Florida Marlins

The Marlins won the World Series in 1997 and 2003 and never once won a division title: both runs came through the wild card. That is the whole of the club's postseason history in 19 seasons, on a record of 1,435-1,575.

After the 1997 title the owner sold off the roster inside a year, and the 1998 club went 54-108 — a fall from champion to the worst record in the game in a single season, which nothing else in the game's history matches. The same thing happened on a slower schedule after 2003.

The best season is 1997, at 92-70, which is a modest figure for a champion and the point of the club: it was assembled to win once. Five Hall of Famers played here, among them Iván Rodríguez, who caught the 2003 title, Andre Dawson and Mike Piazza, who lasted five days after a trade. Jack McKeon managed the 2003 champions at 72 and came back at 80 to manage again.