If anyone has ever seen Pokemon, they know that every season Ash Ketchum would enter the league all excited and then lose. Season after season for 25 years, Ash couldn’t win the big one until he finally did. One often wondered how it would feel if this happened in reality. Well, one needn’t wonder no more, because MLB and the World Series have already turned this into a reality, not just once, but quite a few times. 

That’s right! Five teams in MLB are still to get the sweet taste of victory. Every April, they start with vigour and hope, but every October ends with heartbreak. Some stories are truly heartbreaking, some are bewildering, but all prove one thing – the baseball playoffs are the greatest equalizer there is in sports. So without further delay, here are the Ash Ketchums of MLB, trying to win their first Fall Classic for years. 

How many teams have not won any World Series? Know them

Ever since the World Series first began 120 years ago in 1903, it has given baseball fans countless memories. Many have grown, passed their love for baseball to the next generation, and perished while the Fall Classic has raged on. After all, it is the ultimate prize, the greatest sporting series in North America. But 5 teams have yet to see that glory. 

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These five teams have been waiting for decades, and have done everything but somehow never managed to reach the finish line. There’s the San Diego Padres, a team with a big fanbase and little success. Then there’s the Tampa Bay Rays, a team with a tremendous record everywhere but the World Series.

But these are just two of these five teams, the others? The Milwaukee Brewers, the Seattle Mariners, and the Colorado Rockies. But who among them has had the longest drought?

The longest ones: Teams that are yet to win after decades of their MLB arrivals

Even though the longest drought in MLB remains the Cleveland Guardians’ 75-year drought. At least they tasted success in 1948. The Padres, the Brewers, and the Mariners can’t even find relief in that. 

San Diego Padres 

The Friars were created in 1969 and have never failed to deceive ever since. Just when they look good, things fall on their face. The Padres and the Brewers were the bringers of a radical change in the league structure. MLB shifted to the divisional step for the first time with their arrival. Everything has changed since then except the number of World Series wins for either of the two teams. 

The Friars have reached the World Series twice (1984 and 1998). But it was sheer bad luck that in both those Fall Classic, they had to face major juggernauts – the 104 game-winning Detroit Tigers in 1984 and the majestic dynasty of the New York Yankees in 1998. Unsurprisingly, things weren’t close with the Padres winning only one game against the Tigers and none against the Bombers.

Seattle Mariners 

A truly bewildering name, for obvious reasons, is the Seattle Mariners. Formed in 1977, they’ve never even played in the World Series. Perhaps the most star-studded team on this list – they’ve had Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, and Ichiro Suzuki just to name a few. Add to this the historic 116-win season in 2001. But even with all of this, success has remained a distant island for the Sailors.

Milwaukee Brewers 

Unlike the Padres, the Brewers’ postseason history has been rather brief. In 55 years of existence, they’ve qualified for the playoffs nine times and have reached the World Series only once in 1982. But their World Series story is in stark contrast to the Friars. While the Pads lost with little competition, the Brewers had the victory at their fingertips.

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In 1982, they led the World Series 3-2 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Till the bottom of the sixth inning of the 7th game, the Brew Crew was leading 3-1, and then the world came crumbling down for them. In the end, the Cardinals won 6-3 and the city of Milwaukee continues to wait for another World Series appearance.

The New Joiners: MLB teams from the modern era yet to win a World Series

MLB was expanded again in the 90s and this gave birth to the Colorado Rockies and the Tampa Bay Rays – the teams yet to win a World Series. 

Colorado Rockies 

The Rockies started playing in 1993. Ever since then, the team is only one of the two to not have won a divisional title (the other being the Miami Marlins). But somehow, the Blake Street Bombers have won the National League Pennant. The year was 2009; it was October, or rather a Roctuber, as the media called it then, because of their heroic journey till then. The Rocks were playing their first World Series against the Boston Red Sox, but a landslide came and the rocks were sent crumbling down over the terrain. They lost in four straight games and have never been back since.

Tampa Bay Rays 

Formed in 1998, the Rays have been a case study ever since. A team that has perfected analytics and low-cost management, they’ve seen the highest of highs without seeing the ultimate peak. They’ve played in two World Series (2009 and 2020) with little success. Though both times they were close, the Devils lost right when they were about to make their greatest play. This is the real question – can any of these teams end their losing streak? 

What’s in the future: Can anyone end their wait in 2024?

Amidst the Los Angeles Dodgers creating a super team, predicting anyone else’s win seems a bit risky. But as has been said before, the MLB Playoffs are the greatest equalizers – it is the only place where anything can happen at any moment. So completely writing off these teams wouldn’t be right. 

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Certainly, there’re the Padres who have added a great skipper in Mike Shildt, who knows what it takes to reach the playoffs. Then there’re the Rays who have become a permanent fixture in the playoffs and are always getting stronger. While the Mariners have cut much of their payroll – they are one of the consistent teams of the past few years. 

In the end, there’s a case to be made for every one of these teams. But with the season right around the corner, one hopes that the losing streak begins to end soon. After all, even Ash won his first league after decades of waiting. 

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