If the Tampa Bay Rays won it all this season, they'd be a huge "from out of nowhere" winner. Who else was?

Question

At seasons start, it would have been disregarded if someone said Tampa would win it all (Yes, I know there were people that would have picked them, every team has them) They didn't really make huge offseason moves and finished last season with 96 losses, their 10th straight year with 90+ L's.

So what other teams were from out of nowhere to win it all?

(Not meaning just teams that went division cellar to win, but hadn't made significant moves or weren't coming back from a season riddled with injuries, etc)

Answer 1

no! with the rays getting owned by the blue jays and the red soxs pounding on the yankees, this is realy bad! c'mon, i hate to say this, but the yankees have to find a way to beat the red soxs or the ray's lead over the red soxs will be cut to 3.5 games

Answer 2

1969 New York Mets had the greatest turn around in history.  Up to that point in their history, they had lost a record 120 games in 1962, and averaged 111 losses over the next three years.  There best season was the year before, 1968, when they went 73-89, finishing 9th out of 10 teams.  Yet, in 1969, they won 100 games and shocked the world with a 5-game victory in the World Series over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles who had three future hall of famers on the team.

Answer 3

2003 Marlins & the 69 Mets who had been cellar dwellers since their inception, too.

Answer 4

The 69 Mets beating the 69 Baltimore Orioles was a huge upset. The 69 Orioles had a starting rotation, that to this day, is considered one of the most dominant in baseball. I would still have to put that on top. With that said, I just have to add that many people think the Mets nickname "The Amazins" came from that great upset, however, it did not. Before the Mets even played a game, they had a parade in NYC, and their first manager, Leo Durocher, was in the back of a convertible screaming to the people in the streets "Come out to see the Mets, we're gonna be AMAZIN", hence the nickname.  

Answer 5

91 Braves, just look at the offense see any familar names with the exception of David Justice.  More with less

Answer 6

The smart money right now is on the Angels and i hate so say it being a card's fan the Cubs. They have strong pitching that they can ride throughout the playoffs with a the three man rotation instead of five resrving the the mound for the ace men they have. Their lineups have loads of power and ability. With this strength how can you lose right. But if you want somebody else try the brew crew or the mets even. The brewers with sabathia with experience in the playoffs with alot of energy he has now after the trade and the crew playing like champs now they are up there. The mets have there division i think if their bullpen doesnt explode first. The are 9-4 against the phillies who are in second. with santana, perez, pedro ( pitcher better recently) and maybe maine who just got hurt and the sticks they have they are also solid. Just a bad start. There are still some ghosts lurking waiting to make a move.

Answer 7

1969 Mets

Answer 8

In 1990, the Braves and Twins finished dead last in their divisions (and the Braves, the worst in the NL).

In 1991, they met in the World Series, a humdinger that went seven games.

Bit of a double surprise, that was.

Answer 9

The Cardinals won in 2006, breaking the record for the least amount of wins in the season to win the world series.  Almost everyone in the media picked the tigers in 4, even one picked the tigers in 3 (funny guy huh?).  One picked the cardinals just for the hopes of being that one guy who's right.  The only game the tigers won was with Roger's pitching with dirt on his hand, though we all know it was pine tar.

But despite all the cards went through that year, tampa bay will (i think) be the only team to go from last to first in their division in one year.  Thats pretty amazing.

Answer 10

rays suck,  CUBS are about to win it all this year!

Answer 11

1969 Mets  - someone mentioned the 91 Braves - didn't some guy named Pendleton win the NL MVP that year? Those 105 runs Ron Gant drove in not count? I'd kinda consider them familiar names.

The Mets - Agee, Swoboda, Kranepool, Garrett,Weis, Garrett, Shamsky, Charles, Grote, Harrelson, Boswell, Cleon - not exactly Murderer's Row.. The only significant move they made was trading for Clendenon in mid 1969. They added Gentry to the rotation and they got Mc Graw back from injury. It was pretty much the same club from 1968.

Answer 12

If the Rays were to win it all they would set a precedent in Major League Baseball. I don't believe there has been a team to lose 96 games one season then come back and win the World Series. Heck I don't even think there is a team that made it to the World Series after losing 96 the year before. SImply remarkable if it happens.

Answer 13

I don't know if they're the biggest surprise, but I think the 2006 Cardinals are the most recent answer to that question. They literally won no more games than they absolutely needed (83) to reach the playoffs. (One might say they were the most energy efficient team, lol.) In fact, they squeaked into the playoffs when another team (Houston) lost their final game of the season.

Going into the playoffs, the '06 Cards were on the skids, finishing with the 13th-best record in the league. The Cards had no official closer, a suspect pitching staff, and no home field advantage. They did fight hard in the playoffs, though, and even had some good fortune when Detroit's pitching staff made some major mistakes in The Series. They were no doubt underestimated going into the playoffs.

Answer 14

Florida Marlins in 1997.

Answer 15

The rays did make a suprising comeback season. Another season was in 1985 In which the royals had amade a run to win there only world serise and also the 2006 White Sox

Answer 16

In retrospect the 1969 Mets were loaded with a great starting pitching staff and some pretty good talent,but at the time they were very young.The 1969 Mets are a pretty good example of "who are those guys?"And whoever thought that Leo Durocher was the first manager of the Mets obviously doesn't know baseball very well.Mets fans will know that it was Casey Stengel that was the first manager of the Amazin's

Answer 17

marlins in 03 blue jays in 93 angels in 02 and allmost the rockies last year