The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are gearing up for another World Series showdown, marking their 12th clash in this historic rivalry.
This year’s series will feature some of baseball’s biggest names like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Mookie Betts. As they prepare to face off at Dodger Stadium on Friday, let’s take a trip down memory lane to explore the most frequent World Series matchups.
Historic World Series Clashes
Yankees vs. Dodgers
These teams have met 12 times (including 2024), with the Yankees leading 8-3. Their first encounter was in 1941 when the Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers. Notable moments include Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956 and Reggie Jackson’s three home runs in a single game during the 1977 series. The last time they met was in 1981 when the Dodgers came back from a two-game deficit to win four straight games.
Yankees vs. Giants
The Yankees and Giants have squared off seven times, with New York winning five of those series. Their rivalry began as a Subway Series at the Polo Grounds in 1921, where fans witnessed Bobby Thompson’s legendary "Shot Heard ‘Round the World" during their final matchup before the Giants moved west.
Yankees vs. Cardinals
The Cardinals have faced the Yankees five times and hold a slight edge with three wins to two losses. In their first meeting in 1926, Babe Ruth famously promised—and delivered—a home run for a sick child by hitting three homers that day! The Cardinals’ victory in 1964 led to Yogi Berra being fired as Yankees manager.
Fans might be thrilled about these classic rivalries coming back into focus!
Tigers vs. Cubs
Without any Yankee involvement here, Detroit and Chicago have battled four times with an even split of victories. Their first meeting was back in 1907 when Ty Cobb couldn’t stop Chicago from sweeping his team away! The infamous Curse of the Billy Goat also began during their last encounter in ’45 after Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis got booted out along with his goat.
Athletics vs. Giants
Four meetings between these teams saw Oakland winning three against San Francisco’s one triumph—most recently interrupted by an earthquake before Game Three back then (1989). This quake shook things up but only caused minor damage thanks largely due diligence shown throughout recovery efforts afterward!
Yankees vs Braves
Meeting four times overall; splitting early contests (’57-’58) while later ones (’96-’99) favored NY heavily—sweeping Atlanta twice consecutively under Bob Watson’s management made history too since he became first Black GM ever doing so successfully upon clinching titles therein!
Red Sox vs Cardinals
Boston has faced St Louis four separate occasions tied evenly across board: notable highlights include Ted Williams returning post-war action alongside Enos Slaughter dashing madly past third base coach en route scoring decisive run amidst tight contest held way back then (’46). More recently though (2004), David Ortiz helped end “Curse Bambino” once finally lifting trophy high above heads again after long drought stretching nearly century prior thereto…
What do you think about these epic battles? Which one is your favorite?
