The World Series began in 1903 and we’ve compiled a complete list of winners who claimed the Major League Baseball championship.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2020 World Series to secure the franchise’s seventh title. This year marks the Dodgers’ 21st trip to the World Series with their last title occurring in 1988. The Dodgers won their first championship back in 1955 when they were playing at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.
The Tampa Bay Rays, appearing in their second World Series this year, have yet to win a championship.
The New York Yankees were winners in the World Series 27 times with 40 appearances. Both are MLB records.
| MOST WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIPS |
| TITLES | APPEARANCES | |
| New York Yankees | 27 | 40 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 11 | 19 |
| Oakland A’s | 9 | 14 |
| Boston Red Sox | 9 | 13 |
| San Francisco Giants | 8 | 20 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 7 | 21 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 5 | 9 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 5 | 7 |
The St. Louis Cardinals appeared in the World Series 19 times, but they were winners only 11 times.
The Oakland A’s started out in Philadelphia before migrating to Kansas City in the mid-1950s. They finally settled in northern California in 1972. The A’s appeared in the World Series 14 times, but they were winners only nine times.
The Boston Red Sox have also won the World Series nine times, but in only 13 appearances.
The San Francisco Giants appeared in the World Series 20 times (including their days in New York City), but were winners only eight times.
Quick History of the World Series
The World Series pitted the winners of the American League and National League against one another. In 1903, the Boston Americans (now the Red Sox) from the AL defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the first-ever World Series.
The current incarnation of the World Series is a best-of-seven series with the winner securing four victories before claiming the championship. The initial World Series in 1903 was a best-of-nine series with five victories as the magic number to claim the championship. Between 1919 and 1921, the World Series was a nine-game series before returning to a seven-game series in 1922.
If you ask television executives today, they’d love to return to a best-of-nine format to increase advertising revenue.
Between 1903 and today, Americans were entertained by a World Series with the exception of two occasions in 1904 and 1994.
In 1904, the New York Giants were the National League champion, but refused to meet the American League pennant winner and defending champion Boston Americans in the World Series.
In 1994, a players’ strike ended the season approximately 50 games short of a full 162-game season.
The World Series played on through the Great Depression, two World Wars, a terrorist attack, and two pandemics.
Jazz Age and Dead Ball Era: 1903 to 1920
In the 1910s, thanks to a left-handed hurler named George “Babe’ Ruth, the Boston Red Sox were winners in the World Series four times between 1912 and 1918.
The Red Sox appeared in the World Series five times between 1903 and 1918, and won the title all five times with a perfect 5-0 clip.
The Chicago Cubs won the World Series twice with back-to-back wins in 1907 and 1908. Before the Cubbies finally broke their curse in 2016, they went through a 108-year drought without winning a title.
| WORLD SERIES WINNERS LIST 1903 to 1920 |
- 1903 Boston Americans
- 1904 NONE
- 1905 New York Giants
- 1906 Chicago White Sox
- 1907 Chicago Cubs
- 1908 Chicago Cubs (2)
- 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1910 Philadelphia A’s
- 1911 Philadelphia A’s (2)
- 1912 Boston Red Sox (2)
- 1913 Philadelphia A’s (3)
- 1914 Boston Braves
- 1915 Boston Red Sox (3)
- 1916 Boston Red Sox (4)
- 1917 Chicago White Sox
- 1918 Boston Red Sox (5)
- 1919 Cincinnati Reds
- 1920 Cleveland Indians
Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s won back-to-back titles in 1910 and 1911 before he secured a third victory in 1913.
The Chicago White Sox won the 1917 World Series and should have won two years later. However, the Chicago Black Sox threw the 1919 World Series after it was fixed by legendary gambler Arnold Rothstein.
Live Ball Era: 1921-1941
John McGraw’s New York Giants reigned supreme with back-to-back victories in 1921 and 1922.
The Philadelphia A’s, led by legendarily cantankerous manager Connie Mack, won consecutive World Series titles in 1929 and 1930. Mack secured his fifth championship and first since 1913.
| WORLD SERIES WINNERS LIST 1921 to 1941 |
- 1921 New York Giants (2)
- 1922 New York Giants (3)
- 1923 New York Yankees (1)
- 1924 Washington Senators
- 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1926 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1927 New York Yankees (2)
- 1928 New York Yankees (3)
- 1929 Philadelphia A’s (4)
- 1930 Philadelphia A’s (5)
- 1931 St. Louis Cardinals (2)
- 1932 New York Yankees (4)
- 1933 New York Giants (4)
- 1934 St. Louis Cardinals (3)
- 1935 Detroit Tigers
- 1936 New York Yankees (5)
- 1937 New York Yankees (6)
- 1938 New York Yankees (7)
- 1939 New York Yankees (8)
- 1940 Cincinnati Reds (2)
- 1941 New York Yankees (9)
After the Yankees secured Babe Ruth’s contract, the franchise took its first steps toward 27 championships. The Yankees won their first title in 1923 by edging out McGraw’s Giants in six games. The Bronx Bombers added two more titles in 1927 and 1928 under Miller Huggins.
The Yankees dominated the 1930s with five more championships, including four consecutive wins in the Fall Classic between 1936 and 1939.
The St. Louis Cardinals won their first championship in 1926 with Hall of Famer Roger Hornsby acting as a player-manager.
WWII Era and Post-War Boomers: 1942 to 1959
Many baseball legends missed some of their prime years due to military service during World War II. The St. Louis Cardinals emerged as the team to beat during the war years with three more titles between 1942 and 1946.
The Bronx Bombers won their 10th title in 1943. The Yankees resumed their winning ways in 1947 with their first post-war championship. Between 1949 and 1953, the Yankees were World Series winners five seasons in a row during the peak of their “Damn Yankees” era. By the time the 1950s ended, the Yankees won 18 championships.
| WORLD SERIES WINNERS LIST 1942 to 1958 |
- 1942 St. Louis Cardinals (4)
- 1943 New York Yankees (10)
- 1944 St. Louis Cardinals (5)
- 1945 Detroit Tigers (2)
- 1946 St. Louis Cardinals (6)
- 1947 New York Yankees (11)
- 1948 Cleveland Indians (2)
- 1949 New York Yankees (12)
- 1950 New York Yankees (13)
- 1951 New York Yankees (14)
- 1952 New York Yankees (15)
- 1953 New York Yankees (16)
- 1954 New York Giants (5)
- 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
- 1956 New York Yankees (17)
- 1957 Milwaukee Braves (2)
- 1958 New York Yankees (18)
The Brooklyn Dodgers, the first team to integrate black players into the MLB, won their first title in 1955. That would be the last time they’d win on the East Coast before migrating to California after the 1957 season.
Going West Expansion Era: 1959 to 1976
After World War II, America experienced a population boom in the western United States. Professional sports teams followed suit. Two teams from New York City relocated to California, including the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.
In 1959, the Dodgers won their first World Series in their new home in Los Angeles. In the span of seven seasons, the Dodgers won three titles between 1959 and 1965.
The New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles won their first titles in the late 1960s.
| WORLD SERIES WINNERS LIST 1959 to 1976 |
- 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers (2)
- 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates (3)
- 1961 New York Yankees (19)
- 1962 New York Yankees (20)
- 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers (3)
- 1964 St. Louis Cardinals (7)
- 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers (4)
- 1966 Baltimore Orioles
- 1967 St. Louis Cardinals (8)
- 1968 Detroit Tigers (3)
- 1969 New York Mets
- 1970 Baltimore Orioles (2)
- 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates (4)
- 1972 Oakland A’s (6)
- 1973 Oakland A’s (7)
- 1974 Oakland A’s (8)
- 1975 Cincinnati Reds (3)
- 1976 Cincinnati Reds (4)
With the M&M Boys (Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris), the Yankees won consecutive titles in 1961 and 1962. The victory in the 1962 Fall Classic marked the Yankees’ 20th championship.
The Athletics returned to the diamond as the Oakland A’s in 1972. They’d go on to win three-straight championships between 1972 and 1974 thanks to Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson.
The Big Red Machine won consecutive titles when the Cincinnati Reds won twice in 1975 and 1976.
Late 20th Century: 1977 to 2000 Champions
After a 15-year drought, the Yankees were champions once again. Reggie Jackson, now playing in pinstripes in the Bronx and dubbed “Mr. October,” led the Yankees to back-to-back titles in 1977 and 1978.
During this era, five franchises won the World Series for the first time: the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Florida Marlins.
| WORLD SERIES WINNERS LIST 1977 to 2000 |
- 1977 New York Yankees (21)
- 1978 New York Yankees (22)
- 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates (5)
- 1980 Philadelphia Phillies
- 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers (5)
- 1982 St. Louis Cardinals (9)
- 1983 Baltimore Orioles (3)
- 1984 Detroit Tigers (4)
- 1985 Kansas City Royals
- 1986 New York Mets (2)
- 1987 Minnesota Twins
- 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers (6)
- 1989 Oakland A’s (9)
- 1990 Cincinnati Reds (5)
- 1991 Minnesota Twins (2)
- 1992 Toronto Blue Jays
- 1993 Toronto Blue Jays (2)
- 1994 NONE – STRIKE
- 1995 Atlanta Braves (3)
- 1996 New York Yankees (23)
- 1997 Florida Marlins
- 1998 New York Yankees (24)
- 1999 New York Yankees (25)
- 2000 New York Yankees (26)
In 1994, there was no Fall Classic due to a strike that was finally settled in 1995.
The Yankees ended the 20th Century with a three-peat under Joe Torre. They won four titles in the late 1990s.
21st Century Baseball: 2001 to 2020 Champions
The Boston Red Sox finally ended the Curse of the Bambino with a victory in 2004. The Chicago Cubs also ended their century-long curse with a World Series win in 2016.
Several other franchises secured their first championships, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Anaheim Angels, Houston Astros, and the Washington Nationals.
| WORLD SERIES WINNERS LIST 2001 to 2020 |
- 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks
- 2002 Anaheim Angels
- 2003 Florida Marlins (2)
- 2004 Boston Red Sox (6)
- 2005 Chicago White Sox (3)
- 2006 St. Louis Cardinals (10)
- 2007 Boston Red Sox (7)
- 2008 Philadelphia Phillies (2)
- 2009 New York Yankees (27)
- 2010 San Francisco Giants (6)
- 2011 St. Louis Cardinals (11)
- 2012 San Francisco Giants (7)
- 2013 Boston Red Sox (8)
- 2014 San Francisco Giants (8)
- 2015 Kansas City Royals (2)
- 2016 Chicago Cubs (3)
- 2017 Houston Astros
- 2018 Boston Red Sox (9)
- 2019 Washington Nationals
- 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers (7)
In 2010, the Giants won their sixth title, but their first one as the San Francisco Giants.
The St. Louis Cardinals restored their championship glory with two victories in 2006 and 2011. The Cards locked up their 11th World Series win, which is second overall to the Yankees.
The Yankees won their only title in the 21st Century with a victory in the 2009 Fall Classic. That marked a league-leading 27th championship.
After three trips to the World Series in the last four season, the LA Dodgers won the 2020 World Series. The Dodgers edged out the Tampa Bay Rays to win their seventh championship.
For the first time since 1988, it's time for a Dodger title. #CHAMPS pic.twitter.com/36UCK3qXBE
— MLB (@MLB) October 28, 2020
