Each team's most recent playoff win 

It is difficult enough to reach the postseason, and even harder, once you’ve made it there, to win. Postseason wins should never be taken for granted. Because you never know how long it will take you to get another one.

So today, we step into the wayback machine -- some teams go further back in the machine than others -- and look at the last postseason victory for every MLB team. Only one current team, the Dodgers, has the ideal last postseason victory -- a win in the final game of the 2024 World Series. For almost every other team, the wait has lasted longer than it had hoped. Winning only makes you want more winning. The waiting is the hardest part.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays -- Oct. 18, 2016, ALCS Game 4

Cleveland was already up 3-0 in the series by this point, so the Blue Jays were mostly just delaying the inevitable. Aaron Sanchez was terrific in this one, and Josh Donaldson homered off Corey Kluber in this 5-1 win. No Blue Jay who played in this game remains on the roster today, and the franchise has since lost seven straight playoff games. (Box score)

Orioles -- Oct. 5, 2014, ALDS Game 3

The Orioles wrapped up a sweep over the Tigers behind 6 1/3 shutout innings from Bud Norris, and then Andrew Miller and Zack Britton finished off Detroit, outdueling David Price. The only Orioles runs in this 2-1 triumph came from a two-run homer from Nelson Cruz, who we all thought was old even then. The O’s were subsequently swept by the Royals in the AL Championship Series and have lost 10 straight postseason games through 2024. (Box score)

Rays -- Oct. 7, 2021, ALDS Game 1

After a electrifying run to the World Series in 2020, the Rays opened up their quest to the '21 Fall Classic in thrilling fashion once again. Randy Arozarena continued his postseason dominance in the series opener, swatting a solo homer and stealing home in their 5-0 win. Unfortunately for Arozarena and the Rays, it would be their only win in the '21 postseason, as they fell to the Red Sox in four games. (Box score)

Red Sox -- Oct. 18, 2021, ALCS Game 3

Fueled by Kyle Schwarber's grand slam in the second inning, the Red Sox won big in Game 3 of the ALCS over the Astros, 12-3. Boston scored nine runs in the first three innings and never looked back, as four different Red Sox batters had multiple RBIs in the contest. The Red Sox probably wished they saved some of those runs for later in the series, though, as they scored just three runs in the final three games of the series, falling in six games to Houston. (Box score)

Yankees -- Oct. 29, 2024, World Series Game 4

The Yankees finally reached their first World Series since 2009, only to drop each of the first three games to the Dodgers. Looking to become only the second team to ever rally from a 3-0 series deficit, New York got one-fourth of the way there with an 11-4 romp. One night later, though, the Yankees blew leads of 5-0 and 6-5, falling short of a championship. (Box score)

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Guardians -- Oct. 17, 2024, ALCS Game 3

What a thriller. After star closer Emmanuel Clase couldn't hold a lead against the Yankees in the eighth inning, the Guardians tied the score with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on Jhonkensy Noel's two-run homer. David Fry's walk-off blast in the 10th won it. The Yankees, however, won each of the next two games in Cleveland to advance. (Box score)

Royals -- Oct. 7, 2024, ALDS Game 2

For eight straight seasons after winning the 2015 World Series, the Royals stayed home for October. Finally, in 2024, they made it back -- one year after losing 106 games. The Kansas City magic lasted through a Wild Card Series sweep of the Royals, but after evening the ALDS against the Yankees at 1-1, the Royals finally ran out of steam and were eliminated in four games. (Box score)

Tigers -- Oct. 9, 2024, ALDS Game 3

The Tigers went 11 years without winning a playoff game, from the 2013 ALCS to the 2024 AL Wild Card Series, when their shocking late-season surge into the postseason culminated in a two-game sweep of the heavily favored Astros. Detroit kept the fun going by grabbing a 2-1 ALDS edge over the Guardians but couldn't quite finish the job. (Box score)

Twins -- Oct. 8, 2023, ALDS Game 2

The Twins finally snapped a 19-year, 18-game postseason losing streak against the Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card Series, earning a two-game sweep to advance to the ALDS. They then won Game 2 in Houston to even the series but dropped the next two back at Target Field to fall short of the ALCS. (Box score)

White Sox -- Oct. 10, 2021, ALDS Game 3

Down 2-0 in the series against the Astros, the White Sox did exactly what they needed to with their backs against the wall in Game 3. After going down 5-1 following the top of the third inning, Chicago buckled down and scored five in the bottom half of the third and added three more runs in the fourth to stay alive. Their momentum ran out quickly, though, as they fell in Game 4. (Box score)

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels -- Oct. 22, 2009, ALCS Game 5

This 7-6 win against the Yankees was, of course, a few years before Mike Trout arrived ... which allows us to remind you once again that Trout, amazingly, has still never won a postseason game. The Angels, of course, would lose Game 6 to the Yankees, who went on to win their most recent World Series crown. (Box score)

Astros -- Oct. 20, 2023, ALCS Game 5

In 2021, the Astros and manager Dusty Baker finished two wins short of a championship, falling to the Braves in six games. In 2022, they finished the job. In 2023, Houston made another spirited run, grabbing a 3-2 ALCS lead by taking three straight games on the road. But Baker's club couldn't finish the job back in Houston, and the beloved skipper announced his retirement afterward. (Box score)

A’s -- Oct. 7, 2020, ALDS Game 3

Losing to their division rivals in the ALDS was a difficult pill to swallow for the A’s, particularly since it happened at Dodger Stadium, a place that has been cruel to the A’s over the years. After falling behind 2-0, Oakland did rally to extend the series in Game 3, hitting five homers off five Astros pitchers. (Box score)

Mariners -- Oct. 8, 2022, ALWC Game 2

The date of Oct. 20, 2001, stood for way too long. That was Game 3 of the 2001 ALCS, and for 20 excruciating seasons afterward, the Mariners put together the sport's longest playoff drought. That finally ended in 2022, and Seattle celebrated with a two-game sweep of the Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card Series. The clincher marked only the third time in postseason history that a team came back to win after trailing by seven runs or more. (Box score)

Rangers -- Nov. 1, 2023, World Series Game 5

At long last, the Rangers won the World Series, in the franchise's 63rd season overall and 52nd in Texas. Previously one of six MLB teams to never capture a title, the Rangers shook off past playoff disappointments -- most notably in 2011 -- to go all the way. (Box score)

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves -- Oct. 9, 2023, NLDS Game 2

Following their 2021 World Series title, the Braves lost the NLDS in four games to the Phillies two years in a row, both times winning only Game 2. While winning only one playoff game was not what anyone expected from a club that won 104 in the 2023 regular season, at least it was a memorable thriller. Atlanta made it back to October in 2024 but was swept by San Diego in the NL Wild Card Series. (Box score)

Marlins -- Oct. 2, 2020, NLWC Game 2

The story of this series was more the Cubs’ lack of offense than it was anything particularly powerful the Marlins did -- but that would also be selling Sixto Sánchez short. Sánchez was fantastic in shutting down the Cubs over five scoreless innings. Chicago would end up scoring just one run in the two games, and in Game 2, the homer Garrett Cooper hit off Yu Darvish in the seventh inning would prove to be more than enough. The two wins in this series were the Marlins’ first postseason wins in 17 years. (Box score)

Mets -- Oct. 18, 2024, NLCS Game 5

Few expected the Mets to return to the postseason in 2024, especially after a 22-33 start. They finally made it, however, one day after the regular season had been scheduled to end, and they weren't done. The Mets took out two division champions (the Brewers and Phillies) on their way to the NLCS and pushed the eventual champion Dodgers to six games, including a 12-6 blowout in Game 5, when the Mets tallied 10 runs over the first four innings at Citi Field. (Box score)

Nationals -- October 30, 2019, World Series Game 7

Nationals fans may have some vague recollection of this game. They were down 2-0 in the top of the seventh until they suddenly, gloriously, were not. Howie Kendrick’s go-ahead two-run homer is the one that everyone remembers the most, but it was Anthony Rendon who finally broke the shutout with a homer of his own just two batters earlier. The Nationals ended up with their first World Series title … which is the perfect way to have your most recent postseason game end. (Box score)

Phillies -- Oct. 6, 2024, NLDS Game 2

This Phillies team was not supposed to notch its final win of 2024 on Oct. 6. This was a team that was built to, and expected to, go to the World Series. It wasn't to be. At least NLDS Game 2 was a thriller that ended on Nick Castellanos' walk-off hit against the Mets to tie the series at 1-1. Btu the Phillies then lost back-to-back games in New York, and that was that. (Box score)

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers -- Oct. 2, 2024, NLWC Game 2

Milwaukee's October frustration continued in 2024. Despite the offseason departures of ace Corbin Burnes and manager Craig Counsell, the Brewers made the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons. But going back to Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS against the Dodgers, the club has now lost 11 of its last 13 postseason games. One of the two wins came in the 2024 Wild Card Series, when the Brewers scored three runs in the eighth inning to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead against the Mets. (Box score)

Cardinals -- Sept. 30, 2020, NLWC Game 1

The Padres might have been one of the most exciting young teams in baseball, but it was the old stalwart Cardinals who won the Padres’ first playoff game in more than a decade. St. Louis jumped on San Diego early, too, scoring four runs in the first inning, spurred by a homer from Paul Goldschmidt. The Cards would race out to a quick lead in Game 2, as well, but Fernando Tatis Jr. would end up having a say in what happened next. (Box score)

Cubs -- Oct. 18, 2017, NLCS Game 4

The Cubs salvaged one game against the Dodgers, winning Game 4 by a final of 3-2, before Los Angeles finished off the gentleman’s sweep. Did the Cubs ever imagine at this time this would be Joe Maddon’s last postseason victory with the Cubs? (Box score)

Pirates -- Oct. 6, 2013, NLDS Game 3

It looked so glorious for the Pirates at this point after beating St. Louis, 5-3. The Bucs had a 2-1 series lead over the Cardinals, with a riotous PNC Park crowd ready to take them home in Game 4. But Michael Wacha was brilliant for the Cardinals in that game, St. Louis took Game 5, the Pirates lost two straight Wild Card Games the next two years, and that was it for that. (Box score)

Reds -- Oct. 7, 2012, NLDS Game 2

Imagine how the previous decade of baseball history might have been different if the Reds -- who cruised to a 9-0 victory here against the Giants -- had hung onto their 2-0 series lead rather than drop three straight at home to the eventual champs. (Box score)

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs -- Oct. 28, 2023, World Series Game 2

Just two years after going 52-110, the D-backs squeezed into the postseason field in 2023, then went on a shocking run all the way to the World Series. Once there, a scrappy Arizona club responded to an 11-inning, gut-punch loss to the Rangers in Game 1 by winning Game 2, 9-1, in Texas. But that's as far as the D-backs would get, going on to drop three straight games back at Chase Field. (Box score)

Dodgers -- Oct. 30, 2024, World Series Game 5

So many recent October runs had ended in frustration for so many great Dodgers teams. The only one to end with a win had come in 2020, at a neutral site, amid pandemic restrictions and following a 60-game season. Well, in 2024, this era of Dodgers baseball finally got its shining moment. One night after failing to secure a World Series sweep in the Bronx, a resilient group found itself in a 5-0 hole before taking advantage of a series of Yankees miscues to get back in the game. Mookie Betts' sacrifice fly in the eighth inning gave Los Angeles the lead for good, with Blake Treinen escaping a jam in the bottom of that frame before Walker Buehler made a surprise appearance out of the bullpen to slam the door in the ninth. (Box score)

Giants -- Oct. 11, 2021, NLDS Game 3

The Giants were the ultimate underdog story during the regular season in 2021, outlasting the 106-win Dodgers to take their first NL West title since 2012. Fate had it that the two would meet in the NLDS, where the series went down to the very last pitch. The Giants took a 2-1 series lead in Game 3, winning 1-0 thanks to Evan Longoria's solo homer off of Max Scherzer, but they dropped the next two to their division rival, ending their incredible season. (Box score)

Padres -- Oct. 8, 2024, NLDS Game 3

Roughly three weeks before the Dodgers were hoisting the World Series trophy, the Padres had the eventual champs on the ropes, taking a 2-1 NLDS lead at Petco Park on the strength of a six-run second inning against Buehler. Everything looked to be set up for a deep San Diego run -- perhaps all the way to the franchise's first championship. Instead, L.A. roared back to win two straight. (Box score)

Rockies -- Oct. 2, 2018, NL Wild Card Game

A joyous 2-1 upset of the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 13 innings set expectations for future success that, so far, have not been met. (Box score)