The 5 Most Unlikely World Series Winners in History

There are plenty of years when the preseason favorite ends up hoisting the World Series trophy. But baseball is nothing if not unpredictable. And there are many years when an unlikely team stuns everyone by taking home the title. As this year's MLB playoffs draw closer, here's a look at the five most unlikely World Series winners in history. Number one, The 1914 Braves were 15 games out of first place in July. They were toast, written off by everyone in the baseball world. But then they caught fire. The Braves, behind future Hall of Famers Rabbit Maronville and Johnny Evers, went on an astonishing 68-19 tear to storm into first place and win the National League by 10 games. Still, no one gave them a chance in the World Series against Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. Stars like Eddie Collins, home run Baker, and Eddie Plank had powered the A's to 99 wins and first place in the American League. But the Braves just kept winning. With 20,000 people watching inside Philadelphia's Chi Park and more watching from rooftops across the street, the Braves won the first two games of the series. Back in Boston, the Braves completed the sweep by another two games at Fenway Park, completing their turnaround and claiming the franchise's first World Series title. Number two, the 1954 New York Giants. 40 years after the Braves shocked Connie Mack's Athletics, the 1954 Giants pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever. The Giants had a talented team. They won 97 games to take the National League pennant. Maybe you've heard of their center fielder, a kid named Mays? But they were facing off against a Cleveland Indians team that had won a record 111 regular season games. Game one set the tone. In the eighth inning, with two on and nobody out in a 2-2 game, Cleveland's Vic Works sent a fly ball to deep center. Willie Mays sprinted after the ball, his back to the infield, and he made a miraculous catch. He even returned the ball to the infield quickly enough to keep the runners from advancing. In the bottom of the 12th inning, New York's Dusty Rhodes hit a 258-foot home run to the short right field corner at the Polo Grounds, walking off the Indians. And the Giants went on to sweep the heavily favored team from Cleveland in four games. Right on curveball, he's swung on and popped down the first baseline, hung tough, he comes open, fouls first, he grabs the ball, and the Giants are the World Champions of 1954. That's it, it's all over. Number three, the 1969 New York Mets. The New York Mets had spent most of the 60s as a punchline, a lovable band of losers. But in 1969, against all odds, they surged past the heavily favored Chicago Cubs to win the new National League East. Few thought they stood a chance in the World Series against the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles, winners of 109 games. But the Mets' young arms, timely hits, and sheer belief carried them forward. They stunned Baltimore in five games, earning the name that still sticks, the Miracle Mets. Number four, the 1991 Minnesota Twins. By 1990, the Twins were basement dwellers, finishing dead last in the American League West. Nobody expected them to rise so quickly. But in 1991, led by Kirby Puckett's bat and Jack Morris' arm, they clawed their way into the postseason. The World Series matchup with the Atlanta Braves produced one of the greatest fall classics ever. You may have seen the highlights. In game six, Kirby Puckett hits a walk-off home run to avoid elimination. And then in game seven, Jack Morris tosses 10 shutout innings as the Twins complete their worst-to-first turnaround. The Twins are gonna win the World Series! The Twins have won it! Number five, the 2023 Texas Rangers. The Rangers opened 2023 with 50-1 odds to win it all. Just two years earlier, they'd lost 102 games. And they weren't even division champs. They crumbled in September, slipping into the postseason as a wild card. But behind Bruce Bochy's steady hand, Corey Seager's MVP bat, and a fearless postseason run that saw them win road game after road game, they shocked the American League. Then in the World Series, they took on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Seager and Adalis Garcia pounded clutch home runs late in game one. And then, the Rangers finished off their first-ever World Series title by winning game five in Phoenix. Two balls, two strikes. Spores, kicks, and fires. He struck him out looking! It's over! It's over! The Rangers have won the World Series! Ranger fans, you're not dreaming! 11 wins on the road, countless late-game heroics, and one of the most improbable titles ever. That's five different eras, five different franchises, and five stories that seemed impossible until they weren't. The Braves, Giants, Mets, Twins, and Rangers remind all of us why we watch. In baseball, the underdog always has a chance to win, and fans never know when they might see something incredible.