Baseball is a marathon. While the regular season might only be six months, Spring Training and the postseason make the MLB season a near 9-month affair.
Dealing with injuries, slumps, travel and clubhouse morale are just some of the obstacles facing clubs face over the course of a season.
Hitting the 90-win mark is celebrated, typically because it all but guarantees a team a postseason berth. Hitting 100 wins is usually the sign of a World Series favorite. But some teams in history have managed to go far above and beyond even that mark.
The most successful single-season teams in MLB history didn't just win games—they dominated. These teams didn't have “hot streaks”—instead their entire season is the hot streak.
So let's look back at the teams who cruised through the regular season.
MLB Teams with the Most Wins in a Single Season
2001 Seattle Mariners – 116 Wins
In Ichiro's rookie season, the Mariners tied the 1906 Cubs' 116-win mark. Ichiro doubled as both the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year, hitting .350 and stealing 56 bases (both league highs). Bret Boone drove in a team-high 141 runs and four different Mariners hit over .300.
Four Seattle pitchers earned at least 15 wins, highlighted by Jamie Moyer and Freddy Garcia, who combined to throw 448 innings.
The M's couldn't keep things rolling for long in the postseason, losing to the Yankees in the ALCS.
1906 Chicago Cubs – 116 Wins
The Cubs would win the World Series in 1907 and 1908, but the 1906 team is considered one of the best in the history of the franchise. Chicago had excellent pitching and defense, which led the way to a .763 winning percentage. Mordecai 'Three Finger' Brown was the team's ace, who won 26 games with a 1.04 ERA.
1998 New York Yankees – 114 Wins
The 1998 Yankees are regarded as one of the greatest teams in MLB history. New York had plenty of depth and talent, with Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill leading the lineup. On the mound, the Yankees trotted out Andy Pettite, David Wells and David Cone (two of whom finished in the top four of the Cy Young voting).
Then, of course, opposing teams had to deal with Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning. Rivera was dominant all season long, posting 36 saves with a 1.91 ERA.
The Yankees were just as dominant in the postseason as they were in the regular season. New York went 11–2 and swept San Diego in the World Series.
2022 Los Angeles Dodgers – 111 Wins
The 2022 Dodgers led MLB in ERA and runs scored, which is typically a good formula for winning games. That's precisely what Los Angeles did, racking up a franchise-record 111 of them.
Four Los Angeles starters (Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Anderson and Tony Gonsolin) won double-digit games and pitched to a sub-3.00 ERA. Five different hitters drove in at least 80 runs.
But it didn't end well for the Dodgers. Despite dominating the statistics, Los Angeles lost to rival San Diego in the NLDS. It was a stunning upset that put a serious mar on an otherwise great season.
1954 Cleveland Indians – 111 Wins
Early Wynn and Bob Lemon each won 23 games, Mike Garcia won 19, Larry Doby hit 32 home runs and led the American League with 126 RBIs to help the 1954 Indians break a streak of five straight World Series appearances by the Yankees.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, there was no stopping the Giants in the World Series, which is best known for Willie Mays's incredible over-the-shoulder catch.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Teams With the Most Wins in an MLB Season .