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Complete List of World Series Winners and Champions Since 1903

Pauly McGuire

The World Series began in 1903 and we’ve compiled a complete list of winners who claimed the Major League Baseball championship.

The 2016 Chicago Cubs celebrate their first World Series win since 1908. (Image: Getty)

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.

The Chicago Cubs at the 1908 World Series. (Image: Getty)

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

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.

The final out of Game 1 of the 1927 World Series with the New York Yankees vs Pittsburgh Pirates. (Image: Getty)

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

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.

Jackie Robinson (42) of the Brooklyn Dodgers trots home against the NY Yankees in Game 7 of the 1952 World Series. (Image: Getty)

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

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.

The Amazin’ New York Mets celebrate after winning the 1969 World Series. (Image: Getty)

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

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.

The Toronto Blue Jays carry Joe Carter off the field after he hit a walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series. (Image: Getty)

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

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

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.