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List of best Major League Baseball season win–loss records

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Listed below are the Major League Baseball teams with the best season win–loss records, as determined by winning percentage (.700 or better).

Season records

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Legend
Season Franchise League Wins Losses Pct. Games played Finish
1906 Chicago Cubs NL 116 36 .763 152 Lost 1906 World Series
1902 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 103 36 .741 139 National League Champions
1886 Chicago White Stockings NL 90 34 .726 124 Lost 1886 World Series
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates NL 110 42 .724 152 Won 1909 World Series
1954 Cleveland Indians AL 111 43 .721 154 Lost 1954 World Series
2020* Los Angeles Dodgers NL 43 17 .717 60 Won 2020 World Series
2001 Seattle Mariners AL 116 46 .716 162 Lost 2001 ALCS
1927 New York Yankees AL 110 44 .714 154 Won 1927 World Series
1886 Detroit Wolverines NL 87 36 .707 123 2nd place in National League
1897 Boston Beaneaters NL 93 39 .705 132 Lost 1897 Temple Cup
1907 Chicago Cubs NL 107 45 .704 152 Won 1907 World Series
1931 Philadelphia Athletics AL 107 45 .704 152 Lost 1931 World Series
1998 New York Yankees AL 114 48 .704 162 Won 1998 World Series
1887 St. Louis Browns AA 95 40 .704 135 Lost 1887 World Series
1939 New York Yankees AL 106 45 .702 152 Won 1939 World Series

*- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was shortened to 60 games.

Pre-1886 teams

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With shorter schedules (fewer than 100 games before 1884), it was more common for teams to finish with .700 or better winning percentages, as there was less of the evening-out effect of a longer season, and some seasons had multiple teams, with three in 1884 (between the three leagues that year) and in 1885.

In the list below (minimum 15 games played), six teams finished with better overall winning percentages than the 1906 Cubs, three being in the early years of the National league, and the other three in leagues whose status as "major" is questionable: two in the National Association, whose status as a major league has long been disputed, and the other in the Union Association, which is conventionally listed as a major league, but this has been questioned due to the league's overall lack of playing talent and poor organizational structure.

In addition, contemporary baseball guides did not consider the Union Association to be a major league: the earliest record referencing the Union Association as a major league dates to 1922.[1])

Legend
  • NA = National Association
  • NL = National League
  • AA = American Association
  • UA = Union Association
Season Franchise League Wins Losses Pct. Games played Finish
1875 Boston Red Stockings NA 71 8 .899 79 National Association Champions
1884 St. Louis Maroons UA 94 19 .832 113 Union Association Champions
1872 Boston Red Stockings NA 39 8 .830 47 National Association Champions
1880 Chicago White Stockings NL 67 17 .798 84 National League Champions
1876 Chicago White Stockings NL 52 14 .788 66 National League Champions
1885 Chicago White Stockings NL 87 25 .777 112 Tied 1885 World Series
1885 New York Giants NL 85 27 .759 112 2nd National League
1871 Philadelphia Athletics NA 21 7 .750 28 National Association Champions
1884 Providence Grays NL 84 28 .750 112 Won 1884 World Series
1874 Boston Red Stockings NA 52 18 .743 70 National Association Champions
1873 Boston Red Stockings NA 43 16 .729 59 National Association Champions
1875 Philadelphia Athletics NA 53 20 .726 73 2nd National Association
1885 St. Louis Browns AA 79 33 .705 112 Tied 1885 World Series
1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings NL 45 19 .703 64 3rd National League
1879 Providence Grays NL 59 25 .702 84 National League Champions
1884 New York Metropolitans AA 75 32 .701 107 Lost 1884 World Series
1877 Boston Red Caps NL 42 18 .700 60 National League Champions

The all-time best single season record belongs to the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who posted baseball's only perfect record at 67–0 (57–0 against National Association of Base Ball Players clubs) in 1869, prior to Major League baseball. Their record stretched to 81–0 across the 1870 season before losing 8–7 in eleven innings to the Brooklyn Atlantics in Brooklyn on June 14.[2][3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Baseball Prospectus | Unfiltered
  2. ^ History: Legend of the Cincinnati Red Stockings webpage. 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Vintage Base Ball Team website (2007). Cincinnati Vintage Base Ball Club. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  3. ^ "Reds Timeline". Cincinnati Reds. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
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