The World Series is the annual tournament with Major League Basketball series. In this article, we will discuss how many games in the world series and the world series’ history.

The world series is not a new trend. It has been going on since 1903. It is a contest between the American League champion and the National League champion. The final winner is decided by the best of seven games. Although no matter how many games in the world series are played, one can never get bored of watching this heated face-off.

During exciting matches, fans show their support for teams and players. They can purchase themed items to wear, representing their hopes for the winning team. Now you can customize some of your favorite team baseball trading pins and share them with your friends. Or, if you’re also a baseball player, suggest customizing some pins with your team’s logo on them. It’s sure to boost team morale and cohesion. Try it at GS-JJ.com right now!

Baseball custom lanyard. Source: brand

1. Major League Baseball

Major league baseball is the professional organization of baseball and also the oldest major league. It consists of a total of 30 teams which are divided into two leagues, the American League and the National League. Only one team is in Canada, and the other 29 are in the United States. The National League and American League were founded in 1876 and 1901. The teams are further divided according to their division- East, Central, and West. The headquarter of MLB is based in Manhattan.

Check out The Top Sports in The U.S. You Shouldn’t Miss Out On

2. How Many Games in The World Series Game

Next, we discuss how many games in the World Series. Each of the MLB teams plays 162 games in a season. The best 6 teams forge ahead to the four-round tournament postseason games. This ends and proceeds to the climax championship series, the world series game. The champions are determined after a best-of-seven playoff between the two leagues.

2.1 Regular Season

Every team in the MLB plays 162 games in the regular season. Usually, each team plays three games against a particular opponent. Sometimes there can be two or four games. In case of postponed games or a continuation of the suspended games, there can be one or five games in a series.

In the three-game series, a team has to play 19 games against each one of their divisional opponents. The teams have to play a minimum of 5 days a week. They have to compete in one home series and an away one. Therefore they play a total of 6-7 games against 10 teams in the same league. Each team also plays in 20 interleague games.

The structure has changed in the 2022 world series. The teams will contest to enter the sixth playoff berth. For this, the team has to be the division winner or get a wild card. A team can win the wild card if they are the top three performers amongst the non-winners of its league.

Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay/Copyright 2016

2.1.1 Seeds

The six teams in each league are attributed seeds. The top three seeds, Seed No. 1, 2, and 3 in each league, are the regular season division winners. They are assigned seeds according to their relative winning record. So the team that has the best record among division winners will be given the No. 1 seed. The team with the second-best winning percentage gets the No. 2 seed. Lastly, the team with the third-best record will be assigned the No. 3 seed.

The wild card teams are the three teams with the best records among non-division winning teams of each league. According to their relative winning percentages, they are given seeds No. 4 through No. 6. Again, the team with the best record in the list of non-division winners is the first wildcard with the No. 4 seed. The team with the second-best win-loss record among non-division winners will be the second wildcard with the No. 5 seed. The team with the third-best performance is the third wild card and is assigned the No 6. seed.

2.2 Post-Season

After the end of the regular series, 12 teams enter the post-season series. It consists of the six victors of each league and six wild card teams from each league. After this, four games are played to determine the league championship.

The four rounds are:

2.2.1 Wild Card Series

This is the opening game of the postseason series. A best-of-three format is adopted. The division winners are allocated seeds according to their winning percentage. The division winner with the lowest seeds and three wild card teams of both leagues compete in a best-of-three series game.

The top two seeds are exempted from competing in a wild card series in both leagues. They get byes and direct entry to Division Series. The rest of the four teams, No. 3 through No. 6, compete in two wild-card series. The No. 3 seed hosts the No. 6, and the No. 4 seed hosts the No. 5 seed team.

2.2.2 AL Division Series and NL Division Series

The winners of each individual league’s wild card rounds proceed and face the top two division winners in the division series of that league. For each league, there are two best-of-five games. The winners then advance to the Championship series.

There is no reseeding here, unlike in NFL. In this series, the matchup is- the No. 1 seed team competes against the winner of the No 3 and No 6 seed in the wild-card round, and the No. 2 seed team plays against the champion of the No 4 and No 5 seed in the wild-card series.

2.2.3 American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series

The AL teams that won in the Division Series round then compete against each other in the Championship round in a best-of-seven format. The NL teams also do the same. The champions of this round are declared the pennant winners.

2.2.4 World Series

So finally, we answer the question, “How many games in the World Series?” The pennant champions then face off against each other in the best-of-seven playoff in the culmination round. The winner is the World Series Champion, who gets the Commissioner’s Trophy.

2.3 Home Field Advantage

If a team plays in their home field, they have the edge over the other team. This is because of the psychological and physiological effects of playing in their home field. The home team benefits from having supportive fans and playing in a familiar environment. The visiting teams are at a disadvantage because of jetlag, environmental changes, and time differences.

Till 2002, the two leagues, home-field advantage in the world series alternated between AL and NL every year. But from 2003 to 2016, the league that won that year’s All-Star Game received the home-field benefit. Since 2017, home-field advantage has been awarded to the league champion team with the better regular-season performance.

Photo by Jimmy Conover on Unsplash/Copyright 2019

3. Teams in The World Series

The teams in the Major league baseball organization are divided first into two leagues- the American League and the National League.

3.1 American League

The teams are further divided into five teams according to their divisions.

3.1.1 East Division

The five teams in the east division are Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays.

3.1.2 West Division

The five teams in the west division are Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers.

3.1.3 Central Division

The five teams in the central division are Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins.

3.2 National League

The League is divided into five teams according to their divisions.

3.2.1 East Division

The five teams in the east division are the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Nationals.

3.2.2 West Division

The five teams in the west division are Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants.

3.2.3 Central Division

The five teams in the central division are Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and Milwaukee Brewers.

4. World Series History

Now we have made a list of, “How many games in the World Series are noteworthy?”

4.1 The Precursors to World Series

Before moving on to the list of how many games in the World Series were iconic, we will look at the predecessor of the modern world series. The American Association was formed in 1882. Before that, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players had represented the apex level of organized, professional baseball in the United States from 1871 to 1875 and then, from 1876, the National League. At that time, championships were given to the team with the best season record. There was no postseason series.

Then until 1890, the National League and the American Association played against each other at the end of the season to decide the overall champion. These series were not very organized when compared to the modern World Series. The terms were arranged beforehand. They were negotiated between the owners of the teams. This series is now nicknamed the “Fall Classic” because it was held in the fall season.

After the American Association collapsed, the National League became the sole major league. Then for one season, the championship was awarded to the contest winner between the champions of the split season. From 1893 to 1969, the championship was awarded to the team that secured first place in the scores at the end of the season.

Then the American League became the second major league when it was formed in 1901. However, in 1901 or 1902, the National and American Leagues were fighting for business dominance. So there was no championship series. The 19th-century contests have not been officially acknowledged as part of World Series history. Major League Baseball considers this “fall classic” a prelude to modern baseball.

4.2 Important Events

4.2.1. 1903 World Series Championship

The 1903 World Series Championship was a phenomenal success. It was the first step in solving the dispute between the National and American Leagues. Pittsburgh and Boston went face-to-face and competed in eight games. This one will remain the most important regardless of how many games in the world series are played throughout its existence.

4.2.2. History of the ‘Brush Rules’

In 1904, the Giants owner John T. Brush declined to let his team participate. He considered the American League “inferior.” Brush also pointed out the lack of rules regarding money split, where to play the games, and operation and staffing. Then the “Brush Rules” came into existence.

4.2.3. Players of The Chicago White Sox Conspiracy

Eight players of the Chicago White Sox were accused of conspiracy in 1919. The Sox were promised to be given $100,000. They performed poorly and won eight of the best-of-nine Series. They pitched poorly, hit poorly, and made many errors. All the players involved were banned.

4.2.4. The Number of Championships The New York Yankees Won

In 45 years, from 1920 to 1964, the New York Yankees participated in 29 World Series and won 20 championships.

4.2.5. Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants Moving

The Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively, in 1958.

4.2.6. Best-of-Five Series

In 1969, the National and American Leagues were restructured and divided into two divisions each- East division and West division. The two division winners of each league competed against each other in a best-of-five series which came to be known as the League Championship. The League Champion would advance to the World Series. It changed to the best-of-seven format in 1958.

4.2.7. Rule of The Designated Hitter

In 1973 the American League endorsed the designated hitter rule. Another hitter can be used to bat instead of a weak-hitting pitcher. However, the National League did not follow. So, there was a problem as the two leagues would operate under different rules in the regular season. From 1976, the World Series permitted the use of a designated hitter only in the years that were even numbered.

4.2.8. The Loma Prieta Earthquake

During the 1989 World Series, the Loma Prieta earthquake hit at 5:04 pm. On 17th October, the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics were about to start Game 3. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1. It caused a lot of damage. The game was postponed.

4.2.9. The World Series in Canada

In 1992, the world series games were played for the first time in Canada in Toronto. This was the first time The World Series was not played in the USA.

4.2.10. Introduction of The Wild Card Rule

In 1994, the League was divided into three divisions. The wild card rule was also introduced. So henceforth, the three division winners and each wild card team would play in best-of-five format games. This was the League Division Round.

4.2.11. Elimination of Salary Arbitration

The players struck in 1904, and thus, the event was canceled. The owners wanted to put a salary cap and eliminate salary arbitration. Due to this conflict, the world series was not played for the first time in 90 years. In 1995, the MLBPA declared that the owners were engaging in unfair trade practices.

4.2.12. World Series During the September 11 Attacks

In 2001, it was the first time the World Series ended in November. The World Series was delayed for a week due to the September 11 attacks.

4.2.13. Home-Field Advantage, 2002

From 2002 the home-field advantage was given to the winner of the All-Star game.

4.2.14. Home-Field Advantage, 2017

In 2017, home-field advantage was given to the team with the better regular-season record. If there were a tie in this record, the first tie-breaker would be the head-to-head record, and the second tie-breaker would be decided according to the best divisional record.

4.2.15. Games Shortened During the Pandemic

In 2020, the game was shortened to 60 games due to the pandemic. All games of the postseason series were played on neutral grounds. The world series was held at the Global Life Field.

Notably, the World Series persisted every year without fail except for 1994. Despite World War I and World War II, the global influenza pandemic of 1918–1919, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, the answer to how many games in the world series had been canceled remains two. It even continued despite an earthquake that hit the host cities in 1989 and survived the COVID-19 pandemic.

4.3 Team Past Performance

The performance of every team till 2022 is discussed here. We talk about how many games in the world series were won by each team in Major League Baseball.

Photo by Kirk Thornton on Unsplash/Copyright 2021

In the history of the World Series, American League (AL) teams have won about 56.4% of the time, with a record of winning 66 of the 117 games. The New York Yankees are the greatest champions. If you are wondering how many games in the World Series were won by the New York Yankees, the answer is 27. The Yankees have won the most; they grabbed about 23.1% of wins in the entire world series, and 40.9% of the American League wins, with 27 championships. The New York Yankees have made World Series appearances 40 times. They have been the AL’s representative most times.

How many games in the world series were won by the second-best team? The St. Louis Cardinals occupies the second position with 11 wins. They account for 9.4% of the World Series Championship. They have the best record among the NL teams, accounting for 21.6% wins out of the 51 NL victories. But the Los Angeles Dodgers, with 21 total World Series appearances, have been the National League’s representative in the World Series most of the time. The Dodgers’ 14 World Series losses are also the highest of any team, and the Yankees’ 13 losses are the highest in American League teams.

The Yankees and the Dodgers have clashed with each other most often. How many games in the World Series was a face-off between these two? The New York Yankees have contested against Los Angeles Dodgers in eleven games. The Yankees won eight games out of those eleven contests.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbruHt-sPxg

From 1972 to 1978, only three teams got the title World Series Champions repetitively. The Oakland Athletics won back to back from 1972 to 1974, the Cincinnati Reds won in 1975 and 1976, and the New York Yankees won in 1977 and 1978.

The 1988 World Series was a remarkable one too. Kirk Gibson from the Los Angeles Dodgers had hit an iconic home run in the ninth inning of Game 1 after two outs.

In 1987, the Minnesota Twins became the first team in World Series history to win all 4 games they had hosted. They became the champions by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals. This happened again in 1991 when they competed against Atlanta Braves. This game was given the tag “Greatest of All Time” by ESPN.

The Boston Red Sox finally broke the Curse of the Bambino in 2004. After losing the first three games, they first defeated the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Then the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series and became the world champions finally after 86 years.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2020 world series. The Atlanta Braves were the 2021 world series champion. They had broken a 26 years drought as it was the first time they won after 1995.

Here we briefly discuss how many games in the World Series were won by the other teams. The St. Louis cardinals have triumphed 11 times in the World Series. Boston red sox and Oakland Athletics have been the World Series champions 9 times. San Francisco has won 8 times, Los Angeles Dodgers won 7 times, and Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds won 5 times in the World Series Championship. Atlanta braves and Detroit Tigers have won 4 times in this tournament. Chicago white sox, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs have been the winner of the World series 3 times.

Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Cleveland Guardians, and Philadelphia Phillies have been the World Series Champions only twice. Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, and Arizona Diamondbacks have been the champion only once. The other teams have 0 wins on the scoreboard till now. They have not won a single World Series Championship.

5. World Series 2022

Next, we discuss how many games in the world series of 2022. The 2022 world series is the 118th edition of this game. The Philadelphia Phillies and The Houston Astros are the pennant champions playing in the best-of-seven playoff. The 2022 world series schedule was from 28 October, which had stretched to November.

The full 2022 World Series schedule was as follows:

Game 1 on October 28, 2022- Philadelphia Phillies won.

Game 2 on October 29, 2022- Houston Astros won.

Game 3 on November 1, 2022- Philadelphia Phillies won.

Game 4 on November 2, 2022-Houston Astros won.

Game 5 on November 3, 2022-Houston Astros won.

Game 6 on November 5, 2022- Houston Astros won

There was no game 7. Houston Astros gave their fans a reason to celebrate as they became the World Series Champion of 2022. This is the second time the Houston Astros won the World Series in the last six years.

The World Series 2022 was presented by Capital One. It was broadcasted on Fox Television and ESPN Radio in the United States.

The tale of Houston in the MLB 2022 playoffs is legendary. Houston Astros won seven games back to back. This is the second-longest winning streak that started a postseason. Houston Astros is the third team to have an undefeated playoff record. The other two were Colorado Rockies in 2007 and Kansas City Royals in 2014.

The Houston Astros were undoubtedly the best team in the AL in 2022. It is appropriate they are the AL champions after defeating the New York Yankees and advancing to the 2022 World Series. This is the fourth World Series appearance by Houston Astros in the past six years and the second consecutive time they have entered the World Series. They have been successful in establishing their remarkable dominance.

The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the World Series after a long time. Last, they made the world series appearance in 2009. The Philadelphia Phillies were the No. 6 seed. Philadelphia Phillies made it to the October run, which surprises most people. The Phillies did the unexpected in the MLB playoffs 2022. Although they did not start out great, the Philadelphia Phillies pounced back. They even defeated the Atlanta Braves, the world champions, and advanced to the 2022 World Series.

World Series and the MLB payoffs are now a part of the culture of the United States. It is traditional, like Thanksgiving, and patriotic, like the fourth of July. No matter how many games in the world series have been played, each one arouses several feelings, from happiness to anger.

Last Updated on August 29, 2023 by Steffy Michael