The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are set to face off in the 2024 World Series. It is a battle between two of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball history and will feature a number of big-name stars.
The Texas Rangers won their first World Series in 2023. / Rob Schumacher/Arizona Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Given that this World Series has features two teams that have won a number of championships, what follows is a look at which franchises have won the most World Series titles.
Which MLB Team Has Won the Most World Series Titles?
The New York Yankees have won the most World Series titles with 27, and they have held a lead over other franchises for decades. Though the Yankees didn't always lead the way.
The World Series was first played in 1903 as the Boston Americans (who eventually became the Red Sox) beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the early years of the series, the Chicago Cubs, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Athletics were frequent competitors. Even the Boston Red Sox won a handful in the late 1910s.
The Yankees reached their first World series in 1921 and won their first title in 1923. They rapidly became a steamroller.
Full List of MLB Teams with the Most World Series Wins
The Yankees lead the way with 27 World Series wins, far outpacing any other team in MLB history. The St. Louis Cardinals are second with 11 titles, the Boston Red Sox (formerly the Americans) and Oakland Athletics (who previously played in Philadelphia and Kansas City) both have nine and the San Francisco Giants (who formerly played in New York) boast eight championships.
The Dodgers have won seven championships during their history, which includes time in Brooklyn and will look to add an eighth in 2024.
The New York Yankees: The Most Successful Franchise in MLB History
The Yankees are, by far, the most successful franchise in baseball history. They have won 27 World Series titles and have done it across multiple generations.
Their dominance of the sport began in the 1920s and never really stopped until a World Series drought between 1978 and 1996.
With Babe Ruth anchoring the team, the Yankees won four World Series titles from 1923 through 1932. Without Ruth, they kept on rolling winning four consecutive World Series from 1936 through 1939 while led by Lou Gehrig and a young Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio would lead the Yankees to nine World Series titles during his career.
Mickey Mantle picked up where DiMaggio left off and was the cornerstone of seven World Series wins from 1951 through 1962.
In 1977 and 1978, Reggie Jackson led the way to two titles before New York's longest drought occurred.
The franchise picked things back up in the late 90s and 2000s. With Derek Jeter at shortstop, the Yankees won five championships from 1996 through 2009, including three in a row in 1998, 1998 and 2000.
St. Louis Cardinals: The National League’s Winningest Team
The Cardinals have taken home 11 championships in their history and have spread those titles across a number of eras. They won the World Series in 1926, then followed that up with titles in 1931 and 1934.
Stan Musial arrived on the scene and led the Cardinals to three championships in 1942, 1944 and 1946. Bob Gibson and Lou Brock were the stars of two Cardinals champions in 1964 and 1967.
After another title in 1982, manager Tony LaRussa guided the Cardinals to championships in 2006 and 2011.
Boston Red Sox: From Curse to Dynasty
The Boston Red Sox were an early MLB powerhouse then fell out of favor with the baseball gods. Trading away Babe Ruth on December 26, 1919 triggered "Curse of the Bambino" that would haunt the franchise for generations.
The Red Sox, as the Boston Americans, won baseball's first World Series in 1903. As the Red Sox, they won again in 1912. With Ruth on the roster they won again in 1915, 1916 and 1918. That's five championships in a relatively short amount of time. They didn't win another for 86 years.
After several close calls over the years, the Red Sox finally broke through in 2004 for their first championship in more than eight decades. Then they didn't stop winning. Boston followed that up with championships in 2007, 2013 and 2018.
