Baseball has been rooted deeply in American culture since its creation in Cooperstown, New York in 1839. It has grown greatly from a backyard game into America’s pastime and a global sport. The MLB (Major League Baseball) brings together the best baseball players from around the world to compete for the crowning achievement of World Series champs. However, there is one achievement that is sometimes overlooked for how difficult it really is – the 100 win season.

Since 1998 only 21 teams have achieved this mark.  For just the sixth time since 1892, three teams won over 100 games in the same season.  This year, those teams were the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cleveland Indians. Two of these teams made it to the World Series: Dodgers and Astros. But why is it so surprising to see three teams with over 100 wins?

In a baseball season there is 162 games, with usually five to six games a week for each team. This requires teams to always be on their A-game as one bad week could potentially mean up to six losses for a team and with only 26 weeks in a baseball season, there is not much room for error.

The majority of MLB teams carry a five man rotation of starting pitchers, with each pitcher alternating every game. This requires teams to have strong and capable pitchers, as if four of the pitchers win ⅔ of their games, while the other only wins ⅓, the team will fall 9 games short of 100.

This pressure is not only put on pitchers but on the batters and fielders as well. With games usually being decided by two to three runs one error in the field could could give up a lead. Batters also need to produce runs to win a game as no one has won a game without scoring runs.

Baseball is truly a team sport with each player relying on the rest of the team. One faulty link can bring down everyone else. Ted Williams, one of the best hitters of all time, once said, “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” However, to achieve 100 wins you cannot just be a good performer, you must be a great performer which is why the 100 win season is so difficult.