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Kansas City has rolled into the 3 quarter mark with a slim AL Central lead on the Detroit Tigers, and may finally stare down their best chance to make the playoffs since winning the World Series Title.

The Royals playoff futility is the ‘clubhouse leader’ in the MLB by 8 years.  The Toronto Blue Jays have not yielded a postseason berth since winning back to back World Series in 1992 and 1993.

Both of these two AL clubs have not made it to October baseball since the 1994 strike (the last 2 remaining clubs).

Toronto starts play today at 63 – 59, and have their best look at the playoffs since the team had Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett back in 2007 – 2008.

The Canadian franchise had more of an excuse for years – competing with the Red Sox and Yankees when the economics 1st went out of whack during these two AL Beast 8 combined Titles, 10 ALCS appearances and all Division Titles but two during the last 20 years (Tampa Bay in 2008, 2010 being the exception.

The Mariners, hold the 3rd longest dry spell for October baseball, having not made the post season since 2001.  It was their glorious record tying 116 victory win campaign that was cut short by the Yankees in the ALCS.

The PAC NW club has 2 more back to back 93 win campaigns, still falling short of the playoffs due to the Oakland A’s and Los Angeles Angels being in the same Division, while seeing long term skipper Lou Pinella flee the scene, and the haven’t recovered in the 11 years since.

It has been slim pickings for even winning baseball in the Emerald City.

Today the M’s embark on a key series versus the Detroit Tigers at 65 – 55 – with 42 games left.

This squad trails the “Motown Boys” by just a half game, and will be starting undefeated as a pro (James Paxton, 5 – 0 lifetime, with a 1.93 ERA in 8 Games Starts), King Felix Hernandez ( 13 – 3, with a 1.95 ERA – including 15 straight contests with 7 IP and 2 ER or less). followed by the most unlikely 11 game winner in the MLB this year of veteran RHP Chris Young.

The Mariners signing Robinson Cano was a brash move, and they should try to take advantage of this turnaround in the next few years.

The Marlins actually hold the longest NL Streak of not making the playoffs.  Crazy right… But true.  The Fish last made the postseason in 2003, when they upset the highly favored Yankees in the World Series for their 2nd Fall Classic in a half a dozen years.

Presently Miami is hanging on the fringe of the NL Wild Card race, They are currently 4 games behind the bar at 60 – 61.  It is too bad they lost Jose Fernandez earlier this season, or you have to think they would be at the top of the leaderboard.

This team has a very similar feel to the 2003 team.  Great pitching, and the premiere young hitter in the NL (Giancarlo Stanton – whereas the ’03 squad featured a young Miguel Cabrera called up half way through the year.)

You almost swear this team would pull through when everyone was least expecting it…Besides it was kind of how they did it in that season.

The 5th longest drought belongs to the 2005 Houston Astros of all clubs.  Back then, they lost in the World Series to the Chicago White Sox, grew old as a core with the Killer B’s, and now have plunged to the bottom of the standings for the last several campaigns.

Reid Ryan’s young team could be heading for postseason baseball in the next 3 – 4 years no doubt.

Here are the last time the clubs made the playoffs.

Note that the 4 wild card teams played in games so far: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Texas and Cleveland have 3 clubs that have made the playoffs still quite recently, with ATL and CIN  both being part of the 2012 and 2013 season’s respectively, and the Indians were in the 2007 ALCS before that, if you want to count the last Division Series each partook in.

American League

Last Playoff Appearance: Games won or lost in, Last made the playoffs rankings.

BAL – 2012, lost in the ALDS (5 games) T6

TOR – 1993, won the World Series vs PHI (6 games) 14th

NYY – 2012, lost the ALCS to DET (4 games) T6

TB – 2013, lost in ALDS to BOS (4 games) T1

BOS – 2013, won the WS over STL (6 games) T1

DET- 2013, lost the ALCS to BOS (6 games) T1

KC – 1985, won the WS vs STL (7 games) 15th

CLE – 2013, Lost the ALWC to TB (T1)

MIN – 2010, Lost in ALDS to NYY (3 games) 9th

CWS – 2008, Lost in ALDS to TB (4 games) 11th

OAK – 2013, Lost in ALDS to DET (5 games) T1

TEX – 2012, Lost the ALWC to BAL, (also lost a playoff game of 163 to the 2nd ALWC TB Rays in 2013) T6

LAA – 2009, Lost the ALCS to NYY (6 games) 10th

SEA – 2001, Lost the ALCS to NYY (5 games) 13th

HOU – 2005, Lost the WS to CWS (4 games) Were part of the NL back then (12th)

National League

WSH – 2012, Lost in NLDS to STL (5 games) T6

ATL – 2013, Lost in NLDS to LAD (4 games) T6

MIA – 2003, Won WS over NYY ( 6 games) 15th

PHI – 2011, Lost in NLDS to STL (5 games) T9

NYM – 2006, Lost in NLCS to STL (7 Games) T13th

MIL – 2011, Lost in NLCS to STL (6 games) T9

STL – 2013, Lost in WS to BOS ( 6 games) T1

CIN – 2013, Lost in NLWC to PIT (T1)

PIT – 2013, Lost in NLDS to STL (5 games) T1

CHC – 2008, Lost in NLDS to LAD (3 games) 12th

LAD – 2013, Lost in NLCS to STL (6 games) T1

SF – 2012, Won WS over DET (4 games) T6

SD – 2006, Lost in LDS to STL (4 games) Also lost in a 2007 Wild Card Play in to COL. T13th

COL – 2009, Lost in LDS to LAD (4 games) 11th

ARI – 2011, Lost in LDS to MIL ( 5 games) T9

5th longest playoff drought in the MLB.

 *** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com and their partners***

A Big thanks goes out to our chief writer Hunter Stokes for preparing today’s feature post.

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