MLB Teams With Longest World Series Drought

Longest MLB World Series Droughts are inflicted on teams like Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles.

Chicago Cubs suffered the worst drought, with the sole team to reach a century without any World Series titles until the 2016 season. The team last won the trophy in 1909 and then went 107 years without one. In 2016, batters Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo shined for Cubs, while Jon Lester got 197 strikeouts. 

Chicago White Sox faced 87 years of World Series drought in MLB from 1918 till its end in 2005. White Sox bagged the t2005 title by beating Houston Astros. Batters like Paul Konerko contributed 40 homers that season, while Jose Contreras made 154 strikeouts and 15 wins.

Philadelphia Phillies went through 77 years of drought without a World Series trophy since the competition's inception. The Phillies won their first title in 1980 by beating Kansas City Royals 4-2, and players like Mike Schmidt and Tug McGraw performed well. 

However, the 2022 winner Houston Astros also had a drought of 55 years from 1962 to 2017. It ultimately ended when they won against the Los Angeles Dodgers by 4-3. Jose Altuve and George Springer excelled in 2017, while Charlie Morton conducted 163 SOs.

• Chicago Cubs (1909 - 2016) - 107 years
• Chicago White Sox (1918 - 2005) -  87 years
• Boston Red Sox (1918 - 2004) - 86 years
• Philadelphia Phillies (1903 - 1980) - 77 years
• Baltimore Orioles (1903 - 1966) - 63 years
• Minnesota Twins (1925 - 1987) - 62 years
• San Francisco Giants (1955 - 2010) - 55 years
• Houston Astros (1962 - 2017) - 55 years
• Los Angeles Dodgers (1903 - 1955) - 52 years
• Washington Nationals (1969 - 2019) - 50 years

Red Sox World Series drought lasted 86 years, from 1918 to 2004. 

They had come close to ending their long trophyless seasons by defeating St. Louis Cardinals in the 1946 season. However, Red Sox lost by 4-3. They again reached the World Series championship in 1967, 1975, and 1986 but had to be content as a finalist. 

However, in the 2004 season, Boston removed their drought by beating the Cardinals with a 4-0 win. That year, left-fielder Manny Ramirez contributed 43 home runs and 44 doubles and had a .308 batting average. First baseman Kevin Millar made 18 dingers and showed 74 RBI. 

Meanwhile, from the pitching side, Pedro Martinez conducted 227 strikeouts over 217 innings pitched. Closer Keith Foulke made a 2.17 ERA, and 32 saves for the Red Sox in the 2004 season. 

In the final 4th match of the 2004 World Series, Boston had to gain victory to win the championship immediately. Indeed, the Red Sox showcased great pitching and won by 3-0 in front of 52,037 spectators at Busch Stadium II. Derek Lowe made 4 strikeouts and a 1.86 ERA for the 7 innings he pitched. 

Longest Yankees World Series Drought 

Longest Yankees World Series drought is 18 years from 1903 to 1920. The Yankees were known as Highlanders at that time.

However, with their Yankees name, their longest drought has been 13 years as of the 2022 season since they haven't received a title since 2009. If the Yankees do not win in 2023, it will become 14 and tie with the 1982 - 1996 drought.

In 1996, the Yankees made a remarkable comeback, creating a 92-70 win-loss and winning by 4-2 in the World Series match against the Atlanta Braves. Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez struck over 20 home runs each that year. Derek Jeter had an impressive .340 batting average and 78 RBI. 

Similarly, the Yankees' recent title run came with an explosive 103-59 win-loss record the whole year. They won the World Series by 4-2 over the Phillies and had Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez smash 30 homers each throughout the season.

The Yankees have been in MLB for 120 years, got 27 World Series since their team's inception, and participated in 40 of the Fall Classics. Will their drought lengthen after the 2023 season, or will superstars like Aaron Judge help them lift the World Series? 

Current World Series droughts are present in Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers, and Milwaukee Brewers. 

Cleveland Guardians have suffered the worst, with 74 years without lifting the World Series since 1948. The last time they won in 1948, they had beaten Boston Braves by 4-2, with Joe Gordon and Bob Feller as the season's stars. Cleveland got the opportunity to win the title in  1954, 1995, 1997, and 2016 but had to contend as finalists.

Since its foundation in 1961, Texas Rangers have never won World Series and continues its 62 years of drought in the 2023 season. However, under manager Ron Washington, the Rangers made it to the World Series finals back-to-back in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. 

Milwaukee Brewers are another MLB team with an active 54 years of World Series drought since they were founded in 1969. They entered the World Series finals once in 1982 but lost to the Cardinals by 4-3. 

Likewise, San Diego Padres was formally established in the same year as the Brewers and shares 54 years of drought. The Padres came close to winning in the 1984 and 1998 seasons but lost by 4-1 and 4-0, respectively, in the finals. 

• Cleveland Guardians (1949) - 74 years
• Texas Rangers (1961) - 62 years
• San Diego Padres (1969) - 54 years 
• Milwaukee Brewers (1969) - 54 years
• Seattle Mariners (1977) - 46 years
• Pittsburgh Pirates (1980) - 43 years
• Baltimore Orioles (1984) - 39 years
• Detroit Tigers (1985) - 38 years
• New York Mets (1987) - 36 years
• Oakland Athletics (1990) - 33 years

Longest MLB playoff drought is of St. Louis Browns, who went 41 years without a major postseason appearance from 1903 till 1944. 

It was a bad time for the Browns (now, Orioles) fans during these years, with the fans not seeing their team play any playoff series, let alone the World Series. They finally reached the World Series in 1944 but lost to the Cardinals by 4-2. 

Cleveland Indians also suffered a 40 years drought without seeing any playoffs from 1955 to 1995. In 1995, they won the  AL Championship over Seattle Mariners by 4-2 but lost the World Series to the Braves. 

Likewise, Oakland Athletics also had a 39-year postseason drought from 1932 to 1971. In their 1971 season, they made it to the playoffs but lost the AL Championship round to the Baltimore Orioles by 3-0. The next year, they won the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. 

• St. Louis Browns (1903-1944) - 41 years
• Cleveland Indians (1955-1995) - 40 years
• Oakland Athletics (1932-1971) - 39 years
• Chicago White Sox (1920-1959) - 39 years
• Chicago Cubs (1946-1984) - 38 years
• Texas Rangers (1961-1996) - 35 years
• Philadelphia Phillies (1916-1950) - 34 years
• Boston Braves (1915-1948) - 33 years
• Pittsburgh Pirates (1928-1960) - 32 years
• Minnesota Twins (1934-1965) - 31 years