They didn't Win but they were still good

WiredTiger · 05-07-2003, 10:18 AM

What are some of the best teams that didn't make the playoffs?

Some of my choices from the Tigers
1961 Detroit Tigers 101-61 Lost to the Yankees
1950 Detroit Tigers 95-59 Lost to the Yankees
1915 Detroit Tigers 100 - 54 Lost to the Red Sox

The 1961 season must have been very frustrating because they lost to the Yankees by 8 games!

rcartman28 · 05-07-2003, 10:24 AM

The 1993 Giants and 1978 Red Sox come to mind.....unless you count the Bucky "bleeping" Dent game as making the playoffs.

Skip · 05-07-2003, 10:39 AM

1993 Giants are always the first team I think of in a question like this.

Ytown Tribe fan · 05-07-2003, 11:03 AM

'54 Yanks won 103 games. Too bad they finished 8 games behind the Tribe.

05-07-2003, 11:08 AM

How about the 1927 New York Giants? Their 92-62 record saw a third-place finish, 2 games behind Pittsburgh and half a game behind the Cards.

They had seven Hall of Famers on the roster - all having good seasons - plus a few other notables from the era (Freddie Fitzsimmons, for example, won 17 games for them).

In mid-June McGraw traded the team's shortstop, one Doc Farrell, who was having an amazing season at the plate (.387 with walks and power) for Larry Benton and Zach Thomas. Thomas was a catcher, and did a worse job than the previous starter at that position, Al DeVormer. Benton won 13 games the rest of the way, but was a below-average pitcher, presumably getting those wins with high run support from a lineup that including Ott, Jackson, Roush, Terry, etc.

If McGraw hadn't made that trade in mid-season, the team just might have faced their cross-town rivals that October.

poorme · 05-07-2003, 11:12 AM

63-65 white sox won 94,98,95 but no playoffs.

pathogan · 05-07-2003, 11:21 AM

1951 Dodgers,the 1978 Red sox, the Giants of '93 come first to mind

JamesI · 05-07-2003, 11:52 AM

1980 Orioles 100-62, 2 games back.

KCBOOMER · 05-07-2003, 12:09 PM

1962 Dodgers 102-63.

SmedIndy · 05-07-2003, 12:16 PM

How about the runners up in 1908 NL?
The Giants and Pirates were both 98-56.

The 1942 Dodgers were 104-50, and I don't think that was necessarily a wartime issue, yet.

05-07-2003, 01:14 PM

Can't beat this:

The 1981 Cincinnati Reds had the best record of any major league team, yet failed to make the playoffs because of a stupid ruling by the Commissioner.

Skip · 05-07-2003, 01:24 PM

Can't believe I didnt think of that one BigKlu.

05-07-2003, 01:55 PM

How about the 1928 Philadelphia Athletics? They finished 98 - 55, 2-1/2 games behind the New York Yankees. The interesting thing is that they lost the pennant head-to-head with the Yankees. Taking away games they played against each other, Philadelphia was 92 - 39 while New York was 85 - 47. The A's were 7-1/2 games better than the Yankees. Too bad for them that they only won 6 out of 22 games against the Yankees. Granted a number of these guys were at the tail end of their careers, but how about this Hall of Fame roster: Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane, Eddie Collins, Jimmy Foxx, Lefty Grove, Al Simmons and Tris Speaker.

SmedIndy · 05-07-2003, 03:33 PM

Now hold on Big Klu - wasn't that a negotiated part of the agreement of the 1981 strike - so in essence the Reds were hoist by their own petard, indirectly??

Note for those scoring at home - this is the first (and only) time I am sticking up for Bowie Kuhn.

Skip · 05-07-2003, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SmedIndy
Now hold on Big Klu - wasn't that a negotiated part of the agreement of the 1981 strike - so in essence the Reds were hoist by their own petard, indirectly??

Whether that's true or false, how does it disqualify them from "they didn't win but they were still good" consideration?

05-07-2003, 10:18 AM	#1
WiredTiger Guest Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: The city of Kaline, Cobb and Greenberg Posts: 3,395	They didn't Win but they were still good What are some of the best teams that didn't make the playoffs? Some of my choices from the Tigers 1961 Detroit Tigers 101-61 Lost to the Yankees 1950 Detroit Tigers 95-59 Lost to the Yankees 1915 Detroit Tigers 100 - 54 Lost to the Red Sox The 1961 season must have been very frustrating because they lost to the Yankees by 8 games!

05-07-2003, 10:24 AM	#2
rcartman28 NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Hudson, WI Posts: 1,408	The 1993 Giants and 1978 Red Sox come to mind.....unless you count the Bucky "bleeping" Dent game as making the playoffs. __________________ I would have looked out for the water main. But that's just me..... Brett Favre

05-07-2003, 11:21 AM	#7
pathogan william Blake's Innkeeper Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 2,828	the 1951 Dodgers,the 1978 Red sox, the Giants of '93 come first to mind

05-07-2003, 12:09 PM	#9
KCBOOMER NetShrine All-Century Team Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Home of the T-Bones Posts: 11,116	1962 Dodgers 102-63. __________________ KCBOOMER *Buck O'Neil: The Monarch of Baseball*

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05-07-2003, 10:39 AM	#3
Skip NetShrine Vagabond Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Louisville Posts: 7,866	1993 Giants are always the first team I think of in a question like this.

05-07-2003, 11:03 AM	#4
Ytown Tribe fan Guest Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Scrappers territory Posts: 2,515	'54 Yanks won 103 games. Too bad they finished 8 games behind the Tribe.

05-07-2003, 11:08 AM	#5
BigKlu Posts: n/a	How about the 1927 New York Giants? Their 92-62 record saw a third-place finish, 2 games behind Pittsburgh and half a game behind the Cards. They had seven Hall of Famers on the roster - all having good seasons - plus a few other notables from the era (Freddie Fitzsimmons, for example, won 17 games for them). In mid-June McGraw traded the team's shortstop, one Doc Farrell, who was having an amazing season at the plate (.387 with walks and power) for Larry Benton and Zach Thomas. Thomas was a catcher, and did a worse job than the previous starter at that position, Al DeVormer. Benton won 13 games the rest of the way, but was a below-average pitcher, presumably getting those wins with high run support from a lineup that including Ott, Jackson, Roush, Terry, etc. If McGraw hadn't made that trade in mid-season, the team just might have faced their cross-town rivals that October.

05-07-2003, 11:12 AM	#6
poorme Guest Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: washington dc Posts: 2,625	63-65 white sox won 94,98,95 but no playoffs.

05-07-2003, 11:52 AM	#8
JamesI Netshrine Vacuum Cleaner Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Potsdam, N.Y. Posts: 3,723	1980 Orioles 100-62, 2 games back.

05-07-2003, 12:16 PM	#10
SmedIndy NetShrine's Historian Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Zionsville, IN Posts: 10,569	How about the runners up in 1908 NL? The Giants and Pirates were both 98-56. The 1942 Dodgers were 104-50, and I don't think that was necessarily a wartime issue, yet.

05-07-2003, 01:14 PM	#11
BigKlu Posts: n/a	Can't beat this: The 1981 Cincinnati Reds had the best record of any major league team, yet failed to make the playoffs because of a stupid ruling by the Commissioner.

05-07-2003, 01:24 PM	#12
Skip NetShrine Vagabond Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Louisville Posts: 7,866	Can't believe I didnt think of that one BigKlu.

05-07-2003, 01:55 PM	#13
Sopalt Posts: n/a	How about the 1928 Philadelphia Athletics? They finished 98 - 55, 2-1/2 games behind the New York Yankees. The interesting thing is that they lost the pennant head-to-head with the Yankees. Taking away games they played against each other, Philadelphia was 92 - 39 while New York was 85 - 47. The A's were 7-1/2 games better than the Yankees. Too bad for them that they only won 6 out of 22 games against the Yankees. Granted a number of these guys were at the tail end of their careers, but how about this Hall of Fame roster: Ty Cobb, Mickey Cochrane, Eddie Collins, Jimmy Foxx, Lefty Grove, Al Simmons and Tris Speaker.

05-07-2003, 03:33 PM	#14
SmedIndy NetShrine's Historian Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Zionsville, IN Posts: 10,569	Now hold on Big Klu - wasn't that a negotiated part of the agreement of the 1981 strike - so in essence the Reds were hoist by their own petard, indirectly?? Note for those scoring at home - this is the first (and only) time I am sticking up for Bowie Kuhn.

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