The World Series—or Fall Classic—annually pits the pennant winners of the American and National leagues in a best-of-seven series for the Major League Baseball championship. The first modern World Series was a best-of-nine series played in 1903 between the American League champion Boston Americans (later Red Sox) and National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates. The Americans won the final four games to win the championship, 5-3. Boston pitcher Cy Young, MLB’s all-time leader in wins (511), won Games 5 and 7.
The World Series, which typically begins in October, has featured some of the most dramatic moments in sports history. Among them were an over-the-shoulder catch by the New York Giants’ Willie Mays (Game 1, 1954, vs. Cleveland Indians) and Series-winning home runs by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bill Mazeroski (Game 7, 1960, vs. the New York Yankees) and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Joe Carter (Game 6, 1993, vs. the Philadelphia Phillies). A dramatic, game-winning home run in the ninth inning by Los Angeles' Kirk Gibson in Game 1 in 1988 set the tone for that World Series, won by the Dodgers over the Oakland A's in five games.
Blunders and controversy have rocked some World Series. The most infamous World Series scandal involved the 1919 Chicago White Sox. The scandal involved eight members of the Chicago White Sox, who were accused after the World Series of throwing games against the Cincinnati Reds for money from a gambling syndicate. Cincinnati won the eight-game series, 5-3.
The players involved—dubbed "Black Sox"—were acquitted in court but banned from the sport by Major League Baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, one of the greatest hitters in MLB history, was the most famous of the banned players. His .356 career batting average ranks as one of the best in MLB history. Despite his excellent credentials for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Jackson remains on MLB's ineligible list for the honor—a decision that remains controversial. Continue reading at The History Channel
