In 2004 Martin Maldonado Jersey , the Cardinals finished 105-57 and met Boston in the World Series.The Red Sox were a wild-card team that had been down 3-0 to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series before it staged a historic comeback.The shadow of the Bambino loomed large, yet suddenly it seemed destiny was on Boston's side.The Sox curse-burying sweep of the Cards in the World Series may have seemed like a foregone conclusion, but it's easy to forget St. Louis won seven more regular-season games than Boston and employed an emerging 24-year-old star named Albert Pujols.1953 Brooklyn Dodgers: 105-49, Lost World Series3 of 10Harry Harris/Associated PressJackie Robinson hit .329 with a .927 OPS and 17 steals for the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers.He had broken the color barrier in 1947 and won the NL MVP in 1949, and Brooklyn had reached the World Series in each of those seasons and 1952鈥攂ut had never won it.In 1953, the Dodgers went down 2-0 to the Yankees (who finished 99-52) in the Fall Classic.Brooklyn won the next two contests, but New York finished with a pair of victories to take the Big Apple-centric World Series.1943 St. Louis Cardinals: 105-49, Lost World Series4 of 10Edward Kitch/Associated PressStan "The Man" Musial paced baseball with a .357 average and .988 OPS in 1943.He also led the game with 220 hits, 48 doubles and 20 triples.Concurrently, the Red Birds flew ahead of the pack with 105 wins.Musial won rings with St. Louis in 1942, 1944 and 1946, so this isn't some Ernie Banks-esque tale. And like the Dodgers, the Cardinals enjoyed enough previous and subsequent postseason success to take the sting out.Then again, the Cardinals' 4-1 loss to the 98-win Yanks was a noteworthy letdown.1969 Baltimore Orioles: 109-53, Lost World Series5 of 10Focus On Sport/Getty ImagesBaltimore Orioles fans can be forgiven for weeping this season as the O's limped to a 47-115 finish and traded key assets such as infielder Manny Machado and reliever Zach Britton.In 1969, however, Baltimore endured an arguably more painful fate.The Birds soared to a 109-53 finish behind Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson but lost in five games to the New York Mets in the World Series.This series is remembered for the "Miracle Mets http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-j.-c.-ramirez-jersey ," who'd been a laughingstock prior to '69, but the O's deserve their portion of blame for falling short.1931 Philadelphia Athletics: 107-45, Lost World Series6 of 10Transcendental Graphics/Getty ImagesIn 1930, the Athletics defeated the Cardinals in the World Series, 4-2. In 1929, they won it all in five games over the Cubs.In 1931, Philadelphia won 107 games behind legendary manager Connie Mack and again faced the Cards in the Fall Classic. Continued dominance seemed inevitable.Al Simmons had hit .390. Lefty Grove had gone 31-4 with a 2.06 ERA. The stage was set for a three-peat.Instead, the Cardinals flipped the script and won the series in seven games.1998 Atlanta Braves: 106-56, Lost NLCS7 of 10JEFF HAYNES/Getty ImagesSubtracting the 1994 strike-annulled season, the Braves made the playoffs ever year from 1991 to 2005.They won the World Series only once during that span, in 1995 against the Cleveland Indians.We mentioned the 104-win 1993 season. But the Braves' biggest "what if" was 1998, when they won 106 games and the National League East by 18 games behind the trio of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz.Rather than rolling to another title, Atlanta lost to the San Diego Padres in six games in the National League Championship Series.If we're dinging this dynasty, getting dumped by the Friars was not a good look.1954 Cleveland Indians: 111-43, Lost World Series8 of 10Uncredited/Associated PressWhat's the most memorable moment of the 1954 World Series?If you answered anything other than "The Catch," aka Willie Mays' indelible over-the-shoulder grab Darin Erstad Jersey , you're incorrect.Then again, the Indians won 111 games that year. The Giants won 97.Yet the Giants swept the series. Mays got his catch. The Orange and Black won three more even-year crowns long after a cross-country move to San Francisco.The Tribe fell flat, on the other hand, and haven't snagged a championship since 1948, the longest active drought in the game.1906 Chicago Cubs: 116-36, Lost World Series9 of 10JEFF ROBERSON/Associated PressIn 1906, the Cubs finished 116-36, the best regular-season winning percentage of all time. This was the team of Tinker to Evers to Chance, a myth even in their time.The Cubbies cruised to the best record ever and seemed destined for greatness.To the contrary, they lost in six games to the crosstown rival Chicago White Sox, who had finished last in the AL with a .230 batting average.The Cubs would win the World Series in 1907 and 1908 before the Curse of the Billy Goat kicked in, but this was among their darkest chapters.2001 Seattle Mariners: 116-46, Lost ALCS10 of 10JOHN FROSCHAUER/Associated PressThe Seattle Mariners have never won a title. They "boast" the game's longest active playoff-free streak of 17 seasons.Let's hop in a time machine and go back to 2001, when the M's were the toast of both leagues.Seattle finished that season with 116 wins, mere winning-percentage points behind the '06 Cubs. That said, Seattle's choke was and is more painful, both because of their ongoing futility and the early nature of their playoff exit.A 27-year-old Ichiro Suzuki hit .350 with 56 steals. Second baseman Bret Boone hit .331 with 37 home runs. The M's had future Hall of Famers on the rise and dudes in the midst of ludicrous career years. This was their moment.Or not.Seattle's playoff foray ended ignobly with a 4-1 series loss to the Yankees in the ALCS. The M's didn't even taste the World Series http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-upton-jersey , let alone sip champagne.The Yanks, in turn, lost to the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks in a seven-game World Series, but if the Mariners took any comfort in that outcome, it was the coldest kind. All statistics courtesy ofBaseball-Reference. WASHINGTON (AP) — The players remaining on the Washington Nationals don’t want to be written off just yet.Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Nationals over the Philadelphia Phillies 8-7 on Wednesday night.Juan Soto’s two-out double against Seranthony Dominguez (1-4) set up Zimmerman. His drive landed just above the right-field wall and required video review before umpires confirmed the homer. Zimmerman has 11 walkoff home runs for his career, trailing only Albert Pujols (12) among active players.“Ninth inning in a close game and the other team has the lead, those (closers) are usually pretty good,” said Zimmerman after his first walk-off homer since May 15, 2016. “I kind of put the pressure on them. They’re supposed to get me out.”Soto nearly ruined Washington’s fun. Zimmerman remained on second base during the review. After the final call, the excited 19-year-old ran from home toward the infield as Zimmerman neared third base.“Get away,” Zimmerman said of his thoughts in the moment. “I don’t even know the rules, but get away. That would have been awful.”Manager Davey Martinez knew the rule.“If he touches (Ryan), he’s out. I was screaming bloody murder,” Martinez said.Maikel Franco, Justin Bour and Cesar Hernandez homered for the Phillies, who led 7-5 in the seventh. Philadelphia, which has lost four in a row and nine of 13 Shohei Ohtani Jersey , fell three games behind NL East-leading Atlanta.“Big challenge to have a tough week like we’ve had and then to have an excruciating loss like the one we had tonight,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. “Our guys aren’t going to hang our heads. We’re going to come back swinging tomorrow.”Stephen Strasburg allowed five runs and seven hits over four innings for Washington in his first start since being placed on the 10-day disabled list on July 26 with a cervical nerve impingement.Bryce Harper had three hits with a run-scoring double and a stolen base for Washington.Matt Grace (1-1) worked 1/3 of an inning for Washington, which has won two in a row since trading second baseman Daniel Murphy and key reserve Matt Adams on Tuesday. The Nationals are 7 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the NL East lead.Pinch-hitter Andrew Stevenson’s sacrifice fly in the eighth cut the Phillies lead to 7-6.Dominguez, who has three blown saves in August, threw three sliders to Zimmerman before going fastball on the decisive 2-1 pitch.“I was throwing sliders, but then when I was behind in the count I was looking for the corners,” Dominquez said via an interpreter. “My plan was yes to make him uncomfortable with the sliders.”Strasburg made just his second start since June 8. After returning from a DL stint due to shoulder inflammation, the right-hander surrendered six runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings in a losing start against Atlanta on July 20 before returning to the disabled list. He has not made it past the fifth inning in three consecutive starts.Though Strasburg struck out the side in the first inning, he allowed four consecutive two-out hits and three runs in between. Franco turned on a hanging curveball for his 21st homer of the season as the Phillies led 3-0.“I spent the last two months just fuming over (not being with the team),” Strasburg said. “I was happy to be back out there tonight. Great win for us.”Philadelphia starter Zach Elfin allowed five runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings.NEW GUYPhiladelphia acquired left-hander reliever Luis Avilan from the Chicago White Sox before the game in exchange for pitcher Felix Paulino. Avilan had a 3.86 ERA in 39 2/3 innings this season.SLOWING DOWNThe velocity on Strasburg’s fastballs dipped into the low 90s in his final inning. The pitcher and manager primarily cited lack of endurance after the lengthy absence. “It was a work in progress,” Strasburg said. “It’s obviously been a while. Learned some things from it and take it into the next (start).”TRAINER’S ROOMPhillies: Kapler revealed a left wrist injury suffered in Sunday’s loss to the New York Mets kept C Wilson Ramos out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive day. Ramos was available to pinch-hit or enter defensively for an inning if needed.Nationals: With Strasburg reinstated, Washington optioned infielder Adrian Sanchez to Triple-A Syracuse.UP NEXTPhillies: RHP Aaron Nola (14-3, 2.24) is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts against Washington this season.Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (16-5, 2.11) is 16 strikeouts shy of a fifth consecutive season with at least 250.