Major League Baseball

Which MLB teams have never won the World Series?

Updated Nov. 2, 2023 8:57 a.m. ET

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The World Series, the official championship of Major League Baseball, is contested each fall. While most MLB franchises have tasted victory at one time or another, there are a handful of clubs who have not. With the Texas Rangers taking home the 2023 World Series crown, there are now five teams who have not won the Fall Classic. Here are the five MLB teams that have never won the World Series:

• Colorado Rockies
• Milwaukee Brewers
• San Diego Padres
• Seattle Mariners
• Tampa Bay Rays

Let’s take a look at these five Major League Baseball franchises and see how close each has come in their history.

Colorado Rockies

The city of Denver was awarded a Major League Baseball franchise in 1991 and began play in 1993 as the Colorado Rockies.

Since that time, not only have the Rockies not won a World Series crown, but they are also one of only two teams to not even win a division championship, sharing that distinction with their 1993 expansion brethren, the Florida/Miami Marlins.

The "Blake Street Bombers" have, however, reached the MLB postseason on three occasions. They were a National League Wild Card team in the 1995, 2007 and 2009 seasons.

In 1995, the Rox dropped a four-game NLDS to the eventual world champion Atlanta Braves. In 2009, the Rockies dropped a tough four-game NLDS to the defending world champion Philadelphia Phillies, the last three games all decided by one run.

But it was in the 2007 season that the Rockies came the closest to snapping their World Series drought. That season, Colorado won 14 of their final 15 regular season games, culminating in a thrilling 13-inning walk-off 9-8 playoff victory over the San Diego Padres to earn one of the NL Wild Card berths.

The Rockies then swept the Phillies in three straight games in the NLDS and defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in four games to capture their only National League pennant.

Advancing to the Fall Classic for the only time in franchise history, the Rockies were mowed down by the Boston Red Sox in four straight games.

Milwaukee Brewers

The franchise was founded as an American League expansion club in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, but relocated from the Emerald City after just one season to Milwaukee, becoming the Brewers for the 1970 campaign.

The Brewers were American League nomads, playing in the AL West (1969-71), East (1972-93), and Central (1994-97) before being moved to the National League Central Division for the 1998 season.

The club has been to the MLB postseason just three times. In 1982 they won the AL East crown and in 2011 won the NL Central title. They were an NL Wild Card team in the 2008 season.

In 2008, the Brewers lost in four games in the NLDS to the eventual world champion Philadelphia Phillies.

In 2011, the Brewers had the best regular season record in franchise history at 96-56, defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games in the NLDS, but dropped the NLCS to the eventual world champion St. Louis Cardinals in six games.

It was the 1982 team, nicknamed "Harvey’s Wallbangers" as a nod to their slugging reputation and manager Harvey Kuenn, who would be the lone team in franchise history to reach the World Series to this point.

In the first-ever MLB playoff matchup between expansion teams, that Brew Crew squad rallied from a two-games-to-none deficit to defeat the California Angels in what was then a best-of-five ALCS.

In the World Series, the Brewers crushed the St. Louis Cardinals 10-0 in the opener, and had a 3-2 lead in the series.

In the decisive seventh game, Milwaukee took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning. But St. Louis rallied to win 6-3, denying the Brewers a championship.

San Diego Padres

In 1969, Major League Baseball added two new teams in both the National and American Leagues, and switched to a divisional setup for the first time.

Three of those clubs, including the San Diego Padres who were added to the NL West Division, have still almost a half-century later never won a World Series title.

The Friars have won five NL West crowns in the 1984, 1996, 1998, 2005 and 2006 seasons, and have reached the World Series twice, in 1984 and 1998.

In ’96, ’05, and ’06, the Padres were knocked out of the NLDS by the St. Louis Cardinals. The first two were sweeps in three straight games, and they lost in four games in 2006.

The 1984 and 1998 teams that reached the World Series were both led by the late Hall of Famer and greatest player in franchise history, outfielder Tony Gwynn.

In 1984, the Padres dropped the first two games of the NLCS to the Chicago Cubs, who were trying to shake a 76-year old World Series drought. You may have heard of it. But those Padres roared back to win three straight and advance to their first World Series. They split the first two games with a powerful Detroit Tigers club, but would lose in five games.

The 1998 team may have been the best in Padres history. They defeated a 102-win Houston Astros team in four games in the NLDS, and a 106-win Atlanta Braves club in six games to win the NL pennant.

In the World Series, however, the Padres ran into a dynastic New York Yankees squad. The Yanks swept out the Padres in four straight, capturing their second Fall Classic in three years and first of what would be three straight championships.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners became Major League Baseball’s second attempt at expanding into the Seattle market in less than a decade, following the 1970 relocation of the Pilots and a subsequent breach of contract lawsuit by the city and the state of Washington.

The franchise began play in the 1977 season at the Kingdome, which would remain their home until replaced by Safeco Field in July of 1999. Members of the American League West Division since their inception, the Mariners have won the division crown three times: 1995, 1997, and 2001. They were also an AL Wild Card team in 2000.

Those mid-90s teams were highlighted by the presence of the greatest player in franchise history, new Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., as well as superstars like Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, and Edgar Martinez.

The winning continued into the early 21st century thanks largely to the addition of future Hall of Fame outfielder Ichiro Suzuki from Japan.

The Mariners have not only never won a World Series, they have never even played in one.

In 1995, the Mariners defeated the California Angels 9-1 in a tie-breaker playoff game to win the AL West crown. Then down 2-0 to the New York Yankees in the ALDS, the M’s rallied to win in a dramatic fifth game walk-off. But those M’s were knocked out in the ALCS in six games by a powerful Cleveland Indians team.

In 1997 they were rushed out of the NLDS in four games by the Baltimore Orioles. In 2000, the Mariners swept the Chicago White Sox in three straight, but then lost a six-game ALCS to the eventual world champion New York Yankees.

The 2001 Mariners were perhaps one of the best teams of the 2000s. That club set the American League record and tied the MLB record by winning 116 games in the regular season. The M’s then rallied from down two games to one to take two straight and edge the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS, but lost in five to the New York Yankees in the ALCS.

Tampa Bay Rays

After trying for decades to land a big league team, the Tampa market was awarded a club in 1995, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays began play in the 1998 season.

Following the 2007 season, the "Devil" was dropped from the team name, and maybe it lifted a hex, as for the first time the club won the AL East Division crown in 2008. The Rays would go on to win another AL East Division title in 2010, and they were also an AL Wild Card team in both the 2011 and 2013 seasons.

In 2010, the Rays dropped the first two games of the ALDS, but fought back to even the series against the Texas Rangers. However, Texas pulled out the fifth and decisive game.

As the AL Wild Card team in 2011, the Rays were against bounced out by the Rangers in the ALDS, this time in four games.

The 2013 Rays gained a measure of vengeance against Texas by winning a playoff game between the two teams, who had tied for the second AL Wild Card berth. Those 2013 Rays then shut out the Cleveland Indians 4-0 in the first AL Wild Card Game, but were subsequently knocked out in four games in the ALDS by the eventual world champion Boston Red Sox.

The 2008 Tampa Bay club had changed its name and team colors, and an exciting group of young players not only won their first AL East crown, they also defeated the Chicago White Sox in four games in the ALDS.

That moved the Rays into the ALCS against the defending world champion Boston Red Sox. Tampa Bay won three of the first four, but Boston rallied to win to straight and force a seventh game.

In a dramatic Game Seven, the BoSox took an early 1-0 lead. But the Rays rallied for single runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh and held on for a 3-1 victory and the lone American League pennant in franchise history.

In the World Series, the Rays had home field advantage against a powerful Philadelphia Phillies squad. However, the Fightin’ Phils would win in five games, including a fifth game that took three days to complete thanks to torrential rains.

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