By Trey Lyle
We are now moving to the south side of Chicago to talk about the White Sox and their best season. A team founded in 1900, the White Sox only won the World Series three times and out of those three teams, one stands out over the rest of them. For their best season, we have to go way back over 100 years to the 1917 Chicago White Sox as the best season in franchise history. A team that won 100 games, which is still a team record for wins in a season, finished nine games above Boston in the American League. They went on to win the World Series against the New York Giants in six games. The team wouldn’t win another title until 2005. The team was built off of their pitching staff and had a league-best 2.16 ERA, which included four pitchers that had an ERA under 2. They also led the American League in shutouts with 21 and were third in strikeouts with 517. The staff was headlined by Eddie Cicotte, who led the AL in wins with 28 and ERA at 1.53. The team could hit as well, leading the American League in runs (656) and on-Base Percentage (.329). Plus they led the AL in stolen bases with 219. The team had three Hall of Famers in Eddie Collins, Red Faber, and Ray Schalk, but could have had more due to some of the players being a part of the infamous 1919 “Black Sox” team such as Shoeless Joe Jackson who is one of the best players not to be in the Hall of Fame. The only team to win a hundred games in franchise history and one of the best pitching staffs in the history of baseball makes the 1917 Chicago White Sox the best season in franchise history.
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By Trey Lyle
One of the oldest teams in baseball, founded in 1894, there are plenty of seasons to choose from in theory for the Cleveland Indians when it comes to which one is the best. But the Indians have only won the World Series twice, and that was in 1920 and 1945 respectively. The 71-year drought is the longest active championship drought in baseball. But for their best season, I'm not picking a season where they won it all, but one where they were able to win the American League pennant. The best season was the 1995 Cleveland Indians, mainly due to having one of the best regular seasons in baseball history. In a shortened season due to the previous season's strike, the team went 100-44, which is the first team in American League history to win 100 games in fewer than 154 games. The team won the AL Central by 30 games, went to the postseason to sweep the Red Sox in the ALDS and beat the Seattle Mariners in six games in the ALCS. However, the team did fall to the Atlanta Braves in the World Series in six games. The team was led by closer Jose Mesa, who finished second in the Cy Young voting, leading the league with 46 saves and the finishing pitcher in 57 games total that season. Mesa had an ERA of 1.13 that season, only giving up eight earned runs, one unearned, and three home runs during the entire season. The team also had the second-place finisher in the AL MVP race with Albert Belle, who led the league in RBIs with 126, home runs with 50, and slugging percentage at .690. The team also was headlined by a young Manny Ramirez and Hall of Famers Jim Thome, Eddie Murray and Dave Winfield. As a team, they led the American League in home runs with 207, stolen bases with 132, on-base percentage at .361, and slugging at .479. The pitching staff led the league in ERA at 3.93 and was third in strikeouts with 926 Ks during the season. The 1995 Indians were one of the best teams ever not to win it all, and it makes them the best team in Indians' history due to being the best team ever assembled in the Land. By Trey Lyle
So for the first time on the American League side of the Best Seasons series, we have a team that has not won a World Series in the Tampa Bay Rays. This is a relatively young franchise founded in 1998, making them a year younger than both Matt and myself. The team didn't have much early success, finishing last in the AL East in nine of its first ten seasons. Their best season in franchise history came when the team entered its 11th year, and the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays were by far the best season in team history. This was the first time the team had a winning record, finishing the season with a 97-65 record and winning the AL East. In the postseason, the team went on to beat the White Sox in four games in the ALDS and the Red Sox in seven games in the ALCS. This is to date the team's only pennant. The Rays ultimately fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series in five games. A trademark of this team was its ability to win close games, which included 11 walk-off wins. The Rays were also led by their pitching staff with a 3.82 ERA, second in the AL, and were fourth in the AL with 1,143 strikeouts during the season. The team was fast around the diamond, leading the AL with 142 stolen bases. A team that set a new standard for what Rays baseball could be as well as putting Joe Maddon on the map, the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays are their best season in franchise history. By Trey Lyle
“Touch ‘em all Joe! You’ll will never hit a bigger home run in your life” One of the most memorable calls and iconic home runs in the history of baseball-capped the best season in the history of the Toronto Blue Jays: the 1993 World Series championship team. After winning the World Series in 1992, the Blue Jays had a major target on their back as the defending world champs, and they embraced it, becoming the first team since the 1977-78 Yankees to win back to back championships. The team finished the season at 95-67, won the AL East and beat the White Sox in the ALCS in six games. They went on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games in the World Series, of course ending with that iconic Joe Carter three-run walk-off home run to win the series. The team led the AL in batting average, hitting .279, was first in slugging at .436, and second in runs at 847. The team also showed an ability to steal bases, leading the AL with 170 steals during the season. As for the pitching, the team was fifth in the AL in ERA at 4.21 and second in strikeouts at 1,023. I picked the '93 team over the '92 team despite the '92 team winning one more game than the '93 team because the team went back to back, which is one of the hardest things to do in all of sports. For example, the next team to go back to back was 1998-2000 Yankees, who won three straight, but no other team has done that since then. So only two teams have done it over the last four decades dating back to the 1980s.
Another American League East team founded in 1901, this team, of course, being founded as the Milwaukee Brewers, then became the St. Louis Browns, and finally the Baltimore Orioles in 1954.
Despite being in the league for so long, the team was only able to win the World Series on three occasions, 1966, 1970, and 1983. So when you compare those three teams for the best season ever, you have to pick the 1970 team as the best just based off of their dominance that season. The team went 108-54, 15 games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East, and ten games better than the second-best team in the AL which was the Twins, who had 98 wins. The team went on a historic run through the postseason, only losing once, sweeping the Twins in the ALCS and beating the Reds in five games in the World Series. Back then the ALCS was a best of 5, so in their eight games played in the 1970 postseason, the Orioles scored 60 runs. The team was headlined by Boog Powell, who was the AL MVP. Powell hit .297, had 35 HRs and 114 RBIs. Playing alongside Powell in Baltimore were three future Hall of Famers; Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Jim Palmer were all on the 1970 O's team and have been inducted into Cooperstown. Plus, the team was managed by a Hall of Famer in Earl Weaver. Their pitching headlined the team boasting three - yes, three - 20-game winners in David McNally (24-9), Mike Cuellar (24-8), and Palmer (20-10). Palmer also had five shutouts that season. As a whole staff, the team had a league-best 3.15 ERA, was second in walks at 469, and fourth in strikeouts with 941. One of the most dominant teams in the history of baseball and one of the best of all time put the 1970 team as the best season in Baltimore Orioles history. By Trey Lyle
The Yankees are the winningest, most iconic franchise in all of sports with 27 championships. This is a franchise that was founded in 1901, and it took until the last decade in the 2010s before the team went a whole decade without reaching the World Series. So this might be the hardest one of all the team to pick the best season, but also it isn’t. It is the team that is widely considered to be the greatest baseball team in the history of Major League Baseball. The 1927 New York Yankees. Maybe the most star-studded team of all time that featured the famous “Murderers’ Row” line up featuring four Hall of Famers in Earle Combs, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Tony Lazzeri. As a team, the Yankees batted .307 and slugged .489 and scored 975 runs, outscoring opponents by then record 376 runs. To put that in perspective, the Cleveland Indians led the league last season in run differential by only 112 runs. As mentioned, this team featured two of the greatest players of all time in Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who both had monster seasons. Ruth hit a then-record 60 home runs in a season, which set the focus on his chase of his previous record of 59 home runs set in 1921. The Yankees won the league by 19 games, being in 1st place wire to wire that season. Ruth's stats that season were incredible as he hit .356, drove in 164 runs, and slugged .772. The reason Ruth didn’t win MVP is because there was a rule back then that an MVP can't goe to one person in back-to-back seasons, so that honor went to Gehrig, who had a phenomenal season of his own right. Gehrig hit .373, had 47 home runs and hit a league-best 175 RBIs that season. The team’s pitching staff was no joke either. They had a league-best 3.20 ERA. They were headlined by two Hall of Famers at the top of the rotation in Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock. Hall of Famer Miller Huggins also managed the team. Just a team loaded with talent that we haven’t seen ever since. As mentioned, the team dominated the American League, winning by 19 games, winning 110 games, which was an American League record at that time. They went on to sweep the Pirates in the World Series to complete the best season in Yankees history and maybe in the history of Major League Baseball. By Trey Lyle
The Boston Red Sox are one of the oldest teams in baseball, being founded in 1901. They've won the World Series nine times, with the first five coming from 1903 to 1918 and the last four coming from 2004 to their most recent in 2018. Obviously the biggest gap is due to the Curse of the Bambino after the team sold its best player Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1918. So what is the Red Sox best season? For historical reasons you could say 2004, the team that broke the curse also made maybe the most historical comeback in postseason history coming back from down 3-0 to beat the Yankees in the ALCS. But that team didn’t win the AL East. For emotional and maybe unifying reasons is 2013, the team that came together after the Boston Marathon Bombings to win a World Series. Also, this was the second team ever to come from finishing last in their division the year before to win the World Series the next season, along with the 1991 Minnesota Twins. This team did win the AL East but only won 97 games, which is one less than their '04 team. If you look at just the teams as they sit on the field, I know this is very recent, but the statistics just are too good to pass up. The most recent championship team for the Red Sox, 2018, is the best in franchise history. The team won 108 games,, which was the best record in baseball and the best record in franchise history. The team featured the league MVP in Mookie Betts, their last being in 2008 with Dustin Pedroia. The team also led the league in runs per game, RBIs, Batting Average, On-Base Percentage, and Slugging. Mookie was also the batting champ, with JD Martinez taking both the RBI and home run crown. Plus their pitching was no joke either; with Chris Sale at the helm the team was 7th in ERA and had the 4th most strikeouts that season. Their postseason run you could say was one of the most difficult of all time and they made it look easy, facing the two other 100-win teams that season in the Yankees and Astros and only losing once to each of them. They then were able to win the World Series over the Dodgers in five games. The 2018 Boston Red Sox is the franchise's best team ever because when you take the whole season in its totality and look at the statistics you could argue that they are one of the greatest teams of all time. The final National League team we look at in our Best Seasons series is the San Francisco Giants. Like the Dodgers, the Giants are a team with a long and storied history. The franchise dates back to 1883 and has played 138 seasons of Major League Baseball.
In that time, the Giants have won eight World Series and 23 pennants. That amount of success again makes it difficult to determine which season will go down as the best in franchise history. There are seven seasons in Giants' history in which the team won 100 or more games. Only one of those seasons saw the team win the World Series - 1905. But the season that I'm going with is 1962, and for one reason: Willie Mays. The 1905 team won 105 games and the World Series while the 1962 team won 103 games and lost the World Series. But when you think of the Giants, you think of Willie Mays. Given the marginal difference in terms of wins and the fact that the playoff success is random and doesn't always reflect the better team, I've decided to go with the 1962 team as the best in Giants' history. A 103-win season is pretty impressive, and when you have a player of Mays' caliber on your team, it's hard not to have a good season. Mays finished the year batting .304/.384/.615 with 49 home runs and 141 RBIs. Somehow he finished second in the MVP voting to a guy that hit .299 with just six home runs and 48 RBIs. I don't get it. Anyway, Mays' season was fantastic. It was the third-most home runs and most RBIs he ever had in a season during his 22-year career. That year of course earned him an All-Star selection, along with Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, Jim Davenport and Felipe Alou. Three of those players - Mays, Cepeda and Marichal - are now Hall of Famers. Not to mention fellow Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, who played in 91 games that year. Mays and Cepeda each started for the National League in the All-Star Game. As a team, the Giants led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and RBIs while finishing second in home runs. The Giants led the entire league in wins in 1962, finishing with seven more wins than the New York Yankees. The Yankees would go on the win a seven-game World Series, but no one can deny the talent that the Giants put on the field in '62. With a combination of Mays and the four other All-Stars around him, there was no stopping the Giants in the 1962 regular season. In my opinion, they will go down as the best team to take the field for San Francisco. As we wrap up our look at the best season of each team in the National League, it's time to take a look at another team that has yet to win a World Series. The San Diego Padres have been in existence since 1969, but it that time they haven't had much success at all.
In their 52 seasons, the Padres have only made the playoffs five times. Each time was as a division champion; the Padres have never earned a Wild Card berth to the postseason. They had a couple of good runs in the playoffs, making the World Series in 1984 and again in 1998. Once they reached the Fall Classic, though, their momentum stalled. The '84 team lost 4-1 in the series while the '98 squad got swept by the Yankees. The limited success makes my job easier, though, as there are few seasons to choose from for the best in franchise history. With 98 wins, a division title and a World Series appearance, the 1998 Padres will go down as the best group of players to take the field for San Diego. The team had two future Hall of Famers in Tony Gwynn (arguably the best hitter of all-time) and Trevor Hoffman (arguably the best closer of all-time). Each made the All-Star team in 1998, along with Andy Ashby, Kevin Brown and Greg Vaughn. The team had two players - Vaughn and Hoffman - place in the top 10 in NL MVP voting. San Diego also had two pitchers - Hoffman and Brown - place in the top 3 of NL Cy Young voting. The pitching staff ranked third in ERA (3.63) and second in strikeouts for the season (1,217). Hoffman led the league with 53 saves in the season while Brown was fourth in the league with 257 strikeouts. The Padres' 1998 team was not only the last time San Diego made it to the World Series, it was also the last time they won a playoff round. The team has made the postseason twice since then and has failed to advance beyond the divisional round each time. While San Diego's future looks promising, they have yet to produce anything on the field, but they'll always have the 1998 season to look back upon. The Dodgers are probably right behind the Yankees in terms of well-known baseball franchises. Spending their entire history in the two biggest markets in the United States is definitely a big part of that, but so is the success they've had.
The Dodgers are one of the oldest teams in the league, forming in 1884 as the Brooklyn Atlantics. Throughout their history, they've won six World Series titles and had plenty of successful seasons. That made them one of the tougher teams when it came time to decide their best season. I feel like a lot of the decisions I've made in this series have been more recent teams, and I don't want to seem like I have any sort of recency bias. The Dodgers have had tons of success spread all across their history, from a 101-win season in 1899 to a 105-win season in 1953, to a 106-win season in 2019. Their last World Series title came during the 1988 season, which was noteworthy for plenty of reasons, but they only won 94 games during the regular season. (I say only like that's not impressive, but when you're talking about the Dodgers, there are far more impressive seasons.) So I want to make it clear, there is no recency bias here at all. I am trying my best to figure out which Dodgers season saw the best product put on the field. The goal is to figure out which group of players was the best at any given time. And with that in mind, I have to go with the 2019 Dodgers as the best season in franchise history. The 2019 squad went 106-56, winning the most games in team history. They won their seventh-straight division championship. Although they weren't able to get far in the playoffs - losing to the Nationals in the first round - their regular season was among the best in history. Last year's Dodgers team feature their second MVP in the decade as Cody Bellinger took home the National League award. The 24-year-old outfielder hit .305/.406/.629 with 47 home runs and 115 RBIs last year. He finished the season with 9.1 wins above replacement, the most by a Dodgers player since Zack Greinke in 2015. The Dodgers' bats were great last year as the team hit .257/.338/.472 with 279 home runs. But it was their pitching where they really shined. Three Los Angeles starters finished in the top 10 of NL Cy Young voting - Hyun-Jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler. Their pitching staff led the league with a 3.37 ERA. The next-best was 3.65 by Tampa Bay. That's a huge difference, and it really shows how dominant the Dodgers' pitching staff was. The team sent five players to the All-Star Game in Cleveland - the three pitchers, Bellinger and Max Muncy. I know it seems like I'm choosing a lot of recent teams for this series, but the fact is that as technology and training methods advance, teams are only getting better. And the Dodgers are at the forefront of that movement. They have had three dominant seasons in a row, and with the team they have put together right now, they'll be dominant for years to come. |
AuthorMatthew Atkins, Journalist and Baseball fan. Archives
March 2023
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