In 2024, Major League Baseball finally got the World Series matchup they have been clamoring for: the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Yankees. Superstars Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge will dominate the headlines and be one of the biggest championship matchups in the sport in a long time. To celebrate this series, we take a look back and rank the five greatest Fall Classics of all-time.
5. 1986 — New York Mets defeat Boston Red Sox in 7 games
The number of comebacks and twists in this series made for nervy yet incredibly entertaining baseball. In Game 6 at Shea Stadium, the Red Sox led the series 3-2 and found themselves one out away from their first World Series title since 1918. In the bottom of the 10th inning, the Mets were trailing, and after two quick outs, it seemed like the Mets’ ride reached a terminal stop. A wild pitch from Bob Stanley allowed the Mets to tie the game. Then, a slow-roller ground ball to first base was infamously missed by Bill Buckner, which allowed the Mets to score the winning run to force a game seven.
In game seven, the Mets performed another comeback — albeit not quite as dramatic as the previous game. Despite the Red Sox taking an early 3-0 lead, the Mets came back in the sixth inning thanks to RBIs from Keith Hernandez and Ray Knight to tie the game and then scored four more runs in the seventh — securing the win and the Mets’ second-ever World Series title.
4. 1975 — Cincinnati Reds defeat Boston Red Sox in 7 games
The Big Red Machine was at its best — yet the Red Sox still managed to extend this series to seven games. In the 12th inning of Game 6, Carlton Fisk famously hit a home run to left field and “waved” the ball fair to force a game 7. The unique ‘reaction’ shot for its time was actually a result of the cameraman being unable to track the ball due to a “rat as big as a cat” attached to his leg, choosing to keep the shot on the player instead.
The Red Sox took an early 3-0 lead in game 7 (sound familiar?) and in the sixth inning, the Reds began their rally. Tony Perez hit a two-run home run to reduce the deficit to one, and then in the next inning, Pete Rose and Ken Griffey combined to tie the game. In the ninth, Joe Morgan drove in Griffey on an RBI to make it 4-3, and the Reds won the championship.
3. 2001 — Arizona Diamondbacks defeat New York Yankees in 7 games
Given the context of this series being played just weeks after 9/11, and the Yankees winning three World Series in a row on top of George W. Bush’s iconic first pitch, it felt like the Commissioner’s Trophy already had the Yankees’ name on it. Arizona dominated the series early, going 2-0 up thanks to excellent pitching from Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. The Yankees responded by winning three games in a row — including walk-off heroics from Derek Jeter in Game 4. The Diamondbacks blew out the Yankees 15-2 in Game 6, which set the stage for a marquee Game 7 matchup in Phoenix.
Game 7 saw the Yankees lead the Diamondbacks 2-1 until the bottom of the ninth inning. Enter Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in MLB history, and his unimaginable 0.78 postseason ERA. A single, a Rivera error, a sacrifice bunt and a double set the stage for Luis Gonzalez’s infamous bloop single leading the Diamondbacks to their first-ever Fall Classic title.
2. 2016 — Chicago Cubs defeat Cleveland Indians in 7 games
We love a World Series featuring two drought teams, although the quality of the baseball itself in this series was perhaps on the lower end. In the first six games, there were two lead changes and four of the games were decided by four or more runs — although the Cubs did have to overcome a 3-1 series deficit. Plus, Game 7 was nothing short of epic.
The Cubs took an early 5-1 lead, but the Indians battled back and tied it 6-6 thanks to a dramatic home run from Rajai Davis in the bottom of the 8th inning. The game went to extra innings, but was delayed due to rain. During this time, Cubs player Jason Heyward called a meeting in the player’s locker room, where he delivered a motivational speech to the players. Although it was never revealed what was said, it was apparently enough to carry the Cubs over the finish line. They scored two runs in the top of the 10th, and the Indians responded with one run scored in the bottom of the 10th. It wasn’t enough for them, and the Cubs claimed their first championship in 108 years.
1. 1991 — Minnesota Twins defeat Atlanta Braves in 7 games
The 1991 World Series was by far the greatest World Series ever played. These two teams finished in last place the previous season, making the matchup that much more shocking. Remarkably, five of the seven games were decided by a single run, four games were decided by the final at-bat, and three games went to extra innings. It was perhaps some of the greatest pitching and defensive performances you will ever see in baseball.
In Game 7, Jack Morris and John Smoltz had an epic 10-inning pitchers duel. Morris threw a complete game shutout, which paved the way for a Gene Larkin walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th to clinch the championship.
Before extra innings, Twins manager Tom Kelly considered pulling Morris. The pitching coach said to keep him in, to which Kelly responded “Ok. It’s just a game.”
