Following Dodgers' 3-0 lead over Yankees: 5 teams who have swept the World Series ft. Giants, Reds, and Red Sox
After beating the New York Yankees 4-2 in Game 3 of the World Series, on Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers are on the verge of sweeping the MLB's biggest spectacle. So much hype was built up heading into this year's Fall Classic, but the Yankees are yet to live up to the billing.
Since the establishment of the World Series in 1903, there have been 21 sweeps. It started off with the Chicago Cubs in 1907 after their triumph over the Detroit Tigers (albeit, Game 1 ended in a tie). The most recent example is the 2012 San Francisco Giants sweeping the Tigers.
Five top World Series sweeps
Let's take a look at the five greatest World Series sweeps in MLB history:
#5 San Francisco Giants def. Detroit Tigers, 2012 World Series
The most recent sweep in the Fall Classic's history, the 2012 edition featured a titanic clash between the dynasty of the San Francisco Giants against the Detroit Tigers.
San Francisco went the distance in the NLCS against the previous year's champions, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Tigers, meanwhile, swept the 2009 champion Yankees in the ALCS.
For the first time since 1988, both teams featured the MVPs of both the leagues, with Miguel Cabrera getting the nod for the AL and Buster Posey for the NL. The San Francisco pitching crew went on a masterclass in the series, as they limited the Tigers' offense to six runs across four games, including two shutouts.
#4 Los Angeles Dodgers def. New York Yankees, 1963 World Series
For the first time in major North American sports, a New York versus Los Angeles matchup took place as Yogi Berra's Yankees locked horns against Sandy Koufax's Dodgers.
The pitching staff of the Dodgers lifted the team to championship glory as LA held New York to four runs across four games. It was the first four-game sweep taken by the Yankees in Fall Classic history and the last Dodger title to be clinched in Dodger Stadium.
#3 Boston Red Sox def. St. Louis Cardinals, 2004 World Series
The 2004 edition of the Fall Classic will forever be remembered as the one to end the Curse of the Bambino.
After making quick work of the Anaheim Angels in the ALDS, the Red Sox were an inning away from elimination in Game 4 of the ALCS against their bitter rivals, the Yankees. Down 3-0 in the series, Boston made a spirited comeback to tie the game in the ninth and win in extra innings.
Their counterpart Cardinals was also challenged by the Houston Astros in the NLCS, needing the entire seven-game duration. In the Fall Classic, though, the Cards didn't have any answer to Boston's Manny Ramirez, who took that year's WS MVP.
#2 Cincinnati Reds def. Oakland Athletics, 1990 World Series
Lou Piniella's Cincinnati Reds steamrolled over the 103-win defending champion Oakland Athletics team managed by his good friend Tony La Russa. The A's trampled the Red Sox in the ALCS 4-0, while the Reds won the NLCS against the Pirates in six games.
The star power of Oakland's batting lineup that boasted Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson were no match to the Reds' Nasty Boys trio of Norm Charlton, Rob Diddle and Randy Myers.
The triumvirate of relief pitchers combined for eight and two-thirds innings of no-run ball during the World Series as the Reds outgunned the A's offense 22-8 in four games.
#1 New York Giants def. Cleveland Indians, 1954 World Series
In what's still considered the biggest upset in World Series history, Leo Durocher's New York Giants swept the heavily favored 111-win Cleveland Indians on the MLB's biggest stage. The 111 wins the Indians gathered were the most an American League has tallied in a regular season until it was broken by the Yankees in 1998.
Remembered for "The Catch" by Hall of Famer Willie Mays in the waning moments of Game 1 at the Polo Grounds, it was the last series to be played in the historic venue as the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958.
The series featured a duel of the pitching crews: the Indians' Early Wynn, Bob Lemon and Mike Garcia faced off against the Giants' Johnny Antonelli, Ruben Gomez and Sal Maglie.
However, utility man Dusty Rhodes was the star of the show, as his pinch-hitting ability was vital in the Giants' first three victories in the series. Although the World Series MVP award wasn't given until the next year, in 1955, Rhodes would have been an easy choice as the winner in the 1954 Classic.