The 15 Best MLB World Series MVPs

The World Series is the perfect platform for a player to step up and attach his name to baseball folklore. Win a World Series Most Valuable Player Award? Your legacy will be attached to Cooperstown for the rest of time.

Several of baseball’s biggest stars have captured World Series MVP Awards, bolstering their Hall of Fame resumes. Other MVPs have come on a whim, with one moment making their entire career. These 15, however, stand above the others in helping their teams win a ring.

1. Madison Bumgarner (2014)

The San Francisco Giants were on the verge of three championships in five years, and Madison Bumgarner took it upon himself to make it happen. Bumgarner’s 2014 World Series performance is maybe the greatest World Series production ever by a player.

He started two games against the Kansas City Royals, winning both on a 0.43 ERA. That alone may have won him MVP, but as the series went to Game 7, he was called in to pitch on two days’ rest. He proceeded to secure a five-inning save, allowing just one run over 21 innings pitched. The Giants won the series as a result of his heroics.

2. Reggie Jackson (1977)

The 1977 campaign saw Reggie Jackson feud with Yankees ownership and manager Billy Martin, but they came together for serious synergy come the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Yankees took a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 at Yankee Stadium, and that’s where their prized offseason acquisition took over. Jackson teed off on Dodgers pitching for three home runs in Game 6, adding on to the two he hit prior. Jackson hit .450 for the entire series, drove in eight runs, and earned the nickname “Mr. October” for his efforts.

3. Sandy Koufax (1965)

Sandy Koufax is the gold standard for pitching greatness in the postseason, and he delivered in a big way in the World Series for the 1965 Dodgers.

Koufax actually got the ball in Game 2 and got shelled by the Minnesota Twins, as Los Angeles fell down in the series, 2-0. The Dodgers would rebound, and so would Koufax. He would pitch a shutout in Game 5, then get the ball on two days’ rest in Game 7 and throw another shutout. He was named MVP after finishing the series with a 0.38 ERA.

4. Randy Johnson (2001)

The 2001 World Series is one of the most memorable series in baseball history, as the Arizona Diamondbacks slayed the dynasty Yankees in dramatic fashion. And while many will remember the walk-off heroics of Derek Jeter and Luis Gonzalez, it was the co-MVPs who ultimately carried Arizona to a win.

One of those was Randy Johnson. “The Big Unit” won three games in the series, striking out 19 batters over 17.1 innings pitched. His dominance was exerted in Game 7, as he came in as a reliever despite starting the game prior. Johnson’s performance cemented him as one of the most dominant players in the game.

5. Jack Morris (1991)

The Minnesota Twins used a Game 6 walk-off home run from Kirby Puckett to force Game 7, but they would need another hero in Game 7 to secure the World Series win over the Atlanta Braves.

Jack Morris got the ball on the hill, and put on one of the best pitching performances in World Series history. Morris struck out eight hitters over 10 innings pitched, shutting down a dynamic Braves offense. Minnesota finally pushed a run across the plate in the bottom of the 10th to win the series, and Morris was named MVP after going 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA.

6. Orel Hershiser (1988)

Sometimes a World Series isn’t particularly close because of the performance of the World Series MVP. Consider that to be the case for Orel Hershiser in 1988.

Though many will remember the World Series for Kirk Gibson’s dramatics, Hershiser was electric on the mound for the Dodgers against the Athletics. He pitched two complete games, and allowed just two earned runs in 18 innings pitched. Hershiser struck out 17 A’s, notched an ERA of 1.00, and was named MVP as Los Angeles won the series, 4-1.

7. David Ortiz (2013)

David Ortiz was no stranger to elite postseason performance, and he only added to his Hall of Fame legacy in the 2013 World Series.

Ortiz had a dramatic grand slam in the American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers, then played a pivotal role against the Cardinals in the Fall Classic. He went 11-for-16 in the World Series, smacking two homers and driving in six runs. Ortiz also walked eight times as the Red Sox beat the Cardinals, 4-2. His performance in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings earlier that year made Ortiz one of Boston’s greatest sports figures.

8. Gene Tenace (1972)

The Oakland Athletics were a force in the 1970s, and in 1972, they beat a talented Cincinnati Reds team that was about to become a dynasty.

Gene Tenace was a big reason they collected that ring. The 25-year-old was exceptional in the seven-game series, smacking four homers and driving in nine runs for Oakland. Tenace had only five home runs across 82 games in the regular season, making his performance even more unlikely. His World Series stretch was the kickoff of a run of four seasons in a row where Tenace would hit at least 20 home runs.

9. Curt Schilling (2001)

Randy Johnson may have arguably been the better of the co-MVPs in the 2001 World Series, but that doesn’t mean Curt Schilling wasn’t electric in his own right.

Schilling started three games against the New York Yankees, going 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA. He got the ball in Game 7, and held the Yankees to just one run before Johnson came in late in relief. Schilling struck out 26 batters altogether, and shared the MVP recognition in reward for his efforts.

10. Pablo Sandoval (2012)

“Kung Fu Panda” was more than a movie. It was a way of life for the San Francisco Giants, as Pablo Sandoval embraced the moniker en route to a World Series ring.

Sandoval had one of the greatest hitting performances in World Series history against the Detroit Tigers. He hit .500 in the four-game series, belting four home runs. Three of those came in Game 1, as he became just the fourth man in MLB history to hit three in a World Series game. Sandoval joined Babe Ruth, Albert Pujols, and Reggie Jackson in doing so.

11. Don Larsen (1956)

Don Larsen wasn’t just great in the 1956 World Series for the Yankees against the Dodgers. He was perfect.

Larsen took the mound in Game 5 with the series tied at 2, and turned in the most dominant pitching performance in World Series history. He struck out seven Dodgers en route to throwing the first and only perfect game in a World Series. The Yankees won the game, 2-0, and would go on to knock the Dodgers off in seven games. Larsen was named MVP for punching his ticket to baseball immortality.

12. Johnny Bench (1976)

“The Big Red Machine” was a prolific dynasty in baseball during the 1970s, as the Cincinnati Reds won back-to-back World Series that decade. Catcher Johnny Bench was a big reason why.

The Reds shut out the Yankees in four games in 1976, with Bench fueling the machine. He hit .533 and hit two home runs for the Reds, driving in six runs. Those two homers came in Game 4, allowing Cincy to collect back-to-back World Series rings. The World Series MVP honor allowed him to add to his Hall of Fame profile, as he won two regular season MVP Awards as well.

13. Hideki Matsui (2009)

The Yankees thought they were getting baseball’s next great offensive powerhouse when they signed Japanese star Hideki Matsui ahead of the 2003 season, but his most valuable output came in the 2009 World Series.

Matsui had lost his status as an everyday player as the Yankees battled the Phillies, but earned his accolade in style. “Godzilla” smacked three home runs in the World Series, including a pivotal one in Game 6 as the Yankees aimed to clinch the series. He tied a World Series record when he drove in six runs that night, and finished the set hitting .615. The Yankees beat the Phillies four games to two.

14. David Freese (2011)

Sometimes, one game can define a player’s entire career. That was certainly the case for David Freese in the 2011 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals were down to their final out in Game 6 against the Texas Rangers, when with two runners on base, Freese smoked a triple to right field just over the head of Nelson Cruz. He then came to the plate in the 11th inning with the game tied, and once again with two strikes, came through clutch. Freese hit a walk-off homer to deep center, forcing Game 7, which St. Louis would win.

15. Lew Burdette (1957)

The Yankees don’t lose often in the World Series, but Lew Burdette made sure his Milwaukee Braves toppled them in 1957.

Burdette got the ball three times in the series, and threw a complete game each time. He was particularly dominant in Game 7, when he threw a shutout. He threw two in the series, becoming the first pitcher since Christy Mathewson to accomplish the feat. The championship was a Wisconsin sports team’s first title outside of the Green Bay Packers.