The Best Baseball Teams of All Time
10. The 1929 Philadelphia Athletics
This squad boasted six Baseball Hall of Famers: Lefty Grove, Al Simmons, Eddie Collins and Mickey Cochrane. The Philadelphia Athletics’ 1929 season involved the A’s finishing 1st in the American League with a record of 104 wins and 46 losses. After finishing in second place to the New York Yankees in 1927 and 1928, the club won the 1929 pennant by a large 18-game margin. The Tenth Best Team in baseball history is the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics. The A’s won 104 games, had the second best offense and the best pitching in the American League, and outscored their opponents by almost 300 runs. Then they hammered the Cubs in five games in the ‘29 World Series.
9. The 1919 Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox’ 1919 season was their 19th season in the American League. They won 88 games to advance to the World Series but lost to the Cincinnati Reds. More significantly, some of the players were found to have taken money from gamblers in return for throwing the series. The “Black Sox Scandal” had permanent ramifications for baseball, including the establishment of the office of Commissioner of Baseball. Two of the best players in the game, knuckleballer Eddie Cicotte and slugger Joe Jackson, had their careers cut short as a result of their involvement in the fix. Before they became known for the Black Sox Scandal, this team was headed for its second World Series Championship in 1919 when New York and Chicago gamblers made several key players an offer the couldn’t refuse. The 1919 Black Sox Scandal resulted in the banishment of eight Chisox players by Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis. The banished players included future locks for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Shoeless Joe Jackson and great knuckleball pitcher Eddie Cicotte.
8. The 1915 Boston Red Sox
The 1915 Boston Red Sox season involved the Red Sox finishing 1st in the American League with a record of 101 wins and 50 losses. They defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 5 games in the World Series. This World Series winner was built on great pitching. Here are the Win-Loss record and the ERA’s of their starting rotation for 1915:
7. The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers finally fulfilled the promise of many previous Dodger teams. Although the club had won several pennants in the past, and had won as many as 105 games in 1953, it had never won a World Series. This team finished 13.5 games ahead in the National League pennant race, leading the league in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed. In the 1955 World Series, they finally beat their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees. It was the Dodgers first and only World Series championship won while located in Brooklyn. This is the team that finally got past the New York Yankees and won the lone Championship for Brooklyn Baseball. The team went 98-55 and blew away the Milwaukee Braves by thirteen games in the regular season. Then in the World Series, they finally erased the ghosts of 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953 by taking out the Bombers in a memorable seven game series.
6. The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals 1934 season was the team’s 53rd season in St. Louis, Missouri and the 43rd season in the National League. The Cardinals went 95-58 during the season and finished first in the National League. In the World Series, they defeated the Detroit Tigers in seven games, winning the last 11-0.
The Gashouse Gang was led by Baseball Hall of Famers Joe “Ducky Medwick”, Frankie Frisch, Dizzy Dean, and hitting sensation Ripper Collins, who hit .331 with 35 home runs and 128 RBI. They beat the New York Giants in a pennant race that came down to the last weekend, and then prevailed over Hank Greenberg’s Detroit Tigers in seven games.
5. The 1961 New York Yankees
The New York Yankees’ 1961 season was the 59th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 109-53, eight games ahead of the Detroit Tigers, and won their 26th American League pennant. New York was managed by Ralph Houk. The Yankees played their home games at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they defeated the Cincinnati Reds in 5 games. The M & M Boys led the 1961 New York Yankees team to a 109-53 record. Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s home run record with 61 dingers, and Mickey Mantle hit .328 with 54 HR and 128 RBI. Whitey Ford won 25 games and the Cy Young Award. Even though the majority of fans verbally attacked the unpopular Maris as he approached the magic record, the Yankees banded together behind the leadership of Mantle, Manager Ralph Hook and veteran greats Yogi Berra and Elston Howard.
4. The 1906 Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs’ 1906 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Cubs winning the National League pennant. Led by new manager Frank Chance, the Cubs dominated the NL. They led the league in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed by large margins. Their record of 116 has never been beaten to date. However, it was tied in 2001 by the Seattle Mariners. In a huge upset, they were beaten by the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. Despite this, the club is still considered one of the greatest baseball teams of all-time. Tinkers to Evers to Chance. 116 wins and only 36 losses. The best winning percentage ever. Five starting pitchers with ERAs under 2.00. The beat the Giants by twenty games during the regular season. Then they lost the World Series to the “Hitless Wonder” Chicago White Sox in six games. However, they were still one of the greatest teams ever, as evidenced by their 1907 and 1908 World Series wins.
3. The 1975 Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds’ 1975 season was a season in American baseball. It consisted of the Reds winning the National League West with a record of 108-54, 20 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds also won the National League Championship Series by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the three games, and the World Series in seven games over the Boston Red Sox. Joe Morgan was the National League’s Most Valuable Player that season. The Reds were managed by Sparky Anderson and played their home games at Riverfront Stadium. Otherwise known as The Big Red Machine, this is another team laden with Baseball Hall of Famers: Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Pete Rose. Whoops. Not him. But he was a great, great ballplayer, even if he was a degenerate gambler. The Reds also had sluggers George Foster and Ken Griffey, Sr. to round out their slugging attack. They won 108 games, cruised through the playoffs and beat the Red Sox in the legendary 1975 World Series.
2. The 1998 New York Yankees
The New York Yankees’ 1998 season was the 96th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a franchise record regular-season standing of 114-48, 22 games ahead of the second-place Boston Red Sox in the American League East. These Yankees set an American League record for wins in a season, a record that would stand until 2001, when the Seattle Mariners won 116 games in the regular season against 46 losses. New York was managed by Joe Torre. The 1998 Yankees did not have a single superstar. In a year where four players hit more than 50 homers, and 2 actually hit more than 60, no one hit even 30 home runs for the Yankees. But this was truly a team of balance, with tough starting pitching from top to bottom, a lights-out bullpen, and a balanced offensive that never gave up.
1. The 1927 New York Yankees
The New York Yankees’ 1927 season was their 25th season. The team finished with a record of 110-44, winning their fifth pennant and finishing 19 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics. New York was managed by Miller Huggins. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they swept the Pittsburgh Pirates. This Yankee team is known for their feared lineup, which was nicknamed “Murderers’ Row”. That season, Babe Ruth hit 60 Home Runs. Lou Gehrig had 47 HR and 175 RBI. Tony Lazzeri hit .309 with 102 RBI. Bob Meusel hit .337 with 109 RBI. Earl Combs hit .356 with 231 hits and 137 Runs scored. They also had great pitchers in Waite Hoyt, Urban Shocker, and Herb Pennock. These Yankees outscored their opponents by almost 400 runs and finished with a 110-44 record. Then they swept the Pirates in the World Series. You can’t get better than that!
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