2. Philadelphia Athletics, 1927-1932
Connie Mack’s second dynasty was even stronger than his first. Following the dismantling of his 1909-14 powerhouse, Mack built slowly but purposefully.
In 1925, he got Lefty Grove away from Baltimore of the International League to anchor his pitching staff. Grove would win 20 or more games in seven consecutive seasons, topping out at 31-4 in 1931.
Outfielder Al Simmons was on the scene by then; he would win the 1930 (.381) and 1931 (.390) batting titles. Jimmie Foxx blossomed into a slugger in 1928, batting .354 in 1929 and .335 in 1930.
George Earnshaw emerged as a rookie right-handed complement to Grove in 1928, and led the league with 24 wins in 1929. The team veteran was Jimmy Dykes, a versatile infielder; the patient leadoff man was second baseman Max Bishop. Possessed of an eye for the strike zone that won the respect of American League umpires, Bishop walked more than 100 times every season between 1926 and 1933.
How good were the Athletics? They beat the Ruth-Gehrig Yankees by 18 games in 1929, by eight games in 1930 and by 13 and one-half games in 1931. Between 1927 and 1932, the Athletics never won fewer than 90 games, topping 100 victories annually from 1929 through 1931.
Their collective six-season record of 596-324 produces a .647 winning percentage, which happens to be the highest for any block of six consecutive seasons in the history of the American League.