Best Thing About This MLB Postseason? One Long World Series Drought Coming to an End
It's been an amazing MLB postseason so far. The wild card round produced elite pitching performances and the divisional series' are almost complete. There are only five remaining teams in contention to win the 2015 World Series.
This isn't your usual World Series race. Not one of the five remaining teams have won a World Series in the 21st century. As a matter of fact, the five teams left only have one combined championship since 1990. One thing is for sure, regardless of which team wins, one long World Series drought is coming to an end pretty soon.
Believe it or not, Canada is home to the most recent championship squad. The Toronto Blue Jays last won the World Series in 1993 when they won back to back titles with Joe Carter. Not only have the Blue Jays not been able to recapture that championship magic, but they weren't even able to make the playoffs from 1993 to 2014.
The Blue Jays won the American League this year, and recently eliminated the Houston Astros in five games. Just eight victories separate the Blue Jays from a third World Series championship, but they must first get by the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS.
Speaking of the Royals, they haven't won a World Series since 1985, 30 years ago. The Royals made the playoffs last year for the first time since 1985, but lost in seven games to the San Francisco Giants. St. Louis Cardinals fans still remember that controversial Game 6 of the 1985 World Series in which Jorge Orta was incorrectly called safe at first base.
Dominican ace Johnny Cueto gave the Royals just what they needed in the ALDS. Cueto pitched a gem against the Houston Astros in a 7-2 victory at home in Game 5. If Cueto can pitch like that again, the Blue Jays are in for a long series.
The National League has no shortage of droughts either.
The New York Mets were in the 2000 World Series, but they haven't won it all since the 1986 season when they beat the Boston Red Sox. The Mets have had elite pitching all year long, and their offense has been improving every month. With the New York Yankees struggling, the Mets are now the top team in the Big Apple. Jacob deGrom will be on the mound in Game 5 for the Mets.
The team the Mets will be taking on also hasn't won a World Series since the 1980s. The Los Angeles Dodgers last won it all back in 1988 when they defeated the Oakland Athletics. The Dodgers are one of the best franchises in MLB history, even dating back to their Brooklyn playing days, but this 27-year title drought is the longest in franchise history. The Dodgers haven't even made it the World Series since they won it all back in 1988.
And then, of course, there's the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs haven't won the World Series since Theodore Roosevelt was president in 1908. It's been a really long time for Cubs fans, but their team recently eliminated the Cardinals in just four games to advance to the NLCS. The Cubs will take on the winner of the Dodgers vs. Mets NLDS.
Jake Arrieta is pitching incredible right now, and the hopes of the Windy City are on his shoulders. The "Curse of the Billy Goat" can't last forever, can it? The Red Sox ended their long 86-year Babe Ruth curse in 2004, so why can't the Cubs eliminate their curse in 2015?
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