How Many World Series Have the Dodgers Won?
Paul Hall
The Dodgers are undoubtedly one of the iconic and definitely most popular teams in the MLB and certainly, hold a special place in the history of the league.
As a club that played on both coasts and called nine ballparks their home, the storied franchise has fans across the country and in every corner of the globe.
In almost 140 years of history, the club has had many glorious moments, but the Dodgers fans have also seen a fair share of bitter disappointments.
Below, you’ll learn how many World Series have the Dodgers won and discover a couple of interesting details from each of those majestic wins.
Table of Contents
How Many World Series Have the Dodgers Won?
The history of the Dodgers is split into two halves, before and after their move to the West Coast.
While they had plenty of success in Brooklyn, winning 12 NL pennants, they have time and time again fallen short of winning the ultimate prize in baseball, usually losing to the crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees.
The Dodgers fans had to wait until 1955 to see their heroes finally beat the Yankees and win their first World Series.
However, once the franchise moved to LA, things moved for the better and the Dodgers have the title six times during their time in the City of Angels.
Nevertheless, even though they have the sixth most championships in the league, the team still holds the record for most losses in the World Series out of any franchise.
1955 World Series vs NY Yankees
After falling to the hated Yankees multiple times in previous years, in 1955, the Dodgers finally had their big breakthrough and beat their bitter rivals to win the World Series.
The series, which went to 7 games, marked the first Yankees World Series defeat since 1942, and only their second since 1926.
The Dodgers came to the title games after an impressive season in the National League which saw them post the record of 98 wins and 55 losses.
They were led by the three-time MVP Roy Campanella, Cy Young Award winner Don Newcombe, and the first black player in modern MLB history, Jackie Robinson.
Sadly, for the local fans, this was the peak of their time in Brooklyn, as the team moved to LA only three years later.
1959 World Series vs Chicago White Sox
The Dodgers’ tenure on the West Coast started with a bang as they won the World Series in their second season in LA.
This time, they beat Chicago White Sox 4-2, in the only Fall Classic from 1949 to 1964 where no game was played in New York City.
The series will also be remembered as historic for several other reasons.
It was the first-ever World Series played on the West Coast and the Game 5 attendance of 92,076 still holds the record for most people to witness a championship game.
1963 World Series vs New York Yankees
Only four years after winning their second title, the Dodgers repeat the success, this time against the familiar foe, the New York Yankees.
The former crosstown rivals proved to be no match for the Dodgers as the LA franchise swept the Yankees, winning the series 4-0.
In four games, the Dodgers gave up only four runs after some amazing performances by their starting pitchers, the legendary Sandy Koufax, Johnny Podres, and Don Drysdale.
Koufax also won the award for the World Series Most Valuable Player.
1965 World Series vs Minnesota Twins
The Dodgers fans didn’t have to wait long for the next title, as the Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins in a best-of-seven World Series contest in 1965.
The whole series proved to be rather stressful for the Dodgers, as their team had to claw back from being 2-0 down after the first two games.
Once again, Sandy Koufax was the man most deserving of the big win.
After missing Game 1, he came back and then tossed two shutouts in games 5 and 7, enough to win him the second World Series MVP honor.
1981 World Series vs NY Yankees
After their successful run immediately after moving to LA, the Dodgers had to wait for 16 years until the next World Series win.
The opponent was all too familiar, the old foes New York Yankees.
It was the third time the two storied franchises met to decide the champion in the 5 years, and the 11th Series meeting between the two overall.
The Dodgers came out victorious after six games, but once again they were facing the abyss after losing the first two games on the road.
The key players for the LA franchise were the Mexican rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela and the all-star first baseman Steve Garvey.
1988 World Series vs Oakland Athletics
The 6th title for the Dodgers came in the 1988 World Series against the Oakland Athletics.
This time, the Dodgers entered the series as underdogs but, nevertheless, managed to knock the favored A’s in only five games.
The series brought one of the most iconic moments in the league’s history, the Dodgers’ heavily-injured outfielder Kirk Gibson scored the pinch-hit walk-off home run in Game 1.
Still, the most dominant player throughout the series and the series MVP winner was Orel Hershiser who shutout the Athletics in Game 2 and pitched the entire Game 5, allowing only 2 runs.
2020 World Series vs Tampa Bay Rays
After winning in 1988, the Dodgers faced a 31-year drought which ended in 2020 when they won their 7th title after beating Tampa Bay Rays in six games.
The series was played in fairly unusual circumstances due to the Covid-19 pandemic which was ongoing at the time.
All 6 games were played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, with the capacity of the ballpark limited to 25%.
This made this World Series the first one to be played at a neutral venue. The Dodgers were still the designated hosts due to the better regular season record.
The star of the series was LA’s shortstop Corey Seager who won the MVP award after batting .400 and scoring two home runs.
Conclusion
The history of the Dodgers is full of ups and downs which certainly makes them one of the most interesting franchises in the league.
They have their place among the legendary MLB teams and, with a string of recent success, their fans certainly hope that they won’t have to wait another 30 or so years for the 8th title.
No matter what happens, one thing is certain – there’s never a dull moment when you’re a Dodgers fan.
