Two Words: World Series
Two words are on the minds of a lot of baseball fans right now: World Series. We will find out soon who will be in the Fall Classic, but let’s look at four teams that had the best record and won it all.
Warning: This is my opinion. If you have a different team in mind that I did not include, please feel free to write in the comments below. This is your only warning.
1975 Reds: This team had a lot of things going for it. The start of the Big Red Machine under Sparky Anderson and The Great Eight was born here. Joe Morgan had one of the best seasons by a second baseman ever, winning an MVP and helping the Reds steamroll the NL West. The pitching staff was something else to see; led by Gary Nolan and anchored by Don Gullett and Fred Norman, with closer Rawly Eastwick and fireman Pedro Borbon shutting the game down, I wish someone luck dealing with these monsters. When you clinch a playoff spot on September 7, you know that you’re doing something right. The date is the earliest day in a 162 game season to clinch a spot. Cincinnati also had the second best home record of all-time that year, going 64-17 at home in 1975. The best home record in the modern era belongs to the 1961 Yankees, who went 65-16. The lineup is often regarded as a significant challenge to the famed “Murderer’s Row” of the 1927 Yankees. They swept Pittsburgh for their first flag since 1961 and then won their first World Series since 1940. Cincinnati would then steamroll the league again the next season, winning the World Series again and having Joe Morgan get even better. Our next team is known for having a roaring time in the postseason.
1984 Tigers: A true dark horse for one of the best teams of all time, Sparky Anderson helped lead this team to their first title since 1968. Key additions in the offseason, especially of Darrell Evans and Cy Young and MVP winner (and former Phillie) Willie Hernandez, the Tigers literally roared to a 35-5 start, one of the best starts of all time. Offensively led by Lance Parrish and Kirk Gibson, this team led the AL in homers and walks. Sparky knew what he was doing with this team. The pitching of Hall of Famer Jack Morris, combined with Dan Petry and Milt Wiltcox, led to a dominant pitching staff. Toss in Willie Hernandez’s impressive statistic of allowing only 96 hits in 140 ⅓ innings, and you have a dominant closer. The club itself had a bunch of likable characters, including Darrell Evans, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell, Chet Lemon, and Marty Castillo. Each contributed their equal part in a sweep of the Royals in the LCS and a five game spectacle against the Padres. This team also had the fifth highest win percentage in franchise history, and should be remembered for a long time to come. Next up, a team that holds the record for most wins combined in the regular and post-seasons.
1998 Yankees: This team…just wow. The 1998 Yankees finished 114-48, which was the record for most wins in a season until 2001’s Mariners. The team just knew how to hit. Key acquisitions like Scott Brosius and a late season signing of Alfonso Soriano, with the combined might of “The Core Four” made this team unforgettable. The Yankees restarted their dynasty here, winning their first of three consecutive World Series to cap off the 20th century. Derek Jeter in his prime, combined with the hitting prowess of Bernie Williams and veteran influence with Darryl Strawberry and Tim Raines helped lead this team to just annihilate the competition. The team itself was great in terms of hitting: Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Tino Martinez would contribute to this explosion with the third best average in all the majors. Their rotation was mediocre at best: El Duque Orlando Hernandez had the lowest ERA and Andy Petitte had a 4.24 ERA. The one-two punch of David Cone and David Wells would help somewhat, but their starting pitching was the fifth best in all the majors and far above the league average. They also had a +309 run differential, the best in history until the 2022 Dodgers acquired a +329 run differential. The team easily won the AL East, swept the Rangers in the LDS, and fought an Indians team to six games before going back to the Fall Classic, sweeping the NL West winning Padres. Our last team is the last wire-to-wire champion that many forget about.
2005 White Sox: Everyone forgets that this team won the World Series. The White Sox were able to win a very weak AL Central with the powers of Mark Buherle, Paul Konerko, and a team that used small-ball in the mid 2000s. This was their first flag since 1917, way back in the day of Shoeless Joe jackson. The team itself was something fun to watch: the team won their first game and would hold on to lead the division for the whole season. The hitting corps of Konerko, Rowand, and Pierzysnki helped the Sox to their crown. The pitching was no slouch either: Buehrle, Jon Garland, and Orlando Hernandez helped the club, and Dustin Hermanson and Bobby Jenks helped shut games down. In the postseason, they swept Boston and won in five against the Angels before sweeping the Astros. Fun fact about this postseason- they made 1 pitching substitutions during the ALCS and their starters pitched 43.5 out of the 45 innings pitched in the games.
Article submitted by Top Fan Rivalry contributor, David Hummel