The deepest hole an MLB winner has climbed out of is 15.5 games: the Cleveland Guardians sat that far behind in the 2025 AL Central on July 6, 2025, and won it by 1 game. The biggest lead lost: the Detroit Tigers led the 2025 AL Central by 14 games as late as July 8, 2025, and finished behind the Cleveland Guardians. Every charted race since 1901 is ranked below; how the numbers are read is spelled out under the tables.
Companion page: Closest MLB races.
| Rank | Race | Winner | Deficit (games) | Deepest on | Won by (games) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 AL Central | Cleveland Guardians | 15.5 | July 6, 2025 | 1 |
| 2 | 1914 NL | Boston Braves | 15 | July 4, 1914 | 10.5 |
| 3 | 1978 AL East | New York Yankees | 14 | July 17, 1978 | 1 |
| 4 | 1951 NL | New York Giants | 13 | August 11, 1951 | 1 |
| 5 | 1995 AL West | Seattle Mariners | 13 | August 2, 1995 | 1 |
| 6 | 2012 AL West | Oakland Athletics | 13 | June 30, 2012 | 1 |
| 7 | 1973 NL East | New York Mets | 12.5 | July 4, 1973 | 1.5 |
| 8 | 2006 AL Central | Minnesota Twins | 12.5 | May 25, 2006 | 1 |
| 9 | 1911 AL | Philadelphia Athletics | 12 | May 19, 1911 | 13.5 |
| 10 | 1930 NL | St. Louis Cardinals | 12 | August 8, 1930 | 2 |
| Rank | Race | Team that led | Lead (games) | Held as late as | Eventual winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 AL Central | Detroit Tigers | 14 | July 8, 2025 | Cleveland Guardians |
| 2 | 1951 NL | Brooklyn Dodgers | 13 | August 11, 1951 | New York Giants |
| 3 | 1995 AL West | California Angels | 11 | August 9, 1995 | Seattle Mariners |
| 4 | 1979 NL West | Houston Astros | 10.5 | July 4, 1979 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 5 | 1942 NL | Brooklyn Dodgers | 10 | August 5, 1942 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 6 | 1978 AL East | Boston Red Sox | 10 | July 8, 1978 | New York Yankees |
| 7 | 1993 NL West | San Francisco Giants | 10 | July 22, 1993 | Atlanta Braves |
| 8 | 2006 AL Central | Detroit Tigers | 10 | August 7, 2006 | Minnesota Twins |
| 9 | 2014 NL West | San Francisco Giants | 10 | June 8, 2014 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 10 | 2024 AL West | Seattle Mariners | 10 | June 18, 2024 | Houston Astros |
| Rank | Race | Winner | First place for good | Charted days left | Days in first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012 AL West | Oakland Athletics | October 2, 2012 | 1 | 10 of 190 |
| 2 | 1967 AL | Boston Red Sox | September 30, 1967 | 1 | 18 of 175 |
| 3 | 1956 NL | Brooklyn Dodgers | September 29, 1956 | 1 | 18 of 167 |
| 4 | 2010 AL East | Tampa Bay Rays | October 2, 2010 | 1 | 94 of 183 |
| 5 | 1996 NL West | San Diego Padres | September 28, 1996 | 1 | 134 of 183 |
| 6 | 2008 AL Central | Chicago White Sox | September 29, 2008 | 1 | 154 of 190 |
| 7 | 1949 AL | New York Yankees | October 1, 1949 | 1 | 164 of 168 |
| 8 | 1987 AL East | Detroit Tigers | October 2, 1987 | 2 | 33 of 182 |
| 9 | 2018 NL West | Los Angeles Dodgers | September 29, 2018 | 2 | 42 of 187 |
| 10 | 1934 NL | St. Louis Cardinals | September 28, 1934 | 2 | 13 of 167 |
Everything on this page comes from the same day-by-day season files the charts draw, with standings read as each day ended. All 428 charted MLB races from 125 finished seasons enter: every pennant and division race from 1901 to 2025. Wild card races are not ranked; their story is the playoff cutoff, not first place. The 2026 season joins these lists when it ends. A team's comeback or collapse is counted once per season, at its deepest, whichever of its charted races it came in.
Biggest comebacks: the deepest end-of-day deficit the eventual winner faced, in games behind that day's leader, dated to the first day it reached that depth. These are the same numbers the turning points on each race page state.
Biggest collapses: the largest end-of-day lead over second place held by a team that did not finish first, dated to the last day the team still held that full lead. A comeback and a collapse read the same race from opposite ends, so they can disagree about one summer. In 1978 the New York Yankees came from 14 games behind the day's leader while the Boston Red Sox's own lead over second place peaked at 10; both numbers are true, and each list states its own.
Latest deciding day ranks winners by how few charted days remained when they took first place for good; a day spent tied on top stays with the team already leading. Races whose top two the standings cannot separate appear on none of these lists: the data cannot name a winner. Only finished seasons are ranked; every irregularity in the record is listed in the data notes.