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What state/province/district with major league baseball has endured the most seasons without winning a World Championship? It’s Texas. Between the Astros and Rangers, (the latter represented here by this pennant from their first season which features what appear to be drunken lawmen trying to play baseball), there have been 88 combined seasons without the big flag. That could all end this month if the Rangers can close out the Tigers and then beat the Cardinals or Brewers.

States/provinces/districts with big league baseball break into three groups: those that have never won, those that have in the past and those that would fit into one category or the other except that there are gaps in their time with a team.

The Never-Won Group

88 - Texas: The Colt .45s/Astros began in 1962 and have never won and the Rangers moved from Washington, DC in 1972 and have also never won. Through 2010, that’s 88 combined seasons. It will jump to 90 if Texas loses the ALCS or the World Series.

35 - Washington: After 35 seasons, Mariners fans are still waiting for their first trip to the World Series, let alone their first World Championship.

19 - Colorado: 2011 was supposed to be the Rockies’ year, but fate had other plans.

The Haven’t-Won-Since Group

42 - Ohio: There has been no contribution from the Indians since 1948, but the Reds last stepped up in 1990, so that’s 21 seasons each since then.

28 - Maryland: This number would be a lot smaller if it weren’t for Jeffrey Maier.

27 - Michigan: As of this writing, the Tigers still have a shot at getting this back to zero.

20 - Minnesota: The Twins banged out two in 1987 and 1991. Nothing since.

18 - Ontario: As waits go, Ontario’s wasn’t all that long, just 15 seasons without a title. After a repeat, the follow-up drought is now longer than the initial one.

16 - Georgia: It’s not for a lack of opportunities.

16 - Florida: Eight seasons have passed since the Marlins snuck in their second World Championship in 2003. The Rays have been trying to represent, but keep falling just short.

12 - Illinois: The 2005 White Sox broke up a combined state drought of 174 seasons.

10 - Arizona: The shortest wait ever has now been followed up by a 10-year shortfall.

10 - Missouri: The Cardinals, much to everyone’s surprise, are threatening to take this number back to zero with their second World Championship in five years.

6 - Pennsylvania: For years, the Pirates carried the Keystone state’s water. Now it’s the Phillies, last champions in 2008.

5 - California: Having five teams, it doesn’t take long for California to pile up the titleless seasons. Just one year removed from the Giants world championship, they’ve already passed two states on this list. Of course, five teams also helps keep droughts to a minimum, even though San Diego has yet to contribute. The longest California has gone without a title is 60 team seasons: 1990 through 2001.

4 - New York: The Gotham State’s biggest drought was from 1906 to 1920, when none of its three teams hit paydirt. The biggest drought of the two-team era was from 1987 to 1995.

4 - Massachusetts: Before the Red Sox won the Series in 2004, the state of Massachusetts was looking at a combined 119 years without a title, including the futility streak the Braves left dangling when they absconded to Milwaukee.

The Interrupted-Wait Group

55 - District of Columbia: The Senators won the 1924 World Series and then went 36 years without doing it again before splitting for Minnesota. The new Senators never got close and left for Texas prior to the ‘72 season. The Nationals have been trying for seven years. That’s a total of 55 playing seasons without winning it all. (That’s 88 playing and non-playing seasons combined.)

49 - Wisconsin: The Milwaukee Braves won it all in 1957 and then lit out for Atlanta in 1966. The Seattle Pilots drifted by in 1970 and are still very much in the hunt to break the schneid in 2011.

36 - Quebec: The Expos tried for 36 seasons (1969-2004) and only got as far as the NLCS once.