The Yankees and the Phillies are going at it this week. I am not a huge baseball fan, at least not on TV, but I’ll admit that I tune in for a few moments to see what’s happening. I discovered a little World Series information that you might use to stump your friends:
- Although the Series began in 1903, two years went by without a World Series: 1904 (when the Pittsburgh Pirates refused to play) and 1994 (when the players’ strike shortened the season).
- There have been 22 ejections in the history of the World Series. Thirteen of them have been a result of arguing with the umpire. No one has been ejected more than Atlanta manager Bobby Cox.
- Each year, the winner and loser of the World Series split a revenue share from the event. In 1903, the Pittsburgh Pirates took home a winner’s share of $1,182. In 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies took home $351,504.48.
- In 1989, as the players were warming up in San Francisco for the third game, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit. The game was postponed for 10 days as disaster relief took place.
- The only non-U.S. team to win a World Series is the Toronto Blue Jays. They did so twice, in 1992 and 1993.
- There have been twenty World Series sweeps in history.
- The American League has won / swept thirteen.
- The National League has won / swept seven.
- Eight of the thirteen American League World Series sweeps were courtesy of the New York Yankees. In the National League only the New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds have had more than one Series sweep.
World Series Highs and Lows:
- The New York Yankees have won 27 World Championships, the most of any team.
- Eight franchises have not won a World Championship. This list includes the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and Seattle Mariners.
- The last World Series title for the Chicago Cubs was in 1908. That’s more than 100 years ago—the longest drought in professional baseball.
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