25 notable Hall of Famers who never won a World Series

Among the countless Hall of Famers who never experienced the joy of winning a World Series, there are several notable legends who stand out.

Here's our list of the 25 greatest.

25. Larry Walker

The do-it-all Walker was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 2020, following a 17-year major-league career. During that legendary run, Walker was named an All-Star five times, won seven Gold Gloves and was the NL MVP in 1997, when he batted .366, clubbed 49 home runs and posted 130 RBI for the Colorado Rockies. But while Walker was part of six teams between the Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals that reached the postseason — and even played in the World Series with the latter in 2004 — he never won a ring.

24. Rick Ferrell

The venerable Ferrell spent 18 seasons in the majors, playing for three different franchises from 1929-47. Among the game's great catchers of the time, Ferrell was a .281 lifetime hitter with 734 RBIs and was named to eight All-Star teams. Though considered one of the great players to ever don the legendary uniform of the Boston Red Sox, Ferrell never won a championship either with that famed franchise, the St. Louis Browns or Washington Senators. In fact, he played on some pretty bad clubs during his career.

23. Mike Piazza

Piazza's .308 career batting average is tied for the fourth highest among all catchers (listed as a primary position) in MLB history. Meanwhile, his 427 home runs are the most by anyone at the position. One of the great offensive performers, regardless of position, in baseball history during his 16 seasons, Piazza, a 2016 Hall inductee, starred in baseball's two biggest markets in Los Angeles and Chicago and was part of eight teams to reach the postseason. Yet, the 12-time All-Star's only trip to the World Series came with the Mets in 2000, when they lost to the rival Yankees in five games.

22. Ralph Kiner

One of the great home run hitters of all time, Kiner went deep 369 times during his 10-year MLB career from 1946-55. Most of Kiner's big-league success came with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who weren't exactly competitive during his tenure. In fact, the six-time All-Star never made a playoff appearance with Pittsburgh, the Chicago Cubs or Cleveland, which robbed fans from seeing one of the all-time greats, who batted .279 with 1,015 RBI for his career playing on MLB's biggest stage.

21. Gaylord Perry

Talk about major-league longevity. The great Gaylord Perry played in 22 big-league seasons with eight teams from 1962-83. He was the first player to win the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues. The 6-foot-4, intimidating right-hander appeared in more than 770 games and won 314, while posting a career 3.11 ERA, striking out 3,534 batters and throwing a no-hitter in 1968 with San Francisco. It also was with the Giants that Perry made his only playoff appearance in 1971, pitching in two games of the NL Championship Series.

20. Roy Halladay

Halladay threw the second postseason no-hitter in MLB history , and went 3-2 with a 2.37 ERA in five playoff starts for the Philadelphia Phillies — all coming in 2010 and '11. The Phillies didn't reach the World Series either season, and Halladay's career ended two years later. But, it certainly was a special one, with those 203 wins, 67 complete games, 2,117 strikeouts, two Cy Young Awards, eight All-Star nods and a 3.38 ERA that spanned a Hall of Fame career that spanned 1998-2013.

19. Robin Yount

The beloved Milwaukee Brewers superstar played all 20 seasons with the club and was the consummate professional. A .285 career hitter, Yount was a three-time All-Star and won the AL MVP in 1982, when he batted .331 with 29 home runs and 114 RBI while also reaching his only World Series with the Brewers. Yount won the award again in '89, when he hit .318 and drove home 103 RBI. Ten years after that special season, Yount, who recorded a career 3,142 hits and 1,406 RBIs, was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

18. Phil Niekro

The legendary knuckleballer began his major-league career in 1964, and ended it in 1987. Niekro spent most of that time in the Braves organization, beginning in Milwaukee and then in Atlanta. Niekro, who won 318 games, recorded 3,342 strikeouts and had a 3.35 career ERA, made just two playoff appearances across those 24 seasons. Both came with Atlanta, first in 1969 and again in '82. The Braves failed to win the NLCS either season. At the time, it seemed the ageless Hall of Famer would have more opportunities for a World Series ring, but that was not to be.

17. Ryne Sandberg

Arguably the best second baseman never to win a World Series. Of course, this Chicago Cubs legend never got the chance to play in a World Series and his playoff resume reads of just 10 games in two seasons (1984, '89) on the North Side. However, Sandberg, the NL MVP in 1984, was a one-man show for years as a Cub, batting .285 for his career, with 2,386 hits, 1,061 RBI, 282 home runs (including a National League-best 40 in 1990) and nine Gold Glove Awards.

16. Billy Williams

Another Cub who never had a pleasure of experiencing a World Series. Going a step further, Williams never even made a playoff appearance during his 16 seasons in Chicago, though he did with the Oakland A's in 1975 — his second-to-last campaign in the majors. A six-time All-Star, Williams was a .290 career hitter, collecting more than 2,700 hits, clubbed 426 home runs and registered 1,475 RBI. The sweet-swinging wonder from Whistler, Ala., was as pure an offensive performer as they come.

15. George Sisler

Sisler began his Hall of Fame career in 1915 both as a pitcher and position player, and went 4-4 with a 2.83 ERA in 15 appearances (eight starts). From there, though, Sisler would enjoy nearly all of his major-league success at the plate. He batted .340 for a career that began in 1915 with the St. Louis Browns and ended in 1930. The AL MVP in 1922, Sisler won his first AL batting title in 1920, when he hit .407, and a second time two years later with a rather remarkable .420 effort. Sisler also drove in 1,178 runs and stole 375 bases, but never had the chance to play for a World Series championship.

14. Nap Lajoie

Lajoie's Major League Baseball career covered 21 seasons from 1896-1916. He won the Triple Crown in 1901 with the Philadelphia Athletics, when he batted .426 with 14 home run and 125 RBI in 131 games, and has long been considered one of the most durable and gifted players of his era. Lajoie also starred for the Cleveland Naps, but even with his own Hall of Fame talent (.338 career batting average, 1,599 RBI) a World Series triumph eluded him.

13. Willie McCovey

The great McCovey got his crack at a World Series championship in 1962, when his San Francisco Giants lost to the New York Yankees in seven games. McCovey, who batted .270 with 521 homers and 1,555 RBI during his 22-year career, only hit .200 during the '62 World Series. McCovey, a six-time All-Star, was much better when the Giants made the playoffs in 1971, going 6-for-14 with two home runs while his club lost the NL pennant to Pittsburgh.

12. Adrian Beltre

The 2024 Hall of Fame inductee, who batted .286 with 477 homers, 1,707 RBIs and collected more than 3,100 hits during his 21-year career (1998-2018), played in 28 playoff games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers. That included a turn in the 2011 World Series, when the Rangers lost in seven to St. Louis, after seemingly being control of the series. Though Beltre fell short of the ultimate prize, the five-time Gold Glover and four-time All-Star gave his all in the pursuit.

11. Luke Appling

Arguably the greatest player in the history of the Chicago White Sox franchise, Appling played all 20 seasons (1930-43, 1945-50) on the South Side, and also served in World War II. A seven-time All-Star, and two-time AL batting champion, Appling was a career .311 hitter, who also recorded more than 1,100 RBI, 1,300 walks. However, not once during his Hall of Fame run with the White Sox did Appling play in a postseason contest. Appling's 2,422 games played without a playoff appearance rank second all time.

10. Jim Bunning

Before serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, Bunning was a nine-time All-Star. He spent 17 seasons (1955-71) in the majors, with his most productive years coming as a member of the Detroit Tigers (with who he tossed a no-hitter in 1958) and the Philadelphia Phillies (the club for who he tossed his 1964 perfect game). Over the course of his Hall of Fame career, the right-hander amassed 2,855 strikeouts and 224 victories. Five times Bunning recorded at least 200 strikeouts in a season.

9. Carl Yastrzemski

There are legends of the Boston Red Sox, then there is "Yaz," the guy played his entire career in Boston (1961-83), where he made he was named an All-Star 18 times and won seven Gold Glove Awards. A .285 career hitter with 3.419 hits and three batting titles to his name, Yaz also clubbed 452 home runs and 1,844 RBI (a Red Sox record). Of course, as a lifelong Boston baseball player from the 1960s, '70s and '80s, Yastrzemski never won a World Series. However, he did play in two of the them (1969 and '75), when the Red Sox lost both in seven games.

8. Rod Carew

One of the best pure hitters in the game, Carew batted .328 and collected 3,053 hits during his stellar 19-year career with the Minnesota Twins and California Angels. Carew, an All-Star in all but one of those seasons, was part of only four playoff teams during his MLB tenure. Two came with the Twins (1969, '70) and two more with the Angels (1979, '82). While none of those teams managed to win a series, Carew uncharacteristically batted a mere .220 with just one RBI and nine strikeouts in 14 playoff games combined.

7. Tony Gwynn

One of the game's all-time great hitters (3,141 hits, 543 doubles, .338 career average), Gwynn is the greatest player ever to suit up for the San Diego Padres, where he played his entire career (1982-2001). And, Gwynn was no stranger to playoff baseball, appearing in 27 games, while posting a .306 average with seven doubles and 11 RBI. Gwynn also played in nine World Series games (1984, '98), where he hit .371. Unfortunately, Gwynn and the Padres went 1-8 in those contests.

6. Harmon Killebrew

Highlighting another Minnesota Twins legend, Killebrew's legendary career spanned 1954-75. He was a 13-time All-Star and clubbed 573 home runs with 1,584 RBI and was the AL MVP in 1969. And, when it came to postseason play, Killebrew certainly had his shot at a World Series crown. He got there in 1965, and batted .286 with a home run in the Series, but the Twins lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. Killebrew and the Twins played for the AL pennant again in 1969 and '70, but failed to win either season.

5. Ferguson Jenkins

No offense to Larry Walker, but Jenkins is the greatest Canadian to ever play the game . Jenkins began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, but most of his big-league success came with the Chicago Cubs, with who he played parts of 10 seasons (1966-73, 1982-83). He won at least 20 games in six straight seasons from 1967-73, was a three-time All-Star and became the first Canadian and Cub to win the Cy Young Award — going 24-13 with 263 strikeouts and a 2.77 ERA in 1971. For his career, Jenkins has 284 wins, 267 complete games with a 3.34 ERA and 3,192 strikeouts. The right-hander was also the first Canadian to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but never made a World Series appearance, nor even an appearance in the postseason.

4. Ernie Banks

The only truly sad part of Banks' legendary 19-year career, all spent with the Chicago Cubs, was that he never made a postseason appearance. "Mr. Cub" might be the one player in MLB history most deserving of simply taking part in a playoff game. Banks' stats certainly back it up: 2,583 hits, 512 homers, 1,636 RBI, a .273 average and .830 OPS. However, it's Banks' love of baseball and his role as ambassador, not just for the Cubs, but for the spirit of game that make it a shame this particular Hall of Famer never experienced postseason action. In fact, his 2,528 career games without a playoff appearance are the most in Major League Baseball history.

3. Ken Griffey, Jr.

In his 22-year career, Griffey made 18 playoff game appearances, but never in the World Series. And, it's not like Griffey didn't do his best to help his teams get to the promised land, notably the Seattle Mariners in 1995 and '97. During his playoff career, Junior hit .290 with six home runs and 11 RBIs. The Mariners reached the ALCS in '95, but that was the end of the road. There are some baseball historians who believe the 13-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover should top a list like this one.

2. Ty Cobb

Not the most popular player in the history of pro baseball, but Cobb is in the argument for being the greatest. His .366 career batting average remains the highest of all time. He set roughly 90 MLB records during his career, which spanned 1905-28, mostly with the Detroit Tigers. A 12-time batting champion, Cobb rapped 4,189 hits, including 724 doubles, 237 triples and stole 897 bases, and had a career OPS of .944. However, Cobb's Tigers posted a 5-12 record in World Series games from 1907, '08 and '09 seasons, but nearly got it done in 1909, where they lost to Pittsburgh in seven games.

1. Ted Williams

No offense to Banks, Cobb or Griffey Jr., but Ted Williams stands above the rest when it comes to those legendary Hall of Famers to never win a World Series. The truly sad part of it all is that the Boston Red Sox icon made the postseason just once during his fantastic career (1939-60). That came with the 1946 World Series, when his Red Sox lost to St. Louis in seven games. And, on a more interesting note, Williams, who hit .344 with 521 home runs and 1,839 RBI for his career, batted just .200 without an extra-base hit in those seven World Series contests.