The World Series was first played in 1905, and it has been an annual event except for 1994 (due to a players’ strike). The last expansion team to win the World Series was the Mets in 1969. Since then, the Series has seen a number of firsts.
In 2014, the Kansas City Royals reached the World Series for the first time since winning in 1985. They lost to the San Francisco Giants in seven games. This was also the first time that two teams from the same division faced off in a World Series that extended into November.
The Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox each went a century without a World Series title until 2004 and 2005, respectively. The Chicago Cubs followed them a year later.
During the 1919 Series, Sox first baseman Chick Gandil collaborated with gambler Joseph “Sport” Sullivan to arrange a fix in which six of his teammates would throw the World Series. Third baseman Buck Weaver was the only player not to participate, but he still hit a career-high.324 during the Series.
No World Series highlights match the drama of Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit home run in Game 7 in 1997. Gibson had been injured during the NLCS and was expected to miss the entire Series. But after taking the first two pitches from Goose Gossage, Gibson worked the count full and blasted a shot into the right-field upper deck. The series was tied at 2-2, and Gibson’s walk-off homer became one of the most famous in history. It also inspired elements of the media to dubbed him Mr. November, a title that was later bestowed on Reggie Jackson.