50 best MLB teams that didn’t win the World Series
9. player. 31. . 103-62. Lost in the World Series. 1962 San Francisco Giants
After the 1962 San Francisco Giants defeated the Dodgers in the three-game playoff series, they faced the New York Yankees in one of the greatest World Series of all-time, but fell in seven games.
Led by the great Willie Mays, who won his first NL MVP award that season as a 23-year old, the Giants featured a potent lineup. Mays hit .304/.384/.615 with 49 home runs, 141 RBI, and 130 runs scored. First baseman Orlando Cepeda and outfielder Willie McCovey – both 24 years old and like Mays in the early stages of Hall of Fame careers – had 35 and 20 home runs and 114 and 54 RBI, respectively. McCovey hadn’t even cracked the everyday lineup yet because Harvey Kuenn (.304/.365/.433, 10 HR, 68 RBI) and Felipe Alou (.316/.356/.513,25 HR, 98 RBI) were blocking the corner spots in the outfield.
The pitching staff included eventual Hall of Famers Juan Marichal (18-11, 3.36) and Gaylord Perry (5.23 as a 23-year old reliever), as well as World Series hero Don Larsen. However, the ace of the staff in 1962 was Jack Sanford, who compiled a 24-7 record and a 3.43 ERA, which allowed him to finish second in the Cy Young voting behind Don Drysdale. Billy O’Dell had his best season as a starter, and went 19-14 with a 3.53 ERA.
After nearly knocking off the mighty Yankees, the Giants wouldn’t return to the Fall Classic for 27 years. They wouldn’t claim a World Championship for the city of San Francisco until 2010.
Next: 1970 Cincinnati Reds