How did these teams do after ending long playoff droughts?

The Mariners are back in the postseason for the first time since 2001, ending the longest active playoff drought in any of the four major North American professional sports.

Lengthy droughts such as this have become much rarer since the start of the Wild Card era in 1995, which saw the addition of an extra postseason spot in each league. (A second Wild Card spot was added in 2012, and a third in 2022.)

Seattle became the 11th team in the Wild Card era to have a postseason drought of 15-plus seasons, including droughts that began before 1995. Now, the M's will try to avoid an early October exit.

As the Mariners prepare to make their long-awaited return to the playoffs, let's take a look at how the previous 10 teams fared in the postseason after ending their own droughts.

2020 Marlins (16 seasons)
Finish: Lost in NLDS

The Marlins went 16 seasons without reaching the playoffs after winning the 2003 World Series title, but they were able to end the drought during the shortened 2020 campaign. Miami even won a round, sweeping the Cubs in the Wild Card Series before losing three straight to the Braves in the NLDS.

2015 Blue Jays (21 seasons)
Finish: Lost in ALCS

The offseason additions of eventual AL MVP Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin, plus a summer trade for David Price, gave the Blue Jays all the help they needed to reach the playoffs for the first time since they won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992-93. Donaldson and Martin joined José Bautista and Edwin Encarnación in a lineup that led the Majors in homers and runs scored as Toronto won the AL East. The Blue Jays defeated the Rangers in the ALDS after Bautista hit a tiebreaking homer in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 5 -- celebrating the blast with an emphatic bat flip -- but they ran out of steam against the Royals in the ALCS.

2014 Royals (28 seasons)
Finish: Lost in World Series

Kansas City was a consistent contender from 1976-85, making seven postseason appearances and reaching the World Series twice in that span, but after winning it all in 1985, the Royals didn’t get back to the playoffs until 2014. With a team built around speed, defense and strong relief pitching, they made the most of their long-awaited return to October baseball, setting a record by starting off the postseason 8-0 before falling in seven games to Madison Bumgarner and the Giants in the World Series. The Royals reached the Fall Classic again in 2015 and this time finished the job, defeating the Mets in five games.

2013 Pirates (20 seasons)
Finish: Lost in NLDS

You had to go back to the Barry Bonds era for the Pirates’ last postseason appearance before 2013, when Pittsburgh finally ended its drought. With NL MVP Andrew McCutchen leading the way, Pittsburgh went 94-68 before defeating the Reds in the NL Wild Card Game in front of a raucous crowd at PNC Park. The Pirates took the eventual NL-champion Cardinals to five games in the NLDS, but they were stymied by Adam Wainwright in the decisive contest.

2012 Nationals (30 seasons)
Finish: Lost in NLDS

The 1981 campaign marked the only time the Montreal Expos experienced postseason baseball, and after relocating to Washington in 2005, the club went another seven seasons without reaching the playoffs. The Nats broke through in 2012, winning 98 games with a roster that was buoyed by homegrown stars Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond, as well as offseason addition Gio González. Washington was on the verge of advancing to the NLCS, but closer Drew Storen blew a 7-5 ninth-inning lead to the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS.

2008 Brewers (25 seasons)
Finish: Lost in NLDS

While young infielders Robin Yount and Paul Molitor gave the Brewers a solid foundation, the club’s veteran-laden roster was not built for sustainable success after reaching the World Series in 1982, with many of its key players swiftly declining in the following seasons. By the time Milwaukee reached the postseason again, Yount and Molitor were long retired and enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and the Brewers were in a different league, having joined the NL in 1998. Bolstered by a June trade for CC Sabathia, who threw seven complete games and went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA over 17 starts, the Brewers won the NL Wild Card in 2008. However, they met their match against the eventual World Series-champion Phillies in the NLDS, scoring just nine runs in a 3-1 series defeat.

2006 Tigers (18 seasons)
Finish: Lost in World Series

After winning the World Series in 1984 and making the playoffs again in 1987, the Tigers went nearly two decades without a postseason berth. Things got especially bleak in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with Detroit losing 90-plus games in eight of 10 seasons from 1996-2005, including an AL-record 119 losses in 2003. However, the Tigers made a stunning return to the playoffs in 2006 as a 95-win Wild Card team and went all the way to the World Series before losing to the Cardinals in five games.

2002 Angels: (15 seasons)
Finish: Won World Series

The 2002 season not only saw the Halos adopt a fresh look, including a new logo and uniform set, but also was the start of the most successful era in team history. Setting a then-franchise record with 99 wins, the Angels won the AL Wild Card to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1986, then knocked off the Yankees and Twins en route to a World Series matchup with the Giants. San Francisco had the Angels on the ropes in the Fall Classic, but after storming back from a 5-0 deficit with eight outs remaining to win Game 6, the Halos won Game 7 and the title behind a strong pitching performance from rookie right-hander John Lackey.

1996 Rangers (35 seasons)
Finish: Lost in ALDS

Including 11 seasons as the Washington Senators before moving to the Lone Star State, the Rangers franchise didn’t reach the postseason for its first 35 years of existence. Then came 1996, when Texas won its first division title with a 90-72 record behind an AL MVP season from Juan Gonzalez. The slugging right fielder hit .438 with five homers and a 1.901 OPS in the ALDS against the Yankees, but the Rangers lost three straight games by four runs combined after winning Game 1. The club also lost to the Yankees in the ALDS in 1998 and 1999 and wouldn’t pick up its first postseason series win until 2010.

1995 Indians (40 seasons)
Finish: Lost in World Series

One of the longest postseason droughts in MLB history ended in 1995, when a Cleveland club led by Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and Kenny Lofton steamrolled its way through the AL. Leading MLB in runs scored and allowing the fewest runs of any team in the AL, the Indians won 100 games and reached the playoffs for the first time since their World Series loss to the Giants in 1954. With 37-year-old Orel Hershiser turning in a vintage performance on the mound, Cleveland’s pitching staff was nearly untouchable in the first two rounds as the club won the AL pennant. However, the Braves shut down Cleveland’s vaunted offense in the Fall Classic, leading to a 4-2 series win for Atlanta.