The New York Yankees’ 2025 season is already history. The resounding failure against the Blue Jays marked the sentence of the Bombers, who will have to wait another year to fight for the World Series, a trophy that has eluded Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, two of the team’s main stars.
Judge debuted with the Yankees in 2016 and has since cultivated a Hall of Fame career, but has been unable to put the championship icing on the cake. This season, for example, he carried the team on his shoulders, both in the regular season and the playoffs, with MVP-caliber numbers.
However, it takes more than individual strength to aspire to the crown in a league where the collective is increasingly important. Giancarlo Stanton, one of the toughest sluggers of this generation, the active player closest to breaking the 500-home run barrier, knows this better than anyone.
Stanton debuted in 2010 with the Marlins and in 2018 moved to the Yankees via trade, looking precisely for more opportunities to compete in the postseason and win a championship. But time is running out and he has not yet been able to get that coveted trophy.
Both Judge and Stanton came very close to glory in 2024, when they had their first World Series experience. However, the Dodgers cut their inspiration short and took the title.
Kings without a crown
The two Yankees sluggers are not the only stars who have failed in their quest to win a ring. Of the great active players, for example, Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt, Gerrit Cole, Nolan Arenado, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso have not been able to taste the sweet taste of victory.
If we look at the history books, we find that Hall of Famers such as Rod Carew, Frank Thomas, Ryne Sandberg, Gaylord Perry, Ron Santo, Andre Dawson and Ferguson Jenkins never even played in a World Series, and others such as Ty Cobb, Robin Yount, Mike Piazza, Adrian Beltre, Willie McCovey, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Larry Walker played in the Fall Classic but could not win.
The Top 10 Unfortunate
The list of those who failed in the postseason is much longer and includes true legends of the game.
1. Barry Bonds: Regardless of his steroid controversies, the outfielder was the best hitter of his generation and one of the most complete in history. He is the only player with 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases, and his record of 762 home runs seems impossible to break today. Despite this, he only played in one World Series and lost it against Anaheim.
2. Ken Griffey Jr.: His offensive style and swing border on perfection. His technique is one of the most polished we have seen on the field and this was reflected in his numbers, with 630 home runs and more than 1,000 extra-base hits. He never played in a World Series and in a 22-year career only participated in four postseason series, two in 1995 and one in 1997 and 2008.
3. Jim Thome: Another relentless hitter who went straight to Cooperstown with 612 home runs, 1,699 RBIs and more than 1,000 extra-base hits. In his case, he was pursued by bad luck, because he consistently participated in the postseason, even reaching two World Series with Cleveland, but lost against the Braves and Marlins.
4. Harmon Killebrew: Hall of Famer and Minnesota legend. He surpassed the 500 home run barrier, 2,000 hits, 1,500 RBIs and 1,200 in 22 MLB seasons, but in the postseason he lost all three games he played, including the 1965 World Series.
5. Sammy Sosa: He starred alongside Mark McGwire in one of the most impressive home run races in 1998, although his power was not occasional, to the point that he is among the top 10 all-time. But Sosa spent most of his career with the Cubs, with no options to reach the postseason. In total, he played 18 years in the majors and only appeared in the playoffs in 1998 and 2003.
6. Ted Williams: he won six batting titles, two MVPs and was a 19-time All-Star. He won the Triple Crown twice and is remembered as one of the purest hitters in history. However, in his legendary career with the Red Sox he had to live through the Curse of the Bambino and did not play a single postseason game.
7. Tony Gwynn: Perhaps the purest contact hitter in Major League Baseball history, with all due respect to Pete Rose. Mr. Padre never struck out more than 40 times in a season and played for 20 years. However, in the playoffs, luck was not on his side and he lost the World Series twice, in 1984 against Detroit and in 1996 against the Yankees.
8. Vladimir Guerrero: The Dominican marked an era from an offensive point of view. It would be hard to find a hitter as aggressive at the plate and as timely, with 10 seasons of more than 100 RBIs. But his playoff career was not so significant, in fact, his first postseason was almost at the age of 30 and after nine MLB seasons. However, he had his championship opportunity in the 2010 World Series, just months before retiring, but Texas lost to San Francisco. Now his son Vlady Jr. has the chance to be a champion with Toronto.
9. Ernie Banks: He played 2,528 games over 19 Major League Baseball seasons, but was unable to participate in a single postseason game. His story is one of the most unfortunate in this regard, because we are talking about a generational talent (two-time MVP and 14-time All-Star) who paid a high price for his loyalty. Banks spent his entire career (1953-1971) with a Cubs team that was mostly mediocre during that span, with 13 losing seasons out of 19.
10. Ichiro Suzuki: If a Japanese baseball player plays for 20 seasons (between Japan and the United States) and in each of them hits 200 hits, he would not surpass Ichiro’s mark of hits, a perfect batting machine. He made his Major League debut at the age of 27 and had 3,089 hits in the best baseball in the world. In the postseason, he had little luck, as he only participated in four playoff series and never reached the Fall Classic.
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