List of World Series champions
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This is a list of all the World Series matches, and the recognized champions of Major League Baseball and its predecessors.
Champions Prior to and Precursors to the modern World Series (1857-1902)
These teams played an earlier version of the "World's Championship Series" or otherwise claimed the national championship "pennant".
Before the American Association
Prior to the formation of the American Association, there were no playoff rounds -- all championships went to whoever had the best record at the end of the season.
National Association of Base Ball Players (Amateur → Professional)
- 1857 Brooklyn Atlantics
- 1858 New York Mutuals
- 1859 Brooklyn Atlantics
- 1860 Brooklyn Atlantics
- 1861 Brooklyn Atlantics
- 1862 Brooklyn Eckfords
- 1863 Brooklyn Eckfords
- 1864 Brooklyn Atlantics
- 1865 Brooklyn Atlantics
- 1866 Brooklyn Atlantics
- 1867 Morrisania Unions
- 1868 New York Mutuals
- 1869 Brooklyn Atlantics
- 1870 Chicago White Stockings
- 1871 Philadelphia Athletics
- 1872 Boston Red Stockings
- 1873 Boston Red Stockings
- 1874 Boston Red Stockings
- 1875 Boston Red Stockings
- 1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings/Chicago White Stockings
In this first year of the National League, there was controversy as to which team was the champion - the White Stockings (52-14), who had the best overall record; or the Brown Stockings (45-19), who were the only team to have a winning record against every other franchise in the league. The teams agreed to play a "Championship of the West" five-game series in which St. Louis won 4 games to 1.[1]
- 1877 Boston Red Caps
- 1878 Boston Red Caps
- 1879 Providence Grays
- 1880 Chicago White Stockings
- 1881 Chicago White Stockings
Exhibition series — National League vs. American Association
- 1882 A 2 game series; Chicago White Stockings NL wins 1, Cincinnati Reds AA wins 1
- 1883 Series planned between the Boston Beaneaters of the NL and the Philadelphia Athletics of the AA; Philadelphia cancels the series after losing the "City Series" to the Phillies.
The original World Series
Although these series were promoted and referred to as the "World's Championship Series", or "World's Series" for short, they are not officially recognized as part of World Series history by Major League Baseball.[1]
Major League Baseball, in general, regards 19th century events as a prologue to the Modern Era of baseball, which is defined by the two current major leagues.
Ernest Lanigan's Baseball Cyclopedia (of the 1920s) and Turkin and Thompson's Encyclopedia of Baseball (various years ca. 1951-1960) listed the 19th Century games on an equal basis with the 20th Century games. Sporting News publications about the World Series, which began in the 1920s, ignored the 19th Century games, as did most publications about the Series after about 1960.
National League vs. American Association
- 1884 Providence Grays NL win 3, New York Metropolitans AA win 0 - 3 game series; 60-game winner Old Hoss Radbourn pitches every inning for Providence
- 1885 St. Louis Browns AA win 3, Chicago White Stockings NL win 3, 1 tie - seven-game series ends in dispute
- 1886 St. Louis Browns AA win 4, Chicago White Stockings NL win 2
- 1887 Detroit Wolverines NL win 10, St. Louis Browns AA win 5
- 1888 New York Giants NL win 6, St. Louis Browns AA win 4
- 1889 New York Giants NL win 6, Brooklyn Bridegrooms AA win 3
- 1890 Brooklyn Bridegrooms NL win 3, Louisville Colonels AA win 3, 1 tie - ends in cold, wind, and declining attendance
- 1891 Boston Beaneaters NL, Boston Reds AA - NL instructs Beaneaters not to play series as leagues discuss restructuring; AA subsequently folds
The dispute in 1885 concerned Game 2, which was forfeited by St. Louis when they pulled their team off the field protesting an umpiring decision. The managers, Cap Anson and Charles Comiskey, initially agreed to disregard the game. When St. Louis won the final game and an apparent 3-2 Series championship, Chicago owner Albert Spalding overruled his manager and declared that he wanted the forfeit counted. The result of a tied Series was that neither team got the prize money that had been posted by the owners before the Series (and was returned to them after they both agreed it was a tie).
1892-1900: "The Monopoly Years"
Following the collapse of the American Association, four of its clubs were admitted to the National League. The league championship was awarded in 1892 by a playoff between half-season champions. This scheme was abandoned after one season. Beginning in 1893 — and continuing until divisional play was introduced in 1969 — the pennant was awarded to the first-place club in the standings at the end of the season. For four seasons, the league champions played the runners-up in the post season championship series called the Temple Cup. A second attempt at this format was the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup series in 1900.
1892-1893
- 1892 Boston Beaneaters win 5, Cleveland Spiders win 0, 1 tie - split-season championship
- 1893 Boston Beaneaters - no Series
1894-1897: Temple Cup
- 1894 New York Giants win 4, Baltimore Orioles win 0
- 1895 Cleveland Spiders win 4, Baltimore Orioles win 1
- 1896 Baltimore Orioles win 4, Cleveland Spiders win 0
- 1897 Baltimore Orioles win 4, Boston Beaneaters win 1
1898-1899
- 1898 Boston Beaneaters - no Series
- 1899 Brooklyn Superbas win 3, Philadelphia Phillies win 3, split series
1900: Chronicle-Telegraph Cup
- 1900 Brooklyn Superbas win 4, Pittsburgh Pirates win 1
- 1901 Pittsburgh Pirates NL, Chicago White Sox AL - no Series
- 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates NL, Philadelphia Athletics AL - no Series
The modern World Series
* Denotes that one game ended in a tie.
◊ Denotes wild-card team (since 1995).
World Series (modern) appearances by franchise
| Num | Team (Last win) | W | L | PCT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | New York Yankees (2000) | 26 | 13 | .667 | Most titles of all major sports franchises in North America. |
| 18 | Los Angeles Dodgers (1988) | 6 | 12 | .333 | 1-8 as Brooklyn Dodgers |
| 17 | St. Louis Cardinals (2006) | 10 | 7 | .588 | Most World Series titles in the National League, second in Major League Baseball behind the New York Yankees |
| 17 | San Francisco Giants (1954) | 5 | 12 | .294 | 5-9 as New York Giants |
| 14 | Oakland Athletics (1989) | 9 | 5 | .642 | 5-3 as Philadelphia Athletics (No World Series appearances as the Kansas City Athletics.) |
| 11 | Boston Red Sox (2007) | 7 | 4 | .636 | Ended 85 year title drought with World Series win in 2004. |
| 10 | Chicago Cubs (1908) | 2 | 8 | .200 | Current drought of 101 years without a title is the longest in US major sports history. |
| 10 | Detroit Tigers (1984) | 4 | 6 | .400 | |
| 9 | Atlanta Braves (1995) | 3 | 6 | .333 | 1-1 as Boston Braves; 1-1 as Milwaukee Braves |
| 9 | Cincinnati Reds (1990) | 5 | 4 | .556 | |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Pirates (1979) | 5 | 2 | .714 | |
| 7 | Baltimore Orioles (1983) | 3 | 4 | .428 | 0-1 as St. Louis Browns |
| 6 | Philadelphia Phillies (1980)* | 1 | 4 | .200 | |
| 6 | Minnesota Twins (1991) | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1-2 as Washington Senators |
| 5 | Chicago White Sox (2005) | 3 | 2 | .600 | Ended 87 year title drought with World Series win in 2005. |
| 5 | Cleveland Indians (1948) | 2 | 3 | .400 | Current 60 year title drought is the 2nd longest in the MLB. |
| 4 | New York Mets (1986) | 2 | 2 | .500 | First expansion team to win both a pennant and a World Series title (1969). Most pennants won by an expansion team. |
| 2 | Florida Marlins (2003) | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | One of two teams to have played in the post-season and have not lost a playoff series (Tampa Bay) |
| 2 | Toronto Blue Jays (1993) | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | Only Canadian team to win a World Series title. |
| 2 | Kansas City Royals (1985) | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
| 2 | San Diego Padres | 0 | 2 | .000 | Only team with multiple pennants and no World Series title. |
| 1 | Arizona Diamondbacks (2001) | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Quickest expansion team to win both a pennant and a World Series title (4th season). |
| 1 | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2002) | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | (Win came under name "Anaheim Angels"; no World Series appearances under the names "California Angels" or "Los Angeles Angels.") |
| 1 | Houston Astros | 0 | 1 | .000 | National League pennant in 2005. |
| 1 | Milwaukee Brewers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0-1 while in the American League (1982); team currently in the National League (No World Series appearances during the team's one-year stint (1969) as the Seattle Pilots.) |
| 1 | Colorado Rockies | 0 | 1 | .000 | National League pennant in 2007. |
| 0 | Seattle Mariners | 0 | 0 | ---- | four ALDS appearances (1995, 1997, 2000, 2001); three ALCS appearances (1995, 2000, 2001) Won 116 in 2001 eclipsing the American League single season win mark of 114 by the 1998 Yankees and tying the 1906 Cubs for most wins in a single season |
| 0 | Tampa Bay Rays | 0 | 0 | ---- | are currently in the 2008 ALCS |
| 0 | Texas Rangers | 0 | 0 | ---- | three ALDS appearances (1996, 1998, 1999) (No world series appearances as the Washington Senators.) |
| 0 | Washington Nationals | 0 | 0 | ---- | one NLCS appearance (1981) as Montreal Expos |
- * World Series in progress. See 2008 World Series.
World Series matchups by number of occurrences
- 11 occurrences:
- 7 occurrences:
- 5 occurrences:
- 4 occurrences:
- 3 occurrences:
- 2 occurrences:
- Boston/Atlanta Braves-Cleveland Indians (Braves won 1995; Indians won 1948)
- Baltimore Orioles-Pittsburgh Pirates (Pirates won 1971 and 1979)
- Chicago Cubs-New York Yankees (Yankees won 1932 and 1938)
- Chicago Cubs-Oakland (Philadelphia) Athletics (Athletics won 1910 and 1929)
- Cincinnati Reds-Oakland Athletics (Athletics won 1972; Reds won 1990)
- Los Angeles Dodgers-Oakland Athletics (Athletics won 1974; Dodgers won 1988)
- Minnesota Twins (as Washington Senators)-San Francisco (New York) Giants (Twins won 1924; Giants won 1933)
- New York Yankees-Pittsburgh Pirates (Pirates won 1960; Yankees won 1927)
- Oakland (Philadelphia) Athletics-St. Louis Cardinals (Athletics won 1930; Cardinals won 1931)
- 1 occurrence:
- Arizona Diamondbacks-New York Yankees (2001: Diamondbacks won 4-3)
- Atlanta Braves-Minnesota Twins (1991: Twins won 4-3)
- Atlanta (Boston) Braves-Oakland (Philadelphia) Athletics (1914: Athletics won 4-0)
- Atlanta Braves-Toronto Blue Jays (1992: Blue Jays won 4-2)
- Baltimore Orioles-Cincinnati Reds (1970: Orioles won 4-1)
- Baltimore Orioles-Los Angeles Dodgers (1966: Orioles won 4-0)
- Baltimore Orioles-New York Mets (1969: Mets won 4-1)
- Baltimore Orioles-Philadelphia Phillies (1983: Orioles won 4-1)
- Baltimore Orioles (as St. Louis Browns)-St. Louis Cardinals (1944: Cardinals won 4-2)
- Boston Red Sox-Chicago Cubs (1918: Red Sox won 4-2)
- Boston Red Sox-Cincinnati Reds (1975: Reds won 4-3)
- Boston Red Sox-Colorado Rockies (2007: Red Sox won 4-0)
- Boston Red Sox-Los Angeles (Brooklyn) Dodgers (1916: Red Sox won 4-1)
- Boston Red Sox-New York Mets (1986: Mets won 4-3)
- Boston Red Sox-Philadelphia Phillies (1915: Red Sox won 4-1)
- Boston Red Sox-Pittsburgh Pirates (1903: Red Sox won 5-3)
- Boston Red Sox-San Francisco (New York) Giants (1912: Red Sox won 4-3)
- Chicago Cubs-Chicago White Sox (1906: White Sox won 4-2)
- Chicago White Sox-Cincinnati Reds (1919: Reds won 5-3)
- Chicago White Sox-Houston Astros (2005: White Sox won 4-0)
- Chicago White Sox-Los Angeles Dodgers (1959: Dodgers won 4-2)
- Chicago White Sox-San Francisco (New York) Giants (1917: White Sox won 4-2)
- Cincinnati Reds-Detroit Tigers (1940: Reds won 4-3)
- Cleveland Indians-Florida Marlins (1997: Marlins won 4-3)
- Cleveland Indians-Los Angeles (Brooklyn) Dodgers (1920: Indians won 5-2)
- Cleveland Indians-San Francisco (New York) Giants (1954: Gianta won 4-0)
- Detroit Tigers-Pittsburgh Pirates (1909: Pirates won 4-3)
- Detroit Tigers-San Diego Padres (1984: Tigers won 4-1)
- Florida Marlins-New York Yankees (2003: Marlins won 4-2)
- Kansas City Royals-Philadelphia Phillies (1980: Phillies won 4-2)
- Kansas City Royals-St. Louis Cardinals (1985: Royals won 4-3)
- Los Angeles Angels-San Francisco Giants (2002: Angels won 4-3)
- Los Angeles Dodgers-Minnesota Twins (1965: Dodgers won 4-3)
- Milwaukee Brewers-St. Louis Cardinals (1982: Cardinals won 4-3)
- Minnesota Twins (as Washington Senators)-Pittsburgh Pirates (1925: Pirates won 4-3)
- Minnesota Twins-Saint Louis Cardinals (1987: Twins won 4-3)
- New York Mets-New York Yankees (2000: Yankees won 4-1)
- New York Mets-Oakland Athletics (1973: Athletics won 4-3)
- New York Yankees-Philadelphia Phillies (1950: Yankees won 4-0)
- New York Yankees-San Diego Padres (1998: Yankees won 4-0)
- Philadelphia Phillies-Toronto Blue Jays (1993: Blue Jays won 4-2)
See also
References
- ^ World Series Summary, Major League Baseball website, accessed 24 October, 2006