MLB World Series

World Series is an annual competition held by Major League Baseball (MLB). It is a postseason playoff series that follows a best-of-seven format between the top teams across both the National and American League teams. The two leagues of Major League Baseball compete with each other to find the champion among them. This annual competition is also usually referred to as the ‘Fall Classics’.

The competition was established in the year 1903 and has been held ever since except for some rare cases. There had only ever been two seasons where the World Series was not held. There has been a total of 119 times the World Series has been held ever since its commencement. The New York Yankees franchise has been the one that have won the most titles in the World Series. The recent champion (as of 2023) were the Texas Rangers. The team won with a scoreline of 4-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

MLB World Series History

This grand competition started in 1903. The beginning of this competition takes root in the rivalry between the two great leagues of Major League Baseball which are the American League (AL) and the National League (NL).

The American League was founded on January 28, 1901. It had a fierce conflict with the National League which was founded on February 2, 1876. The American League was seen as a lesser circuit to the National League which just fueled the discord between the leagues. The two leagues agreed to sign an agreement to finally put their disagreement behind them in the year 1903 which ultimately became the starting point for the World Series Championship.

The two leagues agreed to respect each other as equals and started an interleague competition now known as the World Series Championship. It is a postseason series competition which is fought between the best teams from both the leagues. However, there were seasons where the Championship was fought between the best of nine games. The series has been played each year. But throughout the years there have been some exceptions as well. The years of exception were 1904 and 1994.

In the year, 1904, the Giants, champions of the National League, declined to compete against the Boston Pilgrims, the American League champions. This led to the cancellation of the World Series back then. Then in 1994, the World Series was canceled because of the players’ strike. The players’ strike of 1994 went on for 232 days and a grand total of 948 games were called off.

MLB Most Titles

The most titles won by a team in the Championship is by the New York Yankees. The team won a total of 27 World Series Championship titles. The first World Series MVP award was given in the year 1955. The coveted title was won by Johnny Podres, who was with the Brooklyn Angeles during 1955. The year 1956 saw the only perfect game played in the Series (Game 5) which was played by Don Larsen, of the New York Yankees. In 1969, the Mets achieved the historic feat of being the first expansion team to both participate in and emerge victorious in the World Series. The year 1992, saw the World Series having games outside of the United States. The Toronto Blue Jays won that year.

In 2003, it was agreed upon that the outcome of the All-Star Game determined which team would have home-field advantage in the World Series. The tradition has been continued ever since. In 2020, the World Series was played in a neutral site for the first time because of the covid-19 pandemic.

MLB World Series Date and Time-

The 2024 World Series date and timings have been tentatively agreed upon. The postseason is expected to start on October 1, with the possibility of a Game 7 in the World Series scheduled for November 2.

MLB World Series TV Channel and Live Streaming Details

The 2024 World Series will be televised by Fox Sports, including coverage on Fox and FS1, with Spanish-language simulcasts available on Fox Deportes. Streaming platforms such as Disney+, Hulu with Live TV, YouTubeTV, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, and Fubo TV are expected to stream the Series.

MLB World Series Appearances By Franchise

The franchise which has the most World Series appearances is the New York Yankees. It has a total of 40 appearances in the Championship. The Los Angeles Dodgers take the second place for the most World Series appearances with a total of 25 appearances. A table showing the appearances of the Franchises made in the World Series is given below:

List of MLB Series Results-

Here’s a list of MLB Series Results.

Note: The World series was not held in 1904 and 1994.

MLB Series Most Frequent Matchups-

Here’s a table showing the most frequent matchups between teams: