Best team to never get to World Series?

[WazzuRC]

Got this from another board, pretty interesting discussion there.

Biased obviously, but I would say the 2001 Mariners. 116 wins in the regular season, lose in the ALCS to the Yankees.

Another I would say would the 1994 Expos. That team was so dominant, it's too bad the strike cut them short. I was only 9 years old but watching old highlights and reading about that team, they were special.

Thoughts?

[snepp]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

'93 Giants, 103 wins and didn't even get a playoff birth for their trouble.

Of course the 104 win Braves didn't get to the World Series either that year.

[bravosfan]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

I was gonna say the '93 Braves.

The '98 team was loaded, too... though nobody probably could've beat the Yankees that year anyhow.

[AUTiger1]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

Got this from another board, pretty interesting discussion there.

Biased obviously, but I would say the 2001 Mariners. 116 wins in the regular season, lose in the ALCS to the Yankees.

Another I would say would the 1994 Expos. That team was so dominant, it's too bad the strike cut them short. I was only 9 years old but watching old highlights and reading about that team, they were special.

Thoughts?

I agree with you about that 1994 Expos team. That was an insane team. The strike all but was the end of the Expos. They lost a ton of money and had to sell off all their great players and never recovered.

Here was the starting lineup for that team.

C - Darrin Fletcher
1B - Cliff Floyd
2B - Mike Lansing
3B - Sean Berry
SS - Wil Cordero
LF - Moises Alou
CF - Marquis Grissom
RF - Larry Walker

What a outfield. Here is the starting rotation that team had.

Jeff Fassero
Butch Henry
Ken Hill
Pedro Martinez
Kirk Rueter

With Jeff Shaw setting up for John Wetteland. Just wow.

[AUTiger1]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

I was gonna say the '93 Braves.

The '98 team was loaded, too... though nobody probably could've beat the Yankees that year anyhow.

You're right about the Braves from 98. They won a franchise record 106 games that year. But lost to the Padres in the playoffs.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

'95 and '97 Indians.

[SPTO]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

'85 Blue Jays

DAMN YOU JIM SUNDBERG DAMN YOU TO HELL!

[OSUFan_88]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

'95 and '97 Indians.

re-read the title. However, I would say that the 95 Indians were one of the top teams to not win the World Series, along with the 54 Indians.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

Good call.

In that case, I'll throw a few biased picks out there.

1980 Orioles
1997 Orioles
1961 Orioles
1964 Orioles
1965 Orioles

[Coug00]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

Definitely agree on the '01 Mariners. I need to see how many series in a row they won to start off that season.

But how about the '01 A's. 102 wins even in the same division as the 116-win Mariners.

Giambi, Damon, Chavez, Tejada, and Dye.

Hudson, Mulder, Zito (while he was still good), and Lidle in the rotation. Izzy, Tam, Magnante, Mecir had very good years in the pen. That team was stacked.

[OSUFan_88]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

Good call.

In that case, I'll throw a few biased picks out there.

1980 Orioles
1997 Orioles
1961 Orioles
1964 Orioles
1965 Orioles

That 97 team definitely should have made it, unfortunately for them, the Indians just got really hot.

[AUTiger1]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

Definitely agree on the '01 Mariners. I need to see how many series in a row they won to start off that season.

But how about the '01 A's. 102 wins even in the same division as the 116-win Mariners.

Giambi, Damon, Chavez, Tejada, and Dye.

Hudson, Mulder, Zito (while he was still good), and Lidle in the rotation. Izzy, Tam, Magnante, Mecir had very good years in the pen. That team was stacked.

I just looked it up. The M's won 9 straight series to start the season. They didn't lose a series until May 4 -6 when they lost 2 of 3 to the Blue Jays. But that pissed them off because they won 9 straight games afterwards.

[rsox]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

With Jeff Shaw setting up for John Wetteland. Just wow.

You forgot to mention Mel Rojas. Rojas had 16 saves to go with Wetteland's 25.

I still believe no one would have beat the '94 Expos in the playoffs.

[Coug00]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

I just looked it up. The M's won 9 straight series to start the season. They didn't lose a series until May 4 -6 when they lost 2 of 3 to the Blue Jays. But that pissed them off because they won 9 straight games afterwards.

That's right. I remember that series against the Jays. The clowns on the sports talk in Seattle were talking about the M's slumping and how they might not be very good cause they lost a series.

I just looked it up as well and the M's played 28 series in the first half of '01 and lost a total of 4 of them. That's ridiculous.

[bkrich83]

Re: Best team to never get to World Series?

You're right about the Braves from 98. They won a franchise record 106 games that year. But lost to the Padres in the playoffs.

Sterling Hitchcock FTW.