Every MLB Franchise's Most Heartbreaking Team Since 2000
The Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2003. Every sports fan has a team that haunts them. The Sports Fan's Favorite Teams revisits each MLB franchise's most heartbreaking team since 2000.
Baltimore Orioles came off a 96-win season and their first division title since 1997. The team that collapsed with a 7-20 record in September in 2011 also belongs in this conversation. Tampa Bay Rays won the 2010 AL East title with 96 wins but lost in the ALDS to Texas Rangers. Toronto Blue Jays were expected to improve after signing Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson from the Miami Marlins and R.A. Dickey from New York Mets. Boston Red Sox won four straight games in 2004 ALCS after being down 3-0 in Game 7.
The Chicago White Sox are the most heartbreaking team since 2000. The Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals are also in the list. The Minnesota Twins have lost 18 straight playoff games dating back to the 2004 ALDS. They went from winning two division titles to finishing at the bottom of the AL Central standings. It was the last season for the Kansas Royals. Their players were traded away. In the end, the front office kept the core together. it was a good decision. they kept them together for one more season. and then they were sold. in 2017. the team won only 93 games.
The Houston Astros were leading the 2019 World Series against the Washington Nationals when they were taken out by Will Harris. The 1986 Angels were one strike away from the World series. In 1995 the Angels suffered one of the worst regular-season collapses in baseball history. Mike Trout's only playoff appearance came in 2014. Oakland Athletics won 102 games during the regular season and played in the same division as Seattle Mariners. Texas Rangers came close to winning the 2010 World Cup but lost to the San Francisco Giants in Game 6. Seattle is on their way to snapping the longest playoff drought in MLB this season.
The Miami Marlins spent a combined $191 million to sign Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell in 2012. The team went 69-93 and lost the NL East title to the Philadelphia Phillies. New York Mets lost a seven-game lead in the N.L. East on the final day of the regular season in 2007. Washington Nationals lost six games in a row in August 2015 to miss the playoffs. Philadelphia Phils won a franchise-record 102 games and went to playoffs in 2011, but they lost to St. Louis Cardinals in NLDS.
The Chicago Cubs were the most heartbreaking team in MLB history. The Cincinnati Reds were one of the healthiest teams in the league in 2012. Pittsburgh Pirates were in postseason for the third year in a row in 2015, but they lost to the Chicago Cubbies in Wild Card Game. Milwaukee Brewers haven't been to playoffs since the 1982 World Series. St. Louis Cardinals were outscored 20-1 in three potential series-clinching games in NLCS against San Francisco Giants. The Pirates have had just one winning season in seven years. They were shut out in their Wildcard game for second straight year.
Arizona Diamondbacks went from 69 wins in 2016 to 93 wins and a wild-card berth in 2017. Colorado Rockies went 14-1 over their final 15 games in 2008 to clinch a playoff spot. San Diego Padres lost 10 in a row from late August to early September in 2010. The San Francisco Giants lost the 2002 World Series to the Los Angeles Angels. The Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal cast a cloud over the 2017 World series. They won it 7-5. It was the first time since the 1990s that the Dodgers lost a World Championship.
