Cleveland Guardians now hold MLB's longest World Series drought

The Milwaukee Brewers' first World Series championship has reshuffled the list of Major League Baseball's longest title droughts. The Cleveland Guardians now hold the longest active drought, having last won the World Series in 1948. The Brewers' victory also leaves just four franchises that have never won a championship: the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays. The Mariners are the only one of those four to have never even reached the Fall Classic.

The Guardians' drought spans 78 seasons. Cleveland has come agonizingly close to ending it, losing the World Series in seven games in both 1997 and 2016. The franchise, which changed its name from the Indians to the Guardians, has not added a third championship since its wins in 1920 and 1948. Cleveland has reached the World Series four times since its last title, in 1954, 1995, 1997 and 2016, and lost all four.

Following Cleveland, the San Diego Padres have the second-longest drought at 58 seasons, having never won a title since joining the league in 1969. The Padres have reached the World Series twice, losing in 1984 to the Detroit Tigers and in 1998 to the New York Yankees. The Seattle Mariners are next at 50 seasons, also without a championship or a World Series appearance since their inaugural 1977 season. The Mariners' strongest regular season came in 2001 when they won 116 games, tying the MLB record, but even that team did not reach the World Series.

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Several previous champions are now in the midst of droughts lasting at least 40 years. The Pittsburgh Pirates last won in 1979, a 47-season wait. The Baltimore Orioles' last title came in 1983, a span of 43 seasons. The Detroit Tigers have not won since 1984, a 42-year gap, and the New York Mets' last championship was in 1986, 40 seasons ago.

The Oakland Athletics have not won since 1989, a 37-season drought. The Cincinnati Reds' last title was in 1990, 36 seasons ago. The Minnesota Twins last won in 1991, a 35-season wait. Among the teams that have never won, the Colorado Rockies have gone 34 seasons since joining MLB in 1993. The Tampa Bay Rays' drought stands at 29 seasons since their first season in 1998. The Arizona Diamondbacks, who last won in 2001, have a 25-season drought, and the Los Angeles Angels' last title was in 2002, 24 seasons ago.

The Brewers ended their own 58-season wait for a title by beating the Tampa Bay Rays in five games. Garbutt Disposal reported the Brewers captured the championship on Oct. 28. The Rays had forced a Game 5 with a 12th-inning walk-off win in Game 4. The Brewers' title was their first since the franchise debuted as the Seattle Pilots in 1969.

With files from Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet and USA Today