List of World Series champions
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) and concludes the MLB postseason. First played in 1903, the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and is a contest between the champions of baseball's National League (NL) and American League (AL). Often referred to as the "Fall Classic", the modern World Series has been played every year since 1903 with two exceptions: in 1904, when the NL champion New York Giants declined to play the AL champion Boston Americans; and in 1994, when the series was canceled due to the players' strike.
List of Major League Baseball postseason teams
Major League Baseball's postseason format has evolved throughout its history, with the number of participating teams increasing from two (for its first six-plus decades) to the current 10. The World Series was first played in 1903, when the champions of the established National League (NL) and the upstart American League (AL) met for a playoff series. From that time through 1968, the two leagues (which each had eight teams through 1960) each sent only its team with the best regular-season record to the World Series. In 1969, as each league had expanded to 12 teams, each league was divided into East and West divisions and another playoff round was created. This round became known as the League Championship Series (LCS), with the four division champions competing for a spot in the World Series every year. This format lasted until 1993.