Los Angeles Dodgers fans have reason to want the new season to begin. That’s because they were almost able to win it all in 2017, losing Game 7 of the World Series to the Houston Astros.

Most Dodgers fans – and the players, too – likely wish they could fast forward the 2018 season and get to the playoffs and back to the World Series. Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t work that way. The sting of losing Game 7 will stick with them throughout this season, with only one outcome – winning it all – that can take that sting away.

History, though, isn’t exactly on their side.

Can They Win It All?

There’s always reason for optimism when your team wins the pennant but not the series. And certainly, the Dodgers remain loaded and a clear favorite to repeat as National League champions (although certainly the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs might have something to say about that).

The bad news for Dodgers fans is that since 1903, there have been just 15 teams that lost a World Series and then came back to win it all the following year. And there have only been six times that they came back to win it all after losing Game 7.

Here’s a rundown of the teams the Dodgers hope to join in 2018.

The New York Yankees

Of the 15 clubs that lost a World Series and then came back to win it the next year, seven of them were Yankees club. They did it is 1923, 1927, 1943, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1977.

They came back to win it all after losing Game 7 the previous year four times – 1927, 1956, 1958 and 1961.

In 1926, the Yankees lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, the first of 11 championships won by the Cardinals. In 1927, the Yankees came back to sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates. They also returned in 1928 to sweep the Cardinals.

That Yankees club, considered by many to be the best baseball team ever, featured Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs, Tony Lazzeri, Waite Hoyt, Wilcy Moore and Herb Pennock.

In 1955, the Yankees lost in seven games to the Brooklyn Dodgers, the only championship ever won by the Dodgers while they played in Brooklyn. The next year, the Yankees came back to beat the Dodgers in seven games. This was the last all-New York series until the Yankees played the New York Mets in 2000.

In 1957, the Yankees lost in seven to the Milwaukee Braves. In 1958, they came back to beat the Braves, also in a seven games.

In 1960, the Yankees lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in perhaps the most memorable Game 7 ever. Pirate Bill Mazerosky hit a walk-off homerun to win the game and the series in the bottom of the 9th inning off Yankee pitcher Ralph Terry. The next year, the Yankees came back to beat the Cincinnati Reds in five games.

1935 Detroit Tigers

The 1934 Tigers lost to the St. Louis Cardinal’s “Gashouse Gang” club that was led by player/manager Frankie Frisch. That club also included Ripper Collins, Joe Medwick, Bill DeLancey and pitcher Dizzy Dean.

The Tigers returned in 1935 to beat the Chicago Cubs, even though they lost star first baseman Hank Greenberg in Game 2 when he broke his wrist in a collision at home plate with Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett. The Tigers won behind two wins from pitcher Tommy Bridges, both complete games. Starter Schoolboy Rowe, who lost Game 1, won Game 3 pitching in relief (after blowing the save). Starter General Crowder pitched the real gem, however, a complete game, three-hit, one-run effort in Game 4.

2015 Kansas City Royals

The Royals lost in 2014 to the San Francisco Giants, after entering the series 8-0 in the playoffs. That included a tense, well-pitched Game 7 the Royals eventually lost 3-2. In 2015, the Royals returned to beat the New York Mets in five games, including a 14-inning marathon in Game 1, a complete-game performance by starter Johnny Cueto in Game 2 and stellar hitting by catcher and series MVP Salvador Perez.

And that’s it. Does it mean the Dodgers have a slim chance to return and win the World Series after losing Game 7 the year before?  Well, while it’s only occurred six times, this is one statistic where past performance is no indicator of future results.

That said, it does show how hard it is to get back to a World Series after losing one – and then actually winning it the second time around.