First played in 1903, the World Series is the annual best-of-seven series featuring the winners of the American League and National League to determine the champion of the Major League Baseball season. Since that first Fall Classic more than 120 years ago, which was won by the Boston Americans (now the Boston Red Sox), the World Series has been contested every year but two.
In 1904, the National League champion New York Giants wildly refused to play the defending champion Americans as Giants owner John T. Brush deemed the upstart American League as inferior. Ninety years later, in 1994, the World Series was canceled due to a players' strike.
Of the 30 current MLB franchises, 24 have won at least one World Series, and 29 have made at least one appearance, the lone exception being the Seattle Mariners.
It should come as no surprise that the AL's champion New York Yankees, who will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in this year's World Series, lead all teams in both overall appearances and championships, winning 27 World Series titles in 40 attempts. Who has the second-most titles? The St. Louis Cardinals have 11 to lead all National League clubs.
What to know about the 2024 Yankees-Dodgers World Series
This is an iconic World Series, whether you love or hate these historically rich franchises. But this World Series will not only feature two of the most storied MLB teams—and the franchises with the most World Series games played against each other—it will also feature the two wealthiest teams, the leading candidates for the AL and NL MVP (Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani) and each league's home run leader. Talent, tradition and money are not lacking here.
The 2024 World Series will begin on Friday, Oct. 25, with Game 1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. They will head to New York for Game 3 in the Bronx on Monday, October 28. If the series goes more than five games, they'll return to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Friday, Nov. 1. Here's the full World Series schedule. Now on to the historic franchises and World Series winners:
Every World Series winner in MLB history
Here's a quick look at every World Series winner in MLB history.
World Series | Winning Team | Losing Team |
|---|---|---|
1903 | Boston Americans | Pittsburgh Pirates |
1904 | N/A | N/A |
1905 | New York Giants | Philadelphia Athletics |
1906 | Chicago White Sox | Chicago Cubs |
1907 | Chicago Cubs | Detroit Tigers |
1908 | Chicago Cubs | Detroit Tigers |
1909 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Detroit Tigers |
1910 | Philadelphia Athletics | Chicago Cubs |
1911 | Philadelphia Athletics | New York Giants |
1912 | Boston Red Sox | New York Giants |
1913 | Philadelphia Athletics | New York Giants |
1914 | Boston Braves | Philadelphia Athletics |
1915 | Boston Red Sox | Philadelphia Phillies |
1916 | Boston Red Sox | Brooklyn Robins |
1917 | Chicago White Sox | New York Giants |
1918 | Boston Red Sox | Chicago Cubs |
1919 | Cincinnati Reds | Chicago White Sox |
1920 | Cleveland Indians | Brooklyn Robins |
1921 | New York Giants | New York Yankees |
1922 | New York Giants | New York Yankees |
1923 | New York Yankees | New York Giants |
1924 | Washington Senators | New York Giants |
1925 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Washington Senators |
1926 | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Yankees |
1927 | New York Yankees | Pittsburgh Pirates |
1928 | New York Yankees | St. Louis Cardinals |
1929 | Philadelphia Athletics | Chicago Cubs |
1930 | Philadelphia Athletics | St. Louis Cardinals |
1931 | St. Louis Cardinals | Philadelphia Athletics |
1932 | New York Yankees | Chicago Cubs |
1933 | New York Giants | Washington Senators |
1934 | St. Louis Cardinals | Detroit Tigers |
1935 | Detroit Tigers | Chicago Cubs |
1936 | New York Yankees | New York Giants |
1937 | New York Yankees | New York Giants |
1938 | New York Yankees | Chicago Cubs |
1939 | New York Yankees | Cincinnati Reds |
1940 | Cincinnati Reds | Detroit Tigers |
1941 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers |
1942 | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Yankees |
1943 | New York Yankees | St. Louis Cardinals |
1944 | St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis Browns |
1945 | Detroit Tigers | Chicago Cubs |
1946 | St. Louis Cardinals | Boston Red Sox |
1947 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers |
1948 | Cleveland Indians | Boston Braves |
1949 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers |
1950 | New York Yankees | Philadelphia Phillies |
1951 | New York Yankees | New York Giants |
1952 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers |
1953 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers |
1954 | New York Giants | Cleveland Indians |
1955 | Brooklyn Dodgers | New York Yankees |
1956 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers |
1957 | Milwaukee Braves | New York Yankees |
1958 | New York Yankees | Milwaukee Braves |
1959 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Chicago White Sox |
1960 | Pittsburgh Pirates | New York Yankees |
1961 | New York Yankees | Cincinnati Reds |
1962 | New York Yankees | San Francisco Giants |
1963 | Los Angeles Dodgers | New York Yankees |
1964 | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Yankees |
1965 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Minnesota Twins |
1966 | Baltimore Orioles | Los Angeles Dodgers |
1967 | St. Louis Cardinals | Boston Red Sox |
1968 | Detroit Tigers | St. Louis Cardinals |
1969 | New York Mets | Baltimore Orioles |
1970 | Baltimore Orioles | Cincinnati Reds |
1971 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Baltimore Orioles |
1972 | Oakland Athletics | Cincinnati Reds |
1973 | Oakland Athletics | New York Mets |
1974 | Oakland Athletics | Los Angeles Dodgers |
1975 | Cincinnati Reds | Boston Red Sox |
1976 | Cincinnati Reds | New York Yankees |
1977 | New York Yankees | Los Angeles Dodgers |
1978 | New York Yankees | Los Angeles Dodgers |
1979 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Baltimore Orioles |
1980 | Philadelphia Phillies | Kansas City Royals |
1981 | Los Angeles Dodgers | New York Yankees |
1982 | St. Louis Cardinals | Milwaukee Brewers |
1983 | Baltimore Orioles | Philadelphia Phillies |
1984 | Detroit Tigers | San Diego Padres |
1985 | Kansas City Royals | St. Louis Cardinals |
1986 | New York Mets | Boston Red Sox |
1987 | Minnesota Twins | St. Louis Cardinals |
1988 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Oakland Athletics |
1989 | Oakland Athletics | San Francisco Giants |
1990 | Cincinnati Reds | Oakland Athletics |
1991 | Minnesota Twins | Atlanta Braves |
1992 | Toronto Blue Jays | Atlanta Braves |
1993 | Toronto Blue Jays | Philadelphia Phillies |
1994 | N/A (Players' strike) | N/A (Players' strike) |
1995 | Atlanta Braves | Cleveland Indians |
1996 | New York Yankees | Atlanta Braves |
1997 | Florida Marlins | Cleveland Indians |
1998 | New York Yankees | San Diego Padres |
1999 | New York Yankees | Atlanta Braves |
2000 | New York Yankees | New York Mets |
2001 | Arizona Diamondbacks | New York Yankees |
2002 | Anaheim Angels | San Francisco Giants |
2003 | Florida Marlins | New York Yankees |
2004 | Boston Red Sox | St. Louis Cardinals |
2005 | Chicago White Sox | Houston Astros |
2006 | St. Louis Cardinals | Detroit Tigers |
2007 | Boston Red Sox | Colorado Rockies |
2008 | Philadelphia Phillies | Tampa Bay Rays |
2009 | New York Yankees | Philadelphia Phillies |
2010 | San Francisco Giants | Texas Rangers |
2011 | St. Louis Cardinals | Texas Rangers |
2012 | San Francisco Giants | Detroit Tigers |
2013 | Boston Red Sox | St. Louis Cardinals |
2014 | San Francisco Giants | Kansas City Royals |
2015 | Kansas City Royals | New York Mets |
2016 | Chicago Cubs | Cleveland Indians |
2017 | Houston Astros | Los Angeles Dodgers |
2018 | Boston Red Sox | Los Angeles Dodgers |
2019 | Washington Nationals | Houston Astros |
2020 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tampa Bay Rays |
2021 | Atlanta Braves | Houston Astros |
2022 | Houston Astros | Philadelphia Phillies |
2023 | Texas Rangers | Arizona Diamondbacks |
Sure, the New York Yankees has steamrolled the competition over the past 120-plus years, outpacing many other storied franchises, but there are many notable clubs on this list. We mentioned the St. Louis Cardinals (11 titles), but the Boston Red Sox (9 titles) and Oakland Athletics (9 titles), who previously played in Philadelphia and Kansas City, and the San Francisco Giants (8 titles), who formerly played in New York), have a long list as well.