Ranking every World Series winners in history

By Staff | Nov 3, 2015

UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 05: Brooklyn Dodgers president Walter O'Malley and his manager, Walter Alston, exchange hugs and grins after bringing Brooklyn its first World Series championship in history. Flock did it the hard way, winning the final game in Yankee Stadium. (Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) /

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UNITED STATES – OCTOBER 28: Pandemonium, like the New York Mets, reigns at Shea Stadium after the final out of the 1986 World Series. Mets defeated the Red Sox, 8-5, in Game Seven of Series, to win championship., (Photo by John Roca/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) /

9. 1986 New York Mets

108-54, AL East Champions, Won World Series 4-3 Over Boston

With a 20-4 record through May 10, the New York Mets took complete control of the National League East and never looked back. The Mets finished the season with a 108-54 record and a 21.5-game cushion in the division standings in one of the most impressive regular season performances in Major League Baseball history.

However, the Mets nearly came up short of expectations. New York survived a tough NLCS with a 4-2 series victory over the Houston Astros, then were the beneficiaries of an incredible bout of bad luck in the World Series against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

Down 3-2 in the series and 5-3 in the bottom of the tenth inning of Game 6, Boston first baseman Bill Buckner’s groundball error allowed New York to come back for a 6-5 victory. An 8-5 win in Game 7 gave the Mets the second (and still most recent) World Championship in franchise history.

Dwight Gooden (17-6, 2.84), Ron Darling (15-6, 2.81) Bob Ojeda (18-5, 2.57), Roger McDowell (14-9, 3.02, 22 saves) and Jesse Orosco (8-6, 2.33, 21 saves) were the nucleus of a pitching staff that led the National League in ERA (3.11) and allowed the fewest home runs in the league (103), while MVP candidates Gary Carter (24 HR, 105 RBI), Keith Hernandez (.310/.413/.446, 13 HR, 83 RBI) and Darryl Strawberry (27 HR, 93 RBI) headlined a lineup that led the NL in runs (783), and every slash category (.263/.339/.401).

The Mets established a Major League record for wins in a season, including playoff victories, for a World Series winner with 116. That record stood until 1998.

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