As baseball fans across the globe get ready for the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers to face off in the World Series, here’s a look at how recent Fall Classics compare to one another.
Part 1 and Part 3 of these rankings are found here.
As the 2025 World Series begins this weekend, I am continuing my ranking of all 25 Fall Classics that have taken place in the 21st century so far, ranging from the uneventful sweeps of 2007 and 2012 to matchups that have been immortalized in baseball history.
With the rankings already set for spots 25 through 20, here’s a look at how the list shakes out for me from there:
19. 2010 World Series: San Francisco Giants over Texas Rangers 4-1
Another series that fell short of its potential, the 2010 Fall Classic had tantalizingly high stakes – the Rangers had never been to a World Series before, let alone won one, while the Giants had been without a title since they moved to San Francisco before the 1958 season, last winning it all in 1954.
The series also posed a traditional matchup of a high-powered offense in Texas against a star-studded lockdown pitching staff in the Giants, with pitching clearly asserting its dominance in this series.
That wasn’t the case to start things off however, with Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum both being hit hard in a Game 1 slugfest that saw the Giants seize control in the middle innings as a three-run home run from Juan Uribe paved the way for an 11-7 series-opening victory.
Matt Cain and the Giants left little doubt in Game 2, which was mostly a pitcher’s duel with Texas’ C.J. Wilson until a seven-run explosion in the eighth inning led the Giants to an emphatic 9-0 victory, securing a 2-0 series lead as the matchup shifted to Arlington.
Texas got on the board with a 4-2 win in Game 2, fueled by a stellar start of 7.2 innings of two-run ball from Colby Lewis while a three-run shot from Mitch Moreland in the second inning set the tone for what was ultimately the Rangers’ lone victory in the series.
The Giants came back with a decisive answer in Game 4, with a 21-year-old Madison Bumgarner twirling a gem for the ages in what was a 4-0 shutout win. In eight shutout innings of work, MadBum yielded just three hits and two walks, striking out six hitters while home runs from Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey supplemented the San Francisco offense.
Game 5 turned to be a true pitcher’s duel between Lincecum and Lee, who kept the score knotted at 0 through the first two-thirds of the contest before Giants veteran and proven postseason hero Édgar Rentería delivered the moment of the series.
With two outs and runners on second and third in the top of the seventh inning, Rentería rocketed a three-run home run to left-center field, taking the air out of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington while giving the Giants a 3-0 lead. While a Nelson Cruz home run in the bottom half of the inning got a run back for Texas, Lincecum ended up completing eight innings of one-run ball before star closer Brian Wilson shut the door on the game and series.
While a fun series with some exciting moments, including a series-clinching home run in the final game, the 2010 Fall Classic still feels like a case of untapped potential.
18. 2023 World Series: Texas Rangers over Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1
A matchup that virtually no one could have predicted even at the start of the 2023 postseason, what started out as a thrilling series through the first two games turned into an obvious mismatch.
The series opener saw both starters in Zac Gallen and Nathan Eovaldi take some damage, though it was Arizona that brushed off an early deficit to take control in the middle innings with a Tommy Pham solo shot in the fourth giving the D-Backs the lead. Though they led 5-3 in the ninth inning, a majestic game-tying blast from Corey Seager off Paul Sewald tied the game at 5, setting up an extra innings duel that was concluded by an Adolis García walk-off shot in the 11th inning.
Merrill Kelly and the Diamondbacks decisively responded in Game 2, with an offensive explosion in the late innings turning a close game into a 9-1 blowout in favor of Arizona as the series moved to the desert.
Game 3 saw a fantastic pitching effort from the Texas staff, with Max Scherzer and Jon Gray picking up the bulk of the innings while a three-run third inning was enough to make the difference in a 3-1 Rangers win that gave Texas a 2-1 advantage in the series.
While Game 4’s final score of 11-7 implies an exciting slugfest took place, it was anything but in actuality. The Rangers scored five runs in both the second and third innings to build a 10-0 lead, with some eighth and ninth inning fireworks from the Diamondbacks off low-leverage Texas relievers bringing the score to a more palatable level.
Facing elimination in a Game 5 at home, Arizona’s offense simply had no answer for Nathan Eovaldi as the Rangers broke a scoreless tie in the late innings before exploding in the ninth en route to a 5-0 victory.
While this series had an incredible start with game-tying and walk-off home runs in Game 1 before an emphatic response from Arizona the following night, the Rangers dominated the snakes in Phoenix in three mostly forgettable games.
17. 2000 World Series: New York Yankees over New York Mets 4-1
Perhaps the pinnacle of a series with unrealized potential, what could have been a thrilling duel between two rivals within the same city turned out to be a mismatch as grit and experience from the Yankees outweighed the energy and momentum the Mets entered the series with.
This was the last of the four Yankees teams to win it all at the turn of the century – and the weakest regular season club at that, with 87 wins compared to the Mets’ 94 victories.
Game 1 was perhaps the most exciting game of the series, with sparse offense and an Al Leiter-Andy Pettitte pitching duel taking place for much of the contest. While the Mets held a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning, a game-tying sacrifice fly from Chuck Knoblauch sent the game into extra innings, with José Vizcaíno eventually winning it for the Yanks with a walk-off single in the 12th inning.
Roger Clemens and the Yankees kept the pressure on in Game 2, though things got dicey late. With the Yanks up 6-0 on the heels of eight shutout innings from the Rocket, Jeff Nelson and Mariano Rivera both struggled in the ninth inning as a two-run shot from Mike Piazza and three-run shot from Jay Payton suddenly brought the Mets within a run. Rivera was able to strike out Kurt Abbott on three pitches to end the game, averting historic disaster and giving the Yankees a 2-0 advantage in the series.
The Mets were able to bounce back at Shea Stadium in Game 3, breaking a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning thanks to a Benny Agbayani RBI double and Bubba Trammell sac fly and setting them up for a 4-2 Game 3 victory.
Game 4 saw a mostly shutdown performance from Yankees starter Denny Neagle and the bullpen unit, hanging on to an early 3-2 advantage from the third inning the rest of the way through for a 3-2 win that put the Bronx Bombers on the brink of their third consecutive title.
That mission came to fruition in Game 5, with the Yankees being the ones to break a 2-2 tie in their final at-bat this time around. A two-out, two-run single from clutch hero Luis Sojo off of a taxed Al Leiter gave the Yankees a 4-2 lead that wouldn’t be relinquished. Although the Mets had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth with their best hitter in Mike Piazza at the plate, a flyball to deep center field wasn’t quite deep enough as the Yankees held on to win the game and the series.
Though still a fun series with five games that had some element of excitement to them, it still felt like this series could have had so much more to offer if the Mets had broken through in a few more big moments.
16. 2024 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees 4-1
The marquee matchup coastal fans and networks had longed for, this was another series that ultimately was filled with unrealized potential, though this matchup had the benefit of a few truly unforgettable moments.
The legacy of this series was firmly established in Game 1, a true thriller that initially had Yankees fans thinking they took the lead on a home run in the ninth inning that was called back due to fan interference. One inning later, Freddie Freeman launched a walk-off grand slam, the first in World Series history, wiping out a one-run lead New York took in the 10th inning to win Game 1 by a score of 6-3.
Game 2 turned out to be quite uneventful in comparison, with early home runs from Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman off Carlos Rodón proving to be enough for the Dodgers as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the L.A. bullpen locked down the Yankees for a 4-2 win.
The Dodgers cashed in on another victory by the same score in Game 3, with early offense once again being key for Los Angeles as Freddie Freeman homered yet again in this contest. The game was made slightly more interesting in the ninth inning after a two-out, two-run home run from Alex Verdugo cut the Dodgers’ lead in half, though Michael Kopech promptly closed the game out afterwards to give the Dodgers a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.
The Yankees were able to weather yet another early home run from Freddie Freeman in Game 4, putting up crooked numbers in both the third and eighth innings en route to an 11-4 win supplemented by an Anthony Volpe grand slam and a three-run home run from Gleyber Torres.
Game 5 looked to favor the Yankees yet again as they built an early 5-0 lead with their ace Gerrit Cole on the mound, but a historic defensive meltdown in the fifth inning let the Dodgers right back into the game, later taking a 7-6 lead for good in the top of the eighth inning.
While this blockbuster matchup certainly could have offered more, both Freeman’s grand slam and the Yankees’ Game 5 defensive meltdown serve as unforgettable moments from the 2024 Fall Classic. And hey, it’s not like they were the first New York team this century to have a defensive meltdown in Game 5 at home of the World Series while facing elimination.
15. 2018 World Series: Boston Red Sox over Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1
Another long-awaited blockbuster matchup between two big-market clubs, this series was ultimately a bit of a mismatch as the 108-win Red Sox proved they were every bit as good as they looked during the regular season.
While Game 1 starters Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale left plenty to be desired, it was the Red Sox that ended up on the right end of what was a back-and-forth battle, winning 8-4 with an Eduardo Núñez three-run shot in the seventh inning sealing the deal.
Game 2 saw perennial postseason struggler David Price exorcise his October demons, providing six innings of two-run ball as the Red Sox used a three-run fifth inning to pave the way to a 4-2 victory, giving Boston a 2-0 series advantage as the series shifted to Los Angeles.
After two somewhat forgettable games, the series took on a flair for the dramatic in an 18-inning marathon Game 3 that lasted for seven hours and 20 minutes, with a Max Muncy home run at 3:20 a.m. eastern time putting the Dodgers on the board in the series with a 3-2 victory.
While it’s hard to top an 18-inning affair, Game 4 certainly did a good job of challenging it in terms of excitement. After the first half of the game saw a pitching duel between Eduardo Rodríguez and Rich Hill, a three-run shot from Yasiel Puig in the sixth inning gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, seemingly setting them up to tie the series at two games apiece.
Boston punched back with a two-out, three-run pinch-hit home run from Mitch Moreland in the seventh inning, bringing the BoSox back within a run. A Steve Pearce solo shot tied the game the following inning before the Red Sox broke it open in the ninth, ultimately winning Game 4 by a score of 9-6 to set Boston up for their fourth title of the century.
Game 5 was a display of the Red Sox operating on cruise control, with all of their five runs coming on four long balls while David Price turned in a legacy outing on the mound. The lefty allowed just one run in seven innings of work before Joe Kelly and Chris Sale slammed the door on the Dodgers, giving the Red Sox a 5-1 victory in Game 5 and a 4-1 series victory.
Though this series still gave fans all-time thrillers in Games 3 and 4, the Red Sox were simply too good for this series to drag on much longer than it did.
14. 2015 World Series: Kansas City Royals over New York Mets 4-1
The best of the five-game Fall Classics we’ve seen so far in the 21st century, this series offered everything from multiple extra-inning classics, offensive explosions and defensive meltdowns as the Royals avenged their heartbreaking loss in the previous year’s World Series (which we’ll of course get to later).
The series opened with a solidly played, well-pitched battle in Game 1, with the Mets responding well to a leadoff inside-the-park home run from Alcides Escobar that set the tone for Kansas City. A solid outing from Matt Harvey and the New York bullpen set the Mets up for a 4-3 win in the ninth inning, though closer Jeurys Familia surrendered a game-tying blast to Royals icon Alex Gordon, sending the Kauffman Stadium crowd into a frenzy and Game 1 into extra innings.
The strength of both bullpens was on full display as the game stretched into the 14th inning before Eric Hosmer converted on a bases-loaded sac fly to secure a 5-4 Game 1 victory for the Royals.
Game 2 was a legacy moment for Royals midseason acquisition Johnny Cueto, who tossed a complete game while just allowing two hits, one run and three walks en route to a 7-1 Kansas City victory, giving the Royals a 2-0 lead as the series headed to Citi Field.
The Mets’ mostly dormant bats broke out of hibernation in Game 3, as New York tagged Kansas City starter Yordano Ventura for five earned runs in 3.2 innings, including mammoth home runs from Curtis Granderson and Mets franchise legend David Wright. A strong performance from Noah Syndergaard on the mound paved the way for a comfortable 9-3 Mets win, cutting the Royals’ series lead in half.
Game 4 also appeared to start off well for the Mets, who struck first and remained in control for the vast majority of the game while left-hander Steven Matz allowed just two runs in five innings of work. Holding a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning, the Mets looked to have an opportunity to escape a jam when a groundball to Daniel Murphy was booted, allowing the tying run to score and opening the door for a Royals rally that gave them a 5-3 lead. Taking advantage of the costly error that changed the course of the game, the Royals held on to take a 3-1 series lead with a chance to close out the series in New York in Game 5.
In a decision that Mets fans likely still agonize over, what was a fantastic, career-defining outing for Matt Harvey turned sour in the game’s ninth inning, as an opportunity to finish a complete game shutout with a 2-0 lead quickly turned into unmitigated disaster.
So uh, remember what I said about defensive meltdowns at home for New York teams in Game 5 of the World Series when facing elimination?
Now there may not have been an error charged on the play, but a clear mental lapse and wild throw from first base allowed the Royals to flip the script on what at first looked like a magical night for the Mets. Kansas City would later explode for five runs in the 12th inning, proving to be more than enough as the Royals closed out a 7-2 victory and their first World Series in 30 years.
Though only five games, this series brought the best of what everyone looks for in a playoff series – extra innings, unreal pitching, offensive explosions and singular plays that made the force of momentum take a decisive 180-degree turn. This was a fun one to take in.
13. 2020 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Tampa Bay Rays 4-2
I promise this isn’t the lowest six-game series solely because it followed the bizarre, pandemic-shortened 2020 season – as it’s more of a testament to the other Fall Classics that went six games being truly incredible.
The 43-17 Dodgers entered the series as heavy favorites after overcoming a 3-1 NLCS deficit to the Atlanta Braves, while the Rays narrowly avoided becoming just the second team in MLB history to blow a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series as they closed out the Houston Astros in seven games.
The series began with Los Angeles asserting their dominance, with home runs from Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts in the middle innings and a great outing from Clayton Kershaw led the way to an 8-3 Game 1 win at the neutral site Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, where the series was played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tampa Bay answered back with a punch of their own in Game 2, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and weathering late rallies from the Dodgers’ offense to even up the series with a 6-4 win, getting two home runs from Brandon Lowe in the process.
Los Angeles responded well in a mostly forgettable Game 3, winning 6-2 on the backs of a stellar 10-stirkeout Walker Buehler performance while the offense tagged Charlie Morton for five earned runs in 4.1 innings.
Game 4 was easily the most thrilling of the series, a back-and-forth contest that became especially riveting in the late innings. After a two-run single from Joc Pederson in the top of the seventh inning gave Los Angeles a 6-5 lead, Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier tied the game on a solo blast in the bottom half of the frame.
The Dodgers immediately responded in the eighth, as a two-out RBI single from Corey Seager gave Los Angeles the lead once again before Brusdar Graterol escaped a jam to take the lead to the ninth inning. With closer Kenley Jansen attempting to shut the door on the Rays, a two-out base hit with two runners on from Brett Phillips turned into a game-winner after costly errors from both Chris Taylor on a poor throw and Will Smith on a missed catch, suddenly giving Tampa Bay a series-tying 8-7 win in Game 4.
Pitching seemed to take over from that point in the series, with an early Dodgers lead in Game 5 being protected by a stellar outing from Clayton Kershaw and the L.A. bullpen, as Dustin May, Victor González and Blake Treinen offered 3.1 innings of shutout relief to close out a 4-2 win over Tyler Glasnow and the Rays.
While Game 4 may have been the most riveting of the series, it was Game 6 that most fans remember for a much more infamous reason. With the Rays facing elimination and holding a 1-0 advantage behind an impeccable Blake Snell performance, a one-out single allowed to Austin Barnes in the sixth inning led to a controversial decision from manager Kevin Cash to remove Snell in favor of reliever Nick Anderson. At that point, Snell had allowed just two hits with no walks and nine strikeouts on only 73 pitches. If you ask me, it was a mind-bogglingly stupid decision that I still can’t get over.
As even Ray Charles would have seen it coming, the Dodgers promptly rallied off of Anderson to take the lead on a run-scoring wild pitch and RBI fielder’s choice from Corey Seager. Mookie Betts would later provide an insurance run with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning before lefty Julio Urías retired the Rays in order to close out their first World Series title since 1988.
While the series unquestionably featured two very memorable moments, other matchups that lasted this long just had a bit more to offer.
12. 2021 World Series: Atlanta Braves over Houston Astros 4-2
While this matchup appeared to be a feasible one at the start of the year, the path the 88-win Braves took to the Fall Classic has already been immortalized as one of the more remarkable runs in recent history.
Carrying in momentum off of an upset over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, a Jorge Soler lead-off home run in Game 1 set the tone early for Atlanta, who built up a 5-0 lead that wouldn’t be relinquished as they went on to win the series opener in Houston by a score of 6-2.
The Astros punched back in Game 2 against Max Fried, tagging the lefty for six earned runs over five innings while holding on to an early 5-1 lead, eventually winning the contest 7-2 to even up the series as it shifted to Truist Park.
Game 3 saw perhaps the most impressive pitching performance of the series, with Ian Anderson supplying five innings of no-hit ball for the Braves before Atlanta’s bullpen shut down the Astros the rest of the way, allowing just two hits the entire game. A 1-0 lead for most of the game was cushioned by a Travis d’Arnaud solo shot in the eighth inning, solidifying a 2-0 victory for Atlanta, putting the Braves up 2-1 in the series.
After falling behind early in Game 4, Atlanta’s bullpen kept the game close while the Braves weren’t able to get much going against Zack Greinke. Once getting to Houston’s bullpen, an Austin Riley RBI single in the sixth inning cut Houston’s lead to 2-1 before failing to add more with the bases loaded. The next inning, however, had plenty more for the Braves.
Facing Cristian Javier, back-to-back home runs from Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler flipped the game upside down, giving the Braves a late 3-2 lead at home. Relievers Luke Jackson and Will Smith then retired the remaining six Astros in order to secure a 3-2 win and a 3-1 series lead, with Game 5 at home.
Game 5 featured plenty of twists and turns, with the contest at first looking like a game-long party for Atlanta and their fans after a first-inning grand slam off the bat of Adam Duvall. The Astros immediately put thoughts of that to rest in the second inning, with RBIs from Alex Bregman and Martín Maldonado cutting the Atlanta lead in half.
Houston broke through to the Atlanta bullpen the following inning and tied the game on an RBI double from Carlos Correa and an RBI groundout from Yuli Gurriel. While a Freddie Freeman solo shot the following inning gave the Braves the lead once again, Houston punched back with a three-run fifth inning that gave them the advantage for good. The Astros went on to win Game 5 by a score of 9-5, sending the series back to Houston with Atlanta holding a 3-2 lead in the Fall Classic.
While the Astros had two shots at home to take back the title, the Braves were having none of that in Game 6. A gargantuan three-run shot from Jorge Soler in the third inning gave the Braves all the offense they would need, with Max Fried offering six innings of shutout work before Tyler Matzek and Will Smith slammed the door on Houston. The Braves would win Game 6 by a score of 7-0, securing their first World Series title since 1995.
A fun series with plenty of generational greats, this series could have stood out quite a bit more with a game or two that ended just a bit closer.
11. 2009 World Series: New York Yankees over Philadelphia Phillies 4-2
Another classic big-market duel in the Fall Classic, this was another series that was plenty exciting, but certainly could have offered a bit more.
Aiming to defend their 2008 championship, the Phillies started the series by barging into Yankee Stadium and picking up a 6-1 win on the backs of a complete game by ace Cliff Lee, with Chase Utley taking C.C. Sabathia deep twice for good measure.
A.J. Burnett and the Yankees answered back in Game 2, erasing an early 1-0 deficit and getting to Pedro Martínez in the middle innings with solo shots from Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui supplying two-thirds of the damage in a 3-1 victory.
The series, now tied, then shifted to Philadelphia where the Yankees were able to tag 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels for five earned runs, battling back from an early 3-0 hole to eventually win 8-5, taking a 2-1 lead in the series. Power was once again a big story for New York, getting home runs from Álex Rodríguez, Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui in the victory.
The New York bats didn’t disappear in Game 4, a contest in which the Yankees never trailed as the offense hit Joe Blanton for four earned runs in six innings of work. Though the Yanks were in control most of the way, solo shots from Chase Utley and Pedro Feliz in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, tied the game at 4 apiece headed into the ninth.
Battling a raucous crowd dreaming of a walk-off win while filled with momentum, the Yankees made two quick outs against Brad Lidge before a Johnny Damon single off a 3-2 offering started a series-changing two-out rally. Damon went on to steal both second and third base while Lidge hit Teixeira to bring A-Rod to the plate.
Rodríguez delivered an RBI double to give the Yankees the lead, with a two-run single from Jorge Posada the next at-bat giving New York a relatively comfortable 7-4 advantage. Mariano Rivera promptly retired the Phillies in order to secure a 7-4 Game 4 win and a 3-1 series lead.
Behind Cliff Lee, the Phillies were in comfortable control for much of Game 5, building an 8-2 lead heading into the eighth inning with the ace lefty still on the mound. The Yankees made things interesting by tagging Lee for three runs in an eighth inning that he failed to record an out in, adding another run on a run-scoring double play in the ninth inning to make the score 8-6. While New York still managed to get the tying run on base, Ryan Madson was able to close out the Game 5 win, sending the Fall Classic back to the Bronx.
Game 6 was relatively uneventful, as the Yankees capitalized off both Pedro Martínez and Chad Durbin to build a 7-1 lead in the middle innings that would never seriously be challenged. Andy Pettitte delivered 5.2 innings of three-run ball before a New York bullpen corps of Joba Chamberlain, Dámaso Marte and Mariano Rivera finished off a 7-3 win, clinching the Yankees’ 27th championship, the most in all of North American professional sports.
A fun series that featured a clear turning point with the ninth inning of Game 4, it still felt like a few of the games could have been a bit more competitive.
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