History’s Best Baseball Teams
What makes a baseball team great? Do you base it on the number of World Series wins or the number of fans whose hearts were touched despite striking out at the end? The 2017 World Series is almost here making now the perfect time for a stroll down memory lane. Let’s check out which baseball teams made their mark on history… regardless of how many wins or loses they had.
The Dominance of the New York Yankees
Perhaps no other baseball team is on the list of the best as often as the New York Yankees. In fact, Sports Cheat Sheets has it listed four times on their list of eight of the greatest MLB teams of all time. Each year marks a significant milestone in the baseball club’s long tradition.
- Talent overflowed with the 1998 New York Yankees; it was no wonder they won the World Series. Their team featured the likes of Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, David Cone, and David Wells.
- The 1961 New York Yankees was the year of home runs for this all-time great ball club, with players like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris hitting them out of the ballpark left and right. Pitcher Whitey Ford also earned accolades when he pitched 14 scoreless innings in the postseason.
- Even Elo Ratings can’t deny the supremacy of the 1939 New York Yankees according to FiveThirtyEight’s listing of the best. The 1927 New York Yankees, with its fearsome lineup of the Murderers’ Row, is also on its list at number three.
To date, the New York Yankees could have a chance for a 28th World Series title, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Back-to-Back Wins for the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. However, it would seem the verdict is still out on which Reds’ club is the best.
- The 1975 Big Red Machine broke the 35-year losing streak of the ball club. However, it took seven games for them to clinch the title from the Boston Red Sox.
- On the other hand, the 1976 team won over the New York Yankees in only four games for the World Series.
- The 1975 MVP honor went to Joe Morgan. A year later Johnny Bench took it home.
The last time the Reds won a World Series titles was in 1990 and this year won’t bring an end to that drought as the Reds have suffered through another down year.
Chicago Cubs – The Team to Watch Out For
The presence of the Chicago Cubs one of the world’s best baseball teams’ dates way back. Despite losing the World Series, the 1906 Chicago Cubs still ranked second in the Elo ratings. Nonetheless, it made up for the loss with two straight wins in 1907 and 1908.
- The Cubs had the best winning percentage in 1906 according to the BleacherReport. In fact, the best in all of baseball history. However, they lost out to the Chicago White Sox 4-2 in the Series that year.
- The most notable stat from the 1907 Chicago Cubs victory over the Detroit Tigers was a 1.73 ERA.
- The 1908 Cubs weren’t as dominant in the stats as their earlier two seasons. Even so, they won the World Series title in a rematch with the Detroit Tigers.
- The Cubs ended their 108-year losing streak in 2016. The club won over the Cleveland Indians. It is thought that this finally put to rest the long-time curse hanging over them and they’ll have a chance to repeat this season as they made it back to the playoffs.
As the club heads into the playoffs, a recent BleacherReport article put forth a couple of dream scenarios on whom the Cubs might face for the World Series Title. First, the Boston Red Sox and second, a rematch with the Cleveland Indians. Do you agree?
Well, the second scenario might happen. No doubt, the Cleveland Indians are eager to end their World Series title drought. Their last win was in 1948. Although, they did come close in 1954 and 1995. It could change this year, as it seems the club is hellbent on rewriting the 2017 season.
What do you think? Are these some of your favorite baseball teams? Which one’s worthy of being considered the best in all of history? What team will you be rooting for during the World Series? Make your support clear at Sun Bets sports betting!
The author of this post is an avid sports writer and keen fan of football, cricket, tennis and rugby. He has contributed this post on behalf of Sun Bets and when he’s not writing about the sports he loves he’s placing bets on them!
