50 best MLB teams that didn’t win the World Series
Lost in the World Series. 1933 Washington Senators. 44. player. 90. . 99-63
“First in war, first in peace, last in the American League.” While the famous saying adequately describes the majority of the first 60 seasons of professional baseball in Washington DC, the 1933 Washington Senators were one three clubs that actually finished first in the American League, with a record of 99-63 that was a full seven games better than the New York Yankees. The strong showing in the regular season sent the Senators to the World Series for the first time since 1925, and offered an opportunity to bring the World Championship to the nation’s capital for just the second time in history.
Washington was led by Hall of Fame player manager Joe Cronin, who hit .309/.398/.455 with 118 RBI and an AL-best 45 doubles, and Hall of Fame outfielders Heinie Manush (.336/.372/.459, 115 R, 95 RBI) and Goose Goslin (.297/.348/.452), as well as first baseman Joe Kuhel, who slugged a team-high 11 home runs and rove in 107 runs. The pitching staff included a pair of 20-game winners in General Crowder (24-15, 3.97) and Earl Whitehill (22-8, 3.33).
However, in a hard-fought Fall Classic that included two one-run games, Washington fell to the New York Giants. When the Senators lost Game 5 of the World Series, it marked the final time a Major League Baseball postseason game would be played in the nation’s capital until 2012. Over the course of nearly three decades, the Senators finished higher than fourth in the American League only three times, then moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins.
Next: 1939 Cincinnati Reds