The fair share chart
This chart shows each major league team's "fair share" of league pennants and World Series titles in the World Series era, along with how many pennants and titles each team has actually won.
"Fair share" is defined as a straight probability: If a team plays in an eight-team league, its fair share of pennants is one for every eight years and its fair share of World Series titles, assuming the other league is also eight teams at the time, is one every 16 years. The World Series era began in 1903. There were league champions but no World Series in 1904, and no league champions or World Series in 1994.
Each team is listed by its current incarnation, but the totals include all previous versions of the team. For example, "Oakland" includes the Philadelphia and Kansas City A's.
| American League |
Fair share pennants |
Actual pennants |
Fair share titles |
Actual titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N.Y. Yankees | 10.9 | 39 | 5.4 | 26 |
| Oakland | 10.9 | 15* | 5.4 | 9 |
| Boston | 10.9 | 11 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Detroit | 10.9 | 10 | 5.4 | 4 |
| Baltimore | 10.9 | 7 | 5.4 | 3 |
| Minnesota | 10.9 | 6 | 5.4 | 3 |
| Chi. White Sox | 10.9 | 5 | 5.4 | 3 |
| Cleveland | 10.9 | 5 | 5.4 | 2 |
| L.A. Angels | 3.7 | 1 | 1.9 | 1 |
| Texas | 3.7 | 0 | 1.9 | 0 |
| Kansas City | 2.9 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Toronto | 2.2 | 2 | 1.1 | 2 |
| Seattle | 2.2 | 0 | 1.1 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay | 0.8 | 1 | 0.4 | 0# |
| National League |
Fair share pennants |
Actual pennants |
Fair share titles |
Actual titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.A. Dodgers | 11.1 | 18 | 5.4 | 6 |
| San Francisco | 11.1 | 18* | 5.4 | 5 |
| St. Louis | 11.1 | 17 | 5.4 | 10 |
| Chi. Cubs | 11.1 | 10 | 5.4 | 2 |
| Cincinnati | 11.1 | 9 | 5.4 | 5 |
| Atlanta | 11.1 | 9 | 5.4 | 3 |
| Pittsburgh | 11.1 | 7 | 5.4 | 5 |
| Philadelphia | 11.1 | 6 | 5.4 | 1# |
| N.Y. Mets | 3.7 | 4 | 1.8 | 2 |
| Houston | 3.7 | 1 | 1.8 | 0 |
| San Diego | 3.0 | 2 | 1.5 | 0 |
| Washington | 3.0 | 0 | 1.5 | 0 |
| Milwaukee | 2.8 | 1 | 1.5 | 0 |
| Florida | 1.0 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Colorado | 1.0 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Arizona | 0.7 | 1 | 0.4 | 1 |
* Includes 1904 pennant, though no World Series was played.
# In contention for 2008 title.
Posted in: Baseball
