Mailbag: Winning 95+ Games and Not Finishing in 1st Place

Posted by Neil Paine on July 6, 2011

B-R reader Andrew asks:

"The Braves could win 100 games and finish behind the Phils this year... How many times has this happened?"

The Braves are currently on pace for 95 wins, but unfortunately for them, the Phillies are on pace for 102. Here's every instance of a team winning at least 95 games and not finishing in 1st place (whether in the division or, prior to divisional play, the league):

Year	Team	Lg	Div	Rank	W	L	WPct	R	RA	Pyth
1909	Chicago Cubs	NL		2	104	49	.680	635	390	.709
1942	Brooklyn Dodgers	NL		2	104	50	.675	742	510	.665
1954	New York Yankees	AL		2	103	51	.669	805	563	.658
1993	San Francisco Giants	NL	W	2	103	59	.636	808	636	.608
1962	Los Angeles Dodgers	NL		2	102	63	.618	842	697	.586
2001	Oakland Athletics (WC)	AL	W	2	102	60	.630	884	645	.640
1961	Detroit Tigers	AL		2	101	61	.623	841	671	.602
1915	Detroit Tigers	AL		2	100	54	.649	778	597	.619
1980	Baltimore Orioles	AL	E	2	100	62	.617	805	640	.603
1978	Boston Red Sox	AL	E	2	99	64	.607	796	657	.587
2002	Anaheim Angels (WC)	AL	W	2	99	63	.611	851	644	.625
1908	New York Giants	NL		2	98	56	.636	652	456	.658
1908	Pittsburgh Pirates	NL		2	98	56	.636	585	469	.600
1928	Philadelphia Athletics	AL		2	98	55	.641	829	615	.633
1964	Chicago White Sox	AL		2	98	64	.605	642	501	.612
1974	Cincinnati Reds	NL	W	2	98	64	.605	776	631	.594
1985	New York Mets	NL	E	2	98	64	.605	695	568	.591
2004	Boston Red Sox (WC)	AL	E	2	98	64	.605	949	768	.596
1962	Cincinnati Reds	NL		3	98	64	.605	802	685	.572
1941	St. Louis Cardinals	NL		2	97	56	.634	734	589	.599
Year	Team	Lg	Div	Rank	W	L	WPct	R	RA	Pyth
1951	Brooklyn Dodgers	NL		2	97	60	.618	855	672	.608
1977	Baltimore Orioles	AL	E	2	97	64	.602	719	653	.544
1977	Boston Red Sox	AL	E	2	97	64	.602	859	712	.585
1985	New York Yankees	AL	E	2	97	64	.602	839	660	.608
1999	New York Mets (WC)	NL	E	2	97	66	.595	853	711	.583
1964	Baltimore Orioles	AL		3	97	65	.599	679	567	.582
1898	Baltimore Orioles	NL		2	96	53	.644	933	623	.677
1905	Pittsburgh Pirates	NL		2	96	57	.627	692	570	.588
1906	New York Giants	NL		2	96	56	.632	625	510	.592
1920	Chicago White Sox	AL		2	96	58	.623	794	665	.580
1935	St. Louis Cardinals	NL		2	96	58	.623	829	625	.626
1946	Brooklyn Dodgers	NL		2	96	60	.615	701	570	.594
1948	Boston Red Sox	AL		2	96	59	.619	907	720	.604
1949	Boston Red Sox	AL		2	96	58	.623	896	667	.632
1949	St. Louis Cardinals	NL		2	96	58	.623	766	616	.598
1977	Pittsburgh Pirates	NL	E	2	96	66	.593	734	665	.545
1987	Toronto Blue Jays	AL	E	2	96	66	.593	845	655	.614
1997	New York Yankees (WC)	AL	E	2	96	66	.593	891	688	.616
1999	Cincinnati Reds	NL	C	2	96	67	.589	865	711	.589
1899	Boston Beaneaters	NL		2	95	57	.625	858	645	.628
Year	Team	Lg	Div	Rank	W	L	WPct	R	RA	Pyth
1909	Philadelphia Athletics	AL		2	95	58	.621	605	408	.673
1945	St. Louis Cardinals	NL		2	95	59	.617	756	583	.617
1950	Detroit Tigers	AL		2	95	59	.617	837	713	.573
1965	Chicago White Sox	AL		2	95	67	.586	647	555	.570
1965	San Francisco Giants	NL		2	95	67	.586	682	593	.564
1973	Los Angeles Dodgers	NL	W	2	95	66	.590	675	565	.581
1979	Milwaukee Brewers	AL	E	2	95	66	.590	807	722	.551
1979	Montreal Expos	NL	E	2	95	65	.594	701	581	.585
2002	San Francisco Giants (WC)	NL	W	2	95	66	.590	783	616	.608
2003	Boston Red Sox (WC)	AL	E	2	95	67	.586	961	809	.578
2005	Boston Red Sox (WC)	AL	E	2	95	67	.586	910	805	.556
2006	Detroit Tigers (WC)	AL	C	2	95	67	.586	822	675	.589
2008	Boston Red Sox (WC)	AL	E	2	95	67	.586	845	694	.589
2009	Boston Red Sox (WC)	AL	E	2	95	67	.586	872	736	.577
2010	New York Yankees (WC)	AL	E	2	95	67	.586	859	693	.597
1892	Brooklyn Grooms	NL		3	95	59	.617	935	733	.610
1920	New York Yankees	AL		3	95	59	.617	838	629	.628
1961	Baltimore Orioles	AL		3	95	67	.586	691	588	.573

If the current NL East situation holds up through season's end, the 2011 Braves would become the 59th team in baseball history to win 95 games and not finish in 1st place (then again, like 12 other teams on this list, they would avail themselves of the wild card and still make the playoffs).

If they manage to win 100 games -- which they are not on pace to do, but is still a possibility -- Atlanta would be just the 10th team ever to reach that mark without winning their division/league.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 6th, 2011 at 2:14 pm and is filed under History, Mailbag. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

39 Responses to “Mailbag: Winning 95+ Games and Not Finishing in 1st Place”

Mark Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Wow. Win 104 games and NOT make the playoffs. Can we now coin that as a "Cubsian" season?
El Dandy Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
I can't believe that 98 wins in 1962 wasn't even enough for second. I'm assuming that part of it was everyone in the National League beating up on the Mets and Colt 45s.

I'm curious as to the best fourth place finish of all time now...

Also, fun fact: the 1892 Bridegrooms finished in third, even though they had *more* wins than the second place (93-56) Cleveland Spiders.
TD_21 Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Oakland in 2001 won 102 games, I believe. They came in second to those 116-win Mariners.
Detroit Michael Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
It doesn't really matter how one gets into the post-season (unless they introduce the first round bye concept). The wild card method works just as well as the division champion method. We've seen from their conduct that the teams themselves perceive no difference.
stan cook Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
" can't believe that 98 wins in 1962 wasn't even enough for second. I'm assuming that part of it was everyone in the National League beating up on the Mets and Colt 45s."

Although the Mets had the worst record in the league, the colt 45s were not second-the cubs were.
El Dandy Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
@5 -- I knew that someone finished between the Mets and Colt 45s, but couldn't remember who it was. Thanks!

(Also, as an unabashed Mets fan, I didn't want to recognize them as the sole incompetent expansion franchise of 1962.)
Doug Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
@2.

The Dodgers and Giants tied for first in '62 with 101 wins. It was an interesting playoff series.
- Game 1: Giants knock out Koufax in the 2nd inning and cruise to 8-0 win
- Game 2: Dodgers squeak out an 8-7 win on a 9th inning sac fly in a 4 hour 18 minute marathon that would remain the longest game by time for many years
- Game 3: Dodgers have game in hand, but bullpen blows it in the 9th as Giants score 4 to win 6-4.
Tim L Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Last team to get 100 wins and not make the playoffs was the '93 Giants, who were beat out by....Atlanta, of course.

It does seem like the Braves would be in good shape for the WC if they get to 95 or 100 wins.
Neil L. Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Beating a dead horse here, but 7 out of the last 12 occurrences, since the current divisions were instituted, were in the AL East. Considering that there are six divisions, the AL East has to be disbanded to level the playing field!
El Dandy Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
@8 -- The 95 win plateau should certainly be enough. Since the implementation of the Wild Card, only one team on this list did not make the playoffs -- the '99 Reds, who lost a one-game playoff with the Mets for the final spot.
ahab345 Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
@Neil...if they disband the AL east wouldn't it make the Yanks and Sox MORE powerful?
Fantusta Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
The first thing I thought of when reading the quote at the top was the Braves/Giants #8 referenced myself.
Mets Maven Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
That 1954 Yankee team is the only Yankee team between 1949 and 1958, a 10-year stretch, that didn't win the pennant. Ironically, it won the most games of those 10 Yankee teams, and was the only one to reach 100 wins. Also, it was the only team Casey Stengel managed that reached that milestone (Casey's Mets teams came up somewhat short as well). It took an historically great Indian team to unseat the 1954 Yankees.

On another note, the 1909 Cubs have the distinction of being the first of 102 Cubs teams (and counting) to not win the World Series.
Larry R. Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
@1

Or, perhaps, a "Bum"mer.
Doug Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
@2, @5, @7.

The '62 Dodgers provided a sneak preview of the '64 Phillies collapse.

The Dodgers finished 1-6 while the Giants went 5-2 to arrive at a 101-61 tie after 162 games. Interestingly, both teams played the same opponents (St. Louis and Houston) in the last week of the season.
Downpuppy Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
The Red Sox really dominate this list. Headed for 10th appearance this year, 6th since 2003 & nobody else has more than 5.

It might be time to move about 6 teams out of the majors. Seattle, Milwaukee, KC, & 3 more from a fairly obvious list of cities that have given in to the ridiculous economics.
kenh Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
In 1994, the Expos or Braves would have likely won 95 with one of them finishing in 2nd place. What a huge loss that season was.
Mustachioed Repetition Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
That 1954 Yankee team is the only Yankee team between 1949 and 1958, a 10-year stretch, that didn't win the pennant.

The only other teams to win the AL pennant from '49 through '64 were managed by Al Lopez ('59 ChiSox being the other).
Neil Paine Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
#17 - Very true. The 1994 Braves were on pace for 97 wins, and the Expos were on an unbelievable 105-win pace when the season died on the table.
Mustachioed Repetition Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
And the Yankees now play spring training games across the street from Al Lopez Park. Coincidence? I think not.
Kahuna Tuna Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
#2: I'm curious as to the best fourth place finish of all time now...

In terms of winning percentage:

1892-1900 NL: Orioles, 1899, 86-62, .581

Pre-1969 NL: Pirates, 1962, 93-68, .578
Pre-1969 AL: Indians, 1950, 92-62, .597

Best winning percentages for teams finishing fourth within a division are the 1969 Cardinals, 87-75, .537, and the 1978 Orioles, 90-71, .559.
Jacob Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Ahhhh, the 1993 NL West race was heaven as a Braves fan. Good times.

That race was a major factor (in addition to expansion) in the inception of a wild card in 1995.
Jacob Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Well, I guess the WC would have been implemented in 1994 if not for the strike.
Pageup Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
The Sox are on the list 9 times (excluding the Beaneaters) and that's 9 times they came in second to the Yanks. Ouch...
Mike Gaber Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Having season tickets with the Dodgers from 1981 thru 1997, I was at the final 3 game series between the Giants and the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium

Giants squeaked out an 8-7 win on Friday.
Beat the Dodgers on Saturday 5-3

So it all came down to the Sunday game.
I believe the Giants just had to win or go home.
If Both team's (Giants or Braves) win they tie at 104 wins apiece.

In the Sunday day game the Dodgers jumped all over the Giants starting in the 3rd inning.
Mike Piazza hit 2 homers, drove in 4 runs. Raul Mondesi and Cory Snyder hit 1 homer each. Eric Karros was 3-4 with 2 RBI's

Dodgers won the game 12-1.
Mike Gaber Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
@ 25 mg

Sorry forgot to mention the year was 1993.
Hartvig Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
There's something to be said for either expanding to 4 eight team divisions or contracting to 4 seven team divisions and eliminating the wild card. I know growing up in the 60's you followed the standings every day all summer long if your team was in contention.
BSK Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Not sure if it has been mentioned, but Red Sox are also on pace to win 95+ games and fail to win the division.
Neil L. Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
@11
Pardon, Ahab, but I don't quite catch your meaning. Putting the Yankees and Red Sox in different divisions would allow them to win division titles and would leave the wild card more up for grabs. They would both still be big spenders, but how would they be "more powerful"? The AL wild card almost always comes out of the east.
Kahuna Tuna Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 10:12 pm
In the [1993 closing-day] Sunday day game the Dodgers jumped all over the Giants starting in the 3rd inning. Mike Piazza hit 2 homers, drove in 4 runs. Raul Mondesi and Cory Snyder hit 1 homer each. Eric Karros was 3-4 with 2 RBI's. Dodgers won the game 12-1.

I attended that game too! Mondesi's home run, only the fourth of his career, was an absolute moon shot to left field. One of the longest homers I ever witnessed at Dodger Stadium . . . and that includes several Dave Kingman homers.
Devon Young Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
@ #8.... Braves won't make it, 'cause of Pittsburgh 😉 haha

@ #13... I had to look it up, 'cause you got me curious. The Yanks went 11-11 against that Cleveland team. Those Indians really lambasted the Orioles & Red Sox, going 39-5 against them. The Yanks had a 30-14 record against those teams. That's a 9 game difference in the Tribe's favor. New York finished the season 8 GB of Cleveland.
birtelcom Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Top four win loss-records in MLB right now are East Coast teams, and the Rays are just a half-game behind for the 5th spot. East/West imbalance replacing AL/NL imbalance?
Mustachioed Repetition Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Those Indians really lambasted the Orioles & Red Sox, going 39-5 against them.

Yeah, Cleveland did a number on the second division teams that season. Going into the Series vs the Giants they were considered heavy favorites, but perhaps they should not have been. The NL was probably a better league by that point, due to integrating quicker, and CLE hadn't been that great against other good teams.

I don't know if anyone's studied this. Of course, great teams *should* beat weaker teams. But (without looking closer myself) it's been my understanding that '54 CLE boosted their record to an absurd extent at the expense of the weak teams. Given two teams with 100 wins, can one project their postseason success, or reach any other conclusions about their quality, based on their record against the best teams?
Doug Says:
July 6th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
@33.

"it's been my understanding that '54 CLE boosted their record to an absurd extent at the expense of the weak teams."

How right you are, MR. Here's how "absurd":
- against sub-.500 teams: 89-21, .809
- against .500+ teams: 22-22, .500
John Autin Says:
July 7th, 2011 at 1:17 am
On a tangent ... Have the Red Sox really crossed into the same zone as the Yankees, who are so profitable that only gross mismanagement and/or bad luck with injuries can keep them from contending?

I think the Yankees are still alone in that department, but I could be persuaded otherwise.
Nash Bruce Says:
July 7th, 2011 at 5:06 am
@4- It would be great, if there were some sort of reward, for regular season success. With how things stand now, just about any team that makes this list, is going to the playoffs, just like the division winner. Looking at the pre-'94 teams, though, is more intense. Some great teams, that just weren't great enough!!

(As I'm sure many of you noticed, since the WC began, only the '99 Reds, made this list, and failed to go to the playoffs......)
KJ Says:
July 7th, 2011 at 6:57 am
@ 25

1993 NL West Race, final game:

It was actually a 4-game series in LA, and the Giants had won the first three games. The Giants had a tough decision for the final game. Either go with fragile-armed starter Bill Swift (21-game winner) on 3 days rest or go with rookie Solomon Torres. The Giants went with Torres, who got lit up by the Dodgers, and chased in the 4th.

The Dodger Starter was Kevin Gross, who ran a complete-game victory giving up one run. The SAME Kevin Gross, journeyman pitcher extraordinaire, who had No-Hit the Giants the year before.

The Braves, meanwhile, closed the season with a 3-game sweep against the expansion Rockies. In fact, the Rockies failed to win ANY of the 12 games they played against the Braves in 1993.

I have been a Giants fan for 35 years, and the 1993 defeat was absolutely exhilarating and crushing.

This whole race would have been eliminated by the existence of the Wild Card in '93.

But, what fun would that have been?

I'm not a fan of the Wild Card.

BTW, Solomon Torres was absolutely destroyed by the season-ending defeat. He bounced around in the majors for a few years, then washed out of baseball. He didn't pitch for 5 years and was coaching in the Pirates organization. While instructing other pitchers, the Pirates realized that he was a better pitcher than the kids he was teaching. He ended up back in the majors in 2002, and was fairly decent middle reliever for 4 or 5 years.
KJ Says:
July 7th, 2011 at 7:08 am
...and after all that, the Braves lost to the Phillies in the NLCS.
David Gee Says:
July 7th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
The most games a team has won in the wild card era and not made the playoffs is 93. Done by the Seattle Mariners. In 2002. AND 2003. I, a Mariner fan, shall now light myself on fire.

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