Baseball is weird. Honestly, it’s the only sport where a team can spend six months grinding out 162 games just to have their entire legacy nuked by a single bad hop or a relief pitcher having a literal "once-in-a-century" meltdown. When people talk about past world series championships, they usually stick to the greatest hits. You’ve got the 1927 Yankees being "the best ever" or the 2016 Cubs finally breaking that goat-shaped curse. But if you actually dig into the dirt of the Fall Classic, the real stories are way messier. And more interesting.
Take the very beginning. Most fans assume the World Series has always been this rigid, best-of-seven institution. It wasn't. The inaugural 1903 series between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates was a best-of-nine affair. Imagine that today. Players would probably go on strike by game eight. Speaking of strikes, 1904 didn't even have a series because the New York Giants' owner, John T. Brush, basically called the American League "inferior" and refused to play. Talk about a petty move.
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The Dynasties and the Doormats
When you look at the raw numbers for past world series championships, the New York Yankees are basically the "final boss" of the sport. They’ve won 27 titles. That’s not just dominance; it’s an anomaly. Between 1949 and 1953, they won five straight. Five! You can't even do that in a video game on easy mode.
But focus too much on the rings and you miss the heartbreak. The Dodgers, now a powerhouse with their 2024 and 2025 back-to-back victories over the Yankees and Blue Jays, spent decades as the "Bums" of Brooklyn. They lost to the Yankees in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953 before finally getting one over on them in 1955. Johnny Podres became a legend just by proving the Yankees were actually mortal.
Then there’s the 1960 series. This one is a statistical nightmare. The Yankees outscored the Pittsburgh Pirates 55-27 over seven games. They absolutely demolished them in their wins. Yet, the Pirates won the championship. How? Because Bill Mazeroski hit a walk-off homer in Game 7. It’s the only time a Game 7 has ended on a home run. The Yankees had the better team, the better stats, and the better legendary roster, but the Pirates had the one swing that mattered.
Moments That Shouldn't Have Happened
Sometimes, past world series championships are defined by guys who weren't even supposed to be the stars. In 1956, Don Larsen threw a perfect game. To this day, it’s the only one in World Series history. Larsen wasn't a Hall of Famer. He was a journeyman with a 3.78 career ERA. But for 97 pitches on an October afternoon, he was untouchable.
Or look at 1988. Kirk Gibson could barely walk. He had two bad legs and was basically a pinch-hitting Hail Mary in Game 1 against the Oakland A's. He hobbled to the plate, fouled off a few, and then launched a home run off Dennis Eckersley—one of the best closers to ever live. The image of him pumping his fist while limping around the bases is more famous than the fact that the Dodgers actually won that series in five games.
The 1991 series between the Twins and the Braves is often cited by old-timers as the greatest ever played. Five of the seven games were decided by one run. Three went to extra innings. Jack Morris threw a 10-inning shutout in Game 7. Ten innings! Modern managers get nervous if a starter goes past the fifth. It was a different world.
The Modern Era of Chaos
In the last couple of decades, the "script" for past world series championships has gone completely off the rails. We saw the 2004 Red Sox come back from a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS just to sweep the Cardinals and end an 86-year drought. We saw the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals down to their final strike—twice—in Game 6 against the Rangers, only to have David Freese become a folk hero overnight.
Even the recent stuff feels like fiction. The 2019 Washington Nationals won every single one of their World Series games on the road. The 2025 Dodgers just finished a brutal seven-game stretch against the Blue Jays where Yoshinobu Yamamoto cemented his status as a postseason god.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you’re trying to understand the gravity of these championships, don't just look at the winners' list. Do this instead:
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- Watch the Game 6s: Historically, Game 6 is often more dramatic than Game 7. Think 1975 (Carlton Fisk’s waving homer), 1986 (the Bill Buckner error), and 2011.
- Check the "ERA" Context: A championship in the 1968 "Year of the Pitcher" (where Bob Gibson had a 1.12 season ERA) is played under different rules than the high-scoring "Steroid Era" titles of the late 90s.
- Look at the Rosters, Not the Logos: Some of the best teams ever—like the 1906 Cubs who won 116 games—actually lost the World Series.
- Follow the "Firsts": The 1992 Toronto Blue Jays win was a massive deal because it was the first time the trophy left the United States.
The World Series isn't just a best-of-seven tournament. It’s a collection of high-stakes accidents, legendary performances, and deeply weird statistical outliers that shouldn't exist. That's why we still watch.