Biggest Miracle team since '69 Mets

[Uncle Charlie]

I think that if the Rockies had won the World Series last year, they'd be definitely the biggest Miracle team since the '69 Mets. Still an amazing season, but IMO the biggest that honor goes to the 2002 Angels. Hadn't reached the World Series in 41 years of existence, hadn't reached the playoffs in the last 15 years, went 75-87 the previous season and finished 2-19, started 2002 6-14, went on to win it all despite losing Game 1 of each series, being 5 runs down 3 innings from elimination, and having only one player with postseason experience on their playoff roster(Kevin Appier, and his only experience was the 2000 ALDS).

[parlo]

Maybe the 1988 Dodgers
The 87 Twins.
The 90 Reds.
2003 Marlins

[Tyrus4189Cobb]

I would go with the 2003 Mariners. Beckett really pulled through.

[YankeeFanUK]

i would say the 88 Dodgers..the Mets were the best team in the NL by far..Orel was the difference

[RuthMayBond]

I would go with the 2003 Mariners. Beckett really pulled through.

The Marlins were no Mariners

[Seattle1]

What about the Cardinals?

[MDog795]

Don't forget about the 1973 Mets.

[Iron Jaw]

The 1969 Mets were a good, solid team that won 100 games. They platooned a lot of position players for good benefit (except for Jones and Agee) and had a dominant pitching staff and solid defense.

What made them a miracle team though, was the fact they were in their 8th season of baseball and had never finished above 9th place in a ten team league. In fact, from 1962-68 they were dog awful. The first four seasons, they lost 120, 111, 109 and 112. They considered 1966 a miracle when they finished at 66-95, in ninth place. But they rebounded and lost 101 in 1967 and were in dead last again. By 1968, there was definite improvement in the pitching staff and they did win 73 games - but they couldn't hit the ball. They finished 9th again.

Which is what made 1969 such a miracle. The Mets were not expected to compete.

Sort of like the Red Sox 1967 season, because they had been so awful for so long.

Four-years after the '69 campaign, the Mets won the pennant again, though they won only 82 games. I would call that a piece of luck more than anything else. Luck that the rest of the division was so bad, and luck that can happen ANYTIME, by ANY team in a short playoff as it did against the Reds (and almost in the World Series). But from 1969-72, the Mets were a decent team. Not great, but decent, and always over .500. NOTHING like the Met teams that preceeded the miracle season.

Some could say the Cardinals had a miracle season in 2006. Actually, the Cardinals had a frustrating season and a lucky set of events in the playoffs and World Series. The Cardinals haven't been a bad team this decade, but in fact, they've consistently been one of the better teams. As stated, though they weren't good in 2006, they got hot for a couple of playoff teams. And in the World Series - and benefited from some of the most non-major league defensive play I've seen in a long time......courtesy of the Detroit Tigers.

I would say a team has to come up from years of terrible play to be a miracle team. Like if the Kansas City Royals were to win the pennant this season.

[HomeRunHomer]

The Cardinals had a frustrating season and a lucky set of events in the playoffs and World Series. The Cardinals haven't been a bad team this decade, but in fact, they've consistently been one of the better teams. As stated, though they weren't good in 2006, they got hot for a couple of playoff teams. And in the World Series - and benefited from some of the most non-major league defensive play I've seen in a long time......courtesy of the Detroit Tigers.

If the 2004 Cardinals (over 100 wins) played the 2006 Cardinals in a best-of-seven series,

how would that go?

[bambambaseball]

The 1969 Mets are at the very top of my list. The 1995 Marlins are way up there too. Last year, Colorado's streak was pretty miraculous.

[whoisonit]

Both the 1991 worst to first teams, the Atlanta Braves & the Minnisota Twins, imo.
As an added bonus, it remains far and away the greatest World Series of my lifetime. (and I've seen quite a few)

[Bothrops Atrox]

A couple of observations:

The 2006 talent level of the Cardinals was much higher than their record indicates. The same core of players that won the 2006 W.S. won 205 games the previous 2 seasons and won 95ish games in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Most preseason experts predicted the Cardinals to fight the Mets for the NL pennant. If nobody saw the 2006 Card's record but saw they won the WS, nobody would have been suprised in hindsight. The suprise is that their record is what it was. The 2006 DL list was staggaring. That was no 86 win team, talent wise. They proved that in the postseason.

Looking back on the 1991 Braves, it is hard to see how they were a miracle. That team produced 2 Hall of Fame pitchers, and a bunch of guys who had good careers: David Justice, Ron Gant, Tery Pendleton. There was a lot of talent on that team.

As far as the Twins, the same core of players also won the WS 4 years earlier. No major miracle there.

What did the Marlins do in 1995?

[Colorado Express]

As far as the Twins, the same core of players also won the WS 4 years earlier. No major miracle there.

The Twins roster was nearly turned over from '87 to '91.

C - Laudner > Harper
2B - Lombardozzi > Knoblauch
3B - Gaetti > Pagliarulo
RF - Brunansky > Mack
DH - Smalley > Davis
SP - Blyleven > Morris
SP - Viola > Tapani
SP - Straker > Erickson
SP - Smithson > Anderson
SP - Niekro > West
CL - Reardon > Aguilera

[Colorado Express]

To be the "next Miracle Mets", three criteria must be met...
1st - a history of losing
2nd - an unbelievable stretch run to win the division
3rd - beat a heavy favorite to win the WS

I couldn't find any teams that met all the criteria, but here would be my top 4 choices as "miracle" teams:

'02 Angels - a huge run down the stretch won them the WC, then beat the heavily favored Yankees in the playoffs; won only 77 games the prior season
'91 Twins - won the WS following a last place finish the season before; won only 74 games the prior season
'88 Dodgers - beat the heavily favored Mets and Athletics to win the WS; had won only 73 games each of the two prior seasons
'87 Twins - a true "miracle"; would have finished 5th in the AL East; hadn't had a winning season in 8 years; beat the VERY heavily favored Tigers and Cardinals to win the WS; gave up more runs than they scored; won only 71 games the prior season

[Francoeurstein]

A couple of observations:


Looking back on the 1991 Braves, it is hard to see how they were a miracle.

Worst-First.