Dodgers History: Ranking the Dodgers’ World Series Crowns

LOS ANGELES — Of course, anytime the Dodgers win the World Series is cause for celebration. It’s a vindication of years of hard work and dedication for the players, coaching staff, and front office. And this year, there’s been a lot of talk about 2025 being the “best World Series” ever. Which led us at DodgersBeat to start thinking. Was it, though? The Dodgers have now won the World Series nine times, each one is a great moment, but which one offered fans the best baseball, or at least the best memories. Well, let’s make an attempt at making a list of the top World Series wins in Dodgers’ team history.

9. 2024 — Dodgers defeat Yankees 4 games to 1

Yes, it was great to win, and yes it was great to get the “Mickey Mouse Winner” label from 2020 off our backs, but as far as a competive series goes, this wasn’t it. After Freddie Freeman‘s home run in Game 1, epic as it was, the Dodgers basically rolled over the Yankees, taking advantage of the weaknesses in their opponents’ defense. The big comeback in Game 5 to seal the deal was cool, but it was caused more by THE WORST INNING IN HISTORY from the Yankees defense rather than a fierce comeback by your Dodgers. And even if the Yankees had won that game, it felt like the Dodgers were too much for them. Kudos to Dave Roberts, though, for cobbling together a pitching staff that somehow got four wins. It was a great win, but was it a great series? Not so much.

8. 1959 — Dodgers defeat White Sox 4 games to 2

This one was cool because it was the first Dodger win in Los Angeles, and only the second in franchise history. This is in the infancy of the Dodger dynasty that would come into full fruition in the 1960s. After getting smoked 11-0 in the opener with Larry Craig on the mound in Chicago, the Dodgers got off the mat and won the next three games, with Johnny Podres, Don Drysdale, and eventual series MVP Larry Sherry getting the wins. Oddly enough, the only game the Dodgers lost was the one pitched by 23-year-old Sandy Koufax, hard luck winner in a 1-0 loss in Game 5. The lone run was scored coming in the back door on an early double play. Interesting to note that this was the only time the World Series was played in the Coliseum and not at Dodger Stadium, and as such it got the largest crowds (over 90,000) ever to watch a Dodger World Series game.

7. 2020 Dodgers defeat Rays 4 games to 2

This one is a weird one that I’m still not sure if I’m ranking it correctly. It was a good World Series, for sure, but I’m ranking it a little higher than 2024 and 1959 because it broke such a long drought. It had been 32 years since the champagne had flowed in the Dodgers’ locker room on the final game of the year. That’s got to be worth something, right? However, there is some truth to the “Mickey Mouse” claims that were thrown at it, and it was a drag that none of the games were even played at Dodger Stadium and a very limited number of fans got to enjoy the victory. Damn pandemic. Still, the 2020 Dodgers were a juggernaut, blowing through the competition in the shortened season. I only wish there had been a full 162 to see what this team could have accomplished over the long haul. Oh well. We’ll take it, I guess.

6. 1981 — Dodgers defeat Yankees 4 games to 2

This one is another strange one because it came in the strike-shortened 1981 season, and its significance has to be in what it wasn’t, rather than what it was. Finally, the Dodgers were able to get over the hump against the hated Yankees, whom the great Lopes/Russell/Garvey/Cey teams had faced in two previous World Series, losing in both 1977 and 1978. And it looked for a while like 1981 would go in the same direction, as the Dodgers dropped the first two to the Bombers in Yankee Stadium. However, the tide turned when the series shifted to Los Angeles, and the Dodgers got three straight one-run victories. The disheartened Yanks didn’t really show up for game six, losing back in New York in a 9-2 rout. This was the series with the three MVPs (Cey, Yeager, Guerrero), and it was nice that finally the great Dodger teams of the 1970s had reached the mountaintop.

5. 1988 — Dodgers defeat A’s 4 games to 1

This one certainly contained one of the great moments in World Series history when Kirk Gibson hobbled up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth in Game 1. And it’s also probably the biggest upset of the bunch, as the Bash Brother Athletics were heavily favored over the Dodgers and their underwhelming lineup. But they didn’t count on Gibby’s homer, or Orel Hershiser’s dominance. The only reason I don’t rank it higher is that the Dodgers pretty much coasted to the win after the blow that Gibson’s blast delivered to the A’s self-confidence. This was the second and final World Series title of a Tommy Lasorda managed team. A great series, but I think there are a few that are better.

4. 1963: Dodgers defeat Yankees 4 games to 0

Crushing the Yankees is always fun in my book. Yes, it was a sweep, but I rank this one a little higher than I might because it represents the apex of the Dodgers teams of the 1960s. Sandy Koufax, coming off a regular season in which he dominated with a 1.88 ERA, pitched two complete games as the Dodgers coasted to an easy series victory against the overmatched Yankees. Stingy Dodger pitching gave up just four runs in four games. The last two games of the series were nailbiters, though: Game 3 a 1-0 shutout pitched by Don Drysdale, and Game 4 a 2-1 squeaker thrown by series MVP Koufax. Great series, great win. And wow, that rotation!

3. 1965 Dodgers defeat Twins 4 games to 3

There are three seven-game World Series in the Dodgers’ team history, so just from a competitive standpoint, they’re going to be my top three. 1965 was sort of the last hurrah for the Dodgers teams of the 1960s. They would make the Fall Classic again in 1966, but would get swept by the Orioles in that year. The reason I rank this one the lowest of the 4-3 wins is that none of the games was particularly close until Game 7. The Twins won the first two games in Minnesota, then the Dodgers got the next three back at Chavez Ravine. The Twins came back with a 5-1 win in Game 6 to force a decisive final game. And this became Sandy Koufax’s final World Series win: a 2-0 shutout of the Twins, outdueling Jim Kaat to lead the Dodgers to their final World Series crown in the 1960s. It would be nearly 20 years until they would taste victory again.

2. 1955: Dodgers defeat Yankees 4 games to 3

You never forget your first. After decades of frustration, “Dem Bums” finally broke through in 1955 in a crosstown series for the ages. Going into the series, the Brooklyn Dodgers had lost to the Yankees in five straight meetings in the Fall Classic, leading many in the borough to wonder if the Dodgers would ever vanquish their rivals in the Bronx. The Yanks won two in a row in Yankee Stadium to start the series, so it looked like another October of futility. However, Brooklyn bounced back when the series returned to Ebbets Field to win three in a row. Back in the Bronx, the Yankees won Game 6, and all of Brooklyn held its breath. However, once again, the Dodgers leaned heavily on their starting pitching. This time, it was Johnny Podres who pitched the Boys in Blue to victory. He scattered eight hits over his nine innings of work and the Dodgers made a couple of tin soldiers hold up as they FINALLY found their way to the promised land with a 2-0 win. Their first World Series win ever! After seven decades of near-misses and futility. And it was the one and only win for the “Brooklyn” Dodgers. Hooray! Sorry about that whole “moving to LA” thing, Brooklyn fans. Take it up with the O’Malleys.

1. 2025: Dodgers defeat Blue Jays 4 games to 3

This might be recency bias, but I don’t think so. What we just witnessed was an awesome Fall Classic. It might not just be the best Dodger World Series. It might be the best World Series of all time. So many amazing moments, good and bad. From the sucker punch to the high-flying Dodgers in Game 1, to Yama’s complete game in Game 2, to the 18-inning marathon with the Freddie walkoff in Game 3, to the utter despair of the lethargic losses in Games 4 and 5. And finally, the gutsy and quite frankly insane final two games in Toronto, games in which on numerous occasions, even the most loyal of Dodger fans were tempted to give up hope. Toss in the epic ending in Game 7, and you have the makings of an instant classic. I was lucky to be in attendance for Game 3. It’s a memory I will keep forever. And like all Dodger fans, I can’t wait to see what this team has in store for us next.

Conclusion

So there’s my list. I tried not to give preference to the ones I’ve seen, but to consider each in the historical framework of Dodgers history. What do you think? Did I get it right? Or did I completely blow it? Let me know!

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