The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America…. which has been 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….and since the series is played during the fall season….it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.
Prior to 1969, the team with the best regular season win-loss record in each league automatically advanced to the World Series…..and since then each league has conducted a championship series called the ALCS and NLCS….which preceeds the World Series to determine which teams will advance. As of 2018, the World Series has been contested 114 times….with the AL winning 66 and the NL winning 48.
The 2018 World Series just finished last night….and took place between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox….with the Red Sox winning in five games. This was the first World Series meeting between these two teams since 1916. The Dodgers previously lost to the Houston Astros in the 2017 World Series….meaning this was their 2nd consecutive World Series appearance and loss.
In the American League, the New York Yankees have played in 40 World Series and won 27….while the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics have played in 14 and won 9….and the Boston Red Sox have played in 13 and won 9….including the first World Series. In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals have appeared in 19 and won 11….the New York/San Francisco Giants have played in 20 and won 8…..while the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have appeared in 20 and won 6…..and the Cincinnati Reds have appeared in 9 and won 5. As of 2018, no team has won consecutive World Series championships since the New York Yankees in 1998, 1999, and 2000….thus creating the longest such drought in Major League Baseball history.
