When it comes to postseason droughts, no one in MLB has spent as many years as the Seattle Mariners without October baseball.
They haven’t made it since 2001, when Ichiro Suzuki was a stellar rookie and Felix Hernandez was still years away from making his MLB debut.
The Philadelphia Phillies, in turn, haven’t advanced to the playoffs since 2011: 10 years without playing in October for the historically relevant franchise.
Both teams are this close to putting an end to their misery, as they are both about to secure a place in this year’s party.
It’s a matter of days for both.
With the Mariners and Phillies virtually in, who will have the longest postseason drought in baseball?
MLB insider Jon Morosi, as usual, has the answers.
“The @Mariners (20 seasons) and @Phillies (10 seasons) are on pace to end the longest active postseason droughts in @MLB. The Tigers and Angels are tied for the next-longest drought. Neither has reached the playoffs since ’14, and neither will make it in ’22,” he tweeted.
The @Mariners (20 seasons) and @Phillies (10 seasons) are on pace to end the longest active postseason droughts in @MLB.
The Tigers and Angels are tied for the next-longest drought. Neither has reached the playoffs since '14, and neither will make it in '22. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) September 14, 2022
The Tigers And Angels Have Gone Eight Years Without Postseason Baseball
The Detroit Tigers went to the 2006 World Series and were viewed as the favorites, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals.
In the Miguel Cabrera era, they made the postseason four straight seasons from 2011 to 2014.
They reached the Championship Series twice and the World Series once, in 2012, when they were swept by the San Francisco Giants.
They haven’t made the playoffs since 2014.
The Los Angeles Angels are a more perplexing case.
They have had Mike Trout since 2012 and Shohei Ohtani since 2018, yet the last time they qualified to the postseason was in 2014, and it was a quick first-round exit.
Their droughts could extend for a few more years, particularly the Tigers’.
NEXT: Mookie Betts Impressed Himself With A Highlight Play