The 5 Worst World Series Champions of the Past 25 Years

Here we are already on the final day of the regular season, which means all eyes will now be on the best baseball of the year and, ultimately, the World Series.

And this season, let's just say that in the American League, it's been a disaster. Still, one of these weaker teams could still sneak through and win the championship at the end of October. In fact, let's take a look back at the worst teams to have won the World Series in the last 25 years.

Starting with the 2021 Atlanta Braves, who needed just 88 wins to clinch the National League East title. Atlanta had the worst record among all playoff teams, but that didn't stop them from winning the big trophy without ever facing a serious challenge along the way.

Next up are the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals, who snatched the final “best second-place” spot after winning 16 of their last 21 games. Their 90 wins turned out to be the lowest total among all teams in the postseason, but the Cards clinched the title in dramatic fashion.

Now let's turn to the 2014 San Francisco Giants, a team that lacked significant power—no player recorded more than Buster Posey's 22 home runs and 89 RBIs. But they didn't need much more than Madison Bumgarner on the mound to claim the championship.

Second-to-last on this list are the 2003 Miami Marlins, who finished 10 games behind the Braves, champions of the National League East. But the young Josh Beckett had other plans in mind; he was named World Series MVP after pitching a nine-strikeout shutout at Yankee Stadium during Florida's decisive victory over the New York Yankees.

Finally, credit where credit is due: the 2006 Cardinals, with their meager 83 wins and a paltry +19 run differential. Their .513 regular-season winning percentage remains the lowest of any World Series-winning team in league history.

But baseball isn't played on paper. Could an American League team pull off the same feat this year?

Created by humans, assisted by AI.