Being a baseball fan means signing up for 162 games of hope, heartbreak, and weird bullpen decisions. But some fanbases don’t just suffer—they specialize in it.
These are the teams that exhaust your soul, ruin your summers, and still somehow have you coming back for more. Let’s count down the most emotionally draining teams in Major League Baseball to support.
10. San Diego Padres
They spent like a big-market monster, then forgot how to hit with runners in scoring position. It’s all flash, no finish, and way too many heartbreaking one-run losses.
9. Los Angeles Angels
Every year starts with dreams of magic, and every year ends with injuries, irrelevance, and the phrase “maybe next season.” Watching this team is like watching an Oscar-worthy movie with a terrible final scene.
8. New York Mets
They are baseball’s kings of expectation management—in that they raise it sky-high and then drop it directly on your head. No one loses $300 million worth of talent like the Mets do.
7. Minnesota Twins
They’ll tease you with a hot streak, then vanish into the cornfields like a ghost team from Field of Dreams. And don’t even mention the playoffs unless you enjoy pain.
6. Boston Red Sox
One year they’re winning the World Series, the next they’re trading the entire roster to save a few bucks. The emotional whiplash could qualify as a health hazard.
5. Cleveland Guardians
They pitch lights-out but hit like they’re swinging pool noodles. Every summer feels like one giant 3-1 loss.
4. Chicago Cubs
The 2016 title gave fans peace… for about five minutes. Since then, it’s been a slow-motion breakup with every beloved player and an endless cycle of “retooling.”
3. Philadelphia Phillies
They’re either hitting five home runs a night or striking out 15 times while leaving the bases loaded in the ninth. No team tests your emotional range like the Fightins.
Read More: 10 MLB Franchises That Are Stuck in Baseball Purgatory
2. Toronto Blue Jays
This team is allergic to meeting expectations. Every October turns into a festival of missed opportunities and broken TVs in Ontario.
Read More: 15 MLB Teams That Had It All—Then Blew It
1. Chicago White Sox
The roster looks good on paper, but the games feel like existential art films. They somehow manage to be confusing, frustrating, and boring all at the same time.
Read More: 10 Reasons Fans Have a Love-Hate Relationship With the New York Mets
