The Five Winningest MLB Managers Who Never Managed in the World Series

Over the years, some very good Major League baseball players have had lengthy careers but never made it to the World Series.  The same is true for managers; some managed for many years but never made it to the Fall Classic. Eliminating those who spent all or most of their managerial careers before the first World Series in 1903, here are the five managers who have won the most games in Major League history but never managed a team in the World Series.

Gene Mauch managed 26 seasons between 1960 and 1987 and had a record of 1902 wins and 2037 losses. He ranks 12th all time in victories, three behind number 11 Casey Stengel. Stengel, however, managed in 10 World Series while Mauch never made it.

Mauch managed the Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, and California Angels. He almost made it to the World Series three times.  On September 21st, 1964, Mauch’s Phillies were 6 1/2 games ahead of the second place St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds with 12 games left to play. In one of the more monumental collapses in Major League history, the Phillies lost 10 straight games and finished in a second place tie with the Reds, one game behind the Cardinals. In 1982, Mauch’s Angels won the American League West and had a 2-0 lead over the A.L. East Champion Milwaukee Brewers in what was at that time a best of five American League Championship series. The Brewers swept three straight games to win the pennant.

Mauch had one more chance in 1986 when his Angels again won the A.L. West. By this time, the League Championship Series had expanded to best of seven, and the Angels took a 3-1 lead over the East’s Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox swept the next three games to win the pennant.

Here’s a video of Mauch in action getting thrown out of a July 17th, 1978 game between the Twins and Boston Red Sox:

Clark Griffith managed 20 seasons between 1901 and 1920, and won the first American League Pennant in 1901 (two years before the first World Series) as manager of the Chicago White Sox. Griffith also managed the New York Highlanders (today’s Yankees), the Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Senators. He compiled  a record of 1491 wins and 1367 losses.

Griffith was a pitcher in his playing days, and for the first half of his managerial career, he was a player -manager. He became the majority owner of the Senators in 1920, and owned the club until he died in 1955. Griffith, who won 237 games as pitcher, was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a player in 1946.

Jimmy Dykes managed for 21 seasons between 1934 and 1961, and had a record of 1406 wins and 1541 losses. He began his managerial career with the Chicago White Sox, and later managed the Philadelphia Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Indians. His best year was 1937 when his White Sox finished third in the American League with a record of 86-68. Most of the teams he managed did not have enough talent to seriously compete for a championship, especially in an era dominated by the New York Yankees.

Dykes was a player-manager in his first years as manager of the White Sox. He was a good hitting infielder who had a .280 lifetime batting average.

Bill Rigney managed 18 seasons between 1956 and 1976, and compiled a record of 1239 wins and 1321 losses. Rigney began his managerial career with the New York Giants in 1956. He was the last manager of the New York Giants (1956-57) and the first manager of the San Francisco Giants (1958-60). He then became the first manager of the expansion Los Angeles Angels in 1961, and managed the Los Angeles/California Angels until 1969. That was followed by three years with the Minnesota Twins (1970-72). He returned to the Giants for one final season in 1976.

Rigney’s best year was 1970, when the Twins won 98 games and the American League West title. The Twins were swept in three games in the American League Championship Series by the Baltimore Orioles. None of Rigney’s other teams finished higher than third.

Art Howe managed 14 seasons between 1989 and 2004, and had a record of 1129 wins and 1137 losses. He managed the Houston Astros (1989-93), Oakland Athletics (1996-2002), and New York Mets (2003-4).

Howe’s Athletics won the American League West in 2000 and 2002; they were also a Wild Card team in 2001. All three teams lost in the A.L. Division series 3 games to 2. The 2002 team was the subject of the 2011 film Moneyball.