Victory with no reward

   May 17, 2022  Leave a Comment on Victory with no reward  Posted in Uncategorized

We’re only at the midpoint of May, and the 2022 season is just a quarter gone. Isn’t it too soon to talk about the playoffs?

Of course not. It’s never too early to focus on the postseason. Or, in the case of today’s topic, missing the postseason.

Montreal and success were mutually exclusive, at least as far as baseball was concerned. The Expos made the playoffs only once in their history, and that was under the two-half system cobbled together after the 1981 players’ strike.

But 1994 — the Expos’ 26th season — promised to be different. The team was loaded with young talent. Larry Walker (.322 batting average), Moises Alou (.339), and Marquis Grissom (36 stolen bases) formed the best outfield in the National League. A 22-year-old phenom, Pedro Martinez, was the rising star of the pitching staff. Walker and Martinez were both destined for the Hall of Fame.

The Expos caught fire after June 1, winning 46 of 64 games, including four victories over their closest pursuer in the National League East, the Braves. “I remember leaving Atlanta, and we were just laughing,” Walker would recall. “Like, ‘This is our competition?’”

But Montreal’s dream year ended abruptly on August 12. The players’ union staged another strike, and a stalemate ensued. Commissioner Bud Selig called off the season on September 14. The Expos boasted a record of 74-40 and an impressive team score of 75.628, but they would not play again in 1994. They had the unhappy distinction of being the best club in the Modern Era (1961 to the present) that did not participate in the playoffs.

Three other strike-haunted franchises from 1994 can be found in the following breakdown of 10 clubs that amassed outstanding team scores, yet didn’t take part in any postseason action. You’ll see each team’s win-loss record, its TS, its rank and percentile among all 1,626 Modern Era clubs, the average number of runs it scored and allowed per game, and the ratio of bases per out that its batters attained and its pitchers surrendered.

The best non-playoff team to play a full schedule was the 1987 New York Mets (92-70), who finished three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League East. That, of course, was back when a team had to win its division to move on to the postseason.

The addition of wild cards in 1995 made it easier to qualify for the playoffs, hence reducing the odds that a club with a strong record would be left on the sidelines. That’s why only one post-1995 team is among the 25 listed below, the 2005 Cleveland Indians in 20th place.

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1. Montreal Expos (1994)

  • Record: 74-40 (.649)

  • Team score: 75.628 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 80th of 1,626 teams (95.1%)

  • Runs per game: 5.13 scored, 3.98 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .772 attained, .636 allowed

2. New York Yankees (1994)

  • Record: 70-43 (.619)

  • Team score: 71.457 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 130th of 1,626 teams (92.1%)

  • Runs per game: 5.93 scored, 4.73 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .828 attained, .717 allowed

3. New York Mets (1987)

  • Record: 92-70 (.568)

  • Team score: 71.263 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 134th of 1,626 teams (91.8%)

  • Runs per game: 5.08 scored, 4.31 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .763 attained, .667 allowed

4. New York Yankees (1985)

  • Record: 97-64 (.602)

  • Team score: 70.868 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 137th of 1,626 teams (91.6%)

  • Runs per game: 5.21 scored, 4.10 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .760 attained, .654 allowed

5. Toronto Blue Jays (1987)

  • Record: 96-66 (.593)

  • Team score: 70.746 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 140th of 1,626 teams (91.4%)

  • Runs per game: 5.22 scored, 4.04 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .754 attained, .674 allowed

6. Chicago White Sox (1994)

  • Record: 67-46 (.593)

  • Team score: 70.266 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 146th of 1,626 teams (91.1%)

  • Runs per game: 5.60 scored, 4.41 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .807 attained, .669 allowed

7. San Francisco Giants (1993)

  • Record: 103-59 (.636)

  • Team score: 69.504 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 154th of 1,626 teams (90.6%)

  • Runs per game: 4.99 scored, 3.93 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .735 attained, .638 allowed

8. Detroit Tigers (1961)

  • Record: 101-61 (.623)

  • Team score: 68.177 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 166th of 1,626 teams (89.8%)

  • Runs per game: 5.16 scored, 4.12 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .749 attained, .640 allowed

9. Cleveland Indians (1994)

  • Record: 66-47 (.584)

  • Team score: 67.331 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 181st of 1,626 teams (88.9%)

  • Runs per game: 6.01 scored, 4.97 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .834 attained, .714 allowed

10. Milwaukee Brewers (1992)

  • Record: 92-70 (.568)

  • Team score: 67.284 points

  • Era rank (and percentile): 182nd of 1,626 teams (88.9%)

  • Runs per game: 4.57 scored, 3.73 allowed

  • Bases per out (BPO): .685 attained, .613 allowed

Next 15

  • 11. Los Angeles Dodgers (1973), 95-66, TS 67.170

  • 12. New York Mets (1990), 91-71, TS 67.119

  • 13. Baltimore Orioles (1980), 100-62, TS 66.988

  • 14. Montreal Expos (1979), 95-65, TS 66.653

  • 15. Atlanta Braves (1994), 68-46, TS 66.095

  • 16. Cincinnati Reds (1994), 66-48, TS 65.978

  • 17. Cincinnati Reds (1974), 98-64, TS 65.940

  • 18. Chicago White Sox (1964), 98-64, TS 65.632

  • 19. New York Mets (1985), 98-64, TS 65.210

  • 20. Cleveland Indians (2005), 93-69, TS 65.096

  • 21. Milwaukee Brewers (1978), 93-69, TS 64.905

  • 22. Minnesota Twins (1963), 91-70, TS 64.600

  • 23. Los Angeles Dodgers (1982), 88-74, TS 64.504

  • 24. Los Angeles Dodgers (1962), 102-63, TS 64.068

  • 25. Los Angeles Dodgers (1991), 93-69, TS 64.006

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