A lengthy losing streak can seem like the death blow to a promising season, but that’s not always the case.
Six teams have weathered losing skids of at least 10 games and still qualified for the postseason, including two this season. The 2026 Cubs and 2026 Phillies each dealt with double-digit losing streaks. Nonetheless, they're headed for October baseball.
Interestingly, long losing streaks can often be the recipe for sustained winning streaks: Five of the six teams currently on the list also won at least 10 games in a row during the same season. The '26 Phillies did not, but they did rattle off a nine-game win streak.
Chicago and Philadelphia also have a chance to become the first team to win the World Series the same year in which they had a losing skid of 10+ games.
Here are the longest losing streaks by teams that made the postseason.
2017 Dodgers: 11 games (Sept. 2-11)
Final record: 104-58 (Won NL West)
Result: Lost WS
An 11-game losing streak sounds bad enough, but a single run scored on Sept. 1 was the difference between the Dodgers and a 17-game skid in the immediate leadup to the 2017 postseason. To make matters worse, over their run of 11 consecutive losses, all four of their division rivals got a piece of them. But timing is everything. When the streak began on Sept. 2, the Dodgers had entered play 16 games up on the second-place D-backs. (They had also, notably, already bagged 10- and 11-game winning streaks earlier in the summer.) By the end, the lead had been whittled down to nine games with 18 left on the schedule, and other than perhaps a slightly bruised collective ego, the Dodgers suffered no ill effects, going on to handily win their first National League pennant since 1988.
1982 Braves: 11 games (Aug. 3-13)
Final record: 89-73 (Won NL West)
Result: Lost NLCS
The 1982 Braves were the first team since 1900 to go 13-0 to start a season. Four months later, having built up a substantial lead in the NL West, they found themselves with the opposite problem. When their losing streak began, the club had a seven-game lead over the second-place Dodgers; by the end, they themselves were in second place, and just six games total separated the now first-place Dodgers and fourth-place Giants. The NL West moved forward as a four-team race. Fortunately for Atlanta, it was a race they won anyway, although just barely, before they were swept by the Cardinals in the NLCS.
1951 Giants: 11 games (April 19-29)
Final record: 98-59 (1st in NL)
Result: Lost WS
The 1951 New York Giants sure were streaky: After their 11-game losing skid in April, which sank their record to 2-12, they rattled off 16 wins in a row in August to keep pace with Brooklyn in the National League. The Giants finally claimed a share of first place in their penultimate regular-season game, but after ending the year in a tie with the Dodgers, the two clubs played a three-game playoff to decide the NL pennant. Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ’Round The World” in the decisive third game gave the Giants a walk-off win and a trip to the World Series, where they lost to the Yankees in six games.
2026 Phillies: 10 games (April 14-24)
Final record: 88-74
Result: TBD
The Phillies suffered a 10-game losing streak that included six losses to the Cubs (who you'll see on this list in a moment), prompting the club to dismiss manager Rob Thomson just 28 games into the season. Ironically, Thomson took over for Joe Girardi in the middle of the 2022 season and subsequently led the Phillies all the way to the World Series. Could another such run happen under interim skipper Don Mattingly in 2026? The Phillies surpassed .500 for good in late May before punching their ticket to the playoffs on the final day of the 162-game regular season.
2026 Cubs: 10 games (May 16-26)
Final record: 89-73
Result: TBD
The Cubs dropped 10 straight games in mid-May, a skid made particularly perplexing by the success they had in the first six weeks of the 2026 season. Chicago roared through the first 45 games of the season, ripping off two separate 10-game winning streaks and banking a 29-16 record. When the losing streak hit, the Cubs joined the 2017 Dodgers as the only teams in MLB history with two 10-game winning streaks and one 10-game losing streak in the same season. Behind an MVP-worthy performance from Pete Crow-Armstrong and a league-best offense, Chicago righted the ship to punch its second straight ticket to the postseason.
2025 Guardians: 10 games (June 26-July 6)
Final record: 88-74 (Won AL Central)
Result: Lost ALWC
Cleveland’s 10-game losing streak bridged June and July, and the Guardians actually had a similarly dismal 10-game stretch in August that saw them go 1-9. Even still, the topsy-turvy season ended in a playoff berth on the heels of a downright magical September and some fantastic "Guards Ball." Cleveland was under .500 through 135 games but finished the year winning 19 of its final 23 games to catch the Tigers for the AL Central title. The Guardians became the fifth team to reach the postseason after being under .500 that late in the season, joining the 2009 Twins (143 games), ‘08 Dodgers (139), ‘05 Padres (157) and 1973 Mets (153).