We just passed the official halfway mark of Major League Baseball's 162-game regular season and both Ohio teams are off to nice starts and battling for postseason berths.
Nothing like the hope of a pennant race to make the summer for Guardians and Reds fans and for Ohio betting sites.
Heading into Monday’s games, the Cleveland Guardians (41-42) are tied for first place with the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central Division and the surprising and resurgent Cincinnati Reds (45-39) are also tied for first with the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central Division.
The AL and NL Central are both weak this season, and a record just a few games above .500 might be enough to win in either division.
How few wins can do it?
BetOhio.com – your source for Ohio sportsbook promos - decided to look back at the regular season teams with the poorest records (86 or fewer wins) to reach the postseason since MLB expanded to three divisions in 1994, and how deep those teams progressed.
We utilized historical records from MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com to construct this list..
Worst MLB Playoff Teams Since 1995
The Best Results for Low-Win Teams
Cleveland was tied with three teams after an 86-76 record and won the AL Central in 1997, eventually losing to the surprising Florida Marlins in the best-of-seven World Series.
One team on this list won it all. The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals took the NL Central with a mark of 83-78 and blazed all the way to a World Series win in five games over the Detroit Tigers.
The San Diego Padres topped the list with the poorest record of 82-80. It was still good enough to clinch the NL West Division title in 2005. The Padres were swept by the Cardinals in the best-of-five NL Divisional Series.
If you are looking to place a baseball wager in the first year of legal betting in the state, remember you can do so on mobile apps, retail sites or at Ohio sports betting kiosks.
What Do Oddsmakers See in Ohio Baseball?
Ohio betting apps have odds for each Guardians and Reds game and future bets for the teams to win the World Series.
FanDuel Ohio has the two teams together to win the World Series at +6500.
FD also has them together in not believing they will win their divisions. Cleveland is listed at +175 to win the AL Central, behind the Twins, and the Reds are +220 in the NL Central, behind the Brewers (-110).
Make sure you are armed with a FanDuel Ohio promo code or one from the many other sportsbooks if you want to bet on either team.
