“When you’re a kid, you just hope you make it to the big leagues. So to get to say you’re going to the World Series, it’s an incredibly special moment. Up there with getting married and having kids, it’s right up there with one of the best days of my life.”
— Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
Four teams remain in the playoffs, fighting their way to this year’s World Series, the 122nd edition of the Fall Classic. Will it be the Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Guardians or Tampa Bay Rays?
The Brewers have reached the World Series only once and have never celebrated in the winner’s circle. The Dodgers have captured nine titles. The Guardians have won only twice, most recently in 1948 with a team led by Bob Feller. Gene Bearden, a former Augusta pitcher, was also on that team. The Rays failed to win the title in their lone appearance, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.
The New York Yankees hold the record for the most championships with 27. The Yankees won five straight titles from 1949 through 1953, winning 20 of 28 games during that run. A roster featuring Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Whitey Ford contributed heavily to manager Casey Stengel’s success. Stengel won eight World Series rings: seven managing the Yankees and one as a player for the New York Giants in 1923. The Giants defeated Babe Ruth’s Yankees in six games. Playing in the newly built Yankee Stadium, Ruth hit three home runs and batted .368 in the series. Stengel hit a game-winning home run in Game 1. Stengel played in three World Series, winning one, and posted a .393 batting average over 12 games — impressive stats for the “Old Professor.”
The year 1903 featured several historic milestones. Henry Ford introduced his first Model A automobile to the world, and Orville Wright defied gravity on the North Carolina coast, flying for 12 seconds. It was also the birth year of Lou Gehrig and crooner/actor Bing Crosby.
The 1903 series, the first of baseball’s modern era, featured legendary performances as the Boston Americans (now the Boston Red Sox) defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in eight games. Scheduled as a nine-game series, it ended after eight. Cy Young, the winningest pitcher in Major League history, won two games for Boston after securing 28 regular-season victories. His teammate Bill Dinneen earned three victories, striking out 28 batters over 35 innings. Dinneen started four games and pitched a complete game in each. Outfielder Chick Stahl led Boston with a .303 batting average, while Buck Freeman drove in four runs.
Pirates outfielder Jimmy Sebring hit the first home run in World Series history and led Pittsburgh with a .333 batting average. Honus Wagner, one of the greatest players in baseball history alongside Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, batted just .222.
More than 100,000 fans watched the eight-game spectacle. At the time, each winning Boston player earned a share of just over $1,100. By comparison, the winning full share for the 2025 champion Dodgers was $484,748, while the runner-up share was $354,118.
The Atlanta Braves put up a strong effort this season, and manager Brian Snitker did a masterful job guiding the team through numerous setbacks. Perhaps next year the Braves can align strong pitching and hitting at the same time.
Who do you like for 2026? It would be gratifying to see Milwaukee win a World Series title. Tampa Bay also seems poised to take home a championship. One thing is certain: In both the playoffs and the World Series, odds are often thrown out the window. Heavy favorites sometimes fall, as the Yankees did in 1960. Or remember the 1969 “Miracle Mets,” who stunned the favored Baltimore Orioles, four games to one. Time will tell.
Lamar Garrard is a native of Augusta, Georgia, and a graduate of Richmond Academy and Georgia Southern University. He developed a passion for baseball history and after meeting and interviewing many former major league players began his writing. He has a permanent exhibit on baseball at the Augusta Museum of History. Email him at rlgarrard@nu-z.net.