MLB Final Four by Combined Record

After a flurry of upsets in the Division Series, only the Orioles, Royals, Cardinals and Giants are left standing this October. Only Baltimore won more than 90 games in the regular season:

Baltimore Orioles 96-66
St. Louis Cardinals 90-72
Kansas City Royals 89-73
San Francisco Giants 88-74

We've had multiple rounds in the playoffs since 1969, so this is the 45th season in which baseball has had a "Final Four." The overall record of this fall's quartet (363-285) is good for a .560 winning percentage, the lowest of all time. Here are the bottom five:

Year	AL 1	W	L	AL 2	W	L	NL 1	W	L	NL 2	W	L	Tot W	Tot L	Tot Pct
2014	BAL	96	66	KC	89	73	STL	90	72	SF	88	74	363	285	0.5602
1996	NYY	92	70	BAL	88	74	ATL	96	66	STL	88	74	364	284	0.5617
2012	NYY	95	67	DET	88	74	SF	94	68	STL	88	74	365	283	0.5633
1981	OAK	64	45	NYY	59	48	LAD	63	47	MON	60	48	246	188	0.5668
2000	SEA	91	71	NYY	87	74	STL	95	67	NYM	94	68	367	280	0.5672

This year beats out the 1996 group by one game. Let's take a look at the top five:

Year	AL 1	W	L	AL 2	W	L	NL 1	W	L	NL 2	W	L	Tot W	Tot L	Tot Pct
1998	NYY	114	48	CLE	89	73	ATL	106	56	SD	98	64	407	241	0.6281
1977	KC	102	60	NYY	100	62	PHI	101	61	LAD	98	64	401	247	0.6188
1969	BAL	109	53	MIN	97	65	NYM	100	62	ATL	93	69	399	249	0.6157
1995	CLE	100	44	SEA	79	66	ATL	90	54	CIN	85	59	354	223	0.6135
1970	BAL	108	54	MIN	98	64	CIN	102	60	PIT	89	73	397	251	0.6127

1998 obviously gets a boost from the Yankees, but the Braves posted the franchise's best record since the 19th Century and San Diego put up an impressive 98 wins.

Obviously, this week's upsets pushed 2014 to the bottom of the list, but how about this note that shows how much parity we've had this season: Even if the top four teams (Angels, Orioles, Nationals, Dodgers) advanced, this year would only rank 20th out of 45 seasons!


The 2014 NLCS is just the second League Championship Series in which neither participant won more than 90 games (or the 162-game equivalent in a shortened season). The 2007 NLCS featured the 90-win Diamondbacks and 90-win Rockies, which ended in a Colorado sweep. It also has the second-lowest combined winning percentage of any of the 90 LCS matchups. The bottom five:

Year	Tm 1	W	L	Tm 2	W	L	Tot W	Tot L	Tot Pct
2008	PHI	92	70	LAD	84	78	176	148	0.5432
2014	STL	90	72	SF	88	74	178	146	0.5494
2000	SEA	91	71	NYY	87	74	178	145	0.5511
2003	FLA	91	71	CHN	88	74	179	145	0.5525
2007	ARZ	90	72	COL	90	73	180	145	0.5538

Still two games better than the 2008 NLCS, dragged down by the 84-win Dodgers. Now the top five (well, six due to a tie):

Year	Tm 1	W	L	Tm 2	W	L	Tot W	Tot L	Tot Pct
2001	SEA	116	46	NYY	95	65	211	111	0.6553
1970	BAL	108	54	MIN	98	64	206	118	0.6358
1969	BAL	109	53	MIN	97	65	206	118	0.6358
1971	BAL	101	57	OAK	101	60	202	117	0.6332
1998	ATL	106	56	SD	98	64	204	120	0.6296
1986	NYM	108	54	HOU	96	66	204	120	0.6296

Those '01 M's pull their matchup to the top. The 1971 ALCS is one of three that pitted two 100-win clubs against each other, joining the 1976 NLCS (Reds 102, Phillies 101) and 1977 ALCS (Royals 102, Yankees 100).

The complete lists are embedded below and a sortable version can be viewed here.