Every Year-by-Year World Series Winner Since 1903

Baseball's ultimate legacy is built in October. Here's a full list of the teams and players who defined the World Series, became champions and cemented their place in MLB history.

The Dodgers' Freddie Freeman was named the 2024 World Series MVP on Wednesday night. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Played (almost) annually since 1903, the World Series is the best-of-seven contest between the winners of the American League and National League. 

Nearly every team in Major League Baseball has played in the World Series, with the lone exception being the Seattle Mariners. 

While baseball isn’t as popular today as it was in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, millions of Americans still take to the television to watch the Fall Classic—because there’s nothing quite like October baseball. 

In this list, we’ll take a look at every team to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy, breaking down some of the biggest moments along the way. 

Introduction: The History of World Series Champions

Before we had the World Series, there were a handful of other ideas the league experimented with to declare a world champion. 

In 1894, William Temple (the owner of Pittsburgh), offered a trophy to the winner of a best-of-seven series between the first place and second place teams in the NL. He also declared that the winner of the series would get 65% of the ticket sales, with 35% going to the loser. 

This practice only lasted three years, but it laid the foundation for the postseason as we now know it. 

In 1901, the AL was established—something that many in the NL did not take kindly to. Still, an agreement was made two years later and the first World Series was played in 1903. And every year since it has been an institution—oh, wait. Nevermind. 

Just one year later, in 1904, the World Series wasn’t played because it was protested by Giants manager John McGraw. He didn’t view the AL as a legitimate league. 

Thankfully, baseball got it figured out and we’ve had a World Series every year since (except for 1994 due to the player’s strike). 

Full Year-by-Year List of World Series Winners Since 1903

Year	Winner	Loser	Games
1903	Boston Americans	Pittsburgh Pirates	5-3
1904	No World Series
1905	New York Giants	Philadelphia Athletics	4-1
1906	Chicago White Sox	Chicago Cubs	4-2
1907	Chicago Cubs	Detroit Tigers	4-0
1908	Chicago Cubs	Detroit Tigers	4-1
1909	Pittsburgh Pirates	Detroit Tigers	4-3
1910	Philadelphia Athletics	Chicago Cubs	4-1
1911	Philadelphia Athletics	New York Giants	4-2
1912	Boston Red Sox	New York Giants	4-3
1913	Philadelphia Athletics	New York Giants	4-1
1914	Boston Braves	Philadelphia Athletics	4-0
1915	Boston Red Sox	Philadelphia Athletics	4-1
1916	Boston Red Sox	Brooklyn Robins	4-1
1917	Chicago White Sox	New York Giants	4-2
1918	Boston Red Sox	Chicago Cubs	4-2
1919	Cincinnati Reds	Chicago White Sox	5-3
1920	Cleveland	Brooklyn Robins	5-2
1921	New York Giants	New York Yankees	5-3
1922	New York Giants	New York Yankees	4-0
1923	New York Yankees	New York Giants	4-2
1924	Washington Senators	New York Giants	4-3
1925	Pittsburgh Pirates	Washington Senators	4-3
1926	St. Louis Cardinals	New York Yankees	4-3
1927	New York Yankees	Pittsburgh Pirates	4-0
1928	New York Yankees	St. Louis Cardinals	4-0
1929	Philadelphia Athletics	Chicago Cubs	4-1
1930	Philadelphia Athletics	St. Louis Cardinals	4-2
1931	St. Louis Cardinals	Philadelphia Athletics	4-3
1932	New York Yankees	Chicago Cubs	4-0
1933	New York Giants	Washington Senators	4-1
1934	St. Louis Cardinals	Detroit Tigers	4-3
1935	Detroit Tigers	Chicago Cubs	4-2
1936	New York Yankees	New York Giants	4-2
1937	New York Yankees	New York Giants	4-1
1938	New York Yankees	Chicago Cubs	4-0
1939	New York Yankees	Cincinnati Reds	4-0
1940	Cincinnati Reds	Detroit Tigers	4-3
1941	New York Yankees	Brooklyn Dodgers	4-1
1942	St. Louis Cardinals	New York Yankees	4-1
1943	New York Yankees	St. Louis Cardinals	4-1
1944	St. Louis Cardinals	St. Louis Browns	4-2
1945	Detroit Tigers	Chicago Cubs	4-3
1946	St. Louis Cardinals	Boston Red Sox	4-3
1947	New York Yankees	Brooklyn Dodgers	4-3
1948	Cleveland	Boston Braves	4-2
1949	New York Yankees	Brooklyn Dodgers	4-1
1950	New York Yankees	Philadelphia Phillies	4-0
1951	New York Yankees	New York Giants	4-2
1952	New York Yankees	Brooklyn Dodgers	4-3
1953	New York Yankees	Brooklyn Dodgers	4-2
1954	New York Giants	Cleveland	4-0
1955	Brooklyn Dodgers	New York Yankees	4-3
1956	New York Yankees	Brooklyn Dodgers	4-3
1957	Milwaukee Braves	New York Yankees	4-3
1958	New York Yankees	Milwaukee Braves	4-3
1959	Los Angeles Dodgers	Chicago White Sox	4-2
1960	Pittsburgh Pirates	New York Yankees	4-3
1961	New York Yankees	Cincinnati Reds	4-1
1962	New York Yankees	San Francisco Giants	4-3
1963	Los Angeles Dodgers	New York Yankees	4-0
1964	St. Louis Cardinals	New York Yankees	4-3
1965	Los Angeles Dodgers	Minnesota Twins	4-3
1966	Baltimore Orioles	Los Angeles Dodgers	4-0
1967	St. Louis Cardinals	Boston Red Sox	4-3
1968	Detroit Tigers	St. Louis Cardinals	4-3
1969	New York Mets	Baltimore Orioles	4-1
1970	Baltimore Orioles	Cincinnati Reds	4-3
1971	Pittsburgh Pirates	Baltimore Orioles	4-3
1972	Oakland Athletics	Cincinnati Reds	4-3
1973	Oakland Athletics	New York Mets	4-3
1974	Oakland Athletics	Los Angeles Dodgers	4-1
1975	Cincinnati Reds	Boston Red Sox	4-3
1976	Cincinnati Reds	New York Yankees	4-0
1977	New York Yankees	Los Angeles Dodgers	4-2
1978	New York Yankees	Los Angeles Dodgers	4-2
1979	Pittsburgh Pirates	Baltimore Orioles	4-3
1980	Philadelphia Phillies	Kansas City Royals	4-2
1981	Los Angeles Dodgers	New York Yankees	4-2
1982	St. Louis Cardinals	Milwaukee Brewers	4-3
1983	Baltimore Orioles	Philadelphia Phillies	4-1
1984	Detroit Tigers	San Diego Padres	4-1
1985	Kansas City Royals	St. Louis Cardinals	4-3
1986	New York Mets	Boston Red Sox	4-3
1987	Minnesota Twins	St. Louis Cardinals	4-3
1988	Los Angeles Dodgers	Oakland Athletics	4-1
1989	Oakland Athletics	San Francisco Giants	4-0
1990	Cincinnati Reds	Oakland Athletics	4-0
1991	Minnesota Twins	Atlanta Braves	4-3
1992	Toronto Blue Jays	Atlanta Braves	4-2
1993	Toronto Blue Jays	Philadelphia Phillies	4-2
1994	No World Series
1995	Atlanta Braves	Cleveland	4-2
1996	New York Yankees	Atlanta Braves	4-2
1997	Florida Marlins	Cleveland	4-3
1998	New York Yankees	San Diego Padres	4-0
1999	New York Yankees	Atlanta Braves	4-0
2000	New York Yankees	New York Mets	4-1
2001	Arizona Diamondbacks	New York Yankees	4-3
2002	Anaheim Angels	San Francisco Giants	4-3
2003	Florida Marlins	New York Yankees	4-2
2004	Boston Red Sox	St. Louis Cardinals	4-0
2005	Chicago White Sox	Houston Astros	4-0
2006	St. Louis Cardinals	Detroit Tigers	4-1
2007	Boston Red Sox	Colorado Rockies	4-0
2008	Philadelphia Phillies	Tampa Bay Rays	4-1
2009	New York Yankees	Philadelphia Phillies	4-2
2010	San Francisco Giants	Texas Rangers	4-1
2011	St. Louis Cardinals	Texas Rangers	4-3
2012	San Francisco Giants	Detroit Tigers	4-0
2013	Boston Red Sox	St. Louis Cardinals	4-2
2014	San Francisco Giants	Kansas City Royals	4-3
2015	Kansas City Royals	New York Mets	4-1
2016	Chicago Cubs	Cleveland	4-3
2017	Houston Astros	Los Angeles Dodgers	4-3
2018	Boston Red Sox	Los Angeles Dodgers	4-1
2019	Washington Nationals	Houston Astros	4-3
2020	Los Angeles Dodgers	Tampa Bay Rays	4-2
2021	Atlanta Braves	Houston Astros	4-2
2022	Houston Astros	Philadelphia Phillies	4-2
2023	Texas Rangers	Arizona Diamondbacks	4-1
2024	Los Angeles Dodgers	New York Yankees	4-1

The Early Years of the World Series (1903-1919)

The rivalry between the AL and NL brought with it an edge and passion to the World Series, particularly in the event’s infancy. Most NL players, managers and executives believed the AL was so inferior that they shouldn’t even share a diamond, let alone play for a championship. 

On the flipside, AL teams were determined to make an impact, and that’s precisely what they did, winning 10 of the first 15 World Series titles. 

Boston, in particular, was exceptional early on. The Americans/Red Sox won five titles between 1903 and 1918. Led by players like Jimmy Collins, Tris Speaker and Babe Ruth, the Red Sox became one of the first dynasties in Major League Baseball.

The Yankees' Dominance in the World Series

The New York Yankees’ postseason success is unmatched across baseball. The Bronx Bombers have appeared in the World Series 41 times, winning 27 of them at the time of this writing. Both of those are MLB records. 

It all started in the 1920s, where New York won three championships. While three titles in seven years is plenty good, the Yankees’ true impact on the sport happened during this era. Led by Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, the Yankees changed the way Americans viewed the game. 

It continued into the 1930s and ‘40s, where the Yankees dominated en route to six titles over an eight-year stretch. This saw the team transition from all-time greats Ruth and Gehrig and the rise of Joe DiMaggio. 

It didn’t take long for New York to reestablish itself, either. By the late 1950s the Yankees and Mickey Mantle were the best team in baseball. Between 1956-64, New York appeared in six World Series and won four of them. 

The Bronx Bombers put together another dynasty in the 1990s, with emerging stars like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Petite and Jorge Posada. The Yankees won in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. 

Notable World Series Dynasties

Outside of those we’ve already discussed, there have been a handful of other franchises with plenty of success on baseball’s biggest stage. 

St. Louis Cardinals: The Redbirds are second only to the Yankees in World Series championships with 11. St. Louis had an excellent run in the 1940s, winning in 1942, 1944 and 1946. Led by three-time MVP Stan Musial, the Cardinals won 95+ games seven times in the 1940s. 

Oakland Athletics: In the 1970s, the A’s became just the second franchise to win three-straight World Series championships in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Oakland was led by Catfish Hunter, who won 67 games during that stretch. 

San Francisco Giants: The Giants formed a modern dynasty by winning the World Series three times in five seasons—2010, 2012 and 2014. The team’s ace, Madison Bumgarner, was very good for San Francisco during those three runs, but was absolutely brilliant in 2014 to win World Series MVP. 

Interruptions in World Series History: 1904 and 1994

Despite the success of the 1903 World Series, fans didn’t get to see one in 1904. That’s because the NL champion New York Giants refused to participate. 

Manager John McGraw and owner John T. Brush didn’t recognize the AL as an equal league and hated AL president Ban Johnson. So, the team announced it would not play the AL champion Boston Americans. 

In 1994, the story was much different. That August the MLB players’ strike began, which shutdown the remainder of the season. 

The labor dispute was primarily focused on the proposed salary cap and revenue sharing and despite month-long negotiations, an agreement could not be reached. 

As a result, MLB canceled the rest of the season—including the playoffs. 

The Most Unexpected World Series Champions

St. Louis Cardinals (2011): That August the Redbirds had just a 0.3% chance of making the playoffs, let alone winning it all. 

Boston Braves (1914): The Braves were in last place on the Fourth of July, but turned things around to not just make the postseason, but sweep the heavily favored Athletics. 

Florida Marlins (2003): Florida was sub-.500 on the road in 2003, managed to eke out a wild card spot and went on to defeat a Yankees squad that were heavy favorites.

New York Mets (1969): The Mets, up until 1969, were a basement-dweller in baseball. Suddenly, a 100-win New York team ran through the postseason to take on a Baltimore Orioles team that everyone expected to win. The Amazin’ Mets defeated Baltimore in five games.

Boston Red Sox (2013): While the Red Sox’s incredible comeback in the ALCS against New York in 2004 also deserves to be mentioned, the 2013 Red Sox were a much bigger underdog. The team went from worst to first after the Boston Marathon bombing, rallied around the city and defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in six games.

Teams with the Most World Series Appearances

New York Yankees: 41
Los Angeles Dodgers: 26
San Francisco Giants: 23
St. Louis Cardinals: 19
Atlanta Braves: 18
Chicago Cubs: 17
Oakland Athletics: 15
Boston Red Sox: 14
Detroit Tigers: 11
Cincinnati Reds: 10

Longest World Series Title Droughts

Currently, the longest active drought belongs to the Cleveland Guardians. Having not won a championship since 1948, the club is going on 75 years without the Commissioner’s Trophy. 

Cleveland had its chances too, squandering a 3-1 lead in the 2016 World Series. Which brings us to… 

The Chicago Cubs had an infamous 107-year drought (highlighted, but certainly not limited to a black cat, Steve Bartman and a billy goat), going from 1909 to 2016. The Cubs won three-straight elimination games to break their curse. 

The Boston Red Sox’s 86-year drought was also filled with heartbreak for fans. Dubbed the “Curse of the Bambino,” it was a superstition that the Sox were cursed from the moment they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

Fittingly, Boston rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS before sweeping St. Louis to win it all. 

The Curse of the Black Sox (or the Curse of Shoeless Joe, depending on who you ask) hovered over the White Sox from 1919 until 2005. 

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