Every MLB Team To Overcome A 2-0 Championship Round Deficit And Make The World Series

There’s not much that matches Major League Baseball in the month of October. The atmosphere and drama are at a high. Seasons are on the line and rings are up for grabs.

The intensity is heightened as series go deeper. Each passing round presents a new task. Emotions hinge on the outcome of each game.

That’s certainly the case in the Championship Round. Teams looking to book their tickets to the World Series must first survive the NLCS and ALCS.

That task is made much easier when gaining an early advantage across the first two contests. Teams that start 2-0 in seven-game series have won at an 84% clip (78 of 93 instances).

MLB teams that overcame a 2-0 deficit to make the World Series.

There are 15 teams, though, that have rebounded after slow starts. Ten of those occurrences came in the World Series. Five came in the Championship Round.

Here, we’ll take a look at those five ALCS and NLCS winners that overcame 2-0 holes to emerge victorious. Let’s start with the most recent, which was seen in 2023.

2023 Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks fell behind 2-0 against the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2023 NLCS. Arizona was beaten 5-3 in Game 1. They were smacked 10-0 in Game 2. Still, the faith remained.

Arizona rebounded for back-to-back one-run victories to even the series. The Diamondbacks then won Games 6 and 7 to advance to the World Series.

Despite being outscored 30-21 across the seven-game set, Arizona won the NLCS. They’d later fall to the Texas Rangers, 4-1.

2020 Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles met up with Atlanta after a COVID-shortened 2020 regular season. The Dodgers slid into 2-0 deficit across the first two games. They bounced back to force a decisive Game 7.

The Braves actually took a 3-1 advantage in the Championship Series before the Dodgers stormed back for three straight victories.

They’d use the positive momentum to beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series, 4-2.

2004 Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have the honor of being the only team to not only dig themselves out of a 2-0 hole, but to overcome a 3-0 deficit. It couldn’t have come against a better opponent.

The rival Yankees took the first three matchups of the 2004 ALCS. Game 3 was a 19-8 blowout in Boston. Hope was fading with New York leading by a run the ninth inning of Game 4. A sweep was on the table. The Red Sox continued to fight.

Dave Roberts stole second. Bill Mueller hit him in. David Ortiz ended the game in extra innings. The rest is history. Boston went onto win the next three games to take the set, 4-3. It would then sweep the Cardinals in the World Series.

1985 Kansas City Royals

The Royals found themselves down two games to none in the 1985 ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the first season in which the MLB moved to a seven-game Championship Series format. That benefitted Kansas City tremendously.

The teams would split Games 3 and 4 to give Toronto a 3-1 advantage. In a five-game set, that would’ve ended the series. Kansas City was given a bit more life with the playoff change.

It took full advantage by winning each of the final three contests. The Royals would then repeat that feat in the World Series by overcoming a 2-0 deficit against the St. Louis Cardinals.

1985 St. Louis Cardinals

Both the NLCS and ALCS saw 2-0 deficits erased. As mentioned, the Royals took full advantage in their matchup with the Blue Jays.

In the National League, the Cardinals overcame a 2-0 hole against the Dodgers.

St. Louis lost each of the first two games. They’d rip off four straight wins to advance to the World Series, only to fall to the Royals after ironically building a 2-0 advantage.