World Series Winners, 1952-1976

New York Yankees 4 at Brooklyn Dodgers 2, F -- Mickey Mantle's home run and Billy Martin's acrobatic catch combine to shatter "Dem Bums"... again. Mantle's homer in the sixth gave the Yankees the lead for good, and an insurance run in the seventh made it 4-2. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the inning, Jackie Robinson hit a high pop up that Yankees first baseman Joe Collins appeared to lose it in the sun. But Martin charged in from second base to snatch the ball at his shoe tops to end the inning and snuff out the Dodgers' last threat as the Yankees secured the championship.

Los Angeles Dodgers 2 at Minnesota Twins 0, F -- With a 26 wins, 2.04 ERA and 382 strikeouts, Sandy Koufax was unquestionably the best pitcher in all of baseball. But an advancing case of arthritis in his golden left arm forced every breathtaking outing to be countered by hours of treatment to keep the barely-tolerable pain at bay. After 335+ regular-season innings, it looked like the forces of nature finally caught up with Sandy, as he lost Game 2 to the Twins. Bouncing back with a shutout victory in Game 5, he was handed the ball for Game 7 with only two days of rest. His counterpart on the mound was 18-game winner Jim Kaat, who had been on the receiving end of the Game 5 shutout. The World Championship depended on which left arm could deliver the knockout punch.

Baltimore Orioles 3 at New York Mets 5, F -- The Miracle Mets complete the upset over the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles, as slugger Donn Clendenon and light-hitting Al Weis each homered to back the five-hit pitching of Jerry Koosman. A key play in the sixth featured Cleon Jones being plunked on the foot by Baltimore starter Dave McNally. Jones was not originally awarded the base, but manager Gil Hodges retrieved the ball and pointed out the telltale black shoe-polish on the ball as proof. Rattled, McNally surrendered a two-run homer to the next batter, Clendenon, bringing the Mets within a run and shifting the momentum irrevocably toward New York. The Mets tacked on three more runs in the next two innings and the Amazing' upset was complete.

Cincinnati Reds 3 at Baltimore Orioles 9, F -- Brooks Robinson's glove, Mike Cuellar's arm and the booming bats of the Baltimore Orioles bring the championship home. After a rocky first inning, Cuellar silenced the Reds over the final eight frames to earn a complete game, six-hit victory. Home runs by Frank Robinson and Merv Rettenmund highlighted a nine-run, 15-hit onslaught that saw every Baltimore position but Brooks Robinson either score or drive in a run. Although Robinson was quiet with the bat, his two diving stops to rob Lee May in the fourth inning, and Johnny Bench in the ninth, capped his one-man highlight reel. With the series win, the Orioles were able to amend for their humbling defeat the hands of the New York Mets in the 1969 World Series and take their second title in five seasons.

Pittsburgh Pirates 2 at Baltimore Orioles 1, F -- With four 20-game winners and a powerful lineup featuring Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and Boog Powell, the Orioles were expected to dominate. But with a Roberto Clemente home run in the fourth, a Willie Stargell run in the eighth and Pirates starting pitcher Steve Blass going the distance, the Bucs closed out the deciding Game 7 in jubilant, underdog-upset style.

Cincinnati Reds 7 at New York Yankees 2, F -- On the heels of the high from Chris Chambliss’ Royals-crushing home run in the ALCS to put the Yankees into the World Series, the Yanks crashed right into the steamrolling juggernaut that was the “Big Red Machine” from Cincinnati. With a lineup that boasted George Foster, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and Ken Griffey, the Reds only allowed the Yankees the lead once in the Series, for the first three innings of this Game 4. Johnny Bench homered twice to drive in four runs, adding to his Series-leading totals and earning him World Series MVP honors, and the Reds back-to-back championships.