What It Takes to Win the World Series

We don’t mean to frighten you, Cubs fans. But look around this page. You’ll see that just four of the last 25 World Series champs had the best regular-season record, as Chicago did this year. Meanwhile, the Cubs lack two recent predictors of success: age and home-field advantage in the Fall Classic. The Boston Red Sox, meanwhile, could have both if they reach the series. Not by chance does this chart resemble a roulette wheel.

[The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.]

In the past 40 years, most champions had older-than-average players and home-field advantage

Before playoffs began, in 1969, the winner of each league’s pennant advanced to the World Series

WORLD SERIES WINNERS

1903 BOS AMERICANS

’05 NY GIANTS

’06 CHI WHITE SOX

’07 CHI CUBS

’08

’09 PIT PIRATES

’10 PHILA ATHLETICS

’11

’12 BOS RED SOX

’13 PHILA ATHLETICS

’14 BOS BRAVES

’15 BOS RED SOX

’16

’17 CHI WHITE SOX

’18 BOS RED SOX

’19 CIN REDS

’20 CLE INDIANS

’21 NY GIANTS

’22

’23 NY YANKEES

’24 WASH SENATORS

’25 PIT PIRATES

’26 SL CARDINALS

’27 NY YANKEES

’28

’29 PHILA ATHLETICS

’30

’31 SL CARDINALS

’32 NY YANKEES

’33 NY GIANTS

’34 SL CARDINALS

’35 DET TIGERS

’36 NY YANKEES

’37

’38

’39

’40 CIN REDS

’41 NY YANKEES

’42 SL CARDINALS

’43 NY YANKEES

’44 SL CARDINALS

’45 DET TIGERS

’46 SL CARDINALS

’47 NY YANKEES

’48 CLE INDIANS

’49 NY YANKEES

’50

’51

’52

’53

’54 NY GIANTS

’55 BKLN DODGERS

’56 NY YANKEES

’57 MIL BRAVES

’58 NY YANKEES

’59 LA DODGERS

’60 PIT PIRATES

’61 NY YANKEES

’62

’63 LA DODGERS

’64 SL CARDINALS

’65 LA DODGERS

’66 BALT ORIOLES

’67 SL CARDINALS

’68 DET TIGERS

’69 NY METS

’70 BALT ORIOLES

’71 PIT PIRATES

’72 OAK ATHLETICS

’73

’74

’75 CIN REDS

’76

’77 NY YANKEES

’78

’79 PIT PIRATES

’80 PHILA PHILLIES

’81 LA DODGERS

’82 SL CARDINALS

’83 BALT ORIOLES

’84 DET TIGERS

’85 KC ROYALS

’86 NY METS

’87 MIN TWINS

’88 LA DODGERS

’89 OAK ATHLETICS

’90 CIN REDS

’91 MIN TWINS

’92 TOR BLUE JAYS

’93

’95 ATL BRAVES

’96 NY YANKEES

’97 FL MARLINS

’98 NY YANKEES

’99

2000

’01 AZ DIAMONDBACKS

’02 ANA ANGELS

’03 FL MARLINS

’04 BOS RED SOX

’05 CHI WHITE SOX

’06 SL CARDINALS

’07 BOS RED SOX

’08 PHILA PHILLIES

’09 NY YANKEES

’10 SF GIANTS

’11 SL CARDINALS

’12 SF GIANTS

’13 BOS RED SOX

’14 SF GIANTS

’15 KC ROYALS

? 2016

Best record in MLB

Best team ERA in league

Best batting average in league

Highest-paid player in MLB

Home-field advantage in series

Team’s players are older than MLB average