THE RAFTERS — MLB: The World Series Roll, 1903–2025

8StarSports reference foundation pack. Commissioned by Jason S. Jackson, 2026-10-19. Verification trail: mlb-sources-and-notes.md.

Scope. The complete modern World Series roll: every Series played from 1903 through the most recent completed Series, 2025. The 2026 World Series had not been played as of this writing (October 19, 2026 — the League Championship Series were still in progress), so the roll ends at 2025. Total: 121 Series contested (123 calendar years, minus 1904 and 1994, when no Series was held — both gaps are printed in the roll, not skipped). League split of titles through 2025: American League 68, National League 53.

Format notes. "Games" is the Series score in games won (winner–loser). A best-of-nine format was used in 1903 and 1919–1921; those scores can exceed 4 (e.g., 5–3). Three Series included a tie game (1907, 1912, 1922) — flagged in the roll. The World Series MVP award exists only from 1955; the column is blank before that by design, not by omission. 1981 had three co-MVPs and 2001 two — both printed in full. One MVP (1960) played for the losing team — flagged.

The Roll

\* One game ended in a tie (1907 Game 1; 1912 Game 2; 1922 Game 2), so games played exceed games won/lost. † Bobby Richardson (1960) is the only World Series MVP from the losing team. MVP totals check: 1955–2025 spans 71 years, 70 Series played (no 1994 Series), 68 single-MVP editions + 3 co-MVPs in 1981 + 2 in 2001 = 73 MVP awards.

Franchise Championship Totals (modern era, 1903–2025)

Basis: modern World Series only (1903–present), credited to the franchise across all its cities and names (e.g., the Dodgers' total spans Brooklyn and Los Angeles; the Athletics' spans Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland). Source: MLB.com figures as published in Wikipedia's franchise table; independently summed from the roll above — the win column totals exactly 121.

Note: the current Wikipedia franchise table carries an anomalous Brewers row ("0 wins, 2 played, last played 2026"). The Brewers' only World Series appearance is 1982; the corrected 0–1 line above follows Baseball Almanac and the roll itself. See the sources file.

Before 1903: The 19th-Century Championship Series (separate, not part of the modern roll)

MLB does not recognize the 19th-century series as part of World Series history; they are printed here, clearly separated, for completeness. From 1884 to 1890 the NL and AA champions met in loosely organized "World's Championship Series" exhibitions of varying lengths (3 to 15 games).

NL vs. AA championship series

• 1884 — Providence Grays (NL) def. New York Metropolitans (AA), 3–0
• 1885 — St. Louis Browns (AA) vs. Chicago White Stockings (NL): tied 3–3–1 (one game forfeited/disputed)
• 1886 — St. Louis Browns (AA) def. Chicago White Stockings (NL), 4–2 — the AA's only outright win
• 1887 — Detroit Wolverines (NL) def. St. Louis Browns (AA), 10–5 (15-game traveling series)
• 1888 — New York Giants (NL) def. St. Louis Browns (AA) (series score not printed — see sources file)
• 1889 — New York Giants (NL) def. Brooklyn Bridegrooms (AA) (series score not printed — see sources file)
• 1890 — Brooklyn Bridegrooms (NL) vs. Louisville Colonels (AA): tied 3–3–1

The monopoly years (NL only)

• 1892 — Split-season championship playoff: Boston Beaneaters def. Cleveland Spiders (league-internal; not an interleague series).
• Temple Cup (1894–1897) — best-of-seven between the NL's first- and second-place clubs:
• 1894 — New York Giants def. Baltimore Orioles, 4–0
• 1895 — Cleveland Spiders def. Baltimore Orioles, 4–1
• 1896 — Baltimore Orioles def. Cleveland Spiders, 4–0
• 1897 — Baltimore Orioles def. Boston Beaneaters, 4–1
• Chronicle-Telegraph Cup (1900) — Brooklyn Superbas def. Pittsburgh Pirates (one-off NL championship series; series score not printed — see sources file).

No championship series were played in 1901 or 1902 (AL–NL war); the modern Series begins in 1903.