12/10/2023

Combined wins


A month ago, I listened to one of my favorite podcast shows. In the show, the host mentioned an interesting stat. The Rangers-Diamondbacks World Series matchup is a rare one. During the regular season, the Rangers won 90 games and the Diamondbacks got 84 wins. In total, these two teams combined for 174 wins. The number is the fewest combined regular season wins in a World Series matchup without counting shortened seasons.

 

After listening to the show, I began to think about a question. A combined 174 wins matchup might be rare. Nonetheless, in the World Series, normally, how many combined wins do we see in a matchup?

 

To understand a little bit more, I reviewed the numbers from 2000 to 2023.

 

In 2006, the Tigers, which won 95 games, and the Cardinals, which won only 83 games, were playing in the Fall Classic. These 2 teams combined for 178 wins. Additionally, in 2014, the Giants won the World Series title. Back then, they won 88 games. At the same time, the Royals, which won the AL pennant, got 89 wins. These 2 teams didn’t finish the season with at least 90 wins. In total, they combined for 177 wins in 2014.

 

However, we might see some different situations in some years. In 2004, the Red Sox ended the World Series drought. During the regular season, they won 98 games. Meanwhile, the NL pennant winner Cardinals won 105 games. So, in the 2004 season, it’s a combined 200+ wins World Series matchup. Moreover, in 2017, the Dodgers and the Astros were playing in the Fall Classic. These two teams each had a season with at least 100 wins. Furthermore, in 2018 and 2019, the World Series matchups were 2 combined 200 wins matchups.

 

So, most of the time, when we watch the World Series, those two teams might combine to win at least 180 games during the regular season. Sometimes, we will see a combined 200+ wins World Series matchup. Nonetheless, it’s quite rare to see two 100+ wins teams play against each other in the Fall Classic. The 2017 World Series matchup was the eighth time in which both league champions finished with triple-digit win totals during the regular season. Nevertheless, we are not going to go deep about what happened in this World Series. However, it’s worth mentioning the 2020 World Series. We know that it was a shortened season. The Rays finished the season with 40 wins and 20 losses. At the same time, the Dodgers got 43 wins and lost 17 games. These two teams combined for 83 wins. When we calculate the combined winning percentage, the number is .692. This number isn’t going to be easy to reach again in the short term.

 

There are a lot of uncertainties in baseball. Furthermore, there are even more things that are unpredictable in October baseball. An 80+ win team could have a good October and win the league pennant. At the same time, a 100-win team might just fall short in the postseason. Nonetheless, most of the time, two teams which played in the World Series, would combine to win at least 180 games during the regular season.

 

Wins (Combined, Regular Season, World Series Matchup)

Year

AL Winner

NL Winner

W

(Combined)

2023

Texas Rangers

Arizona Diamondbacks

174

2022

Houston Astros

Philadelphia Phillies

193

2021

Houston Astros

Atlanta Braves

183

2020

Tampa Bay Rays

Los Angeles Dodgers

83

2019

Houston Astros

Washington Nationals

200

2018

Boston Red Sox

Los Angeles Dodgers

200

2017

Houston Astros

Los Angeles Dodgers

205

2016

Cleveland Indians

Chicago Cubs

197

2015

Kansas City Royals

New York Mets

185

2014

Kansas City Royals

San Francisco Giants

177

2013

Boston Red Sox

St. Louis Cardinals

194

2012

Detroit Tigers

San Francisco Giants

182

2011

Texas Rangers

St. Louis Cardinals

186

2010

Texas Rangers

San Francisco Giants

182

2009

New York Yankees

Philadelphia Phillies

196

2008

Tampa Bay Rays

Philadelphia Phillies

189

2007

Boston Red Sox

Colorado Rockies

186

2006

Detroit Tigers

St. Louis Cardinals

178

2005

Chicago White Sox

Houston Astros

188

2004

Boston Red Sox

St. Louis Cardinals

203

2003

New York Yankees

Florida Marlins

192

2002

Anaheim Angels

San Francisco Giants

194

2001

New York Yankees

Arizona Diamondbacks

187

2000

New York Yankees

New York Mets

181

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