That’s a great question Joe. 

Why thank you Joe! That means a lot!

You’re very welcome Joe!

Sorry…enough of the self-congratulations. But it is a good question. This year we saw three teams win at least 100 games. They all happened to be from the AL, which was the first time in Major League history one conference had three 100-win teams. The Boston Red Sox set a franchise record with 108 wins and won the AL East. The Houston Astros won the AL West with 103 wins and the New York Yankees secured the top AL Wild Card spot with 100 wins. They used that home field advantage in the play-in game to beat the Oakland A’s on Wednesday.

Does 100 wins equal playoff victories?

Since the start of the 2000 season, only 22 teams, including the three previously mentioned, had at least 100 wins. If history is any indication, 100 wins in the regular season doesn’t guarantee success in the playoffs. Out of the previous 19 teams who won at least 100 games, 10 never made it out of the Divisional round. 52% lost to the 4th place seed in the playoffs.

Out of those 9 that survived the first round, only four made it to the World Series. In 2001, the Seattle Mariners won a Major League record 116 games, yet lost to the Yankees in the ALCS in five games. The 2004 Yankees had a 3-0 series lead against the Red Sox, only to get tragically swept.

What about in the World Series?

Three 100-win teams who made the World Series, didn’t get to lift a trophy. Those teams were the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals (that’s right, the Red Sox had to beat two 100-win teams that postseason), the 2003 Yankees who lost to a Josh Beckett lead Florida Marlins team, and last year’s Los Angeles Dodgers.

This means that only two teams have won the World Series after winning at least 100 games in the regular series; the 2009 New York Yankees and the Houston Astros last year. That’s barely 10%.

So what’s the verdict?

Will a 100-win team win it all this year? Possibly. The favorite to win the World Series does come from the AL side, yet all the 100-win teams will have to beat each other up before getting to the championship. The Sox and Yankees face off in the first ever divisional round between two 100-win teams. After that, the winner will most likely play Houston. That leaves only one 100-win team with the opportunity to win the championship.

So what does 100 wins get ya? As history shows us, a whole lot of nothing.