The 2024 MLB World Series holds historic promise. A duo of MVP favorites in Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani headline the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees series.
It could very well come down to whose pitching staff can get hot the quickest, as series between two power-hitting teams almost always do. But the 120th annual championship for baseball rests on all 119 that came before it.
Here’s a look back at some of the best to ever do it on the mound under the bright lights of the Fall Classic. Check out Heavy’s 11 greatest:
11. Christy Mathewson (New York Giants)
GettyNew York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson in the follow through of a pitch.
– National Baseball Hall of Fame (1936)
– 5-time ERA Title
– 2-time Triple Crown
– 1905 World Series Champion
Christy Mathewson is one of the founding fathers of big moments in baseball. His performance in the 1905 World Series is often remembered among the greatest ever. Mathewson threw three shutouts (and allowed only one walk) in the 1905 championship: Game 1, Game 3, and Game 5. Behind his third shutout in Game 5, the New York Giants clinched a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. Mathewson solidified his place on the postseason pyramid of pitcher performances in his first-ever appearance in the World Series.
10. Don Larsen (New York Yankees)
GettyNew York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen.
– 2-time World Series Champion (1956, 1958)
– 1956 World Series MVP
You don’t pitch the only perfect game in World Series history and not end up on a list remembering the best to ever do it in October. Don Larsen isn’t a Hall of Famer, but he’s one of one players to ever accomplish the most impressive feat in baseball: 97 pitches is all it took for him to win Game 5 in 1956, shutting out the Brooklyn Dodgers. New York went on to beat Brooklyn in seven games, in part because of Larsen’s perfect performance in Game 5. He finished his 14-year career with a 2.75 ERA over five World Series appearances, but no game better than the only perfect one ever.
9. Lew Burdette (Milwaukee Braves)
Wikimedia CommonsLew Burdette in an image from Baseball Digest in May 1954.
– 3-time All-Star
– 1956 ERA Title
– 1957 World Series Champion
– 1957 World Series MVP
One year after Don Larsen’s perfect game, Lew Burdette squared off against the Yankees‘ newly famous pitcher in Game 7 of the 1957 World Series. He delivered a shutout, allowing just seven hits in nine innings. And that’s after pitching for a win in Game 2, and throwing a shutout in his previous appearance in Game 5. Burdette, who won three games of that 1957 series, helped deliver the first Milwaukee Braves title and the team’s only title while based in Wisconsin.
8. Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers)
GettyLos Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax.
– National Baseball Hall of Fame (1972)
– 7-time All-Star
– 5-time ERA Title
– 4-time World Series Champion
– 3-time Cy Young winner
– 3-time Triple Crown
– 2-time World Series MVP
– 1963 NL MVP
You don’t talk about October baseball without mentioning Sandy Koufax. His performance in the 1965 World Series remains an outlier in sports storybooks. Koufax sat out Game 1 in observance of Yom Kippur. When he returned for Game 2, he disappointed, allowing two runs in a loss for the Dodgers. Koufax turned it around in Games 5 and 7, doing a complete 180 on the Minnesota Twins. He pitched two shutouts, and the second came on 132 pitches. That’s a game that stands the test of time. And so does Koufax’s legacy.
7. Bob Gibson (St. Louis Cardinals)
Wikimedia CommonsBob Gibson, circa 1962.
– National Baseball Hall of Fame (1981)
– 9-time Gold Glove recipient
– 9-time All-Star
– 2-time Cy Young Winner
– 2-time World Series Champion (1964, 1967)
– 2-time World Series MVP (1964, 1967)
After leading the St. Louis Cardinals to their 1964 World Series victory, Bob Gibson had to wait three years before getting another shot at a championship. But when the opportunity came in 1967, he looked better than he did in his first World Series appearance. Gibson allowed 14 hits to the Boston Red Sox over 3 starts and 27 innings pitched. That’s good for a 1.00 ERA, and doesn’t mention his home run off of reigning Cy Young winner Jim Lonborg in Game 7, either.
6. Jack Billingham (Cincinnati Reds)
Wikimedia CommonsJack Billingham.
– 2-time World Series Champion (1975, 1976)
– 1973 All-Star
Jack Billingham‘s place amongst the best World Series performers isn’t consensus. His name is most often associated with allowing Hank Aaron‘s 714th career home run in 1974. But elsewhere, Billingham is one of the World Series’ elite. His 0.32 career ERA over three championship appearances is the best mark of all time. Billingham’s first World Series appearance produced 13.2 innings and not one earned run. He pitched 11.2 innings over he Cincinnati Reds‘ title series in 1975 and 1976.
5. Jack Morris (Minnesota Twins)
GettyJack Morris pitching for the Minnesota Twins during the 1991 World Series.
– National Baseball Hall of Fame (2018)
– 5-time All-Star
– 3-time World Series Champion (1984, 1991, 1992)
– 1991 World Series MVP
Jack Morris appeared in and won three World Series with three different teams over his 18-year career. He’s credited as winning one of them almost single handedly, in 1991. Pitching for the Minnesota Twins, Morris threw 10 innings of scoreless baseball in Game 7 to lift his team over the Atlanta Braves. It’s one of the most impressive single-game performances in World Series history, and was his second win out of three appearances in the series.
4. Randy Johnson (Arizona Diamondbacks)
GettyRandy Johnson during the 2001 World Series.
– National Baseball Hall of Fame (2015)
– 10-time All-Star
– 5-time Cy Young winner
– 4-time ERA title
– 2002 Triple Crown
– 2001 World Series Champion
– 2001 World Series MVP
Randy Johnson‘s place as one of the best pitchers ever is largely undisputed. But his performance in the 2001 World Series deserves a separate recognition of its own. Johnson started and won both Game 2 and Game 6, before pitching 1.1 innings of relief in Game 7. Johnson’s heroics helped the Arizona Diamondbacks complete the upset over the Yankees. As of 2024, he’s the only pitcher since Mickey Lolich in 1968 to win three games in a World Series.
3. Josh Beckett (Florida Marlins)
GettyJosh Beckett pitching during Game Six of the 2003 World Series.
– 3-time All-Star
– 2003 World Series MVP
– 2007 ALCS MVP
– 2-time World Series Champion (2003, 2007)
The Marlins‘ last World Series came in 2003, before they moved to Miami. Josh Beckett, in just his third year in MLB, helped deliver it, before going on to be a force with the Dodgers and Red Sox. On the road at Yankee Stadium in a pivotal Game 6, he threw a full nine innings of shutout baseball to lift the Marlins over New York. Beckett’s performance earned him World Series MVP, and the confidence to go on and win another championship with Boston in 2007.
2. Mariano Rivera (New York Yankees)
GettyNew York Yankees great Mariano Rivera.
– National Baseball Hall of Fame (2019)
– 13-time All-Star
– 5-time World Series Champion
– 1999 World Series MVP
Similar to Don Larsen’s place on this list, Mariano Rivera earns a mention based on the niche of his postseason success. The longtime relief pitcher recorded 11 saves over seven-career World Series appearances, the most all-time. Rivera earned 1999 World Series MVP honors by tossing two saves in three appearances against the Braves, and allowing zero earned runs along the way. He’d go on to win two more World Series with the Yankees, with the last coming 20 years later at the age of 39.
1. Madison Bumgarner (San Francisco Giants)
GettyMadison Bumgarner celebrating the 2014 World Series win with the San Francisco Giants.
– 4-time All-Star
– 3-time World Series Champion
– 2-time Silver Slugger
– 2014 NLCS MVP
– 2014 World Series MVP
Madison Bumgarner‘s performance in the 2014 World Series was the first of it’s kind in some time. After throwing 106 pitches in seven innings of a Game 1 win, he delivered baseball’s first World Series shutout in over a decade in Game 5. Bumgarner returned for Game 7 in relief, throwing five innings. He earned the save, and helped clinch the championship for the San Francisco Giants.
20 years later, fans are still waiting for the next pitcher to etch their name into storybooks alongside these 11. Maybe it will be Ohtani. Just not this year. Game 1 between the Dodgers and Yankees is scheduled for October 25. First pitch is at 8:08 pm Eastern time.
Who’d we miss MLB fans? Sound off in the comments!
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