The Best Teams To Never Go To The World Series

[Chisox73]

I'm sure every one of you out there have experienced heartbreak over your favorite team falling just short of the ultimate goal at one time or another.Whether your team was bounced in the Division Series last October or you have been waiting since Babe Ruth was a toddler,I would like to know what you think was the best team to not win it all.Case in point,the 2001 Mariners and A's.I know there will be some very interesting posts.

I'll start with my pick the 1983 White Sox who won 99 games and won the AL West by 20 games,only to have their hopes dashed by that noted home run hitter Tito Landrum and the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS.

[Ytown_Tribe_fan]

RE: The Best Teams To Never Go To The World Series

Good topic. I'd say the '54 Yanks were pretty fair. They won 103 games, but finished 8 games back of the Tribe that season.

The Braves set a standard for underachievement. In 1997 they went 101-61 and knocked off the Giants before falling to the Marlins in the NLCS. The very next year, they went 106-56, knocking off the Cubs before falling to San Diego in the NLCS. In '93, the Braves won 104 before falling to the Phillies in the NLCS.

The '73 Reds won 99 games and lost the NLCS to the 82-79 Mets, which is pretty humbling.

But my all-time post-season underachiever has to be the 2001 Mariners. 116 wins and it was all they could do to get past Cleveland in the ALDS before losing to the Yanks in the ALCS.

[Chisox73]

RE: The Best Teams To Never Go To The World Series

You won't get a lot of arguments about the 2001 Mariners being post-season underachievers.But how abut the 1993 Giants who won 103 games and finished 1 game behind Atlanta in Barry Bonds' 1st season in Frisco.

[Ytown_Tribe_fan]

RE: The Best Teams To Never Go To The World Series

That team, along with the '94 strike, really got the ball rolling on the wildcard.

[trosmok]

RE: The Best Teams To Never Go To The World Series

The 1981 Cincinnati Reds, as well as the '81 St.Louis Cardinals won the most games in their respective divisions over the course of the lockout interrupted season. The owners decided to "split" the season into two halves, and thus, the Reds and Cards were not even in the division playoffs, let alone the NLCS and were, in my mind (and backed up by their W/L record,) better teams than the Dodgers or Yankees that screwy year.

[fenwayjeff]

RE: The Best Teams To Never Go To The World Series

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Dec-19-01 AT 03:49 PM (EST)]Gang-

Not sure on their exact record/numbers/stats/etc. but I need to put in a vote for my 1978 Red Sox, who were eliminated from even making the AL Playoffs in the illustrious 163rd game of the season by one, Bucky Dent? Go figure?

Also, among recent teams, how about the 1994 ChiSox? That squad looked great until the strike?

-FenwayJeff-
mod for the 'Sox

[Chisox73]

RE: The Best Teams To Never Go To The World Series

That '94 White Sox team sure looked good.Just think,a Chisox-Expos World Series,but then again this isn't a perfect world.But the only good thing that came out of '94 was that we did not have a sub .500 team make the playoffs which would have been the Texas Rangers who were 12 games under .500 and leading the AL West in '94.

[Sports Fan 07]

RE: The Best Teams To Never Go To The World Series

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Dec-25-01 AT 06:09 PM (EST)]The answer is:

2001 Seattle Mariners
1904 Giants
1909 Cubs
1942 Brooklyn Dodgers
1954 Yankees
1915 Tigers
1994 Expos
1993 Braves
1928 Phil As
1908 NY Giants
1908 Pirates
1980 Yankees
1993 Giants
1941 Cardinals
1906 NY Giants
1977 Royals
1905 Pirates
1997 Braves
1961 Tigers
1976-77 Phillies
1949 Red Sox
1935 Cardinals
1920 White Sox
1909 Phil As
1919 Giants
1994 Yankees
1948 Red Sox
1972 Pirates
1962 Dodgers
1951 Dodgers

[Chisox73]

RE: The Best Teams To Never Go To The World Series

Great list SportsFan 07!

I got a couple of more.The 1987 Tigers who had the best record in baseball at 98-64 only to get bounced in 5 games by Minnesota in the ALCS.My other is the 1984 Cubs had the top NL mark at 96-65 but lost to San Diego in the NLCS in 5.('84 was the last year of the best of 5 in LCS play.)

[Steve Jeltz]

The 1990-1992 Pirates. Talentwise, they were the best team in the NL in those years, in my opinion, with Bonds, Bonilla, Bell, Drabek, Van Slyke etc., but they lacked that dominant closer, which came to haunt them in 1992. It also didn't help that Bonds and Bonilla stopped hitting in the 1990 NLCS and in 1991 running into a Brave's team riding high on emotion. Still, the Pirates had a 3-2 lead in that series, then Avery and Smoltz shut them down in games 6 and 7. And, of course, everyone remembers Cabrera' s hit and Bream's dash in 1992, but what seems to be forgotten is Jose Lind's error during that same 9th inning.

Another team not mentioned is the 1990 Oakland A's. Steamrolled to the division title, demolished the Red Sox in the ALCS and just got whipped by the Reds in 4 games. I find it hard to believe that the 1988-1990 A's won only one World Series.

[Blackout]

1994 expos

[RuthMayBond]

Another team not mentioned is the 1990 Oakland A's. Steamrolled to the division title, demolished the Red Sox in the ALCS and just got whipped by the Reds in 4 games.

Um, I think they did go to the World Series :noidea

[Iron Jaw]

The 1980 Orioles were a very good team. They won 100 games - but the Yankees, also in the AL East, won 103. But the Yankees didn't go either. They lost to the Royals in the ALCS.

Such is playoff baseball. Some very good teams failed to go to the World Series. In many cases, because of the playoff format, the best team sat at home during the series, while a team that got hot for a few days got the nod.

[Steve Jeltz]

Um, I think they did go to the World Series :noidea

Ooops, I misread the the topic title. :o

[Victory Faust]

If I'm not mistaken, the 1906 Cleveland Indians were one of the few teams ever to lead the league in hitting, pitching and defense, and still go home come October.