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The American League has been rather lackluster for most of the 2026 season, with the exception of the AL East, which has produced the three top teams in the league in the Rays, Yankees and Red Sox. Entering Tuesday, those three teams had all won at least 84 games but were the only teams in the American League to have clinched a winning record. In fact, the Rangers and Astros are tied atop the AL West despite being a game below .500 at 78–79.
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That means there will likely be at least a couple of American League teams that end the season scarcely above .500 but still qualify for the postseason. For reference, the Astros missed the postseason last year after finishing the season 87–75, and there wasn’t a single AL playoff team with fewer than 87 wins.
But once a team qualifies for the postseason, its regular season record doesn’t matter. Winning 100-plus games in the regular season grants you a seat at the postseason table, and perhaps a bye, but nothing more than that. October baseball is about which team gets hot at the right time. Throughout league history, we’ve seen a handful of teams make a run to the World Series after barely sneaking into the postseason. We’re going to look back at the worst regular-season teams who have gone on to win the World Series.
10. 2021 Atlanta Braves
Regular season record: 88–73 (.547) | Pythagorean record: 94–67
Runs scored (MLB rank): 790 (8th) | Runs allowed (rank): 656 (6th)
Run differential: +134
The 2021 Braves needed just 88 wins to claim the NL East title, despite both wild-card winners in the National League having 90-plus wins (not to mention 106 wins by the Dodgers). Atlanta had the worst record among all postseason teams, but that didn’t deter them from winning the World Series without ever facing elimination along the way.
After underperforming throughout most of the regular season, the Braves got hot at the right time. They won 12 of their last 14 games to close out the year, and carried their winning ways into October. Atlanta defeated the Brewers in the NLDS in four games before taking care of business against the Dodgers in the NLCS in a six-game set. They closed things out with a six-game World Series victory over the Astros, with Jorge Soler emerging as a surprise MVP winner for the series.
9. 1990 Cincinnati Reds
Regular season record: 91–71 (.562) | Pythagorean record: 92–70
Runs scored (MLB rank): 693 (12th) | Runs allowed (rank): 597 (2nd)
Run differential: +96
No one hit more than 25 home runs (Chris Sabo), stole more than 30 bases (Barry Larkin, Billy Hatcher) or collected more than 86 RBIs (Eric Davis) on this offensively challenged squad. Cincinnati nevertheless won the NL West by five games despite recording just 91 wins, a low amount for the four-division era. That qualified the Reds for an NLCS showdown against the Pirates, a tightly contested series which they won in six games. That brought them to the Fall Classic for a clash with the Athletics, whom the Reds breezed past in a four-game sweep.
They outscored the A’s 22–8 in the series, and pitcher Jose Rijo was named World Series MVP after a dominant showing on the mound in two starts, logging a 0.59 ERA while striking out 14 in 15 1/3 innings.
8. 1980 Philadelphia Phillies
Regular season record: 91–71 (.562) | Pythagorean record: 91–71
Runs scored (MLB rank): 728 (11th) | Runs allowed (rank): 639 (5th)
Run differential: +89
The Phillies won the National League East by one game over the Montreal Expos behind heroic seasons from a pair of future Hall of Famers in NL MVP Mike Schmidt and Cy Young Award winner Steve Carlton. That secured them a spot in the NLCS, where they took on the Astros in what was an instant classic series. The two teams played in four consecutive extra-innings games to settle the series, with Philadelphia emerging victorious, 3–2, to clinch a World Series berth.
The Phillies met the Royals in the Fall Classic and won the series in six games, with Game 3 also needing extra frames to reach a conclusion. Schmidt was named World Series MVP after batting .381 with a pair of home runs.
7. 2011 St. Louis Cardinals
Regular season record: 90–72 (.556) | Pythagorean record: 88–74
Runs scored (MLB rank): 762 (5th) | Runs allowed (rank): 692 (15th)
Run differential: +70
The Cardinals earned the NL wild card in 2011 and had the fewest wins of any team in the postseason. That didn’t stop them from claiming their 11th, and most recent, World Series title. St. Louis won 16 of its final 21 games to take over the top spot in the NL wild-card race, setting itself up for an NLDS clash with the Phillies, which it won 3–2. The Cards then proceeded to defeat the rival Brewers in a six-game NLCS showdown to advance to the World Series, where they matched up against a 96-win Rangers team that won the AL West.
The series went the full seven games and included an extremely dramatic and memorable Game 6, which St. Louis won in 11 innings while on the brink of elimination. St. Louis trailed 7–5 entering the bottom of the ninth, and they were down to their final strike before David Freese laced a two-run triple to tie up the game. In extras, Josh Hamilton restored the Rangers’ lead with a two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning, but the Cardinals answered the call again in the bottom half, with an RBI ground out from Ryan Theriot followed by an RBI single from Lance Berkman. In the bottom of the 11th, tied at 9–9, Freese hit a walk-off solo home run to secure the theatrical comeback. St. Louis then won Game 7, 6–2, to secure the title.
6. 2000 New York Yankees
Regular season record: 87–74 (.540) | Pythagorean record: 85–76
Runs scored (MLB rank): 871 (10th) | Runs allowed (rank): 814 (12th)
Run differential: +57
A late-season slump nearly cost the Yankees a spot in the postseason in 2000, as the team limped to the end of the regular season by losing 15 of its last 18 games. New York was matched up against the Athletics in the divisional round and won the winner-take-all Game 5 on the road in Oakland to advance to the ALCS. The Yankees then beat Seattle in six games in the ALCS.
The 2000 World Series was a special one, dubbed The Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees, which the Yankees won in five games, including a 12-inning thriller in Game 1. The championship marked the Yankees’ third straight World Series title, which was the fourth and most recent time a team completed a three-peat in major-league history. Derek Jeter was named World Series MVP after he collected nine hits and batted .409 in the series.
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5. 2014 San Francisco Giants
Regular season record: 88–74 (.543) | Pythagorean record: 87–75
Runs scored (MLB rank): 665 (12th) | Runs allowed (rank): 614 (9th)
Run differential: +51
The 2014 Giants didn’t have much pop, with no player recording more than Buster Posey’s 22 home runs or 89 RBIs. But they didn’t need much when Madison Bumgarner was on the mound. And they did have a lot of playoff experience, having won the 2010 and ’12 World Series, and they drew on their “even year magic”-along with a historic run from Bumgarner-to win their third championship in five years. San Francisco defeated the Pirates, 8–0, in the wild-card game (a shutout by Bumgarner) to set up a date with the Nationals in the NLDS, which they won 3–1. In the NLCS, the Giants defeated the Cardinals in five games, stealing Game 1 on the road and winning Games 3, 4 and 5 at home.
In the World Series, the Giants faced off against the Royals in a series that needed seven games to reach a resolution. San Francisco closed it out with a 3–2 road win at Kauffman Stadium, thanks to a heroic relief pitching performance from Bumgarner, who pitched five scoreless innings out of the bullpen three days after hurling a complete-game shutout in Game 5 to win World Series MVP. Bumgarner recorded a 1.03 ERA in seven postseason games spanning 52 2/3 innings, practically carrying the Giants to the promised land.
4. 2003 Florida Marlins
Regular season record: 91–71 (.562) | Pythagorean record: 87–75
Runs scored (MLB rank): 751 (17th) | Runs allowed (rank): 692 (8th)
Run differential: +59
The Marlins finished second in the NL East, 10 games behind the division-winning Braves, in a season highlighted by the emergence of NL Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis. The 21-year-old lefty appeared to run out of gas in the postseason, however, leaving fellow youngster Josh Beckett (2.11 ERA in 42 2/3 innings) to pick up the mantle with aplomb. After taking down the Giants in four games in the NLDS, the Marlins fell behind three games to one against the Cubs in the NLCS, but won the final three games to reach the World Series for the second time in franchise history.
A matchup against the mighty Yankees in the World Series went in Florida’s favor, as they again won the final three games of the clash after trailing, 2–1, defeating New York in six games. The turning point of the series came in Game 4, when Alex Gonzalez delivered a walk-off solo home run in the 12th inning to tie up the series before the Fish win the final two games to secure the title. Beckett, 23, was named World Series MVP after hurling a nine-strikeout shutout at Yankee Stadium in Florida’s 2–0 clinching victory.
3. 1985 Kansas City Royals
Regular season record: 91–71 (.562) | Pythagorean record: 86–76
Runs scored (MLB rank): 687 (17th) | Runs allowed (rank): 639 (7th)
Run differential: +48
The ‘85 Royals earned a reputation as comeback kings. They entered the penultimate series of the regular season trailing the California Angels by one game in the AL West, then took three of four from the division leaders to leapfrog them en route to a division title despite scoring the second-fewest runs among AL teams. They then fell behind three games to one to the Blue Jays in the ALCS but came back to win the seven-game series by the thinnest of margins as Kansas City outscored Toronto, 26–25.
The Royals faced the Cardinals in the Fall Classic and again fell behind three games to one, then rebounded in a major way by outscoring St. Louis 19–2 in the final three games, including an 11–0 Game 7 victory. Bret Saberhagen was named World Series MVP after pitching two complete games, including the cliching shutout, to help Kansas City win its first championship.
2. 2006 St. Louis Cardinals
Regular season record: 83–78 (.513) | Pythagorean record: 82–79
Runs scored (MLB rank): 781 (14th) | Runs allowed (rank): 762 (10th)
Run differential (rank): +19 (15th)
The Cardinals won the NL Central in ‘06 despite winning just 83 games in the regular season, and their .513 regular-season winning percentage remains the lowest of any World Series-winning team in league history. St. Louis had a rough final month, going 12–17 in its last 29 games, but still managed to fend off the Astros to win the division by 1 1/2 games.
In the postseason, the Cards defeated the Padres in the NLDS, 3–1, before advancing to face the Mets, who had the NL’s best regular-season record. That series went seven games, but St. Louis advanced to the World Series after a 3–1 win in Game 7. The Cardinals made quick work of the Tigers in just five games to secure the title. David Eckstein was named World Series MVP for his clutch performances in Games 4 and 5, both of which he had the go-ahead RBIs in to help St. Louis claim a pair of close wins that would secure the title.
1. 1987 Minnesota Twins
Regular season record: 85–77 (.525) | Pythagorean record: 79–83
Runs scored (MLB rank): 786 (10th) | Runs allowed (rank): 806 (21st)
Run differential (rank): -20 (14th)
In 1987, the Twins were the champions of the the AL West despite winning just 85 games, ending the season on a five-game losing skid and having a negative run differential. It’s the only time a team that was outscored during the regular season went on to win a championship. Despite that, Minnesota quickly disposed of Detroit in the ALCS in five games to secure a World Series berth.
In the Fall Classic, the Twins were matched up against the Cardinals in a series that went seven games, with the home team winning every game. Minnesota won Games 1 and 2 before losing three straight on the road in St. Louis. When the series returned to the Metrodome, the Twins got the job done in Games 6 and 7 to become World Series champions. World Series MVP honors went to lefty Frank Viola, who made three starts and earned the wins in both the series opener and clincher by lasting eight innings in both games. It was a deserved honor for Viola, who was by far Minnesota’s most valuable player in the regular season (8.1 bWAR, 17–10, 2.70 ERA) and won his lone Cy Young Award the following year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The 10 Worst World Series-Winning Teams in MLB History.
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This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 4:00 AM.