How Many Times Has the World Series Gone to Game 7 in MLB History? When Was the Last Time?

Baseball’s biggest spectacle is done for the year. The World Series, which first commenced in 1903, has kept the entire country enticed by the MLB scene ever since. The Fall Classic consisted of a best-of-nine-game format for the first four years. The format was changed to best-of-seven in the 1905 season. 2023 didn’t see the face of Game 6 or 7, as the underdogs, the Texas Rangers, took the Commissioner’s Trophy to their bullpen for the first time in history after clinching the series in just five games.

Interestingly, the best-of-seven format of the series isn’t fixed. The seventh game of the tournament only takes place if the opposing teams tie their lead in the previous six games. So there haven’t been as many Game Sevens for as many times the Commissioner’s race has been contested. Following the magnificent title win of the Texas Rangers this year, let’s look into all those times the teams competing for the title forced Game 7 into existence.

Game 7: A call for the ultimate fight

A rare instance from the World Series 1912, where a tie in Game 2 extended the finals to an extra Game 8, is still unforgettable. They called the tie on account of darkness. Seasons 1919, 1920, and 1921 consecutively followed a best-of-nine format; an exception was made to the best-of-seven format that MLB introduced in the 1905 World Series. Certain executive decisions and various factors were at play in the changes.

Did you know that there have been 119 World Series finales to date? 68 of those 119 titles were won by the American League, and the National League won 51 of them. Despite having a best-of-seven format, the World Series has only reached Game 7 a total of 40 times since its inception. The home team hasn’t had much luck with the seventh games, sadly; the visiting teams won 19 of those 40-game sevens, losing 21.

The road teams have also won four consecutive Game 7s after nine previous losses. Those wins include the last Game 7 that took place in the 2019 season. The Washington Nationals won it, competing against the Houston Astros that year. The Houston Astros, the Chicago Cubs, and the San Francisco Giants won the three Game 7s before that. The Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 season; the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Guardians in 2016; and the Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 season, respectively.

A single run brought 15 out of the 40 winner-take-it-all Game 7s in the World Series. 22 out of those 40 happened because of 2 or fewer runs; 29 out of those 40 happened because of 3 runs or less; 4 runs or fewer brought forth 33 games out of the 40. The last 11-game sevens are a part of the list of 33; it includes the New York Mets’ 1986 win. A single run evoked at least five out of the last 11 games.

World Series Game 7: Eccentric Episodes

In the long history of MLB, many interesting stints have taken place across the seventh and final game of baseball’s biggest face-off. Other than the extra game in 1912, the 1919 season’s extension took place because the MLB board decided to extend the games so that they could generate more revenue and gain more popularity amongst the masses. MLB extended season 1920 (the only World Series in baseball’s history to have a triple-play) and season 1921 to a best-of-nine series to reduce travel for the players.

They changed the format to 3-4-2 (3 games in one city, 4 games in another city, and 2 games back in the first city), as opposed to 1919’s 2-3-2-2 format.

Game 7 of the 1960 fall classic saw a one-time instance of the evergreen Bill Mazeroski hit. The Pittsburgh Pirates 2B gave the team their first title since 1925 with a walk-off homer in the bottom ninth inning of the game against the New York Yankees. It has remained the only walk-off homer to win a game in MLB’s history ever since.

The 1955 season was the first season to include the MVP Award segment. It concluded with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Johnny Podres bringing a complete Game 7 shutout against the mighty Yankees. The Dodgers won their only title in Brooklyn that year, with Podres becoming the first MVP in World Series history.

Three decades and a half later, a similar event ensued when the Minnesota Twins faced off against the Atlanta Braves in 1991 Game 7. Both teams finished the previous season in last place. The deciding Game 7 went for nine innings without a single run, with Twins pitcher Jack Morris throwing a complete shutout until the extended 10 inning. Minnesota won the game with a 1-0 victory.

Morris became the World Series MVP of that season in an unforgettable finale. That game became one of the longest postseason games to have a series of innings with scoreless ties; it is second only to Game 6 of the 1956 World Series.

Read More: Which League has Won the World Series Most, American League or National League?

The 2023 World Series saw the rise of the underdogs, with the Texas Rangers winning their first title in their 62-year tenure in the MLB. Let’s hope that the next season starts with a blast and brings forth another exciting Game 7 into existence!

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