Baseball Toaster Mike's Baseball Rants
Help
This is my site with my opinions, but I hope that, like Irish Spring, you like it, too.
Frozen Toast
Search
Google Search
Web
Toaster
Mike's Baseball Rants
Archives

2009
01 

2008
10  09  07 
06  05  04  03 

2007
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2006
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2005
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2004
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2003
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2002
12  11  10  09  08  07 
Links to MBBR
Back-to-Back to Oblivion
2008-09-28 21:37
by Mike Carminati

Mike Schmidt's 1978 typified his team, the Phils', season. It was a major disappointment. Schmidt batted .251 with a mere 21 homers and 78 runs batted in, those were miniscule numbers for Schmidt even given they came in a pitcher's era.

The '78 Phils followed up two straight 101-game win seasons with a meager 90. The postseason results were also the same with the Phils losing in the NLCS. The team overhauled its lineup in the off-season, bringing in record-breaking free agent Pete Rose, of the "Three Point Two Mill-Lee-Un Dollars" of Chico Escuela fame, to play—ah, well we don't have a position for him so stick him at first.

Little did we know that 1978 would represent a high watermark of sorts for the team. The Phils would have to wait thirty years—until Saturday to be precise—to win back-to-back division titles. In 1978, we had just witnessed back-to-back-to-back division titles for goodness' sake.

The Phils' 30-year wait between consecutive titles, division or league, is not unprecedented, but it is pretty rare. It's just the eleventh time it has happened in baseball history. It's nothing compared to the 68 years that the Pirates waited to raise two straight pennants, from 1902-03 to 1970-71.

Here are the longest waits in baseball history between consecutive division or league titles for any franchise. Note that the Phils mark is the seventh longest wait between consecutive titles since the advent of World Series play:

Team Yrs 1Yrs 2 Span
Pittsburgh Pirates1902-031970-7168
Boston Beaneaters-Milwaukee Braves1897-981957-5860
Brooklyn Superbas-Dodgers1899-19001952-5353
Washington Senators-Minnesota Twins1924-251969-7045
St. Louis Browns-Cardinals1887-881930-3143
Philadelphia-Oakland A's1930-311971-7241
St. Louis Cardinals1967-682004-0537
Milwaukee-Atlanta Braves1957-581991-9234
Cincinnati Reds1939-401972-7333
Minnesota Twins1969-702002-0333
Philadelphia Phillies1977-782007-0830
Comments
2008-09-29 10:02:29
1.   Sandus
What happened to the Cubs winning back to back titles this year for the first time since 1908?
2008-09-29 19:38:21
2.   Mike Carminati
Good point. It wasn't in the database yet.
2008-09-30 07:18:15
3.   old dodger fan
Even though the Red Sox didn't win the AL East I assume that if they win the ALCS they will go on the chart. I think their last repeat was 1915-1916. What if they win the Division Series but don't win the ALCS? Life has gotten too confusing.
2008-09-30 22:00:54
4.   Mike Carminati
I am looking at consecutive first-place finishes (that is no wildcards). So technically the Red Sox haven't done it since 1915-16.

Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.