50 best MLB teams that didn’t win the World Series
player. 3. . 100-60. Lost in NLCS. 1988 New York Mets. 12
Two years after posting one of the best seasons ever and winning the World Series, the 1988 New York Mets raced to a 100-60 record and won their second NL Eastern Division title in three seasons by a huge margin of 15 games.
With a pitching staff that posted an incredible 2.91 ERA over the course of the season, led by a young starting rotation of Dwight Gooden (18-9, 3.19), Ron Darling (17-9, 3.25), David Cone (20-3, 2.22), Bob Ojeda (10-13, 2.88) and Sid Fernandez (12-10, 3.03) – not to mention relievers Randy Myers (1.72 ERA, 26 saves) and Roger McDowell (2.63 ERA, 16 saves) – the Mets were nearly unhittable.
Of course, the New York lineup had plenty of pop. Darryl Strawberry led the NL with 39 home runs, a .545 slugging percentage and a .911 OPS, and finished second in the MVP voting. Strawberry drove in 101 runs and scored 101, and even stole 29 bases. Kevin McReynolds (27 HR, 99 RBI) and Howard Johnson (24, 68 RBI) gave the Mets a deep and powerful combination to provide protection for stars Strawberry, Gary Carter (11 HR, 46 RBI) and Keith Hernandez (11 HR, 55 RBI in only 95 games).
But, in one of the most highly anticipated playoff series of all-time, the Mets fell to Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the NLCS. The Dodgers would go on to beat the heavily favored Oakland A’s in the World Series.
Next: 1946 Boston Red Sox