With Opening Day upon us, the MLB season is now underway. While last year’s World Series winners, the Houston Astros, will be trying to defend their title, other teams will be vying for their first.
Of the 30 active MLB teams, all but one franchise has made a World Series appearance: the Seattle Mariners. Since joining the American League in 1977 as an expansion team, the Mariners have appeared in three league championship games but never won.
Twice, the Mariners fell victim to the team with the most World Series appearances and wins, the New York Yankees, ESPN records show.
Of the 118 World Series that have been played, the Yankees have appeared in 40, or one-third, winning 27.
Seattle isn’t the only team that has never brought home the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Here’s a look at the MLB teams vying for their first World Series win in order of the last time they appeared in the Fall Classic.
Seattle Mariners: Never
Milwaukee Brewers: 1982
The Brewers’ first and most recent appearance in the World Series was in 1982 when they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 7.
San Diego Padres: 1998
San Diego lost to the Yankees after they failed to win any games in the 4-game series. It was their second trip to the Fall Classic after losing out to the Detroit Tigers in 1984.
Colorado Rockies: 2007
On their first trip to the World Series, the Rockies fell to the Boston Red Sox without winning a game in the 4-game series.
Texas Rangers: 2011
In a 7-game series, the Rangers fell to the Cardinals, 4-3. It was their second appearance and second consecutive loss after the San Francisco Giants edged them out, 4-1, in 2010.
Tampa Bay Rays: 2020
The Rays fell 4-2 against the Dodgers. Twelve years earlier, in their first World Series, the Rays lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in a five-game series.
There are other teams that, technically, haven’t won a World Series for their city.
The Angels won in 2002 while based in Anaheim but, since becoming the Los Angeles Angeles, they haven’t appeared in the MLB championship. Likewise, the Marlins have been crowned as champions twice as Florida’s team but have yet to appear as Miami’s team. Since becoming the Guardians, Cleveland has yet to play in the World Series, though the franchise holds a 2-5 record in the Fall Classic.
While home to the Braves, Milwaukee’s MLB team played in two World Series championships, winning once in 1957 (against the Yankees, no less).
Some franchises have been luckier in the postseason after moving towns. The Braves, for example, have a 2-4 World Series record while in Atlanta, better than 1-1 finishes in both Milwaukee and Boston.
There are a handful of teams that have won just once or twice. That includes Cleveland, the Kansas City Royals, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Marlins, the New York Mets, the Phillies, the Washington Nationals, the Astros, the Angels, and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Only 12 teams have winning World Series records. Of those, five have won all of their appearances: the Blue Jays (2-0), the Marlins (2-0), the Nationals (1-0), the Angels (1-0), and the Diamondbacks (1-0).
