Every World Series champion this decade has its own unique story, whether it’s breaking a curse or winning it all for the first time. This decade has turned a lot of heads in baseball and had a lot of surprising events happen. As this decade comes to an end, we take a look back at the top three World Series champions of the 2010s.
Top Three World Series Champions Of The 2010s
2017 Houston Astros
The Houston Astros won their first World Series Championship in franchise history in 2017. They had a record of 101-61 and a +196 run differential. They battled to get to the World Series but they got there. Names like Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and George Springer put the offense over the top. Starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel was looked at as the ace of the staff after winning the Cy Young award in 2015. The Astros were already strong but they added one more piece to put them over the top.
They acquired ace Justin Verlander from the Detroit Tigers. He went 5-0 with a whopping 1.06 ERA in his five regular-season games with the Astros. In the postseason, he went 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA. They took on the heavily talented 104-win Los Angeles Dodgers and won it all in seven games. Spy-gate aside, this team was full of talented stars that had a great year capped off with a World Series win.
2016 Chicago Cubs
The 2016 Chicago Cubs did something their fans have been waiting for since 1908 and that’s winning a championship. They broke a 100+ year curse by putting a very talented team on the field. The Cubs won 103 games and had the best run differential of the decade at +252. They rode a hot streak going into the playoffs and didn’t stop. They faced controversy in the NLDS against the Dodgers and came back from down 2-1 in the series to advance. The Cleveland Indians were their opponents and were looking for their first title. They had it in their grasp when they went up 3-1 in the series but fell in a classic game seven to give the Cubs the championship. The Cubs could’ve easily taken the number one spot but the team that is number one was dominate in the regular season and the playoffs.
2018 Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox won it all back in 2013 against the St. Louis Cardinals and five years later, they did it again. The 2018 Red Sox was the most dominating team of the decade. They won 108 games, had a +229 run differential and went 11-3 in the entire postseason. They mowed down everyone in the regular season, including beating the Baltimore Orioles 16 times. The offense was led by MVP Mookie Betts and slugger J.D. Martinez. They ranked first in runs, hits, doubles, batting average and much more. The Red Sox had a great rotation led by ace Chris Sale, followed by David Price and Rick Porcello. They weren’t challenged at all, even in the World Series against the Dodgers. They beat them in five games to capture their ninth World Series and their second this decade.
Rounding The Bases
As I’ve mentioned before, the decade had unique stories and has some surprising events happen. San Francisco Giants had won their third title in five years in 2014. The 2011 Cardinals did the impossible and was down more than seven games in the wild card late in the season and grabbed a spot. Beat the big and bad Philadelphia Phillies and had an epic comeback in game six against the Texas Rangers led by David Freese. The Kansas City Royals won the title in 2015 after falling short against the Giants in 2014. The Washington Nationals won their first championship in franchise history to end the decade. So many great moments in baseball this decade and we hope that the 2020s are even better.
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