As you may have heard, the Yankees clinched a playoff berth with their 6-5 win late last night in Anaheim. With the win, New York improved their overall record to a Major League-best 96-56. It is now all but certain that the Yanks will end 2009 with the best record in baseball (Dodgers are 4.5 games back, with just 11 to play). But take solace, Yankee haters, for that does not necessarily equal a World Series title.
How Often Does the Team with the Best Record Win the World Series?
↵Since 1995, the team with the best record has only won the Fall Classic twice, or roughly 14% of the time (Yanks in ‘98, Sox in ’07), a fact awesomely illustrated in the latest work from FlipFlopFlyBall. In fact, the team with the worst record in the playoffs has won the Series just as often (Yanks in ’00, Cards in ’06). There’s still hope, Detroit!











