Every Major League Baseball team begins every new season hoping to win the World Series. But that obviously can't happen as only two teams make the Fall Classic, and just one champion is crowned.
Simply put, every MLB season ends with 29 of 30 franchises feeling disappointed.
For some franchises -- and their respective fan bases -- that disappointment can last for decades, even famously reaching the century-plus mark in one particular case.
That infamous honor, of course, belonged to the Chicago Cubs, who won back-to-back World Series titles in 1907 and 1908 and didn't win the Fall Classic again until 2016. As you can probably guess, that is the longest World Series drought in MLB history.
Now, it's not as if the Cubs didn't have any chances to capture a third championship before then, as they appeared in the World Series in 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945, obviously losing each time.
But as you can see, after losing in seven games to the Detroit Tigers in 1945, the Cubs didn't get back to the Fall Classic for another seven-plus decades. So not only do the North Siders own the record for the longest drought in between titles, but they also own the record for the longest drought in between World Series appearances.
But at least the Cubs have won a World Series, right? That's something that six current MLB franchises can't say, those being the Colorado Rockies, the Milwaukee Brewers, the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Texas Rangers (that could change very soon).
But of those six, five can at least say they've been to the World Series. The Mariners are the sad and lonely exception there.
With all that said, let's take a brief look at the longest World Series droughts in history from a couple of different perspectives.
Longest World Series drought without winning
First, let's look at the longest World Series droughts without winning one. And just to clarify, this can include teams who have won a title but didn't for a long time and teams who've never won it. A drought's a drought, right?
The longest active streak belongs to the Cleveland Guardians, who last won a title in 1948.
It should be noted that the Rangers' season total will be 63 if they lose the 2023 World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Here's a look at the top 10, which is actually a top 12.
Longest World Series drought without an appearance
Now let's have a look at the longest droughts in terms of the years between appearances in the World Series -- or the lack of an appearance in one particular case.
As mentioned, the Seattle Mariners have yet to reach the Fall Classic since joining Major League Baseball as an expansion team in 1977. As such, they're also the current active leader in this category.
And there you have it, folks.
