50 best MLB teams that didn’t win the World Series
It’s rare when a 100-win ball club is left out of the postseason, and it’s even rarer for one to finish in second place in their division by eight games. Yet, because the 1954 Celveland Indians posted a 111-43 record, the New York Yankees, who were 103-51, were left out of the postseason completely.
However, another New York club – the Giants – put Cleveland away quickly and quietly with a four-game sweep in the World Series.
Despite the anticlimactic end to the year, the ’54 Indians were one of the most impressive regular season teams in big league history. Centerfielder Larry Doby, who was the AL MVP runner-up to Yogi Berra, hit .272/.364/.484 with a league-leading 32 home runs and 126 RBI. Third baseman Al Rosen posted a remarkable .300/.404/.506 slash, hit 24 homers and drove in 102 runs.
But the most impressive aspect of the club was the pitching staff that featured three Hall of Famers: Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, and Bob Feller. Wynn and Lemon were dual aces, and each collected 23 wins and posted near identical ERAs (2.73 of Wynn, 2.72 for Lemon). Feller was 13-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 19 starts as a 35-year old, and the Indians got a terrific season was Mike Garcia, who was 19-8 with a 2.64 ERA.
Six years after the last World Series title, it appeared that Cleveland wouldn’t have to wait too long to break that drought. Of course, it would be more than 40 years until they made it back to the Fall Classic, and they still haven’t ended the World Championship drought.
Next: 1906 Chicago Cubs