Does anyone watch baseball anymore? Just in case, I’ve whipped together some super quick World Series history. As a reminder, the World Series is the yearly, late-October, best-of-seven playoff between two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams—the winner of the American League (AL) versus the winner of the National League (NL)—to determine the champion of that particular season. (The word world could perhaps be changed to domestic, though such a move would leave out the one MLB city not based in the US, namely Toronto.) Anyway, here are 10 key numbers.
1903
The year of the first World Series, won by the Boston Americans (later known as the Red Sox) of the AL over the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NL. The event has been skipped twice since then—first in 1904 due to an ongoing dispute between the leagues and again in 1994 due to a players’ strike.
40
The number of times the New York Yankees have participated in the World Series. The Yankees have won 27 times, making them MLB’s winningest franchise. In the number two spot are the St. Louis Cardinals with 19 appearances and 11 victories.
5
The number of teams (out of 30) that have never won the World Series. The list includes the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, and Seattle Mariners. Of the five, the Mariners are the only team to have never participated in a World Series.
2
The number of times a non-American team has won the World Series. The Toronto Blue Jays won in 1992 and 1993, which, as above, provides some validation for the use of the term world.
1
The number of teams that have represented both leagues in the World Series. The Houston Astros represented the NL in 2005, and—after moving to the AL in 2013 to balance the leagues with 15 teams each—returned in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022 as the AL representative.
1947
The year the World Series was first televised. The New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games.
5.1 billion
The amount in US dollars that Fox agreed to pay MLB for the right to broadcast the World Series (and many other games) from 2022 – 2028.
220
The number of countries and territories in which the 2020 World Series was broadcast, amounting to a total of 15 languages and further validating the preferred terminology.
1980
The year of the highest-rated individual game in World Series history. Game 6 between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Kansas City Royals drew a rating of 40.0, meaning that of all homes in the US with a television, 40 percent were watching the game.
2023
The year of the lowest-rated individual game in World Series history. Game 2 between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers drew a rating of just 4.0.
The bottom line is that the World Series is a big deal. Or at least it used to be. In the US.
(This article was updated on October 1, 2024.)
