Which Baseball Team Has The Longest World Series Drought?
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The Boston Red Sox have won the World Series nine times, the last time being in 1918. The Chicago Cubs have won the World Series twice, the last time being in 1908.
The Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox have not won a World Series since 1918. They have the longest drought of any team in baseball. The last time they won was in 1916. They have made it to the World Series 10 times since then, but have lost in 1946, 1967, 1975, and 1986.
The “Curse of the Bambino”
The Boston Red Sox have a long and storied history, dating back to 1901 when they were founded as one of the American League’s eight original teams. The Red Sox have won a total of nine World Series titles, but they went 86 years between their first championship in 1918 and their second in 2004. This period of time is often referred to as the “Curse of the Bambino.”
The “Curse of the Bambino” began when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, one of the greatest players in baseball history, to the New York Yankees in 1920. The Yankees went on to win 26 World Series titles over the next 86 years, while the Red Sox suffered through one of the longest championship droughts in all of sports.
The Curse finally came to an end in 2004, when the Red Sox won their first World Series title in 86 years. They then won another championship in 2007, and they are currently among the most successful teams in baseball.
The 2004 ALCS
The 2004 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2004 American League playoffs, was a best-of-seven playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 Major League Baseball season. The Red Sox were unable to repeat as World Series champions, losing the series to the eventual world champion, the Boston Red Sox, in seven games.
The Red Sox and Yankees met for the first time in the postseason since their epic 2003 ALCS, which was won by the Yankees on a game-winning home run by Aaron Boone in extra innings of Game Seven. As in that series, the 2004 ALCS featured dramatic comebacks by each team, as well as a controversial umpiring decision. The Red Sox would win Game Four in twelve innings on a walk-off home run by David Ortiz, while the Yankees would stave off elimination with a dramatic come-from-behind victory in Game Five. Down 4–3 with Mariano Rivera on the mound and two outs in bottom of the ninth inning of Game Seven, pinch runner Dave Roberts stole second base, then scored on a single by Bill Mueller off Rivera to tie game at four apiece; Ortiz would go on to hit a walk-off home run in extra innings to send Boston to their first World Series appearance since 1986.
The Red Sox would go on to sweep their crosstown rival National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, en route to their first world championship since 1918. The victory parade down Boston’s streets drew an estimated 3 million people, making it one of the largest civic events in city history and one of the largest gatherings ever on Boston Common.
The Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs have the longest World Series drought in baseball. They haven’t won a World Series since 1908. The Boston Red Sox have the second longest drought. They haven’t won a World Series since 1918.
The “Curse of the Billy Goat”
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are the members of the National League Central Division in Major League Baseball (MLB). The Cubs have not won a World Series title since 1908, which is the longest championship drought in MLB history. The team’s last appearance in the World Series was in 1945, and their most recent National League pennant was in 2008.
The Bartman Incident
As fans of the Chicago Cubs know all too well, the team has not won a World Series since 1908. In fact, they haven’t even made it to the Fall Classic since 1945. That’s a longer drought than any other team in baseball history.
One of the most infamous moments in Cubs history happened during Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series. With the Cubs leading 3-2 in the bottom of the 8th inning and just five outs away from making it to the World Series, disaster struck. A foul ball off the bat of Luis Castillo was headed into the stands for what should have been an easy out. But Cubs fan Steve Bartman reached out and interfered with Moises Alou’s attempt to catch the ball. The umpires ruled it a fan interference, and the play was not reviewable.
The Cubs went on to lose that game in extra innings and then lost Game 7 as well. Bartman became a scapegoat for what happened, and many fans blamed him for costing the team a chance at their first World Series title in nearly 60 years.
The San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants have not won the World Series since they moved to California in 1958. The Giants have been to the World Series seven times since then, but they have lost all seven. The drought is the longest among all current MLB teams.
The “Curse of the Billy Goat”
The San Francisco Giants are a professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New York Gothams, and renamed three years later to the New York Giants, the team eventually moved to San Francisco in 1958.
The Giants have won 23 NL pennants and eight World Series championships—second most by any team in the National League and fourth most of any team in Major League Baseball. The team’s eight World Series titles are tied for fourth-most of any MLB team (with the Oakland Athletics). They have played in 20 World Series, appearing in seven consecutive World Series from 2010 to 2016 (winning five), which is the second-longest streak by any team. Their most recent appearance and win was in 2014.
The Curse of the Billy Goat is a curse that was allegedly placed on the Chicago Cubs by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis in 1945, during the 1945 World Series. The curse lasted 71 years, until the Cubs won their first World Series championship since 1908 during Game 7 of the 2016 World Series against Cleveland Indians.
The 2010 World Series
The San Francisco Giants are a professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. They began play in New York City as the New York Gothams in 1883, and were known as the New York Giants until their move to San Francisco in 1958. During most of their years in New York, the Giants played home games at the Polo Grounds. They have won 23 NL pennants and have played in 20 World Series competitions – both NL records. The Giants eight World Series titles rank second in the National League behind the St. Louis Cardinals (10) and are tied for fourth place with the Oakland Athletics (9) and the Boston Red Sox(9) – all trailing only the Yankees(27).
The 2010 World Series was the 106th edition of Major League Baseball’s championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, to decide which team would advance to play in the World Series against either the AL’s New York Yankees or NL’s Philadelphia Phillies.
The Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers last won the World Series in 1988, making them the team with the longest drought in the MLB. The Dodgers have made it to the World Series six times since their last win, but have failed to win it each time. Many fans and experts believe that the team’s failure to win the World Series is due to a curse.
The “Curse of the Bambino”
The “Curse of the Bambino” was a superstitious sports legend involving the Boston Red Sox, who were said to have been cursed by then-owner Harry Frazee after he sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1918. The curse came to be one of the most well-known in baseball history, and led to the Sox’s infamous 86-year drought between World Series championships, which ended when they won the 2004 World Series.
The 1988 World Series
The 1988 World Series matched the Oakland Athletics against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers winning four games to one. It was the first World Series contested between teams from California.
The Dodgers won their most recent World Series title in 1988, defeating the Oakland Athletics in five games. Led by MVP Orel Hershiser, the Dodgers pitching staff set a then-record with fifteen shutouts during the regular season. The team also hit a record-tying 215 home runs. The deep Dodger lineup featured eight All-Star hitters, including Kirk Gibson and Mike Marshall who each hit over 30 homers.
The A’s were led by Sluggers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, who combined to hit 57 home Runs. Despite this, Oakland’s potent offense was stymied by the Dodger pitching staff during the series. The A’s would not make it back to the World Series until 1989, where they would exact revenge on Hershiser and co., sweepng them in four games.
