The Seattle Mariners have ended the streak that no team should ever want to hold.
After Friday’s win, the Mariners are headed to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. This ended the longest active streak of most seasons without making the playoffs in the four major North American sports leagues.
The Mariners punched their ticket to the 2022 playoffs by earning one of the three wild-card spots in the American League a year after they missed the playoffs by two games.
With the Mariners getting the monkey off their back, here are the 12 longest active postseason droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.
1. Sacramento Kings – 16 seasons (last playoff appearance in 2005-06)
The Kings not only hold the longest active playoff drought among all teams in the four major North American professional leagues, they also hold the longest playoff drought in NBA history. They haven’t appeared in the playoffs since Mike Bibby was their starting point guard. Sacramento went 30-52 in 2021-22, missing out on a finals berth by four games.
T-2. New York Jets — 11 seasons (last in 2010)
A couple of New York’s fan bases have suffered in the last decade. The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since Mark Sanchez played quarterback and Rex Ryan was at the helm in 2010, when they upset the Patriots in the divisional round and appeared in their second straight AFC title game. The Jets slowly eroded from there, probably bottom out in 2020 with a mark of 2-14. Unfortunately for Jets fans, this is tied for the longest playoff drought in franchise history, as they missed the playoffs in every season between 1970-80.
T-2. Buffalo Sabers — 11 seasons (last in 2010-11)
The Sabers have mostly finished in last place or near last in their respective divisions since 2011. Buffalo drafted Jack Eichel with the No. 2 overall pick four seasons into the drought and traded the young star last season. The Sabres’ playoff drought is the longest in NHL history.
4. Philadelphia Phillies – 10 seasons (last appearance in the 2011 season)
The Phillies were one of the top teams in baseball in the late 2000s, won the World Series in 2008 and made it back in 2009. They made the NLCS in 2010, too.
Luckily for the Phillies and their fans, they can get off this list soon. They are a half game ahead of the Brewers for the final wild card spot in the National League.
T-5. Detroit Tigers – eight seasons (last in 2014)
The Tigers have not made the playoffs since featuring Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in their starting rotation.
T-5. Los Angeles Angels – eight seasons (last appearance in 2014)
The Angels can boast two of the best players in baseball – three-time MVP Mike Trout and reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani – but they have fallen short of the postseason three times when one of them took home individual hardware.
T-7. Kansas City Royals – seven seasons (last appearance in 2015)
The Royals reached the top of the baseball mountain in 2015, winning the World Series a year after they lost in seven games on baseball’s grandest stage. Kansas City holds one of the worst records in baseball this season.
T-7. Pittsburgh Pirates – seven seasons (last in 2015)
The Pirates earned three playoff appearances in a row (2013-15), but they have not recovered since the Cubs beat them in the 2015 NL wild card round.
T-9. Texas Rangers – six seasons (last appearance in 2016)
The Rangers were the mainstay of the postseason last decade, clinching a berth five times in seven seasons between 2010-16. Even after signing Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to big contracts this past offseason, Texas would end up near the bottom of the league.
T-9. Charlotte Hornets – six seasons (last appearance in 2015-16)
The Hornets almost squeaked into the playoffs this past spring. They made the play-in tournament but were blown out in the opening game. The emergence of LaMelo Ball could lift them over the hump in 2022-23.
T-9. Detroit Red Wings – six seasons (last appearance in 2015-16)
Long-time fans of the Red Wings are not too used to the new landscape of our team. The franchise had a 25-year playoff streak before the current drought. Detroit appears to be a long way from returning to the postseason, having finished 26 points out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference in 2021-22.
T-9. Denver Broncos – six seasons (last appearance in 2015)
The Broncos haven’t made the playoffs since their Super Bowl win to cap off the 2015 campaign. That, of course, was Peyton Manning’s last game. Denver recently traded for quarterback Russell Wilson to solve their chronic quarterback problems, which could also solve their postseason problems.
Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information on games, news and more
