Cleveland Guardians hope to break longest active MLB World Series drought

The Cleveland Guardians, like any other MLB team, start every season hoping that with a little luck, this year will end with a World Series triumph. Where they differ is just how many years it's been since they last ended a campaign on top.

The Guardians, who open their American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, have gone three-quarters of a century since last winning the 1948 World Series. Amid a mix of great seasons, heartbreaks, and tough times, the one constant over the last 75 seasons of baseball in Cleveland has been watching someone else celebrating on the final day of the season.

That said, this could be the year for the Guardians. Both AL wild card series winners were lower-seeded teams, and while the New York Yankees loom as favorites to win it all this year, Cleveland finished just two games back in the race to top the American League standings. While questions hover over their starting pitching, star third baseman José Ramírez was one of five all-stars on the team in 2024, and the Guardians could have the juice to finally — finally! — end the longest active World Series drought in Major League Baseball.

Here's what to know about the Cleveland Guardians' long wait for a World Series triumph:

MLB playoff schedule: Bracket, dates, TV, teams on road to 2024 World Series

How long is the Guardians World Series drought?

To find a Cleveland Guardians World Series win, you have to go back 75 seasons, all the way to 1948. Not long after World War II came to a close, Cleveland knocked off the Boston Braves in six games and claimed a second World Series in franchise history.

Since then, the Guardians have experienced plenty of heartbreak. Cleveland has made it to baseball's biggest stage four more times over the last 75 years, but came up short in 1954, 1995, 1997, and most recently in 2016. That last World Series trip was the most painful, as the Guardians held a 3-1 series lead over the Chicago Cubs — a team trying to break a 107-year drought at the time — and took the lead in Game 5, only to watch it all slip away.

Those defeats on the precipice have contributed to an unwanted record: per MLB.com, Cleveland's 11-game losing streak in playoff elimination contests is an MLB record.

Longest active World Series droughts

The Guardians are way out in front of the rest of the league in terms of a World Series wait, but they're hardly the only ballclub whose fans have needed to be extremely patient. Thirteen teams endured at least 30 years of waiting, while six have droughts dating back at least 40 years.

Here are the top 10 active World Series droughts:

• 10. Cincinnati Reds: 34 seasons

• 9. Oakland Athletics: 35 seasons

• 8. New York Mets: 37 seasons

• 7. Detroit Tigers: 39 seasons

• 6. Baltimore Orioles: 40 seasons

• 5. Pittsburgh Pirates: 45 seasons

• 4. Seattle Mariners: 48 seasons

• T2. San Diego Padres: 55 seasons

• T2. Milwaukee Brewers: 55 seasons

• 1. Cleveland Guardians: 75 seasons

Longest active championship droughts across major sports

The Guardians have been waiting a long, long time to win it all, and they're not alone. Every major sports league has at least one team that is currently hoping to end a brutally long run of thinking next year is the year. The Arizona Cardinals go back one year further than Cleveland, with the NFL team having gone 76 seasons without winning either the Super Bowl or the NFL championship.

Here are the longest championship droughts across popular American sports leagues:

• NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 76 seasons

• MLB: Cleveland Guardians: 75 seasons

• NBA: Sacramento Kings: 73 seasons

• NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs: 57 seasons

• MLS: New York Red Bulls, FC Dallas, New England Revolution: 28 seasons (tie)

• WNBA: New York Liberty: 27 seasons

• NWSL: Chicago Red Stars, Seattle Reign FC: 10 seasons (tie)

How to watch MLB playoffs

The 2024 Major League Baseball playoffs are split between broadcasters, depending on round and league.

The remainder of the American League playoffs will be broadcast on TBS, with Sling the option for fans looking to stream. The National League postseason, meanwhile, will be broadcast on Fox. The 2024 World Series will be carried by Fox as well, and can be streamed on Fubo.

Watch the 2024 MLB playoffs with a Fubo subscription

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Guardians World Series drought longest in baseball