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Hundred Win Seasons Tough to Come By
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
When the 2006 baseball season came to a close, not even the vaunted Yankees could manage to cross the 100 victory plateau. In fact the Bronx Bombers tied their crosstown rivals, the Mets, at the top with just 97 victories. The World Series finalist Tigers were next with 96 wins while the easily dispatched Minnesota Twins were next with 95.
Though it seemed surprising to see nary a 100 game winner in 2006, an analysis of baseball history indicates the 100 win seasons are not easy to come by. In fact, once the number is reviewed, it easy to see why Major League baseball plays 162 regular season games to determine who will participate in postseason play.
When it comes to the century mark, several major league teams have never attained that target number even once in their
history. Now to no one's surprise, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays recently finished their eight season without ever reaching the 100 victory level.
But the Rockies have never reached that figure in their 12 seasons of major league play. Nor have the Florida Marlins, despite their World Series prowess, ever won 100 games in their 12 year history.
Even Joe Carter failed to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to the century mark during their run of World Series titles. The Blue Jays completed their 29th season this year and still they have never reached the 100 win plateau.
The Brewers, Padres, and Nationals completed their 37th straight season without reaching the total in 2006. But the mark for futility falls with both the Rangers and Angels who made it 45 years in 2006 without so much as one century win season.
Four teams have attained the 100 victory mark in their history but go back much further since their last time crossing the magic threshold. The Boston Red Sox may have broken their World Series hex in 2004 but the team just finished their 60th straight season without winning 100 games. However, the Sox futility pales that of the Chicago Cubs who now have gone
71 straight years, the Chicago White Sox who have failed for 89 straight years, and the bottom dwelling Pirates who have now gone 97 straight seasons without winning 100 games (those Pirates did win 110 of 152 games in 1909).
The Tigers nearly ended their 22 year snide this year - in 1984 Detroit went 104-58. The Mets also came close to ending their drought which began with a 100 win, 60 loss season in 1988. And the one team everyone seems to love to hate, the Yankees may have missed the victory standard in 2006 but the team has just a two year hiatus from that level having gone 101-61 in
2004.
A 100 win season represents a basic 62% win threshold, a number that many think should be well within reach. But the data indicates otherwise, making the reasons for the decision to play a 162 game regular season all the more obvious.
And when it comes to 100 win seasons, the number is actually one that is attained far more rarely than the casual fans realizes.
6:24 PM
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