Longest World Series droughts in MLB history

A brief look at the longest World Series droughts in Major League Baseball history.
The Chicago Cubs celebrate after winning Game 7 of the 2016 World Series
The Chicago Cubs celebrate after winning Game 7 of the 2016 World Series / Ezra Shaw/GettyImages
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Every Major League Baseball team begins every new season hoping to win the World Series. But that obviously can't happen as only two teams make the Fall Classic, and just one champion is crowned.

Simply put, every MLB season ends with 29 of 30 franchises feeling disappointed.

For some franchises -- and their respective fan bases -- that disappointment can last for decades, even famously reaching the century-plus mark in one particular case.

That infamous honor, of course, belonged to the Chicago Cubs, who won back-to-back World Series titles in 1907 and 1908 and didn't win the Fall Classic again until 2016. As you can probably guess, that is the longest World Series drought in MLB history.

Now, it's not as if the Cubs didn't have any chances to capture a third championship before then, as they appeared in the World Series in 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945, obviously losing each time.

But as you can see, after losing in seven games to the Detroit Tigers in 1945, the Cubs didn't get back to the Fall Classic for another seven-plus decades. So not only do the North Siders own the record for the longest drought in between titles, but they also own the record for the longest drought in between World Series appearances.

But at least the Cubs have won a World Series, right? That's something that six current MLB franchises can't say, those being the Colorado Rockies, the Milwaukee Brewers, the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Texas Rangers (that could change very soon).

But of those six, five can at least say they've been to the World Series. The Mariners are the sad and lonely exception there.

With all that said, let's take a brief look at the longest World Series droughts in history from a couple of different perspectives.

Longest World Series drought without winning

First, let's look at the longest World Series droughts without winning one. And just to clarify, this can include teams who have won a title but didn't for a long time and teams who've never won it. A drought's a drought, right?

The longest active streak belongs to the Cleveland Guardians, who last won a title in 1948.

It should be noted that the Rangers' season total will be 63 if they lose the 2023 World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Here's a look at the top 10, which is actually a top 12.

Rank

Team

Seasons

Previous WS Win

Drought Streak

Next WS Win

1

Chicago Cubs

107

1908

1909-2015

2016

2

Chicago White Sox

87

1917

1918-2004

2005

3

Boston Red Sox

85

1918

1919-2003

2004

4

Philadelphia Phillies

77

N/A

1903-1979

1980

5

Cleveland Indians/Guardians

75

1948

1949-active

N/A

6

STL Browns/Baltimore Orioles

63

N/A

1903-1965

1966

T7

Wash. Senators/Texas Rangers

62

N/A

1969-active

N/A

T7

Wash. Senators/Minnesota Twins

62

1924

1925-1986

1987

T9

Houston Colt .45s/Astros

55

N/A

1962-2016

2017

T9

New York/SF Giants

55

1954

1955-2009

2010

T9

San Diego Padres

55

N/A

1969-active

N/A

T9

Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers

55

N/A

1969-active

N/A

Longest World Series drought without an appearance

Now let's have a look at the longest droughts in terms of the years between appearances in the World Series -- or the lack of an appearance in one particular case.

As mentioned, the Seattle Mariners have yet to reach the Fall Classic since joining Major League Baseball as an expansion team in 1977. As such, they're also the current active leader in this category.

Rank

Team

Seasons w/o WS app.

Previous WS appearance

Next/1st WS appearance

1

Chicago Cubs

70

1945

2016

2

Montreal Expos/Wash. Nationals

50

N/A

2019

3

Wash. Senators/Texas Rangers

49

N/A

2010

4

Seattle Mariners

47

N/A

N/A (active)

5

Chicago White Sox

45

1959

2005

6

Pittsburgh Pirates

44

1979

N/A (active)

7

Houston Colt .45s/Astros

43

N/A

2005

T8

STL Browns/Baltimore Orioles

41

N/A

1944

T8

California/Anaheim/LA Angels

41

N/A

2002

T8

Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers

41

1982

N/A (active)

And there you have it, folks.

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