89. 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks
92-70, AL West Champions, Won World Series 4-3 Over New York
No franchise has ever won a World Series faster than the Arizona Diamondbacks, who captured their first and only World Championship just four years after fielding a team for the first time.
Though the franchise itself was young, the roster was not. Every member of the regular starting lineup for the D-Backs was 31 years old or older with veterans Mark Grace, Jay Bell, Matt Williams, and Steve Finley all 35 or older. A pair of 33-year olds – Luis Gonzalez (.325/.429/.688, 57 HR, 142 RBI) and Reggie Sanders (33 HR, 90 RBI) – provided most of the power for the squad that ranked No. 3 in the National League in hits (1,494) and runs (818) and fourth in homers (208).
Led by a dominant one-two starting pitching punch of Hall of Fame left-hander and Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson (21-6, 2.49 ERA, 372 strikeouts in 249.2 innings in the third of four consecutive Cy Young seasons with the D-Backs), and Curt Schilling (22-6, 2.98 ERA, 293 strikeouts in 256.2 innings), Arizona finished the regular season 92-70 and won the NL West by two games over the San Francisco Giants.
The Diamondbacks beat St. Louis 3-2 in the NLDS, then blasted the Atlanta Braves 4-1 in the NLCS to set up a World Series date with the heavily favored, three-time defending champion New York Yankees, and won a dramatic seven-game Fall Classic with a 3-2, come-from-behind walk-off win in Game 7.