Which teams have never won the World Series?

In the storied history of the ‘Fall Classic,’ there are in fact a handful of teams who have never had the honor of being crowned MLB champions. With the Texas Rangers now in the World Series, they may just find a way to bring an end to that drought, but who are the others?

The Texas Rangers could separate themselves from the pack

Following an absolutely thrilling ALCS win in seven games against the Houston Astros, the Texas Rangers are now set to face the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 MLB World Series. Yet, unlike the team they defeated to have the opportunity, and the team they are about to face, the Rangers have never gotten their hands on the Commissioner’s Trophy. Indeed, there are in fact five teams in total who have never won a World Series title, and here’s a look at who they are.

Tampa Bay Rays

Unlike the other teams on this list, the Rays don’t necessarily have a history that is steeped in countless years. That said, the team has been to the World Series on two occasions and was in the playoffs as recently as this very campaign - their fifth straight appearance. Unfortunately, the team has yet to fulfill the obvious promise that it’s demonstrated in recent years. As such they remain without a World Series title and will have to wait until next year to try to rectify that.

Colorado Rockies

When the Rockies secured a playoff spot in 2017, there was cause for celebration, but that was quickly muted by the fact that they didn’t win a single game and were promptly on their way back home. As you can imagine, when they managed to clinch a playoff spot the following season in 2018, there was cause for hope, but once again they went home in the first round winless. Aside from those two consecutive appearances, the Rockies have only been to the postseason on one other occasion, back in 2009. Prior to that, they did - believe it or not - make it all the way to the World Series in 2007, but that ended in tears.

Seattle Mariners

It’s understandable if you feel some degree of sympathy for the two teams mentioned above, both of whom have actually been to the World Series, but spare a thought for the Mariners who have never had the opportunity to enjoy such an honor. Indeed, prior to the 2022 season, the team was sitting on the longest post-season drought of any team in the four major professional leagues with 20. This of course is the definition of irony when one considers the fact that the team has had players such as Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, and Ichiro Suzuki on the roster over the years, and there are more.

Texas Rangers

The talk of the town at the moment, the Rangers will be hoping to finally add the most important trophy to their cabinet, following what has to be considered a sensational run to the 2023 World Series. In total, fans in Texas have seen their team make a postseason trip eight times, however, before the five appearances that they made between 2010 and 2016, the other three were many years before, including when they were known as the Washington Senators, a club founded in 1961. The closest they came to victory was of course in 2011, when they were literally one strike away from claiming the title in Game 6 against the Cardinals.

Milwaukee Brewers

With one single World Series appearance, the Brewers are better off than the Mariners, but not by much. The last time they made it to the championship series was back in 1982, a period when they still played in the AL. There was of course a close shave in 2018, when they pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to seven games in the NLCS, but in the end, it was not to be.

San Diego Padres

On two occasions the Padres have been to the World Series, but in both scenarios, they were summarily put down. First by the Tigers in 1984 who won the series 4-1 and then by the 1998 Yankees who swept them. To be fair, that Yankees team is widely considered one of the greatest in MLB history after they registered 114 regular season wins before finally being crowned champions.