The most unlikely World Series teams

The Dodgers won only 88 games during the regular season, though that was enough to win the NL pennant. Los Angeles proceeded to win the World Series over the White Sox in only their second season since leaving Brooklyn.

The Mets still hold the "honor" as the worst record to ever make the World Series, going 82-79 during the regular season. They won a weak NL East division by 1.5 games, with a dynamic starting rotation led by Tom Seaver. After taking down the Reds in the NLCS, New York fell to Oakland in a seven-game World Series.

The A's won their third consecutive World Series in 1974, but it certainly wasn't their best team with only 90 wins during the regular season. Oakland still won the AL West easily, five games ahead of Texas, and rode their star power with Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, and Rollie Fingers to relatively easy wins in the ALCS and World Series.

Mike Schmidt carried Philadelphia to a 91-win regular season and on through the playoffs as the league MVP. The Phillies won the NL East by one game over the Expos, and got a huge boost from rookie outfielder Lonnie Smith. With shaky starting pitching behind Cy Young winner Steve Carlton, the team overcame deficiencies to win the World Series in six games over the Royals.

The Cardinals' 92 regular season wins was enough to not only win the NL East . The team never looked back with a roster built on speed and defense under manager Whitey Herzog. St. Louis defeated the Brewers in seven games to win the World Series.

The 1985 World Series is remembered for umpire Don Denkinger's missed call at first base that helped create momentum for the Royals to beat St. Louis in seven games, but Kansas City was unlikely to even advance that far. Kansas City won only 91 games during the regular season, which was enough to win the AL West by one game, while the Blue Jays (99 wins) and Yankees (97 wins) battled it out in the East. Led by George Brett, the Royals beat the 99-win Blue Jays in the ALCS and the beat the 101-win Cardinals.

With an 85-77 regular season record, the Twins still have the second worst winning percentage of any World Series champ. Minnesota allowed more runs than they scored during the regular season and lost their last five regular season games. The Twins still won a weak AL West division and got hot at the right time, taking down the 98-win Tigers in the ALCS and the 95-win Cardinals in the World Series.

After winning only 75 games in 1989, the Reds saw a complete turnaround under new manager Lou Piniella to win 91 games during the regular season and cruise through the playoffs. The team showed off excellent pitching led by Jose Rijo and a great bullpen, and had an improbable sweep of the defending champion A's in the World Series.

Atlanta orchestrated one of the biggest one-year turnarounds in history, going from 65 wins in 1990 to 94 wins in 1991. The team's phenomenal young pitching trio of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Steve Avery sparked the team. After beating the Pirates in a seven-game NLCS, Atlanta lost in seven games to Minnesota in the World Series.

The Yankees hired Joe Torre after getting ousted in the ALDS in 1995, but the team was far from dominant with 92 wins. That was still enough to win the AL East by four games. New York was able to avoid a superb Cleveland lineup that was ousted in the ALDS, and then beat the experienced Braves in the World Series.

The Marlins were not only the first Wild Card team to win a World Series, but also had their first winning season in franchise history after forming in 1993. Florida won 92 games during the regular season with an impressive group of veterans that included Gary Sheffield, Moises Alou, Bobby Bonilla, and Kevin Brown.

The Yankees won the AL East with only 87 wins, a win total that was only fifth best in the American League. New York also dug out from a slow start, only two games above .500 at the end of June. The roster didn't lack big names, including Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte, and the Yankees got hot at the right time to defeat the A's, Mariners, and Mets in the playoffs.

Six years after winning their first World Series, Florida reached the promised land again. The second win was even more improbable, firing manager Jeff Torborg after a 16-22 start to the season. Experienced manager Jack McKeon was seemingly the right man for the young club, and rookies Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis gave the team a boost down the stretch. The Marlins claimed the NL Wild Card with 91 wins, beat the Cubs in a seven-game NLCS that included the legendary Steve Bartman incident, and defeated the Yankees in the World Series.

The Red Sox ended their 86-year World Series drought in dramatic fashion after claiming the AL Wild Card with 98 wins. Down 3-0 to the rival Yankees in the ALCS, Boston won four straight to advance to the World Series. They remain the only team in MLB history to come back from three down in a series.

The Cardinals nearly played themselves out of the playoffs with a rough stretch in late September, losing seven consecutive games. St. Louis was still able to win the NL Central with only 83 wins, and got hot in the playoffs behind Albert Pujols and ace Chris Carpenter. After defeating the Mets in an exciting seven-game NLCS, St. Louis beat Detroit in the World Series.

Colorado had a 14-win improvement in 2007, winning the NL Wild Card with 90 wins. The team needed an incredible 13-inning, Game 163 win over the Padres to win the Wild Card and rode that momentum in sweeping the Phillies and Diamondbacks. The team's miracle end to the year was halted by Boston, as they were swept in the World Series.

The 2008 Phillies were far from the most talented squad during their five-year playoff run, but the only one that won a ring. Philadelphia won 92 games to claim the NL East, led by a powerful lineup that included Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Pat Burrell, and had a relatively easy time in the playoffs with a total of three losses.

Few MLB teams have seen bigger turnarounds than the 2008 Rays, improving from 66-96 to 97-65. The young group led by Joe Maddon won the AL East and beat the defending champion Red Sox in a seven-game ALCS. The team's run finally ended vs. Philadelphia in the World Series.

The Giants made the playoffs for the first time since 2003, winning the NL East with 92 wins. Led by Rookie of the Year Buster Posey and a strong pitching staff with Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, and rookie Madison Bumgarner, the Giants beat an uber-talented Phillies team in the NLCS and took down the Rangers in the World Series.

The Cardinals won the 2011 World Series as a 90-win Wild Card team and in very dramatic fashion with David Freese saving the team in Game 6 of the World Series. The team's win over a loaded 102-win Phillies squad in the NLDS was nearly as improbable, as Chris Carpenter outpitched Roy Halladay to a 1-0 victory in the deciding Game 5.

San Francisco won their third World Series in five seasons, and this time seemed most incredible. The Giants won only 88 games to claim the NL Wild Card, and defeated the Pirates in a one-game playoff. The addition of Jake Peavy down the stretch and a memorable playoff run by Madison Bumgarner spurred the team.

The Royals won 89 games during the regular season for a Wild Card spot, the franchise's first playoff appearance since winning a ring in 1985. The young Royals squad played like they weren't satisfied just making the playoffs, racking up eight consecutive playoff wins to reach the World Series despite a lineup that didn't have a hitter with 20 home runs during the regular season. Kansas City nearly went all the way, taking the Giants to seven games in the World Series. The team would return to the World Series in 2015 and finish the job.

Despite losing Bryce Harper in free agency, the Nats roster was loaded with stars including Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, and Stephen Strasburg. Those stars weren't enough to get Washington going early, as they finished May at 24-33. The team's season started to turn around in June, and the Nats were able to claim a Wild Card spot with 93 wins. The hot run continued into the playoffs, including a sweep of the Cardinals in the NLCS and a seven-game win over Houston in the World Series.

The Braves weren't given much of a shot in the playoffs after losing superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. for the season, but they showed why baseball is a team game. Great playoff contributions from outfield trade additions Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, and Jorge Soler were enough to make up for the loss. Atlanta won the NL East with 88 wins and proceeded to shock the Dodgers in the NLCS and Astros in the World Series.

Philadelphia entered the 2022 season with high expectations after signing Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos but got off to a slow start and fired manager Joe Girardi with a 22-29 record. Promoted manager Rob Thomson helped the team go 65-46 the rest of the way, and the Phillies made the playoffs thanks to the new expanded format. The Phillies were able to take down the defending champion Braves in the NLDS, and avoided a historic 111-win Dodgers team that also fell in the NLDS. The Phillies made it to the World Series, where their luck ran out vs. Houston.