For any sports fan, the build toward his or her sport’s respective championship is something that fuels the deepest competitive desires within us.
Whether it be NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup, the NBA Finals or the NFL Super Bowl, each brings about memories of triumph, defeat and physical sacrifice. Each harkening to a time when men were made from boys and their will was forged from iron. As such, Major League Baseball’s World Series is a monument made in the same image.
The best-of-seven game series we now know as the “Fall Classic” began in 1903. Two-years prior, in 1901, baseball split, creating the American League, as we know it today. This caused a rift between the respective sides, resulting in a fierce feud. In 1903, the two sides compromised, outlining the basis for a two-league, modern baseball organization, in which the best team from each league would face off for a grand championship. Thus, the World Series was born.
The first World Series featured a battle between bitter rivals, the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Still struggling to come to terms with the split leagues, many people continued to view the new system as a mockery of the game. Nonetheless, the series went on as Boston dominated the Pirates and became the first-ever World Series champions.
The modern World Series is the culmination of an exciting Major League Baseball playoff schedule, which usually takes place in the month of October. It has become one of the most enjoyable and profitable sporting events in the world, drawing in viewers and fans from a multitude of countries and continents.
In the annals of baseball history, some of the most prominent players that ever stepped foot on a baseball diamond have been present in the championship series. Cy Young, Honus Wagner, Reggie Jackson, Willie Mays and a host of notable performers became household names, in part, due to the exposure of the World Series and its controversy and spectacular play.
Through 2009, the New York Yankees have appeared in 40 of the 105 played World Series, winning 27 of them. The most decorated team in the history of baseball, the Yankees have also lost more than any other team, with 13 World Series defeats.
The author, D. Benjamin Satkowiak, is a successful entrepreneur and published, freelance author, who has tailored works on various sports, health and fitness topics. He currently serves as a Yahoo! Contributor Network “Featured Contributor” and writes on the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Great Lakes Loons and Notre Dame football.