I admit it. I took a negative bent a couple of weeks ago. My September 4 post, as you may recall, focused on the 10 biggest stretch-drive collapses since the arrival of divisional play a half-century ago.
The Cubs surrendering an almost-certain pennant to the Mets in 1969. The Angels falling apart in 1995 and again in 1998. The Red Sox coughing up a seemingly guaranteed playoff spot in 2011. Everything was gloomy.
It seems appropriate to redress this imbalance by examining the 10 greatest comebacks during the past 50 seasons. (That span doesn’t include 1994, of course, since it lacked a postseason.)
So here they are — the 10 best performances since 1969 by teams that would not have made the playoffs as of August 31, but bravely rallied in the final month to qualify for the postseason. They’re ranked in reverse order by their September/October winning percentages.
10. Atlanta Braves (1993)
Manager: Bobby Cox
Record after Aug. 31 game: 82-50 (.621)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 2nd place (NL West)
September/October record: 22-8 (.733)
Record at end of season: 104-58 (.642)
Playoff status at end of season: Division winner
Notes: There was no wild card in 1993. That’s why the Braves, despite their sterling record, were 3.5 games off the playoff pace at the end of August. So they dialed it up, winning 13 of their next 16 games and vaulting into a four-game lead over San Francisco. The Giants clawed back to within a game of the Braves, but missed the playoffs despite their 103-59 record.
8. (tie) Atlanta Braves (1969)
Manager: Lum Harris
Record after Aug. 31 game: 73-62 (.541)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 4th place (NL West)
September/October record: 20-7 (.741)
Record at end of season: 93-69 (.574)
Playoff status at end of season: Division winner
Notes: The Braves were stuck at the bottom of a four-team NL West logjam as August drew to a close. Atlanta was just two games behind division-leading San Francisco, but Los Angeles and Cincinnati were wedged in between. Each of those competitors lost at least 13 games after August 31, allowing the red-hot Braves to win the West with a three-game cushion.
8. (tie) Milwaukee Brewers (2019)
Manager: Craig Counsell
Record after Aug. 31 game: 69-66 (.511)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 3rd place (NL Central)
September/October record: 20-7 (.741)
Record at end of season: 89-73 (.549)
Playoff status at end of season: Wild card
Notes: The Brewers were barely a .500 team at the beginning of September, languishing four full games out of the National League’s second wild-card spot. That’s when they got hot, rolling out a pair of seven-game winning streaks during the final month. Milwaukee ran up the National League’s best record in September and made the playoffs with ease.
7. Philadelphia Phillies (1983)
Managers: Pat Corrales and Paul Owens
Record after Aug. 31 game: 67-64 (.511)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 2nd place (NL East)
September/October record: 23-8 (.742)
Record at end of season: 90-72 (.556)
Playoff status at end of season: Division winner
Notes: Pat Corrales had the Phillies in first place, albeit with a mediocre 43-42 mark, when he was fired in mid-July. General Manager Paul Owens took the reins and steered Philadelphia to the National League’s best record the rest of the way. An 11-game winning streak in the final month capped the comeback.
6. New York Mets (1969)
Manager: Gil Hodges
Record after Aug. 31 game: 76-54 (.585)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 2nd place (NL East)
September/October record: 24-8 (.750)
Record at end of season: 100-62 (.617)
Playoff status at end of season: Division winner
Notes: The Cubs seemed to have the NL East title in their grasp, leading the Mets by 4.5 games at the end of August. But Chicago fell into the fourth-worst stretch-drive swoon since the advent of divisional play (9-18), while New York shifted into overdrive. The 1969 Mets were the only team on this list to maintain momentum to the end — and win the World Series.
5. Oakland Athletics (2000)
Manager: Art Howe
Record after Aug. 31 game: 69-63 (.523)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 2nd place (AL West)
September/October record: 22-7 (.759)
Record at end of season: 91-70 (.565)
Playoff status at end of season: Division winner
Notes: The Athletics trailed the Mariners by 2.5 games in the AL West at the end of August. Seattle continued to play well after the calendar flipped to September. Its 19-10 stretch-drive record was the second-best in the American League, but Oakland was the sole team that did better, sneaking off with the divisional crown by half a game.
4. Houston Astros (2004)
Managers: Jimy Williams and Phil Garner
Record after Aug. 31 game: 69-63 (.523)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 3rd place (NL Central)
September/October record: 23-7 (.767)
Record at end of season: 92-70 (.568)
Playoff status at end of season: Wild card
Notes: The Astros expected big things in 2004 after coming within a game of the NL Central title the year before. But they stumbled to a 44-44 start, costing Jimy Williams his job. Phil Garner took over at the All-Star break, and the difference was palpable. Houston went 48-26 the rest of the way, capped by a 23-7 run in the final month, and qualified for the playoffs.
3. Cleveland Indians (2013)
Manager: Terry Francona
Record after Aug. 31 game: 71-64 (.526)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 2nd place (AL Central)
September/October record: 21-6 (.778)
Record at end of season: 92-70 (.568)
Playoff status at end of season: Wild card
Notes: The situation seemed hopeless. The Indians were dragging 4.5 games off the wild-card pace when September began, with two contenders ahead of them. But they closed the season by winning their final 10 games, which not only clinched a wild-card spot, but also brought them within a game of tying the Tigers for the AL Central title.
2. New York Yankees (1995)
Manager: Buck Showalter
Record after Aug. 31 game: 57-59 (.491)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 2nd place (AL East)
September/October record: 22-6 (.786)
Record at end of season: 79-65 (.549)
Playoff status at end of season: Wild card
Notes: It was bad enough that the Red Sox were running away with the AL East race, but the Yankees had bigger worries at the start of September. New York was two games below .500, and it stood fifth in the wild-card standings, trailing the Mariners, Rangers, Royals, and Brewers. A pair of six-game winning streaks and another five-game run ignited the Yanks’ successful stretch drive.
1. Baltimore Orioles (1974)
Manager: Earl Weaver
Record after Aug. 31 game: 66-65 (.504)
Status after Aug. 31 game: 3rd place (AL East)
September/October record: 25-6 (.806)
Record at end of season: 91-71 (.562)
Playoff status at end of season: Division winner
Notes: The Orioles didn’t look anything like a playoff team at the end of August. They were wallowing in third place behind the Red Sox and Yankees, barely above .500. But everything changed in September. Baltimore won 25 of its final 31 games, while New York failed to keep pace and Boston stumbled badly. The Orioles finished with the best record in the American League, though they went on to lose to Oakland in the AL Championship Series.