

Bryce Harper leaves the dugout following the Nationals' 9-7 loss to the Cardinals in Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Things were looking great for the Washington Nationals in 2012. They won 98 games and their first National League East title. Nineteen-year-old phenom Bryce Harper hit 22 home runs and was named NL Rookie of the Year. Stephen Strasburg came back from Tommy John surgery to go 15-6. Sure, they blew that six-run lead against the St. Louis Cardinals to lose in the first round of the playoffs, but the Nationals were loaded with young stars and poised to dominate for years. And they did, sort of.

Between 2012 and 2018, the Nationals won four division titles with a .562 winning percentage, figures matched by just 20 teams since the start of divisional play in 1969. Eighteen of those teams won a pennant, 13 won the World Series and the other two reached the league championship series. The Nationals, meanwhile, have yet to win a single playoff series.

With the Harper era potentially coming to an end, here’s a look at every team that has matched the Nationals' regular season record over seven seasons and how they’ve fared in the postseason.



Joe Torre led the Yankees to four World Series titles in five years from 1996 to 2000. (Amy Sancetta/Associated Press)

World Series winners

(Not seeing the charts below? Click here.)

Regular season Postseason 1969–75 Orioles .604, 5 division titles 1 World Series title, 3 AL pennants, 5 ALCS 1970–76 Reds .607, 5 division titles 2 World Series titles, 4 NL pennants, 5 NLCS 1970–76 Athletics .580, 5 division titles 3 World Series titles, 3 AL pennants, 4 ALCS 1970–76 Pirates .563, 5 division titles 1 World Series title, 1 NL pennant, 5 NLCS 1975–81 Yankees .588, 4 division titles 2 World Series titles, 4 AL pennants, 5 ALCS 1976–82 Phillies .570, 4 division titles 1 World Series title, 1 NL pennants, 4 NLCS 1986–92 Athletics .567, 4 division titles 1 World Series title, 3 AL pennants, 4 ALCS 1987–93 Blue Jays .564, 4 division titles 2 World Series titles, 2 AL pennants, 4 ALCS 1991–97 Braves .610, 6 division titles 1 World Series title, 4 NL pennants, 6 NLCS 1994–2000 Yankees .597, 4 division titles 4 World Series titles, 4 AL pennants, 4 ALCS 2000–06 Cardinals .581, 5 division titles 1 World Series title, 2 NL pennants, 5 NLCS 2005–11 Phillies .570, 5 division titles 1 World Series title, 2 NL pennants, 3 NLCS 2009–15 Cardinals .566, 4 division titles 1 World Series title, 2 NL pennants, 4 NLCS



Clayton Kershaw won Game 5 against the Cubs to clinch the 2017 NLCS for the Dodgers. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Pennant winners

Regular season Postseason 1995–01 Indians .585, 6 division titles 2 AL pennants, 3 ALCS 1998–04 Braves .610, 7 division titles 1 NL pennant, 3 NLCS 1976–82 Royals .564, 4 division titles 1 AL pennant, 4 ALCS 2001–07 Yankees .607, 6 division titles 2 AL pennants, 3 ALCS 2012–18 Dodgers .573, 6 division titles 1 NL pennant, 3 NLCS**



Barry Zito won the 2002 Cy Young Award while pitching for the A's. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Reached the LCS

Regular season Postseason 2000–06 Athletics .586, 4 division titles 1 ALCS 2004–10 Angels .571, 5 division titles 2 ALCS



Bryce Harper strikes out to end Game 5 of the 2017 NLDS. The Nationals lost the series to the Cubs, 3-2. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

The Nationals

Regular season Postseason 2012–18 Nationals .562, 4 division titles 4 LDS losses

* — through the 2017 postseason