Indians now own baseball's longest championship drought
The Chicago Cubs finally ended baseball's longest championship drought with their first World Series since 1908, much to the dismay of the Cleveland Indians, who now occupies first on the list, with their last World Series coming in 1948.
In honor of the Cubs snapping the dreaded dry spell, here are the next longest championship droughts in baseball:
68 years - Cleveland Indians
Including 2016, the Indians have appeared in the Fall Classic six times (1920, 1954, 1995, and 1997) with their last championship coming in 1948. Unfortunately for their fans, the team couldn't bring home a championship like their basketball counterparts the Cleveland Cavaliers. The LeBron James-led squad came back from a 3-1 series deficit (too soon?) to beat the Golden State Warriors in seven games, ending the city's 52-year championship drought, but doing nothing for the Indians.
56 years - Texas Rangers
With the Indians being the only team on this list to win a World Series, the Rangers drought approaches 60 years. Appearing in two Fall Classics, in 2010 and 2011, the Rangers lost to the San Francisco Giants in five games and the St. Louis Cardinals in seven. It makes it tougher to swallow knowing the team has been eliminated in back-to-back division series (2015 and 2016) by the Toronto Blue Jays.
55 years - Houston Astros
Similar to their Texas counterparts, the Astros' championship dry spell is 55 years and counting, with only one World Series appearance to their name - getting swept by the Chicago White Sox in 2005. They did have a string of postseason appearances from 1997-2001, but were swept in four of five division series with a combined record of 2-12. Since their lone World Series appearance, the Astros have advanced to the postseason once in 11 years.
48 years - Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers' last World Series appearance, and the only one in franchise history, was in 1982 when the team lost Game 7 to the Cardinals, a team with a history of breaking team's hearts and extending droughts, apparently. The Brewers have had a rough go in their 48 years of existence, with only four postseason appearances.
48 years - San Diego Padres
Yet another team with a depressing history, the Padres haven't exactly been the epitome of success over the years. The franchise lost both their World Series appearances: in 1984 in five games and getting swept by the New York Yankees in 1998. To make matters worse, the team has lost three division series with a combined record of 1-9. Since 2008, the Padres have managed only one winning season.
48 years - Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos
This one has a Canadian connection that Expos fans hate to be reminded of. In 35 years in Montreal, the team made the postseason only once, losing the 1981 NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since relocating to Washington in 2005, the Nationals haven't advanced to the Fall Classic despite making the postseason three times from 2012-15, losing three straight division series.