The 2023 MLB postseason saw a historic end to an 18-game losing streak

Sport & Games · Published 7 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For nearly two decades, the Minnesota Twins were haunted by one of the longest droughts in North American sports. In 2023, that curse finally broke, but it was just one piece of a chaotic tournament where every team with artificial turf made the playoffs.

The 2023 Major League Baseball postseason was defined by significant historical milestones and structural shifts. For the first time in history, the last four remaining teams in the League Championship Series (LCS) finished the regular season with 90 or fewer wins. The tournament also saw a unique geographical trend: every single team in the majors that played on artificial turf—the Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers—qualified for the postseason. One of the most dramatic narratives involved the Minnesota Twins ending an 18-consecutive-game playoff losing streak, the longest such streak in North American sports history. Royce Lewis clinched Game 1 by launching two home runs within his initial two plate appearances, halting a long losing streak for the Twins.

While the Blue Jays finished with a better regular-season record (89–73) than the Twins (87–75), they were awarded the sixth seed under a new format that guarantees division winners top-three seeds. The tournament also featured several franchise firsts and long-standing streaks. The Los Angeles Dodgers secured their eleventh straight postseason berth, marking the longest active streak in professional sports. Conversely, the Texas Rangers captured their first title in franchise history by defeating the Diamondbacks in the World Series. Other notable feats included Justin Verlander tying Madison Bumgarner and Tom Glavine for the most all-time scoreless postseason starts with six, and the Rangers' sweep of the Orioles, marking their first ALCS appearance since 2011.

The season was also marked by extreme statistical outliers in attendance and performance. A game at Tropicana Field saw a record low attendance of 19,704 for a non-COVID-19 postseason game, the lowest since the 1919 World Series. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies continued their dominance over the Braves, winning the series for the second consecutive year to reach the NLCS.

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