The World Series is the annual competition, held in October, for the championship of major league baseball. The modern World Series began in 1903 and has been played annually with the exceptions of 1904, when it was cancelled because of a boycott and confusion over the rules, and 1994, when it was cancelled because of a player's strike.
The World Series is played between two teams: the American League and the National League champions.
The first World Series, or "Series" as it's commonly known, was in 1903 and was won by the American League's Boston Americans over the National League's Pittsburgh Pirates. The Series was a best-of-nine event in 1903, 1919, 1920 and 1921. The Series has been a best-of-seven championship (the first team to win four games is the world champion) in the other years.
The first two games of the Series are played in the home ballpark of the team awarded home-field advantage; the next three are in the other team's ballpark, and the final two are back in the first team's ballpark. Starting with the 2003 World Series, the league that wins the mid-season All-Star Game has been awarded home-field advantage. The American League has home-field advantage for the 2006 Series and the teams playing are decided by the play-offs after the regular season has ended.
The American League's New York Yankees have won the most Series, 26 through the 2005 season, including 5 straight in 1949-53.
Japanese baseball also has its own "World Series," as do colleges and Little League baseball; only the Little League World Series is truly international with Latin America winning the 2004 championship. The term has also been applied in other arenas and is often used in the title of a championship series or other sports or games, such as golf or poker.
The 2006 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers was won by St. Louis, 4-1.
The 2007 World Series between the Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox was won by Boston, 4-0.
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