When was the first MLB World Series?
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.
2012 World Series
The 2012 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 season. The 108th edition of the World Series, the series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers; the Giants won in a four-game sweep. This marked the Giants' seventh World Series title in franchise history, their second in San Francisco (they won five in New York), and their second in a three-year period (2010–2012). Their World Series sweep was the first by an NL team since the Cincinnati Reds swept the Oakland Athletics in the 1990 series and the first NL sweep not by the Reds since 1963, when the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the New York Yankees. This was also the first World Series since 1988 to feature both of that year's League MVPs. The Giants' Pablo Sandoval, who in Game 1 tied a record by hitting three home runs in one World Series game, two off Tigers' ace pitcher Justin Verlander, was named the World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP).
1889 World Series
This Series was part of the pre-modern-era World Series, an annual competition between the champions of the National League and the American Association. The Giants won this best-of-11-games series, 6 games to 3. The 1889 Series was the first involving solely New York City area clubs, and was part of the continuum of a long-standing rivalry that developed between the clubs in New York, particularly the Giants and the Dodgers. Brooklyn was then a separate city from New York; Brooklyn (and the other three boroughs) would merge with New York City in 1898. (see Timeline of New York City)
Turner Field
The first World Series game ever played at Turner Field was Game 1 of the 1999 World Series, where the starting pitcher Maddux and the Braves were defeated 4–1 by the New York Yankees' Orlando Hernández and series MVP Mariano Rivera; the Braves went on to lose the series by a four-game sweep. The only Major League Baseball All-Star Game ever to be played at Turner Field was in 2000. Atlanta's Chipper Jones hit the lone home run in the game, and Braves outfielder Andruw Jones drove in a run as the National League was defeated 6–3.
North Side (Pittsburgh)
The first World Series was played at Exposition Park by the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Americans (now known as the Boston Red Sox) in 1903.
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. As the series is played during the fall season in North America, it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.
1920 Cleveland Indians season
On October 10, 1920, which was the fifth game of the World Series, Bill Wambsganss of the Indians executed an unassisted triple play. He caught a line drive, touched second base, and tagged the runner coming from first base. On the same day, Elmer Smith hit the first grand slam in World Series history. During that same game, Indians pitcher Jim Bagby became the first pitcher to hit a home run in World Series history.
Dutch Leonard (left-handed pitcher)
Leonard broke in with the Boston Red Sox in 1913. In his second year in the major leagues, , Leonard led the American League with a remarkable 0.96 ERA – the MLB record for single-season ERA when not counting Tim Keefe's record of 0.86 in his first MLB season, since it was only in 105 innings pitched. (The lowest ERA since then is Bob Gibson's 1.12 in 1968.) Leonard also pitched well in Boston's 1915 and 1916 World Series victories. He won Game 3 of the 1915 World Series, outduelling the Phillies' Grover Cleveland Alexander 2–1. He also won Game 4 of the 1916 World Series against the Brooklyn Robins.
2000s (decade)
The New York Yankees won the first Major League Baseball World Series of the decade in 2000, as well as the last World Series of the decade in 2009. The Boston Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918 in 2004 and then again in 2007.
Big League World Series
The Big League World Series was a baseball tournament for children aged 15 to 18 years old that began in 1968. On August 26, 2016, Little League International announced that it was eliminating the Big League Level of both baseball and softball. It was patterned after the Little League World Series, which was named for the World Series in Major League Baseball. Most recently, the tournament was held in Easley, South Carolina.
2003 World Series
This would be the seventh and final World Series game at what was then Pro Player Stadium; the Marlins would continue to play at the stadium until the end of the 2011 Major League Baseball season. This was the first of two consecutive games in this World Series to mark the final World Series game in its respective park. This game also marked the first time in MLB history that 1st inning runs had been scored in the first 5 games played in a World Series.
History of the New York Yankees
DiMaggio played his final MLB season in 1951, while highly touted outfielder Mickey Mantle made his debut for New York. Pitcher Allie Reynolds threw two no-hitters during 1951, as the Yankees claimed the AL pennant for the third straight year. They then won the 1951 World Series against the Giants, four games to two. When their 1952 team took the AL pennant, the Yankees had an opportunity to match the four straight World Series championships won by the team from 1936 to 1939. In another Yankees–Dodgers matchup, New York fell behind three games to two, but victories in games six and seven gave the Yankees the title. New York and Brooklyn were matched again in the 1953 World Series, and a Billy Martin base hit that decided the sixth and final game of the Series gave the Yankees another four games to two victory and a fifth title in a row. As of 2016, the 1949–1953 Yankees are the only MLB teams to win five straight World Series; no team since has won more than three in a row.
Chronicle-Telegraph Cup
The Pirates won the next three National League pennants and played in the inaugural World Series in 1903. The Brooklyn baseball club did not win another postseason series until 1955, their first World Series championship.
1969 World Series
The Mets became the first expansion team to win a division title, a pennant, and the World Series, winning in their eighth year of existence. Two teams later surpassed that, as the Florida Marlins won the 1997 World Series in their fifth year (also becoming the first wild card team to win a World Series) and the Arizona Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series in their fourth year of play. This was the first World Series since to have games played in New York that didn't involve the New York Yankees; it was also the first World Series in which neither the New York Giants nor Brooklyn Dodgers (as both teams had moved to California in 1958) represented New York on the National League side.
1994 in baseball
As a result of a players' strike, the MLB season ended prematurely on August 11, 1994. No postseason (including the World Series) was played. Minor League Baseball was not affected. During the shortened Major League Baseball season, the league adorned uniforms and stadiums to announce the 125th anniversary of baseball's first professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The Yomiuri Giants also celebrated their sixtieth anniversary with their eighteenth championship in the Japan Series.
Tim Stoddard
Stoddard first reached the majors with one appearance in 1975. He was released by the White Sox organization in March, 1977 and was signed by the Baltimore Orioles. After a second brief majors call up in 1978, Stoddard made a Major League Roster for good in with the Baltimore Orioles; that year, he pitched in 29 games, winning three and saving three others, with a 1.71 earned run average in 58 innings pitched. The 1979 Orioles won the American League pennant, before losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series, after leading three games to one. In Game Four, Stoddard was the winning pitcher and drove in a run with an eighth-inning single, becoming the first player to drive in a World Series run in his very first at-bat. (At the time, the World Series only used the designated hitter in even-number years.)
South Side Park
It was the site of baseball's first crosstown world series in 1906. The Chicago White Sox defeated their crosstown rival Chicago Cubs in 6 games to clinch the title at home with an 8-3 victory to capture their first World Series title.
National Baseball Congress
The first National Baseball Congress World Series was held in 1935.
History of baseball in the United States
The players officially went on strike on August 12, 1994. In September 1994 Major League Baseball announced the cancellation of the World Series for the first time since 1904.
Dan Driessen
In 1976, Driessen became the National League's first-ever designated hitter in a World Series. Although he went 0-4 in the series opener against the New York Yankees, overall he made the most of his opportunity by hitting .357 with five hits (including two doubles and a home run) and two walks in 16 plate appearances as the Reds swept the series for their second consecutive World Series crown. He was part of the Reds' 1975 World Series-winning team, going hitless in two at-bats in the Reds' seven-game win over the Boston Red Sox.
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The first All-Star Game was held on July 6, 1933, as part of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, at Comiskey Park (1910–1990) and was initiated by Arch Ward, then sports editor for the "Chicago Tribune". Initially intended to be a one-time event, its great success resulted in making the game an annual one.
Sports-related curses
Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals are one of only 2 teams in Major League history to have never appeared in a World Series (the other being the Seattle Mariners). They were formerly the Montreal Expos from 1969 to 2004. In that span, they had only made the playoffs one time, the strike-shortened 1981 season. They played in the National League Division Series (NLDS) as a result of the strike. The Expos won the series over the Phillies 3-2, but lost the National League Championship Series (NLCS) to the Dodgers in 5 games. The Expos win in the 1981 NLDS remains the only postseason series win in the franchise's history. The Nationals first started playing in Washington in 2005. Since that time, the Nationals have made the playoffs only 4 times, losing in the NLDS each time.
1985 World Series
This was the last World Series in which the designated hitter was not used in an American League baseball park. From 1976 to 1985, in even-numbered years, the DH would be used in all games. In odd-numbered years, like this World Series, the pitchers from both were required to bat for themselves throughout the series. Beginning with the next World Series, the DH rule would be used only in games played at the American League representative's park. The Royals became World Series champions for the first time in their history; they would return to the Series in 2014, in which they played the 2014 World Series against the San Francisco Giants but lost in seven games. A year later in the 2015 World Series, the Royals would win their 2nd title against the New York Mets.
North African World Series
The North African World Series (also known as the "GI World Series") was a best two-out-of-three-game baseball championship played on October 3 and 4, 1943, between the Casablanca Yankees and the Algiers Streetwalkers, drawn from the ranks of American soldiers and sailors stationed in North Africa during World War II.
Bob Welch (baseball)
Welch won his first World Series in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers after they defeated the New York Yankees in six games.
World Series
In 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants took their long-time rivalry to the west coast, moving to Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively, bringing Major League Baseball west of St. Louis and Kansas City.
1981 World Series
The 1981 World Series was the championship series of the 1981 MLB season. It matched the New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking their third meeting in the Series in five years as well as a record eleventh Series meeting overall and last Series meeting to date. The Dodgers won the Series in six games in a mirror image of the two teams' last Series meeting in , for their first title since and their first victory over the Yankees since and third World Series win over the Yankees, overall.
List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason droughts
The first World Series was played in 1903. No World Series was played in 1904 or 1994. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons. Active droughts are listed in bold type.
History of baseball in the United States
In 1858, in the Corona neighborhood of Queens (now part of New York City), at the Fashion Race Course, the first games of baseball to charge admission took place. The games, which took place between the all stars of Brooklyn, including players from the Atlantic, Excelsior, Putnam and Eckford clubs, and the All Stars of New York (Manhattan), including players from the New York Knickerbockers, Gothams, Eagles and Empire, are commonly believed to the first all star baseball games.
Major League Baseball
In the 1860s, aided by soldiers playing the game in camp during the Civil War, "New York"-style baseball expanded into a national game and spawned baseball's first governing body, The National Association of Base Ball Players. The NABBP existed as an amateur league for 12 years. By 1867, more than 400 clubs were members. Most of the strongest clubs remained those based in the northeastern U.S. For professional baseball's founding year, MLB uses the year 1869—when the first professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was established.
1920 Brooklyn Robins season
On October 10, 1920, which was the fifth game of the World Series, Elmer Smith of the Indians hit the first grand slam in World Series history. On the same day, Bill Wambsganss of the Indians had an unassisted triple play. He caught a liner, touched second base, and tagged the runner coming from first base. During that same game, Indians pitcher Jim Bagby became the first pitcher to hit a home run in World Series history.
Interleague play
Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced in the 1997 Major League Baseball season. Prior to that, matchups between AL teams and NL teams occurred only during spring training, the All-Star Game, other exhibition games (such as the Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown, New York), and the World Series. Unlike modern interleague play, none of these contests, except for the World Series, counted toward official team or league records.
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.
1948 World Series
This was the only World Series from to not to feature a New York team, and also the last World Series until not won by a New York team (which the Braves won over the Yankees, after they had relocated to Milwaukee). The teams would meet again in the 1995 World Series won by the Braves—by then relocated to Atlanta. This was the first World Series and the last until 2016 where the series score was even.
1972 World Series
The A's won the American League West division by 5½ games over the Chicago White Sox, then defeated the Detroit Tigers three games to two in the American League Championship Series. The Cincinnati Reds won the National League West division by 10½ games over both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros. The Reds dethroned the defending World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates three games to two in the National League Championship Series, marking the first year in which an LCS series in either league went the full five games since divisional play was introduced in . The Reds () won one less game than the Pirates () during the strike-reduced regular season and became the first team in MLB history to reach the World Series without having the best record in its respective league. In each of the first six League Championship Series, the team with the better record advanced to the World Series. (The A's () had the best record in the American League in 1972, but the AL pennant winner the next three seasons did not.)
List of Boston Red Sox seasons
One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Boston in . They were a dominant team in the early 20th century, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in . They won four more championships by , and then went into one of the longest championship droughts in baseball history. Many attributed the phenomenon to the "Curse of the Bambino" said to have been caused by the trade of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in . The drought was ended and the "curse" reversed in , when the team won their sixth World Series Championship. The Red Sox led all MLB teams in average road attendance in , while the small capacity of Fenway caused them to rank 11th in home attendance. Every home game from May 15, 2003 through April 10, 2013 was sold out—a span of 820 games over nearly ten years.
World Series
The 19th-century competitions are, however, not officially recognized as part of World Series history by Major League Baseball, as it considers 19th-century baseball to be a prologue to the modern baseball era. Until about 1960, some sources treated the 19th-century Series on an equal basis with the post-19th-century series. After about 1930, however, many authorities list the start of the World Series in 1903 and discuss the earlier contests separately.
Major League Baseball
In 1961, the first Washington Senators franchise moved to Minneapolis–St. Paul to become the Minnesota Twins. Two new teams were added to the American League at the same time: the Los Angeles Angels (who soon moved from downtown L.A. to nearby Anaheim) and a new Washington Senators franchise. The NL added the Houston Astros and the New York Mets in 1962. The Astros (known as the "Colt .45s" during their first three seasons) became the first southern major league franchise since the Louisville Colonels folded in 1899 and the first franchise to be located along the Gulf Coast. The Mets established a reputation for futility by going 40–120 during their first season of play in the nation's media capital—and by playing only a little better in subsequent campaigns—but in their eighth season (1969) the Mets became the first of the 1960s expansion teams to play in the postseason, culminating in a World Series title over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles.
History of the American League
After the 1902 season, a "peace" agreement was reached by the two leagues. The National League had hoped that a merger would form, however, Johnson knew he had the upper hand, and the National League recognized the league instead. Following the regular season in 1903, the winners of the American League pennant and the National League pennant played each other in the inaugural World Series. The Boston Americans (now the Red Sox) defeated the NL representatives, the Pittsburgh Pirates. In retaliation, the National League refused to play a World Series the following year, when the American League expanded its schedule to 154 games. World Series play resumed in 1905 and has continued every year since, except the strike-shortened 1994 season.
World Series
The Dodgers were the first of the two clubs to contest a World Series on the west coast, defeating the Chicago White Sox in 1959. The 1962 Giants made the first California World Series appearance of that franchise, losing to the Yankees. The Dodgers made three World Series appearances in the 1960s: a 1963 win over the Yankees, a 1965 win over the Minnesota Twins and a 1966 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Ty Tyson
On April 19, 1927, Tyson called his first Detroit Tigers game, inaugurating the first full season of radio broadcasts for a Major League Baseball team. He quickly became a popular figure with the team's fans. When the Tigers reached the World Series in 1934, baseball's then-commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, barred Tyson from appearing on any of the network radio coverage, citing the risk of partiality in his commentary. After Tiger fans sent more than 600,000 letters of protest, Landis compromised by allowing Tyson to announce the Series locally on WWJ. Tyson went on to call the 1935 Series (which involved the Tigers, and ended in their first-ever world championship) and the 1936 Series nationally for NBC. Tyson broadcast for radio station WWJ the 1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game played in Briggs Stadium.
1926 World Series
This was the first World Series appearance (and first National League pennant win) for the Cardinals, and would be the first of eleven World Series championships in Cardinals history. The Yankees were playing in their fourth World Series in six years after winning their first American League pennant in 1921 and their first world championship in 1923. They would play in another 36 World Series (and win 26 of those) through the end of the 2017 season.
Los Angeles Dodgers
In the early 20th century, the team, then known as the Robins, won league pennants in 1916 and 1920, losing the World Series both times, first to Boston and then Cleveland. In the 1930s, the team changed its name to the Dodgers, named after the Brooklyn pedestrians who dodged the streetcars in the city. In 1941, the Dodgers captured their third National League pennant, only to lose to the New York Yankees. This marked the onset of the Dodgers–Yankees rivalry, as the Dodgers would face them in their next six World Series appearances. Led by Jackie Robinson, the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era; and three-time National League Most Valuable Player Roy Campanella, also signed out of the Negro Leagues, the Dodgers captured their first World Series title in 1955 by defeating the Yankees for the first time, a story notably described in the 1972 book "The Boys of Summer".
Major League Baseball on Mutual
Mutual started its baseball coverage in , when the network joined NBC and CBS in national radio coverage. The three networks continued to share coverage of baseball's "jewels" (the All-Star Game and World Series) in this manner through , with Mutual gaining exclusive rights to the World Series in 1939 and the All-Star Game in . In 1949, Commissioner Happy Chandler negotiated a seven-year, US$4,370,000 contract with the Gillette Safety Razor Company and the Mutual Broadcasting System for radio rights to the World Series, with the proceeds going directly into the pension fund. In , NBC replaced Mutual as the exclusive national radio broadcaster for the World Series and All-Star Game.
2015 World Series
This was the first (and currently only) World Series in which both teams were expansion teams, which are teams that were formed after the 1960 season; the Mets began play in 1962, while the Royals began play in 1969. Additionally, they have been the most successful expansion teams in the major leagues: the Mets and Royals were the first expansion teams in their respective leagues to not only win a league championship pennant (1969 for the Mets and 1980 for the Royals) but the World Series as well (the Mets in 1969 and the Royals in 1985); with five and four pennants respectively, they are the only expansion franchises with more than two league titles. Each team was also seeking to end a championship drought; the Royals' previous championship was in 1985, with the Mets' last title coming one year later in 1986. The Mets and Royals met on Opening Day of the 2016 season, on April 3, 2016, for a Sunday night game in Kansas City. Additionally, the Royals became the first team in World Series history to start three pitchers - Yordano Ventura, Edison Volquez, and Johnny Cueto - born outside the United States.
World Series
Fourteen "Subway Series" have been played entirely within New York City, all including the American League's New York Yankees. Thirteen of them matched the Yankees with either the New York Giants or the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. The initial instances occurred in 1921 and 1922, when the Giants beat the Yankees in consecutive World Series that were not technically "subway series" since the teams shared the Polo Grounds as their home ballpark. The Yankees finally beat the Giants the following year, their first in their brand-new Yankee Stadium, and won the two teams' three subsequent Fall Classic match-ups in 1936, 1937 and 1951. The Yankees faced Brooklyn seven times in October, winning their first five meetings in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953, before losing to the Dodgers in 1955, Brooklyn's sole World Championship. The last Subway Series involving the original New York ballclubs came in 1956, when the Yankees again beat the Dodgers. The trio was separated in 1958 when the Dodgers and Giants moved to California (although the Yankees subsequently met and beat the now-San Francisco Giants in 1962, and played the now-Los Angeles Dodgers four times, losing to them in a four-game sweep in 1963, beating them back-to-back in 1977 and 1978 and losing to them in 1981). An all-New York Series did not recur until 2000, when the Yankees defeated the New York Mets in five games.
Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne
In 1906, Dunne was the Mayor during the first same-city World Series: the Chicago White Sox v. Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were an overwhelming favorite to win the series. The Cubs had the best record in baseball and the White Sox had such a poor batting average they were called "The Hitless Wonders". The White Sox upset the Cubs to win the World Series 4 games to 2. During this series was the first time the famous Cubs players Tinkers, Evans and Chance played in a World Series. It is likely that Mayor Dunne threw out a ceremonial opening pitch for the first game of the World Series of 1906. It must have been a most exciting time for all of Chicago. Some have said this was the first "subway series", yet at this time there were no subways in Chicago.
History of the New York Yankees
The history of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball (MLB) team spans more than a century. Frank J. Farrell and William Stephen Devery bought the rights to an American League (AL) club in New York City after the 1902 season. The team, which became known as the Yankees in 1913, rarely contended for the AL championship before the acquisition of outfielder Babe Ruth after the 1919 season. With Ruth in the lineup, the Yankees won their first AL title in 1921, followed by their first World Series championship in 1923. Ruth and first baseman Lou Gehrig were part of the team's Murderers' Row lineup, which led the Yankees to a then-AL record 110 wins and a Series championship in 1927 under Miller Huggins. They repeated as World Series winners in 1928, and their next title came under manager Joe McCarthy in 1932.
History of Massachusetts
On Thursday, October 1, 1903, the city of Boston made history by hosting the inaugural World Series at the Huntington Avenue Grounds. The Boston Red Sox won the best-of-nine series and launched into a baseball dynasty in the following years by capturing five championships in fifteen years behind Hall of Famer Babe Ruth.
Major League Baseball
Baseball's popularity increased in the 1920s and 1930s. The 1920 season was notable for the death of Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians. Chapman, who was struck in the head by a pitch and died a few hours later, became the only MLB player to die of an on-field injury, a tragedy which led directly to both leagues requiring the placing into play new, white baseballs whenever a ball became scuffed or dirty, helping bring the "dead-ball" era to an end. The following year, the New York Yankees made their first World Series appearance. By the end of the 1930s, the team had appeared in 11 World Series, winning eight of them. Yankees slugger Babe Ruth had set the single season home run record in 1927, hitting 60 home runs; a few years earlier, Ruth had set the same record with 29 home runs.
List of New York Giants Opening Day starting pitchers
The New York Giants won the modern World Series five times, in , , , and . Their Opening Day starting pitchers in those years were Joe McGinnity in 1905, [Phil Douglas (baseball)|Phil Douglas]] in 1921, Art Nehf in 1922, Carl Hubbell in 1933 and Sal Maglie in 1954. In , the Giants won the National League championship but no World Series was played. Christy Mathewson was the Giants' Opening Day starting pitcher that season. The Giants also won the 19th century World Series twice, in 1888 and 1889. Cannonball Titcomb and Mickey Welch were the Giants Opening Day starting pitchers in 1888 and 1889, respectively.
1948 World Series
It was the first World Series to be televised beyond the previous year's limited New York-Schenectady-Philadelphia-Baltimore-Washington network and was announced by famed sportcasters Red Barber, Tom Hussey (in Boston) and Van Patrick (in Cleveland). This was the second appearance in the Fall Classic for both teams, with the Indians' lone previous appearance coming in a 1920 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Braves' lone previous appearance coming in a 1914 win against the Philadelphia Athletics. Consequently, this was the first, and to date only, World Series in which both participating teams had previously played in, but not yet lost, a previous World Series. Currently, this phenomenon can only be repeated if either the Miami Marlins or the Arizona Diamondbacks play against either the Toronto Blue Jays or the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a future World Series.
History of the New York Yankees
The 1957 Yankees reached that year's World Series, but lost in seven games to the Milwaukee Braves. Following the Series, the Giants and Dodgers left New York City for California, leaving the Yankees as New York's only MLB team. Despite their status as the sole New York City-based franchise, the Yankees' 1958 attendance decreased from previous seasons as the team could not attract bereft Giants and Dodgers fans. In the 1958 World Series, the Yankees had an opportunity to avenge their defeat to the Braves. The Yankees fell behind by losing three of the first four games, but won the final three games of the Series to claim another championship. The Yankees were unable to defend their AL and World Series championships in 1959, as they ended up with a 79–75 record, their worst record since 1925, good for third place.
List of New York Mets seasons
The Mets lost 120 games in their inaugural season, the most by a post-1900 MLB team. After six more years in which their best league finish was ninth, the Mets won the World Series in 1969, defeating the Baltimore Orioles in five games to earn what is widely considered one of the biggest upsets in baseball history. Four seasons later, the Mets returned to the World Series, where they lost to the Oakland Athletics in seven games. After winning two NL championships in five years, New York struggled for the next decade, not coming within 10 games of the NL East leader until 1984.
List of pre-World Series baseball champions
The modern World Series, the current championship series of Major League Baseball, began in 1903, and was established as an annual event in 1905. Before the formation of the American Association (AA), there were no playoff rounds—all championships went to the team with the best record at the end of the season. In the initial season of the National League (NL) in 1876, there was controversy as to which team was the champion: the Chicago White Stockings, who had the best overall record (52–14), or the St. Louis 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 five-game "Championship of the West" series, won by St. Louis, 4 games to 1. Beginning in 1884, the championship series between the National League and the American Association were promoted and referred to as the "World's Championship Series" (WCS), or "World's Series" for short; however, they are not officially recognized by Major League Baseball as part of World Series history. Though early publications, such as Ernest Lanigan's "Baseball Cyclopedia" and Turkin and Thompson's "Encyclopedia of Baseball", listed the 19th-century games on an equal basis with those of the 20th century, "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 1960. Major League Baseball, in general, regards 19th-century events as a prologue to the modern era of baseball, which is defined by the emergence of the two present major leagues.
Fox Major League Baseball
Fox Major League Baseball (shortened to Fox MLB and also known as Major League Baseball on Fox, MLB on Fox, or MLB on FS1) is a presentation of Major League Baseball (MLB) games produced by Fox Sports, the sports division of the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), since June 1, 1996. The broadcaster has aired the World Series in 1996, 1998 and every edition since 2000, and the All-Star Game in 1997, 1999, and every year since 2001. It has also aired the National League Championship Series and American League Championship Series in alternate years from 1996 to 2000, both series from 2001 to 2006, and again in alternate years since 2007, with the NLCS in even years and the ALCS in odd years. Under its current contract with MLB, Fox Sports will continue to carry MLB telecasts through at least the 2021 season, with national broadcasts on Fox and cable sports network Fox Sports 1.
2011 Major League Baseball season
The 2011 Major League Baseball season began on Thursday, March 31, and ended on Wednesday, September 28. This marked the first time a season began on a Thursday since 1976, and the first time a regular season ended on a Wednesday since 1990. The 82nd edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 12 with the National League defeating the American League for the second straight year, by a score of 5–1. As has been the case since 2003, the league winning that game has home field advantage in the World Series. Accordingly, the 2011 World Series began on October 19, and ended on October 28, with the St. Louis Cardinals winning in seven games over the Texas Rangers.
1988 World Series
The 1988 World Series was the 85th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, and the conclusion of the 1988 Major League Baseball season. It was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers upsetting the heavily favored Athletics to win the Series in five games. It is best known for the pinch-hit walk-off home run hit by Dodgers outfielder and 1988 NL MVP Kirk Gibson, who could barely walk due to injuries suffered during the NLCS, against Hall-of-Fame Athletics closer Dennis Eckersley in Game 1. The Dodgers were the only MLB team to win more than one World Series title in the 1980s; their other World Series title during the decade came in 1981 (they also broke a 10-year chain of 10 different World Series champions going back to 1978).
Uniform number (Major League Baseball)
In 1951, the Springfield Cubs of the International League pioneered the look of having numbers on the front of the jersey. A year later, the Brooklyn Dodgers incorporated the idea into MLB. They had intended numbers-on-front to be first used in their 1951 World Series appearance, an event which did not occur because of Bobby Thomson's walk-off home run in the last game of the tiebreaker series between the Dodgers and the Giants. Today, numbers on the front are very common at all levels of play. In 1940, the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League wore numbers on their pants leg; the idea didn't catch on in MLB until the 1975-78 Astros wore numbers on their front left hip.
Playoffs
MLB is the oldest of the major American professional sports, dating back to the 1870s. As such, it is steeped in tradition. The final series to determine its champion has been called the "World Series" (originally "World's Championship Series" and then "World's Series") as far back as the National League's contests with the American Association during the 1880s. The "Playoffs" determine which two teams play in the "World Series".
Yankees–Red Sox rivalry
The Red Sox were one of the most successful teams in baseball from 1901 to 1918. They won the inaugural World Series in (as the Boston Americans; the team changed its name to Red Sox in 1908) and four more between 1912 and 1918. In 1901, the Yankees, then known as the Baltimore Orioles, played in Maryland for two seasons before moving north. The two teams had their first meeting in Baltimore on April 26, 1901, the inaugural year of the American League. On May 7, 1903, both teams played for the first time after the franchise moved to New York and became the Highlanders, in reference to playing games in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. The game was marked by a fight when Boston pitcher George Winter was knocked down. Boston would eventually go on to win the pennant and the inaugural 1903 World Series. The 1904 season featured the teams facing each other on opening day. Later in the season, the Highlanders, led by pitcher Jack Chesbro in his record-setting 41 game-winning season, met the Boston Americans in the season's final game to decide the American League pennant winner. Chesbro threw a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning, allowing the winning run to score from third base, and Boston won the game, and the pennant. The New York Giants, who had already clinched the National League pennant, refused to play in the 1904 World Series because of a perception of the "Junior Circuit" as being inferior (and because of alleged animosity between American League founder and first president, Ban Johnson, and the hierarchy of the Giants, owner John T. Brush and his team's Hall of Fame coach, player-manager John McGraw); thus, there was no World Series that year. Not until 2004 would the Red Sox again defeat the Yankees in a title-deciding game.
1938 Amateur World Series
The 1938 Amateur World Series was the inaugural tournament in what was later known as the Baseball World Cup. It was contested by Great Britain and the United States over a series of five games from August 13 through August 18 in England. It was won by Great Britain.
1956 World Series
The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees (representing the American League) and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers (representing the National League) during October 1956. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series. It was the last all-New York Series until 2000; the Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to California after the 1957 season. Additionally, it was the last time a New York team represented the National League until 1969, when the New York Mets (an expansion team that debuted in 1962) delivered the biggest upset in World Series history by defeating the Baltimore Orioles in five games.
1903 World Series
The 1903 World Series was the first modern World Series to be played in Major League Baseball. It matched the American League (AL) champion Boston Americans against the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates in a best-of-nine series, with Boston prevailing five games to three, winning the last four.
History of the Atlanta Braves
The Braves returned strong the following strike-shortened (teams played 144 games instead of the customary 162) year and beat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. This squelched claims by many Braves critics that they were the "Buffalo Bills of baseball" (January 1996 issue of "Beckett Baseball Card Monthly"). With this World Series victory, the Braves became the first team in Major League Baseball to win world championships in three different cities. With their strong pitching being a constant, the Braves would also appear in the 1996 and 1999 World Series (they lost both series to the New York Yankees, however), and had a streak of division titles from 1991 to 2005 interrupted only in 1994 when the strike ended the season early. Pitching is not the only constant in the Braves organization – , Schuerholz remained the team's GM until after the 2007 season when he was promoted to team president. Pendleton did not finish his playing career in Atlanta, but has returned to the Braves system as the hitting coach.
Series (baseball)
When a team hosts series at home (mainly two-four consecutive series), it is called a homestand. During the Major League Baseball Postseason, there is only one wild card game (one in each League). The remainder of the Postseason consists of the League Division Series, which is a best-of-5 series, and the League Championship Series, which is a best-of-7 series, followed by the World Series, a best-of-7 series to determine the Major League Baseball Champion. The "series" schedule gives its name to the MLB championship series, the World Series. The record for the longest series was set in 1904, when the St. Louis Browns played the Detroit Tigers for 11 consecutive games.
1901 in baseball
World Series: Not played due to AL-NL war over player contracts.Modern (post-1900) single season batting average recordNote: The Baltimore Orioles of 1901 became the New York Highlanders in 1903. The Milwaukee Brewers of 1901 became the St. Louis Browns in 1902. The Washington Senators of 1901 became the Minnesota Twins in 1961.
Playoff format
In Major League Baseball, the World Series was conducted as a best-of-nine playoff in its first year of existence in 1903, then again for three years beginning in 1919, the year of the "Black Sox scandal."
World Series
World Series games were contested outside of the United States for the first time in 1992, with the Toronto Blue Jays defeating the Atlanta Braves in six games. The World Series returned to Canada in 1993, with the Blue Jays victorious again, this time against the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. No other Series has featured a team from outside of the United States. Toronto is the only expansion team to win successive World Series titles. The 1993 World Series was also notable for being only the second championship concluded by a walk-off home run and the first concluded by a come-from-behind homer, after Joe Carter's three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning sealed an 8–6 Toronto win in Game 6. The first Series to end with a homer was the 1960 World Series, when Bill Mazeroski hit a ninth-inning solo shot in Game 7 to win the championship for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1991 Minnesota Twins season
The 1991 Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB) won the World Series, the second time the Twins had won the World Series since moving to Minnesota in 1961. During the 1991 regular season the Twins had an MLB-leading 15-game win streak, which remains a club record. On June 18, 1991, the streak came to an end at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles but not before the Twins moved from fifth place to first, a lead they would not relinquish until winning baseball's championship. The Twins' winning streak of 1991 falls just seven games short of the all-time American League (AL) record of 22 consecutive regular season wins set by the Cleveland Indians in 2017.
BB&amp;T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field
On March 9, 2017, Major League Baseball announced that the first MLB Little League Classic would take place on August 20 of that year, during the Little League World Series. In a statement, Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred said that the league's "greatest responsibility is to ensure that today’s youth become active participants in our game as players and fans." The St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates were selected to play in that game. Tickets to the game were reserved for those involved in the Little League World Series, as well as a limited number of residents of Lycoming County on a lottery basis. The game was televised by ESPN as its weekly "Sunday Night Baseball" game. Two members of the Cardinals had played in Williamsport during past Little League World Series; outfielder Randal Grichuk for the Lamar Little League team in and , and pitcher Lance Lynn for the Brownsburg Little League team in . Over the last few weeks before the game, the field was renovated to conform to MLB's standards. The outfield dimensions were changed to to right field, to center field, and to left field; prior to this the dimensions measured 351–408–341 from right to left.
Sports in Boston
The Boston Red Sox are a founding member of the American League of Major League Baseball, and one of the four American League teams (the White Sox, Indians, and Tigers are the others) to still play in their original city. The "BoSox", or "Sox" as they are colloquially called, play their home games at Fenway Park, located near Kenmore Square, in the Fenway section of Boston. Built in 1912, it is the oldest sports arena or stadium in active use in the United States among the four major professional sports.
Boston was also the site of the first game of the first baseball World Series, in 1903 - the same year that, as each team became located in the city they play in today, the Boston-New York baseball rivalry that has existed ever since began on May 7, 1903: the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, with the New York team then being known as the "Highlanders", from their Upper Manhattan home field location. The 1903 World Series was played between the Red Sox (then known as the "Americans") and the Pittsburgh Pirates, while the team still played at the Huntington Avenue Grounds (the site is now a part of Northeastern University). The Sox won that series and eight more since then (1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018). The 2004 team is said to have broken the 86-year-long "Curse of the Bambino." There have been many legendary players on the team; members of the Baseball Hall of Fame include Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Wade Boggs, Jim Rice, Pedro Martínez, manager Joe Cronin and owner Tom Yawkey.
World Series
Until the formation of the American Association in 1882 as a second major league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (1871–1875) and then the National League (founded 1876) represented the top level of organized baseball in the United States. All championships were awarded to the team with the best record at the end of the season, without a postseason series being played. From 1884 to 1890, the National League and the American Association faced each other in a series of games at the end of the season to determine an overall champion. These series were disorganized in comparison to the modern World Series, with the terms arranged through negotiation of the owners of the championship teams beforehand. The number of games played ranged from as few as three in 1884 (Providence defeated New York three games to zero), to a high of fifteen in 1887 (Detroit beat St. Louis ten games to five). Both the 1885 and 1890 Series ended in ties, each team having won three games with one tie game.
Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada
Usage of the phrase in baseball started with organization of championship series between the National League and the earlier American Association in the 1880s, later to be known as the World Series. Major League Baseball later set up the World Baseball Classic, a quadrennial international competition, in an effort to crown a true world champion. By the 1950s, the phrase "World Champions" was also being used by the newly formed NBA. The Super Bowl, the interleague championship between the NFL and American Football League, was explicitly named a "World Championship Game" for its first iteration.
1969 Major League Baseball season
The 1969 Major League Baseball season was celebrated as the 100th anniversary of professional baseball, honoring the first professional touring baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings.
It was the first season of what is now called the "Divisional Era", where each league of 12 teams was divided into two divisions of six teams each. The winners of each division would compete against each other in a League Championship Series, then best-of-five, to determine the pennant winners that would face each other in the World Series.
1986 World Series
The 1986 World Series was the 83rd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, and the conclusion of the 1986 Major League Baseball season. A best-of-seven playoff, it pitted the National League (NL) champion New York Mets against the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox. The Mets won the Series in the seventh game, after overcoming a deficit of two runs with two outs and no one on base in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6. This was a game in which the Red Sox were twice one strike away from victory, and known for the famous error by Boston's first baseman Bill Buckner after their lead had already been blown. Game 6 has been cited in the legend of the "Curse of the Bambino" to explain the major comeback. It was also the first World Series to use the designated hitter only in games played at the American League representative's stadium, a policy which has continued since (prior to this, since 1976, the DH would be used in all parks in the World Series for even-numbered years, but in odd-numbered years, the DH rule would not be in effect).
1969 American League Championship Series
The 1969 American League Championship Series was the first ALCS held after Major League Baseball adopted the two-division format that season. It featured the Baltimore Orioles vs. the Minnesota Twins, with the Orioles winning the series 3–0 and advancing to the 1969 World Series, where they would lose to the New York Mets in five games. The Orioles and Twins would meet again the following year, with similar results.
Atlanta Braves
Although their first major confrontation occurred when the Mets swept the Braves in the 1969 NLCS, en route to their first World Series championship, the first playoff series won by an expansion team (also the first playoff appearance by an expansion team), the rivalry did not become especially heated until the 1994 season when division realignment put both the Mets and the Braves in the NL East division. During this time the Braves became one of the most dominant teams in professional baseball, earning 14 straight division titles through 2005, including five world series berths, and one world series championship during the 1995 season. The rivalry remained heated through the early 2000s.
World Series
However, the Baltimore Orioles made three consecutive World Series appearances: 1969 (losing to the "amazing" eight-year-old franchise New York Mets), 1970 (beating the Reds in their first World Series appearance of the decade), and 1971 (losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well their 1979 appearance, when they again lost to the Pirates), and the Los Angeles Dodgers' back-to-back World Series appearances in 1977 and 1978 (both losses to the New York Yankees), as well in 1974 losing against the cross-state rival Oakland Athletics.
World Series
The number of teams was unchanged until 1961, with fourteen expansion teams joining MLB since then. Twelve have played in a World Series (the Mariners and Expos/Nationals being the two exceptions). The expansion teams have won ten of the 22 Series (45%) in which they have played, which is 9% of all 114 series played since 1903. In 2015, the first World Series featuring only expansion teams was played between the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets.
This information is up to date through the present time:When two teams share the same state or metropolitan area, fans often develop strong loyalties to one and antipathies towards the other, sometimes building on already-existing rivalries between cities or neighborhoods. Before the introduction of interleague play in 1997, the only opportunity for two teams playing in the same area but in different leagues to face each other in official competition would have been in a World Series.
Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada
The first Major League Baseball team in Canada was the Montreal Expos who began play in 1969. In 2005, they moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. The Toronto Blue Jays, who began play in 1977, became the first team outside the United States to win the World Series in 1992 and 1993.
Baltimore Orioles
Of the eight original American League teams, the Orioles were the last of the eight to win the World Series, doing so in 1966 with its four–game sweep of the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers. When the Orioles were the St. Louis Browns, they played in only one World Series, the 1944 matchup against their Sportsman's Park tenants, the Cardinals. The Orioles won the first-ever American League Championship Series in 1969, and in 2012 the Orioles beat the Texas Rangers in the inaugural American League Wild Card game, where for the first time two Wild Card teams faced each other during postseason play.
World Series
The National and American Leagues operated under essentially identical rules until 1973, when the American League adopted the designated hitter (DH) rule, allowing its teams to use another hitter to bat in place of the (usually) weak-hitting pitcher. The National League did not adopt the DH rule. This presented a problem for the World Series, whose two contestants would now be playing their regular-season games under different rules. From 1973 to 1975, the World Series did not include a DH. Starting in 1976, the World Series allowed for the use of a DH in even-numbered years only. (The Cincinnati Reds swept the 1976 Series in four games, using the same nine-man lineup in each contest. Dan Driessen was the Reds' DH during the series, thereby becoming the National League's first designated hitter.) Finally, in 1986, baseball adopted the current rule in which the DH is used for World Series games played in the AL champion's park but not the NL champion's. Thus, the DH rule's use or non-use can affect the performance of the home team.
Fielder Jones
Born in Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania, Jones was an outfielder who entered professional baseball in the Oregon State League in 1893. Jones's major league playing career began with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 1896. In , he joined the Chicago White Sox in the new American League. Jones managed the "Hitless Wonders" in the 1906 World Series, which was the White Sox' first World Series win. That year, the White Sox had a team batting average of only .230.
Professional sports
In 1871 the first professional baseball league was created. By the beginning of the 20th century, most large cities in the eastern United States had a professional baseball team. After several leagues came and went in the 19th century, the National League (founded in 1876) and American League (recognized as a major league in 1903) were established as the dominant leagues by the early 20th century. The most victorious team in each league was said to have won the "pennant;" the two pennant winners met after the end of the regular season in the World Series. The winner of at least four games (out of a possible seven) was the champion for that year. This arrangement still holds today, although the leagues are now subdivided and pennants are decided in post-season playoff series between the winners of each division.
1971 World Series
The 1971 World Series was the 68th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, and the conclusion of the 1971 season. A best-of-seven playoff, it matched the defending World Series and American League (AL) champion Baltimore Orioles against the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates, with the Pirates winning in seven games. Game 4, played in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, was the first-ever World Series game played
World Series
MLB night games started being held in 1935 by the Cincinnati Reds, but the World Series remained a strictly daytime event for years thereafter. In the final game of the 1949 World Series, a Series game was finished under lights for the first time. The first scheduled night World Series game was Game 4 of the 1971 World Series at Three Rivers Stadium. Afterward, World Series games were frequently scheduled at night, when television audiences were larger. Game 6 of the 1987 World Series was the last World Series game played in the daytime, indoors at the Metrodome in Minnesota. (The last World Series played outdoors during the day was the final game of the 1984 series in Detroit's Tiger Stadium.)
1965 World Series
This World Series was the first in which all games were played in cities that did not have National League or American League teams in 1903, the year of the first modern World Series.
1977 World Series
The 1977 World Series was the 74th edition of Major League Baseball's (MLB) championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the New York Yankees, champions of the American League (AL) and defending American League champions, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, champions of the National League (NL). The Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to two, to win the franchise's 21st World Series championship, their first since 1962, and the first under the ownership of George Steinbrenner. The Series was played between October 11 and 18, broadcast on ABC.
Cardinals–Royals rivalry
The Royals lost the first two games of the World Series at their home stadium and were on the verge of elimination, down 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth in game six, when umpire Don Denkinger made a controversial call, ruling runner Jorge Orta safe at first. Orta was later thrown out at third on a botched sacrifice attempt and did not score. The Royals would go on to win the game 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth following the put-out of Orta (the only out recorded in the inning). The Royals then went on to win game seven the following day 11-0 for their first World Series title. The Royals became the first team ever to win the World Series after dropping games 1 and 2 at home. The Royals did not return to the MLB postseason for 29 years, winning one of the American League wild cards in 2014 and advancing to the 2014 World Series. The following season, they claimed their first title since 1985 by winning the 2015 World Series.
1884 World Series
While the 1884 post-season championship series was the first such to be referred to as the "World's Series," Major League Baseball considers the 1903 World Series the first.
Major League Baseball on NBC
On October 13, 1971, the World Series held a night game for the very first time. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who felt that baseball could attract a larger audience by featuring a prime time telecast (as opposed to a mid-afternoon broadcast, occurring when most fans either worked or attended school), pitched the idea to NBC. An estimated 61 million people watched Game 4 on NBC; television ratings for a World Series game during the daytime hours would not have approached such a record number.
2013 World Series
The 2013 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 season. The 109th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals; the Red Sox won, 4 games to 2. The Red Sox had home field advantage for the series, based on the AL's win in the 2013 MLB All-Star Game on July 16. This was the first World Series since 1999 to feature both #1 seeds from the American League and National League. The Series started on Wednesday, October 23, ending on Game 6 the following Wednesday, October 30, 2013.
History of baseball in the United States
However, the damage to the reputation of the sport of baseball led the team owners to appoint Federal judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis to be the first Commissioner of Baseball. His first act as commissioner was to ban the "Black Sox" from professional baseball for life. The White Sox, meanwhile would not return to the World Series until 1959 and it was not until their next appearance in 2005 they won the World Series.
2001 World Series
Among several firsts, the 2001 World Series was: the first World Series championship for the Diamondbacks; the first World Series ever played in the state of Arizona and the Mountain Time Zone; the first championship for a Far West state other than California; the first major professional sports team from the state of Arizona to win a championship; and the earliest an MLB franchise had ever won a World Series (the Diamondbacks had only existed for four years). The home team won every game in the Series, which had only happened twice before, in 1987 and 1991. The Diamondbacks outscored the Yankees, 37–14, as a result of large margins of victory achieved by Arizona at Bank One Ballpark relative to the one-run margins the Yankees achieved at Yankee Stadium. Arizona's pitching held powerhouse New York to a .183 batting average, the lowest in a seven-game World Series. This and the 2002 World Series were the last two consecutive World Series to have game sevens until the World Series of 2016 and 2017. The 2001 World Series was the subject of an HBO documentary, "Nine Innings from Ground Zero", in 2004.
List of Major League Baseball tie-breakers
The first , held in 1946, decided the winner of the NL pennant between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Brooklyn Dodgers, who had finished the season tied at 96–58. The Cardinals won the series in two games and went on to win the 1946 World Series, one of four winners who have gone on to win the World Series. Three games have gone into extra innings: the decisive second game of the 1959 series, the 2007 Wild Card , and the 2009 game. The 2008 , a 1–0 victory for the White Sox, was the lowest scoring game, while the 2007 match-up with 17 total runs was the highest scoring. The Dodgers franchise has participated in six , twice while the team was based in Brooklyn and four times in Los Angeles, the most for any team. Dodger Stadium, Ebbets Field, Fenway Park, the Polo Grounds and Wrigley Field are the only venues which have hosted multiple games. Both games at the Polo Grounds came in the 1951 series.
1980 World Series
The 1980 World Series was the 77th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series and the conclusion of the 1980 Major League Baseball season. A best-of-seven playoff, it matched the National League (NL) champion Philadelphia Phillies against the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals. The Phillies defeated the Royals four games to two to capture the club's first World Series championship in franchise history. Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt was named as the World Series MVP. The series concluded with Game 6, which ended with Tug McGraw striking out Willie Wilson at 11:29 pm on October 21, 1980. Wilson set a World Series record by striking out twelve times (after getting 230 hits in the regular season) in the six-game set.
World Series
The first city to host an entire World Series was Chicago in 1906. The Chicago White Sox were known as "the Hitless Wonders" that year, with the worst team batting average in the American League. The Chicago Cubs had a winning percentage of .763, a record that still stands. But in an upset, the White Sox beat the Cubs four games to two.
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2005 season. The 101st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Chicago White Sox and the National League (NL) champion Houston Astros; the White Sox swept the Astros in four games, winning their third World Series championship and their first in 88 seasons. Although the series was a sweep, all four games were quite close, being decided by two runs or fewer. The series was played between October 22–26, 2005.
World Series
During this seven-year period, only three teams won the World Series: the Oakland Athletics from 1972 to 1974, Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976, and New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978. This is the only time in World Series history in which three teams have won consecutive series in succession. This period was book-ended by World Championships for the Pittsburgh Pirates, in 1971 and 1979.
1982 World Series
Both participants are currently in the NL Central, due to the transfer of the Brewers from the American League to the National League in 1998. This raises the possibility of the Brewers eventually representing two different leagues in World Series competition. That has happened three times before, taking the 19th Century contests into account: The Brooklyn Dodgers of 1889 and 1890, the Cardinals, who won the 1886 Series when they were in the American Association, and the Houston Astros, who played in both the 2005 World Series against the Chicago White Sox as a National League team, and the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers as an American League team. This also makes this one of two World Series in the modern era (1903–present) that it is not possible to have a rematch, the other being the Astros and White Sox, due to the Astros moving to the American League in 2013.