Terrible Tales Of Baseball’s Worst Droughts

The Arizona Diamondbacks have done something that no other team has done before. Or, more appropriately, the Diamondbacks have done something no one else has wanted to do before. On June 17, the Diamondbacks lost their 23rd straight away game, not having won since SP Madison Bumgarner’s unofficial no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves on April 25. While Arizona won 10 games at home during that stretch, only two have come in June. Although the new record looks bad, plenty of other terrible streaks throughout MLB history fit in well with this unflattering stretch.

The Colonels Put The L In Louisville

There is plenty of talk about which team was the greatest of all time, but the Colonels certainly locked up the worst of all time. The Colonels were one of baseball’s original professional teams who were first called the Louisville Eclipse in 1882. From 1884-1899, the name was changed to the Colonels, and this team was a constant feature at the league’s bottom. The Colonels had a few seasons where they stood in the middle of the pack before the infamous 1889 season.

The team achieved many losing streaks that year, but none worse than the 26 losses from May 22 to June 22. During that stretch, the Colonels lost eight games by nine or more runs. At the end of the streak, the Colonels locked up the cellar and were 30 games out of first place. Finishing the season with a 27-111 record, the Colonels won three games in a row only once in the entire season. Things quickly turned around in the following season, however, when the team won the American Association Pennant with an 88-44-4 record and faced the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in the championship. However, that series ended in a 3-3-1 tie, and no one was declared the winner.  

 If At First You Don’t Succeed, Swing, Swing Again

The Baltimore Orioles felt confident giving 1B Chris Davis a seven-year contract extension worth $161 million in 2016 after trading for him in 2011. Davis led the league twice in homers with the Orioles, including the 2015 season, but also had the most strikeouts in the AL. This signaled a sharp decline in his form that showed the new extension would come back to hurt the Orioles. In his first year with the new contract, Davis led the league in strikeouts again, but 38 home runs justified his .221 batting average. In 2017, the home runs and average dropped again, but the strikeouts stayed consistent. By 2018, Davis was hitting below .200, and his most miserable year was right around the corner.

In 2019 the Orioles did not want to keep a player worth over $100 million on the bench, but his at-bats weren’t showing results. Davis started the season with zero hits in 54 at-bats. Davis also racked up 16 strikeouts during this cold stretch. However, it wasn’t until game 13 that his bat finally came alive. The veteran first baseman racked up three hits, including a home run against the Boston Red Sox, and after breaking his horrid streak, he asked for the ball. Davis was able to pick up his average throughout the season but never got it past .185.

 Just A Bit Outside

In 2016, the Chicago Cubs won its first World Series in 108 years, breaking the longest drought in baseball, but the other team in that fall classic was also hoping to end a drought of their own. The Cleveland Indians fell short in Game 7 and have yet to make it back to the promised land, giving them the longest active drought in baseball. In addition, the franchise has seen several generations of superstar talent come and go without winning the Commissioner’s Trophy. Since 1948, the Indians have lost four times in the World Series out of 13 playoff appearances. And no, this does not include any success the Indians had in the “Major League” movies.

After losing to the Cubs, the Indians looked poised to make another run in 2017 by placing first in the AL Central with 102 wins. However, the Indians gave up a 2-0 series lead to the New York Yankees in the ALDS and lost Game 5 at home. Just four years later, the Indians completely blew up the core of their success by trading away most of their top talent, including former Cy Young winner SP Corey Kluber, four-time All-Star SS Francisco Lindor and sticky stuff enthusiast SP Trevor Bauer. Cleveland also had one of the most prolonged city droughts for any major sports championship until the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA championship in 2016.

 Seattle Is Waiting For Fall

Staying on the trend of World Series droughts, the Seattle Mariners are the only active franchise never to make it to the World Series. The Mariners were singled out as the only team to never appear in the Fall Classic when the Washington Nationals won the NL Pennant and the World Series in 2019. Seattle is another club with plenty of superstars but no hardware to show for it.

Most clubs have at least one season where everything went right for them and they made it to the championship, such as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case for the Mariners, who have only finished first in the AL West three times in 44 years. Despite having CF Ken Griffey Jr., 3B Edgar Martínez, RFJay Buhner and SS Alex Rodriguez on the field with SP Randy Johnson as the ace, the Mariners could not top the opponents in the AL. In 2001, Seattle broke the single-season record with 116 wins and still lost to the Yankees in the ALCS. 

The Houston Astros run the AL West with the Oakland Athletics locking down second. The Mariners also must compete with CF Mike Trout’s Los Angeles Angels, who might do something one year. But, for now, Seattle will hold on to the infamous title of the only team not to make the World Series.

As the Diamondbacks look to end their streak against the San Diego Padres, they can take solace because there are still some records that seem a lot worse than theirs. Personally, I think the 26-game losing streak may top them all, as the team involved lost a lot more games after the drought. However, Seattle and Cleveland fans might have different perspectives.

Cover photo courtesy of Matt York/AP Photo