Milwaukee's five-game triumph over Tampa Bay ends a long wait, and in doing so it reshapes a quiet roll call that baseball keeps in its memory. Where there were once five franchises without a championship, there are now four, each carrying its own history of near misses and bright seasons. The Brewers have crossed a line that others are still approaching, and the remaining clubs now stand in the same long line of hope that every new season renews.
Brewers Break Through as Rays, Rockies, Mariners and Padres Keep Chasing a World Series Title
For the Brewers, the long wait is over.
Mark
So Milwaukee is out of the club of never-winners. Who is left?
Mimi
Four teams: the Rays, Rockies, Mariners and Padres. The Rays are the freshest wound, since they lost this very series in five games.
Mark
The Mariners seem the most striking case.
Mimi
They are the only franchise that has never played in a World Series. Last year they lost a Game 7 in the ALCS to Toronto, and in 2001 they won 116 games and still lost the ALCS in five.
Luke
Worth noting that the 116-win record is real, but the line that it may never be matched is described as something some people suggest. That is opinion, not fact.
Mark
Fair. What about the Rockies?
Mimi
Their drought in October is odd. They reached the 2007 World Series and were swept, and since then they have won just one playoff game beyond their pennant-clinching win. They have never won the division.
Luke
The piece is a ranked overview, not new reporting. It does not tell us how the Brewers won, who starred, or what the games looked like.
Mark
And the Padres?
Mimi
Two Series, two beatings: 4-1 against the 1984 Tigers and a sweep by the 1998 Yankees, who won 114 games.
Luke
Calling the '98 Yankees one of the greatest ever is a common view, but it is a judgment the source attributes loosely to a handful of rankings.
Il Polso
- Milwaukee closed out Tampa Bay in five games, turning a championship chase into a franchise-first celebration.
- The Rays felt the sting of a third World Series defeat, a loss that deepened a pattern of brilliant runs ending just short.
- Four clubs still wait for their first title, each shadowed by past postseason heartbreak.
- The Mariners remain the only franchise never to reach the World Series, and their next chance begins with the 2027 opening day.
Milwaukee's five-game triumph over Tampa Bay ends a long wait, and in doing so it reshapes a quiet roll call that baseball keeps in its memory. Where there were once five franchises without a championship, there are now four, each carrying its own history of near misses and bright seasons. The Brewers have crossed a line that others are still approaching, and the remaining clubs now stand in the same long line of hope that every new season renews.
Milwaukee beat Tampa Bay in five games in the 2026 Fall Classic, and with that the Brewers left a very short list. Entering the season they were one of five MLB clubs that had never won a World Series. Now four remain: the Rays, Rockies, Mariners and Padres.
The Rays, in their market since 1998, are the youngest of the group and the one that just lost. They have reached the World Series three times, including this year, and their first pennant in 2008 fell to the Phillies in five games. A second pennant in 2020 ended in a six-game loss to the Dodgers. This year's defeat was their third Series loss.
The Rockies, who began in 1993, have a stranger story. They have made the postseason but never won a playoff series, and the 2007 run that took them to the World Series ended in a sweep by Boston. They have never won the NL West, and in 2018 they forced a Game 163 against the Dodgers for their best chance at a division title.
The Mariners, in Seattle since 1977, are the only franchise that has never appeared in a World Series. They came close in 2025, losing a Game 7 in the ALCS to Toronto. Their roster has carried stars from Griffey to Julio Rodríguez, and their 2001 team won an MLB-record 116 games yet still fell to the Yankees in the ALCS.
The Padres have reached the World Series twice, in 1984 and 1998, and both times faced powerful opponents. For the Brewers the long wait is over. For the other four, the next chance begins when the 2027 season opens.
Milwaukee beat Tampa Bay in five games in the 2026 Fall Classic, and with that the Brewers left a very short list. Coming into the season they were one of five MLB clubs that had never won a World Series. Now there are four: the Rays, Rockies, Mariners and Padres, listed here in order of how long each has been in its current home market.
The Rays, in their market since 1998, are the youngest of the group, and the one that just lost. They have reached the World Series three times, including this year, and made five straight playoff appearances from 2019 to 2023. Their first AL pennant came in 2008, and they fell to the Phillies in five games. They won a second in 2020 and lost to the Dodgers in six. This year's loss to the Brewers, again in five, was their third World Series defeat.
The Rockies, who began in 1993, have a stranger story. They made the postseason in consecutive years for the first time in 2017 and 2018, but won no playoff games in either run. They also reached the playoffs in 2009 as the NL Wild Card. Since the 2007 "Rocktober" run that took them to the World Series, where the Red Sox swept them, Colorado has won only one postseason game beyond its pennant-clinching victory over Arizona. The Rockies have never won the NL West. In 2018 they forced a Game 163 against the Dodgers for what would have been their first division title.
The Mariners, in Seattle since 1977, hold a distinction the others do not: they are the only franchise that has never appeared in a World Series. They came close in 2025, losing a Game 7 in the ALCS to the Blue Jays. The club has employed some of the sport's biggest names, including Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Ichiro Suzuki, Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez. Its postseason disappointments have been just as large. In 2001 Seattle won an MLB-record 116 games, a mark some suggest may never be matched, and still lost the ALCS to the Yankees in five games.
The Padres have been in San Diego since 1969 and have reached the World Series twice. Both times they met formidable opponents. In 1984, a dominant Tigers team beat the Padres of Tony Gwynn and Steve Garvey, 4-1. In 1998 they were swept by the Yankees, who won 114 regular-season games and are regarded as one of a handful of the greatest teams ever.
For the Brewers, the long wait is over. For the other four, the next chance begins when the 2027 season opens, with Seattle still looking for its first trip to the World Series at all.
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