1921: One of only three series with a best-of-nine format. All games were played at the Polo Grounds. Back then, it was the Giants who ruled New York. Even slugger Babe Ruth, in his second season as a Yankee, wasn’t enough to stem the tide. (Giants won 5 games, Yankees 3)
1922: When the second game was called on account of darkness after 10 innings, New York’s typically well-behaved fans showered the Polo Grounds field with bottles and seat cushions. Nothing helped the Yankees, who batted just .203 as a team. (Giants 4, Yankees 0, 1 tie)
1923: The star of this series was a new Yankee Stadium–“The House That Ruth Built”–in the Bronx. The Babe entertained the fans by batting .368 with three home runs. (Yankees 4, Giants 2)
1936: Babe Ruth was gone, but the Yankees still had Lou Gehrig and a stylish rookie: Joe DiMaggio. (Yankees 4, Giants 2)
1937: Yankee pitching, led by future Hall of Famers Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing, was the difference. (Yankees 4, Giants 1)
1941: The year of the biggest gaffe in World Series history (yeah, bigger than Buckner). When Dodger catcher Mickey Owen failed to catch a third strike for game four’s final out, the Yankees ral-lied to win the game–and clinched the series one day later. (Yankees 4, Dodgers 1)
1947: The Dodgers delivered the dramatics: Cookie Lavagetto’s pinch-hit double with two outs in the ninth inning that broke up a no-hitter and won a game, and Gionfriddo’s circus catch off DiMaggio’s bat. They weren’t enough. (Yankees 4, Dodgers 3)
1949: With both white (Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese) and black (Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella) stars, Brooklyn had ushered in a new era. But Yankee pitching stifled the Dodger offense. (Yankees 4, Dodgers 1)
1951: The Subway Series to end all Subway Series. Before facing the Yanks, the Giants had to beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a playoff. But the Giants couldn’t sustain the magic. The series was the first for a pair of rookie center fielders, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. (Yankees 4, Giants 2)
1952: The Dodgers had won 105 regular-season games. But Mantle’s clutch homers in games six and seven keyed the Yankee victory. (Yankees 4, Dodgers 3)
1953: Jackie Robinson hit a sturdy .320, but the Yankees responded with a record-setting performance by an unlikely hitting hero. Journeyman infielder Billy Martin, who would become far more famous as a pugnacious Yankee manager a couple of decades later, batted .500 and drove in eight runs. (Yankees 4, Dodgers 2)
1955: This time the Dodgers produced the unlikely hero. Pitcher Johnny Podres had a fair 9-10 record that season. But the 23-year-old leftie won two series games, including a decisive 2-0 shutout. (Dodgers 4, Yankees 3)
1956: What a matchup. Ten future Hall of Famers were on the two teams (including young Dodger pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale). The highlight was Don Larsen’s game five perfect game. (Yankees 4, Dodgers 3)
