A seven game series played in
October between the
American League and
National League Champions to determine the World Champs. Some might say that it's arrogant of a league with teams in only two
countries to call its championship the World Series, but in reality,
MLB is so superior to any other league, it really is.
The World Series began in 1903, as the Boston Red Sox (then known by most as the Pilgrims) beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in a best-of-nine series. There was no World Series in 1904, because of some petty quarrel between owners, but the World Series returned in 1905 in its present seven-game series format. Aside from 1904, the only other years that the World Series was not held were 1945, because of World War II, and 1994, due to a player's strike that ended the season prematurely.
Until 1969, the World Series was the only postseason play for Major League Baseball. That year, both leagues introduced the League Championship Series, giving four teams that chance to play in the Fall Classic. In 1994, baseball split both leagues into three divisions, added a wild card team to each league, and created the Division Series. Now eight teams are in the mix, but it takes 11 postseason victories to earn the title of World Champion.
World Series Trivia:
World Series Records:
World Series Champions:
- 2014 San Francisco Giants
- 2013 Boston Red Sox
- 2012 San Francisco Giants
- 2011 St. Louis Cardinals
- 2010 San Francisco Giants
- 2009 New York Yankees
- 2008 Philadelphia Phillies
- 2007 Boston Red Sox
- 2006 St. Louis Cardinals
- 2005 Chicago White Sox
- 2004 Boston Red Sox
- 2003 Florida Marlins
- 2002 Anaheim Angels
- 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks
- 2000 New York Yankees
- 1999 New York Yankees
- 1998 New York Yankees
- 1997 Florida Marlins
- 1996 New York Yankees
- 1995 Atlanta Braves
- 1994 No World Series
- 1993 Toronto Blue Jays
- 1992 Toronto Blue Jays
- 1991 Minnesota Twins
- 1990 Cincinnati Reds
- 1989 Oakland A's
- 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers
- 1987 Minnesota Twins
- 1986 New York Mets
- 1985 Kansas City Royals
- 1984 Detroit Tigers
- 1983 Baltimore Orioles
- 1982 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers
- 1980 Philadelphia Phillies
- 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1978 New York Yankees
- 1977 New York Yankees
- 1976 Cincinnati Reds
- 1975 Cincinnati Reds
- 1974 Oakland A's
- 1973 Oakland A's
- 1972 Oakland A's
- 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1970 Baltimore Orioles
- 1969 New York Mets
- 1968 Detroit Tigers
- 1967 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1966 Baltimore Orioles
- 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers
- 1964 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers
- 1962 New York Yankees
- 1961 New York Yankees
- 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers
- 1958 New York Yankees
- 1957 Milwaukee Braves
- 1956 New York Yankees
- 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
- 1954 New York Giants
- 1953 New York Yankees
- 1952 New York Yankees
- 1951 New York Yankees
- 1950 New York Yankees
- 1949 New York Yankees
- 1948 Cleveland Indians
- 1947 New York Yankees
- 1946 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1945 Detroit Tigers
- 1944 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1943 New York Yankees
- 1942 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1941 New York Yankees
- 1940 Cincinnati Reds
- 1939 New York Yankees
- 1938 New York Yankees
- 1937 New York Yankees
- 1936 New York Yankees
- 1935 Detroit Tigers
- 1934 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1933 New York Giants
- 1932 New York Yankees
- 1931 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1930 Philadelphia A's
- 1929 Philadelphia A's
- 1928 New York Yankees
- 1927 New York Yankees
- 1926 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1924 Washington Senators
- 1923 New York Yankees
- 1922 New York Giants
- 1921 New York Giants
- 1920 Cleveland Indians
- 1919 Cincinnati Reds
- 1918 Boston Red Sox
- 1917 Chicago White Sox
- 1916 Boston Red Sox
- 1915 Boston Red Sox
- 1914 Boston Braves
- 1913 Philadelphia A's
- 1912 Boston Red Sox
- 1911 Philadelphia A's
- 1910 Philadelphia A's
- 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1908 Chicago Cubs
- 1907 Chicago Cubs
- 1906 Chicago White Sox
- 1905 New York Giants
- 1904 No World Series
- 1903 Boston Red Sox
In response to those who complain that the World Series isn't "World" enough... there are a great many more nations involved in the World Series than the United States and Canada. Aside from the U.S. and Canada, there are players in the major leagues from
Japan, the
Dominican Republic,
Mexico,
Puerto Rico,
Venezuela,
Australia,
Curacao,
Aruba,
South Korea,
Panama,
Singapore,
Colombia, the
Phillipines,
England,
Jamaica,
Cuba, and
Nicaragua.
That's 19 countries on five continents. Certainly seems like a solid representation of the world to me. Hey, it's no World Cup, but when you compare the number of professional soccer teams in the world to the number of professional baseball teams in the world, you can see why.