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).

As of the 2020 season, every active MLB franchise has qualified for the playoffs, especially since expansion of the playoffs in 1994 made that feat easier. The Mariners have the longest active postseason drought at 19 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
72Cleveland Indians19482016
60Texas RangersNever (franchise began 1961)2011
52Milwaukee BrewersNever (franchise began 1969)1982
52San Diego PadresNever (franchise began 1969)1998
44Seattle MarinersNever (franchise began 1977)Never
41Pittsburgh Pirates19791979
37Baltimore Orioles19831983
36Detroit Tigers19842012
34New York Mets19862015
31Oakland Athletics19891990
30Cincinnati Reds19901990
29Minnesota Twins19911991
28Colorado RockiesNever (franchise began 1993)2007
27Toronto Blue Jays19931993
25Atlanta Braves19951999
23Tampa Bay RaysNever (franchise began 1998)2020
19Arizona Diamondbacks20012001
18Los Angeles Angels20022002
17Miami Marlins20032003
15Chicago White Sox20052005
12Philadelphia Phillies20082009
11New York Yankees20092009
9St. Louis Cardinals20112013
6San Francisco Giants20142014
5Kansas City Royals20152015
4Chicago Cubs20162016
3Houston Astros20172019
2Boston Red Sox20182018
1Washington Nationals20192019
0Los Angeles Dodgers20202020

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
72Cleveland Indians1948
63St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles1903*1966
62Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins19241987
60Washington Senators/Texas Rangers1961*
55Houston Colt .45s/Astros1962*2017
55New York/San Francisco Giants19542010
52Brooklyn Dodgers1903*1955
52Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers1969*
52San Diego Padres1969*
50Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals1969*2019
44Seattle Mariners1977*
42Boston/Milwaukee Braves19141957
41Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics19301972
41Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels1961*2002
41Pittsburgh Pirates1979
37Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves19571995
37Baltimore Orioles1983
36Detroit Tigers1984
34Pittsburgh Pirates19251960
34Cincinnati Reds19401975
34New York Mets1986
32Detroit Tigers1903*1935
31Los Angeles Dodgers19882020
31Oakland Athletics1989
30Cincinnati Reds1990

* 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
Cleveland72Cleveland Indians, 1948
Milwaukee59*Milwaukee Braves, 1957
San Diego52None
Dallas-Ft. Worth49None
Seattle45‡ †None
Pittsburgh41Pittsburgh Pirates, 1979
Baltimore37Baltimore Orioles, 1983
Detroit36Detroit Tigers, 1984
Cincinnati30Cincinnati Reds, 1990
Minneapolis–Saint Paul29Minnesota Twins, 1991
Denver28None
Toronto27Toronto Blue Jays, 1993
Atlanta25Atlanta Braves, 1995
Tampa-St. Petersburg23None
Phoenix19Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale17Florida Marlins, 2003
Philadelphia12Philadelphia Phillies, 2008
New York City11New York Yankees, 2009
St. Louis9St. Louis Cardinals, 2011
San Francisco Bay Area6San Francisco Giants, 2014
Kansas City5Kansas City Royals, 2015
Chicago4Chicago Cubs, 2016
Houston3Houston Astros, 2017
Boston2Boston Red Sox, 2018
Washington, D.C.1Washington Nationals, 2019
Los Angeles0Los Angeles Dodgers, 2020

*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 neither team had previously lost a championship

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

SeasonWonLost
1948Cleveland IndiansBoston Braves
1915Boston Red SoxPhiladelphia Phillies
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)
2020Tampa Bay Rays22*Los Angeles Dodgers31
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
44Seattle MarinersNever (franchise started in 1977)
41Pittsburgh Pirates1979
38Milwaukee Brewers1982 (never since joining NL in 1998)
37Baltimore Orioles1983
30Cincinnati Reds1990
30Oakland Athletics1990
29Minnesota Twins1991
27Toronto Blue Jays1993
22San Diego Padres1998
21Atlanta Braves1999
19Arizona Diamondbacks2001
18Los Angeles Angels2002
17Miami Marlins2003
15Chicago White Sox2005
13Colorado Rockies2007
11New York Yankees2009
11Philadelphia Phillies2009
9Texas Rangers2011
8Detroit Tigers2012
7St. Louis Cardinals2013
6San Francisco Giants2014
5Kansas City Royals2015
5New York Mets2015
4Chicago Cubs2016
4Cleveland Indians2016
2Boston Red Sox2018
1Washington Nationals2019
1Houston Astros2019
0Tampa Bay Rays2020
0Los Angeles Dodgers2020

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
44Seattle Mariners1977*
43Houston Colt .45s/Astros1962*2005
41St. Louis Browns1903*1944
41Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels1961*2002
41Pittsburgh Pirates1979
40Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics19311972
40Cleveland Indians19541995
39Chicago White Sox19191959
38Milwaukee Brewers1982
37Baltimore Orioles1983
34Philadelphia Phillies19151950
33Boston Braves19141948
32Pittsburgh Pirates19271960
32Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves19581991
31Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins19331965
30Oakland Athletics1990
30Cincinnati Reds1990
29Philadelphia Phillies19501980
29Minnesota Twins1991
28Kansas City Royals19852014
28Los Angeles Dodgers19882017
27Boston Red Sox19181946
27Cleveland Indians19201948
27Toronto Blue Jays1993
26San Francisco Giants19621989
24Detroit Tigers19091934
23St. Louis Cardinals1903*1926
22Detroit Tigers19451968
22San Diego Padres1998
21Washington Senators1903*1924
21St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles19441966
21Minnesota Twins19651987
21Detroit Tigers19842006
21Atlanta Braves1999
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
Seattle45* †None
Pittsburgh41Pittsburgh Pirates, 1979
Milwaukee38Milwaukee Brewers, 1982 (in A.L.)
Baltimore37Baltimore Orioles, 1983
Cincinnati30Cincinnati Reds, 1990
Minneapolis–Saint Paul29Minnesota Twins, 1991
Toronto27Toronto Blue Jays, 1993
San Diego22San Diego Padres, 1998
Atlanta21Atlanta Braves, 1999
Phoenix19Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale17Florida Marlins, 2003
Denver13Colorado Rockies, 2007
Philadelphia11Philadelphia Phillies, 2009
Dallas-Ft. Worth9Texas Rangers, 2011
Detroit8Detroit Tigers, 2012
St. Louis7St. Louis Cardinals, 2013
San Francisco Bay Area6San Francisco Giants, 2014
Kansas City5Kansas City Royals, 2015
New York City5New York Mets, 2015
Cleveland4Cleveland Indians, 2016
Chicago4Chicago Cubs, 2016
Boston2Boston Red Sox, 2018
Houston1Houston Astros, 2019
Washington, D.C.1Washington Nationals, 2019
Tampa-St. Petersburg0Tampa Bay Rays, 2020
Los Angeles0Los Angeles Dodgers, 2020

*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
28Pittsburgh Pirates1992
25Cincinnati Reds1995
22San Diego Padres1998
19Seattle Mariners2001
18Minnesota Twins2002
17Miami Marlins2003
15Chicago White Sox2005
14Oakland Athletics2006
13Arizona Diamondbacks2007
13Colorado Rockies2007
11Los Angeles Angels2009
10Philadelphia Phillies2010
9Texas Rangers2011
7Detroit Tigers2013
6San Francisco Giants2014
6Baltimore Orioles2014
5Kansas City Royals2015
5New York Mets2015
4Toronto Blue Jays2016
4Cleveland Indians2016
3Chicago Cubs2017
2Milwaukee Brewers2018
2Boston Red Sox2018
1New York Yankees2019
1St. Louis Cardinals2019
1Washington Nationals2019
0Houston Astros2020
0Atlanta Braves2020
0Tampa Bay Rays2020
0Los Angeles Dodgers2020

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
28Colorado RockiesNL WestNever (franchise began in 1993)
28Miami Marlins*NL EastNever (franchise began in 1993)
28Pittsburgh Pirates**NL Central1992 (never since moved from NL East in 1994)
19Seattle MarinersAL West2001
14San Diego PadresNL West2006
12Chicago White SoxAL Central2008
9Arizona DiamondbacksNL West2011
9Philadelphia PhilliesNL East2011
8Cincinnati RedsNL Central2012
8San Francisco GiantsNL West2012
6Baltimore OriolesAL East2014
6Detroit TigersAL Central2014
6Los Angeles AngelsAL West2014
5Kansas City RoyalsAL Central2015
5New York MetsNL East2015
5Toronto Blue JaysAL East2015
4Texas RangersAL West2016
3Washington NationalsNL East2017
2Boston Red SoxAL East2018
2Cleveland IndiansAL Central2018
2Milwaukee BrewersNL Central2018
1Houston AstrosAL West2019
1New York YankeesAL East2019
1St. Louis CardinalsNL Central2019
0Chicago CubsNL Central2020
0Atlanta BravesNL East2020
0Tampa Bay RaysAL East2020
0Oakland AthleticsAL West2020
0Minnesota TwinsAL Central2020
0Los Angeles DodgersNL West2020

* 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
19Seattle Mariners*2001 ALCS
9Philadelphia Phillies2011 NLDS
6Detroit Tigers2014 ALDS
6Los Angeles Angels2014 ALDS
5Pittsburgh Pirates2015 NL Wild Card
5Kansas City Royals2015 World Series
4Baltimore Orioles2016 AL Wild Card
4New York Mets2016 NL Wild Card
4San Francisco Giants2016 NLDS
4Texas Rangers2016 ALDS
3Arizona Diamondbacks2017 NLDS
2Colorado Rockies2018 NLDS
2Boston Red Sox2018 World Series
1Washington Nationals2019 World Series
0Chicago White Sox2020 AL Wild Card
0Cleveland Indians2020 AL Wild Card
0Toronto Blue Jays2020 AL Wild Card
0Minnesota Twins2020 AL Wild Card
0Milwaukee Brewers2020 NL Wild Card
0St. Louis Cardinals2020 NL Wild Card
0Chicago Cubs2020 NL Wild Card
0Cincinnati Reds2020 NL Wild Card
0Oakland Athletics2020 ALDS
0New York Yankees2020 ALDS
0San Diego Padres2020 NLDS
0Miami Marlins2020 NLDS
0Atlanta Braves2020 NLCS
0Houston Astros2020 ALCS
0Tampa Bay Rays2020 World Series
0Los Angeles Dodgers2020 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
19Seattle Mariners2001
18Detroit Tigers19872006
16Florida/Miami Marlins20032020
15California/Anaheim 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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