasons (1993–2012).

Postseason droughts

Longest current postseason droughts

Seasons Team Last appearance
18Seattle Mariners*2001 ALCS
16Miami Marlins2003 World Series
13San Diego Padres2006 NLDS
11Chicago White Sox2008 ALDS
8Philadelphia Phillies2011 NLDS
6Cincinnati Reds2013 NL Wild Card
5Detroit Tigers2014 ALDS
5Los Angeles Angels2014 ALDS
4Pittsburgh Pirates2015 NL Wild Card
4Kansas City Royals2015 World Series
3Baltimore Orioles2016 AL Wild Card
3New York Mets2016 NL Wild Card
3San Francisco Giants2016 NLDS
3Texas Rangers2016 ALDS
3Toronto Blue Jays2016 ALCS
2Arizona Diamondbacks2017 NLDS
1Chicago Cubs2018 NL Wild Card
1Cleveland Indians2018 ALDS
1Colorado Rockies2018 NLDS
1Boston Red Sox2018 World Series
0Oakland Athletics2019 AL Wild Card
0Milwaukee Brewers2019 NL Wild Card
0Tampa Bay Rays2019 ALDS
0Minnesota Twins2019 ALDS
0Atlanta Braves2019 NLDS
0Los Angeles Dodgers2019 NLDS
0New York Yankees2019 ALCS
0St. Louis Cardinals2019 NLCS
0Houston Astros2019 World Series
0Washington Nationals2019 World Series

* Also longest active drought in North American sports[1]

Longest postseason droughts in the expanded-postseason era

After the postseason was expanded in 1995 to include eight teams (further expanded in 2012 to ten teams), 18 of the 30 teams qualified within the first five years, and few teams went for long droughts without at least participating in the first round of the postseason. This list only shows droughts of 15 or more seasons that occurred primarily in the expanded-postseason era. Active droughts are listed in bold type.

SeasonsTeamPrevious Postseason AppearanceNext Postseason Appearance
30Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals19812012
28Kansas City Royals19852014
25Milwaukee Brewers19822008
21Toronto Blue Jays19932015
20Pittsburgh Pirates19922013
18Detroit Tigers19872006
18Seattle Mariners2001
16Miami Marlins2003
15Los Angeles Angels19862002

See also

References

  1. McKay, John (September 26, 2019). "Longest Pro Sports Postseason Drought? Mariners". KFLD NEWStalk 870. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
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