A historical look at MLB’s 100-game winners

Winning 100-plus games is no easy task to accomplish. After all, it’s a grueling MLB season, where off days become scarce and injuries hinder a team’s momentum. But there have never been four teams to exceed over 100 wins in the same season. Additionally, there have never been two 100-win teams in the same league.

The New York Yankees have a chance to make history this season by joining the Red Sox with 100 wins. But with 16 games remaining, the Yankees would have to win 10 of their next 16 to do so. Currently, the Yankees sit at 90-56 and are losers of two straight.

With time dwindling down, we’re gearing up for a frantic final push into October — when the playoffs begin and we await the winner of the World Series. But how have 100-win teams fared in the postseason, you ask? Well, let’s take a look!

If you’re a historical buff, then we’d have to travel back in time all the way to 1892 when baseball was still in its infancy. That year, the Boston Beaneaters were MLB’s first 100-win team. And, the first 100-win team to win the then-called “World’s Championship Series.” Interestingly enough, the World’s Championship Series was played between the top two teams from the National League, as the American League had not been formed yet.

Hundred-win clubs would continue to have success before moving to the tradition we know today as the World Series. From 1894 to 1904, the Boston Beaneaters, Brooklyn Superbas, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants all won championships having surpassed the century mark.

During the 2001 season, the Mariners set the record for most wins for a 162-game season with 116. Baseball has seen a number of max games played over the years, with the Chicago Cubs setting the record with 116 wins during the 1906 season when 152 games were played. The Pirates won 103 games during the 1902 season of 139 games. The Detroit Wolverines won 87 games during the 1886 season of 123 games.

If we look at the 2000 MLB season as the benchmark, we find that 20 teams — with Boston’s fate yet undetermined — have had 100-win seasons during that time span.

• 2001: Seattle Mariners (116-46), Oakland Athletics (102-60)
• 2002: New York Yankees (103-58), Oakland Athletics (103-59) & Atlanta Braves (101-59)
• 2003: New York Yankees (101-61), Atlanta Braves (101-61) & San Francisco Giants (100-61)
• 2004: St. Louis Cardinals (105-57), New York Yankees (101-61)
• 2005: St. Louis Cardinals (100-62)
• 2008: Los Angeles Angels (100-62)
• 2009: New York Yankees (103-59)
• 2011: Philadelphia Phillies (102-60)
• 2015: St. Louis Cardinals (100-62)
• 2016: Chicago Cubs (103-58)
• 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers (104-58), Cleveland Indians (102-60) & Houston Astros (101-61)
• 2018: Boston Red Sox (100-46)*

Winning 100 games is great and all, of course. But not all teams are created equal. Of the 20 teams, only three — 15 percent — went on to win the World Series. Conversely, removing the three winners and dropping the total to 17, only three of those teams made it as far as the Championship Series, and three made it to the World Series.

• 2001: Seattle Mariners (116-46) lost ALCS; Oakland Athletics (102-60) lost ALDS
• 2002: New York Yankees (103-58) lost ALDS; Oakland Athletics (103-59) lost ALDS; Atlanta Braves (101-59): lost NLDS
• 2003: New York Yankees (101-61) lost World Series; Atlanta Braves (101-61) lost NLDS; San Francisco Giants (100-61) lost NLDS
• 2004: St. Louis Cardinals (105-57) lost World Series;  New York Yankees (101-61) lost ALCS
• 2005: St. Louis Cardinals (100-62) lost NLCS.
• 2008: Los Angeles Angels (100-62) lost ALDS.
• 2009: New York Yankees (103-59) 2009 won World Series.
• 2011: Philadelphia Phillies (102-60) lost NLDS.
• 2015: St. Louis Cardinals (100-62) lost NLDS.
• 2016: Chicago Cubs (103-58) won World Series.
• 2017: Los Angeles Dodgers (104-58) lost World Series; Cleveland Indians (102-60) lost ALDS; Houston Astros (101-61) won World Series.
• 2018: Boston Red Sox (100-46) TBD*

Meanwhile, the Red Sox would face off against the winner of the wild-card contest if the playoffs started today. As it stands, it’d be between the Yankees and Athletics. History is both for and against Boston for winning the World Series in 2018. Four of the last 100-win teams have all appeared in the World Series…

But will this be Boston’s year?