- The 1906 Chicago Cubs have the highest single-season winning percentage ever.
- In 2001, the Seattle Mariners matched the Cubs’ record of 116 wins.
- A team has won over 70% of their games on nine occasions.
The teams with the best regular-season records in MLB history have not always been among the World Series favourites in the baseball betting markets during spring training. A team doesn’t have to be packed with Hall of Famers to rack up over 100 wins in the regular season. Sometimes, several players have career-years at the same time.
Naturally, all of the teams included below cruised past their MLB betting win totals. While 23 of the 30 active franchises have achieved 100-win seasons, these teams went a step further by exceeding 107 wins, resulting in a winning percentage near or above .700.
What’s the Best Regular Season Record in MLB History?
| Rank | Team Name | Record | Year |
| 1 | Chicago Cubs | .763 | 1906 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Pirates | .724 | 1909 |
| 3 | Cleveland Indians | .721 | 1954 |
| 4 | Seattle Mariners | .716 | 2001 |
| 5 | New York Yankees | .714 | 1927 |
| T-6 | Philadelphia Athletics | .704 | 1931 |
| T-6 | Chicago Cubs | .704 | 1907 |
| T-6 | New York Yankees | .704 | 1998 |
| 9 | New York Yankees | .702 | 1939 |
| 10 | New York Yankees | .695 | 1932 |
| 11 | New York Giants | .693 | 1904 |
| 12 | St. Louis Cardinals | .688 | 1942 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Dodgers | .685 | 2022 |
| T-14 | Baltimore Orioles | .673 | 1969 |
| T-14 | New York Yankees | .673 | 1961 |
| T-16 | Boston Red Sox | .667 | 2018 |
| T-16 | New York Mets | .667 | 1986 |
| T-16 | Cincinnati Reds | .667 | 1975 |
| T-16 | Baltimore Orioles | .667 | 1970 |
If I were to go strictly by total wins, the 2001 Seattle Mariners are tied with the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the best regular-season record with 116 wins. Seattle, though, played 10 more games than the Cubs, giving Chicago a vastly superior winning percentage. In fact, both the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1954 Cleveland Indians bettered the Mariners’ winning percentage.
Of the top four teams, the Pirates are the only ones to win the World Series. The Mariners famously lost in the American League Division Series. The Cubs were upset by the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. Cleveland was swept by the New York Giants in the Fall Classic.
The 1909 Cubs are unquestionably the most dominant team in league history. They led baseball in runs scored and runs allowed, and their winning percentage remains in a league of its own to this day.
2018 @RedSox
1998 @Yankees
1986 @Mets
1975 @Reds
1970 @Orioles
1961 Yankees
1927 YankeesWhich squad is the 🐐? pic.twitter.com/VbJJxYXYuy
— MLB (@MLB) October 31, 2018
Unsurprisingly, the New York Yankees make this list on five occasions. The 1927 Yankees, of course, went on to win the title after a 60-homer season from Babe Ruth and an MVP-winning campaign from 24-year-old Lou Gehrig. The Bronx Bombers had six Hall of Famers on their roster – their team OPS of .872 is the joint-highest since the start of the 20th century.
This list really highlights how difficult it is to win a title. If a team makes history with its regular-season record, every online sportsbook will have them among the favourites to win the World Series, but very few of the teams featured here have translated 100+ win totals into rings.
