Founded in 1905, the World Series has become the most prestigious postseason contest in all of professional sports. The best-of-seven-game series is known for its dramatic finishes, nail-biting turns of events and game-winning home runs.
One of the most famous World Series highlights occurred in 1988 when Kirk Gibson hit a two-out, bases loaded home run off Dennis Eckersley to win Game 1 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was the first time an underdog team won a World Series and one of the biggest upsets in baseball history.
In Game 4, the Yankees’ Don Larsen threw the first perfect game in World Series history, retiring 27 batters including five future Hall of Famers. He was only able to pitch five innings due to a blown save, but he gave his team a chance to come back from a 5-0 deficit against the Dodgers.
The Series also featured a Game 6 meltdown by the Boston Red Sox that is a part of baseball lore as the Curse of the Bambino superstition. The Red Sox had a three-game lead and were just one strike away from winning the Series, but they ultimately lost in a ninth inning collapse, with the New York Mets tying the game and then winning it on a Bob Stanley wild pitch.
The Series also saw some of the most dominating pitching performances in Series history, with four pitchers combining on a no-hitter in Game 4 and Jack Morris delivering a dominant performance that won him Game 1 and a no-decision in Game 4. In addition to the great pitching, the World Series has been a stage for many notable milestones.