The Top 10 World Series Performances in MLB History

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ first baseman, Freddie Freeman, already has one World Series championship in his pocket from his time with the Atlanta Braves. Of course, that one title didn’t mean he was ready to settle.

Freeman’s run in the 2024 World Series has been one of the most electric the game has ever seen. A walk-off grand slam in the extra innings of Game 1 will go down as an all-time great World Series moment, and he followed that stunning play with homers in Games 2, 3, and 4. In the process, he became just the third man in baseball history to hit home runs in the first three games of a World Series, nestling alongside Barry Bonds and Hank Bauer.

But for as great as Freeman has been, he is not alone in stepping up when the pressure was at its highest. Several other names have established themselves as World Series heroes, etching their names among the greats with dominating outings.

1. Reggie Jackson

The definitive World Series performer, “Mr. October,” Reggie Jackson, used to claim every time he came to the plate, someone was in scoring position. There may have been merit to his statement.

Jackson has enough World Series titles to fill an entire finger with rings, but 1977 was his greatest achievement. The Yankees had a regular season full of turmoil and arguing, with Jackson and manager Billy Martin at the center of it. But he came through huge in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting five home runs with a .450 batting average. Three of those homers came in Game 6 of the series, helping the Yankees clinch their first championship since 1962.

2. Sandy Koufax

Let’s not act like the Dodgers didn’t have a perennial World Series performer of their own back in the day either. Sandy Koufax is one of the greatest arms in baseball history, and his 1965 World Series performance encompassed his ability perfectly.

Koufax appeared three times in that series against the Minnesota Twins. He threw 24 innings, striking out 29 and giving up just one earned run. He didn’t pitch in Game 1 due to it falling on Yom Kippur and got outdueled by Jim Kaat in Game 2. But he bounced back by throwing two shutouts in Games 5 and 7, each separated by just a couple of days. The feat was good enough to earn him World Series MVP honors and the Dodgers a championship.

3. Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson is one of the most complete pitchers in baseball history, and the 1967 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox cemented his place among the game’s greats.

The 1964 World Series MVP started in three games throughout the series, allowing three total runs across the outings. He struck out 26 hitters in 27 innings pitched, including a complete game shutout in Game 7 to clinch the series for St. Louis. Gibson wasn’t just a threat on the mound but at the plate as well, as he added a home run in Game 4. He easily won the MVP for his efforts, earning his second and final World Series ring.

4. Madison Bumgarner

The day of the modern starter is far from what it once was. Madison Bumgarner’s 2014 World Series performance dazzled hitters and viewers alike, a throwback to yesteryear.

The San Francisco Giants were on the hunt for their third World Series title in five years, trying to fend off the high-energy Kansas City Royals. The series was a bout of young talent looking to outduel one another, and Bumgarner started two games, getting wins in Game 1 and Game 5. Amazingly, he would get the call on two days’ rest to be a reliever in Game 7 with the Giants holding on to a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning. He’d proceed to toss five innings of shutout ball in one of the greatest relief outings in MLB history, winning the Giants the World Series. He was named MVP with a 0.43 ERA in the series.

5. Lou Gehrig

The New York Yankees sported one of the most feared lineups of their era in the late 1920s, anchored by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Gehrig would win six World Series titles during his career, but the 1928 World Series saw his most impressive performance.

The Yankees dominated the Cardinals 4-0 that year, and Gehrig was a big reason why. He hit .545 across the four games, homering four times and driving in nine runners. His 1.727 slugging percentage and .706 OBP are mindblowing even by today’s standards, a fair reflection of his greatness. He would win four more championships with the Yankees, with the 1928 series serving as an all-time great outing for the first baseman.

6. David Ortiz

There have been few hitters more clutch in high-leverage spots than David Ortiz was in his prime. Ortiz hit a game-tying grand slam in the 2013 ALCS against the Detroit Tigers which helped the Red Sox reach the World Series against the Cardinals, and he followed up with a massive six games.

“Big Papí” hit an unfathomable .688 in the World Series, earning World Series MVP honors. Ortiz nearly hit another grand slam in Game 1, but managed to hit a two-run shot instead a couple of innings later. He would hit another homer in Game 2, finishing with a .760 OBP in the series. Ortiz also became the first non-Yankee to win three World Series with one team since Jim Palmer.

7. Paul Molitor

The Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993, and their offense was loaded with talent. Paul Molitor was one of the most consistent hitters to ever play the game, and he came through big in the 1993 series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Baseball Hall of Famer hit .500 in that six-game series, crushing two homers, driving in eight, and even notching two triples. His most pivotal performance came in Game 6, when he went 3-for-5 with a single, triple, and home run. He got on base in the ninth inning that one with the Blue Jays down one, extending the inning and allowing Joe Carter to hit his iconic World Series-winning walkoff homer.

8. Randy Arozarena

Randy Arozarena would have likely won World Series MVP for the Tampa Bay Rays had they beat the Dodgers in 2020, but his performance should still be discussed as one of the best ever.

The outfielder was a monster the entire postseason, with his home run in Game 4 of the World Series breaking an MLB record for most in a single playoff stretch with 10. He hit .364 in the final round, supplying 10 hits and four homers in the process. Arozarena is also known for being part of one of the wildest walkoffs in World Series history, stumbling across home plate in Game 4 to knot the series.

9. Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds had his most memorable season in 2001 when he hit 73 home runs, but he followed up with an epic World Series run in 2002.

The Giants battled a young and talented Anaheim Angels squad hungry to pull off an upset. Bonds responded in a big way, hitting four home runs in the seven-game series. He took Angels closer Troy Percival, deep in Game 2 with a ball that traveled an estimated 485 feet, a jaw-dropping moonshot that almost clawed San Francisco to a comeback win. The Giants would ultimately lose the series, but Bonds finished with an impressive .471 average.

10. Randy Johnson

The Arizona Diamondbacks pulled off a gargantuan upset of the powerhouse New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series, with co-MVP Randy Johnson being a major reason why they were able to.

Johnson went 3-0 in the series, pitching 17.1 innings and striking out 19. He threw a complete game shutout in Game 2, followed by seven innings of two-run ball in Game 6 that saved the Diamondbacks’ season. “The Big Unit” was in prime form though, and Arizona called on him in Game 7 the very next night in the eighth inning. He didn’t allow a run and kept the D-Backs in it, allowing Luis Gonzalez to hit a championship-winning single in the ninth inning.