Ranking the greatest World Series champions in baseball history: Nos. 40-21

Throughout the month of January, a cast of editors from theScore will share their rankings of the greatest teams, performances, pitchers, and position players in baseball history. This list focuses on the greatest World Series champions:

100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1

Voter list:

• James Bisson, National Sports Editor
• Brandon Wile, Senior MLB Editor
• Jonah Birenbaum, MLB News Editor
• Michael Bradburn, MLB News Editor
• Jason Wilson, MLB News Editor
• Bryan Mcwilliam, MLB News Editor
• Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb, MLB News Editor
• Dylan Perego, News Editor
• Josh Wegman, News Editor

40. 1915 Boston Red Sox

Winning more than two-thirds of your games didn't mean a thing in 1915, at least where home-field advantage was concerned. Boston lost the coin flip that decided home field, as Philadelphia opted to play the first two games at the Baker Bowl. But the Red Sox were just too good, splitting the first two games, sweeping the next two at Fenway Park, and then sending Phillies fans home unhappy with a 5-4 triumph in Game 5. - Bisson

39. 1967 St. Louis Cardinals

The Boston Red Sox almost ended the Curse of the Bambino on the heels of Carl Yastrzemski's Triple Crown season, but the Cardinals put the kibosh on that idea. Bob Gibson put forth a superhuman effort on the mound to win Games 1, 4, and 7, and even belted a home run in the deciding contest. The loss pushed the Red Sox World Series drought to 49 years. - Perego

38. 1923 New York Yankees

Propelled by the mighty bat of Babe Ruth, who smacked three homers and put up a 1.556 OPS in the series, the Yankees emerged victorious in the 1923 Battle for the Big Apple, downing the New York Giants in six games to inaugurate their new Bronx-based stadium with a championship. - Birenbaum

37. 1978 New York Yankees

In a controversial campaign that included the resignation of manager Billy Martin, New York still managed to rack up 100 wins - thanks in no small part to Ron Guidry, who went 25-3 and earned a Cy Young - and captured the franchise's 22nd title. The Yankees defeated the Royals in four games during the ALCS, then took down the Dodgers in a rematch of the 1977 final. Shortstop Bucky Dent earned MVP honors after batting .417 with 10 hits in the finale. - Mcwilliam

36. 1931 St. Louis Cardinals

Vanquished by the Philadelphia Athletics in six games in the 1930 World Series, the Cardinals got their revenge the following year, riding a hot Pepper Martin (.500/.538/.792) and a lights-out Bill Hallahan (0.49 ERA; 2 CG) to a seven-game victory over the A's - managed by the legendary Connie Mack. Mack, then 68, spent another 19 seasons as a big-league skipper, but never managed another World Series game. - Birenbaum

35. 1930 Philadelphia Athletics

Jimmie Foxx and Al Simmons dominated the dish, and the A's deployed a one-two punch of George Earnshaw and Lefty Grove that combined to allow only five earned runs over five World Series starts. Both threw a pair of complete games in the process. Earnshaw's supremacy was especially impressive after a pedestrian regular season. - Wilson

34. 2002 Anaheim Angels

Just how competitive was the American League in 2002? The Angels won 99 games and had to settle for a wild-card berth. But the Halos went on a magical run from there, upending New York and Minnesota - their first-ever playoff series wins - before defeating NL wild-card qualifier San Francisco in seven games to capture their first World Series championship. - Bisson

33. 1941 New York Yankees

Joe DiMaggio and his 56-game hitting streak were integral to the '41 Yankees' success, but a dominant rotation led by Hall of Famers Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing put them over the top as one of the greatest teams ever. - Wegman

32. 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers

In the early '50s, winning the World Series was becoming a Yankees trademark. From 1949-53, the Yankees won five straight championships, and since 1923, they'd only lost two of the 17 the club had appeared in. So when New York took a 2-0 lead in the 1955 best-of-seven series against the Dodgers - a club without a championship in its five previous World Series visits - you'd be forgiven for assuming it was already over. However, the Dodgers made it a series, led by a complete-game effort from Johnny Podres in Game 3. The next time the 22-year-old left-hander took the mound, it was Game 7. Podres outdid himself, going the distance and shutting out the Yankees to earn the first-ever World Series MVP honors. - Bradburn

31. 1944 St. Louis Cardinals

In the battle of St. Louis teams, the Cardinals faced off against the Browns for a six-game series in which both clubs called Sportsman's Park home. During a season where many baseball stars were called away for military service, the Cardinals - led by a 23-year-old Stan Musial, who voluntarily enlisted the following year - cruised to a 105-win campaign. Meanwhile, the Browns collectively batted .252 and finished with 89 wins, one game ahead of the Detroit Tigers. Not only did the Cardinals lead baseball in batting average (.275) and slugging percentage (.402), their pitching staff ranked first in ERA by a healthy margin (2.67), and the franchise's fifth World Series victory was clinical. - Bradburn

30. 1977 New York Yankees

The first Yankees championship since 1962 was a big one, and it was all thanks to Reggie Jackson. "Mr. October" was born in earnest as he blasted five home runs in the six-game series. Three of them came in the deciding contest, including a mammoth shot that traveled 475 feet and put a fork in the series. - Wilson

29. 1917 Chicago White Sox

The White Sox established themselves as one of the most dangerous clubs in the sport by defeating the New York Giants, with excellent performances from Eddie Cicotte and Shoeless Joe Jackson. Legendary baseball and football player Jim Thorpe made his only World Series appearance in 1917 for the Giants. It would be 88 years before the White Sox would hoist the crown again. - Perego

28. 1948 Cleveland Indians

Shortstop Lou Boudreau put together one of the best seasons ever in 1948, hitting .355/.453/.534 with 18 homers, 106 RBIs, and just nine strikeouts, good for 10.4 WAR. Oh, and he was also the team's manager. It was far from a one-man show, though, as the Tribe led the majors with a 113 OPS+ and a 3.22 team ERA. - Wegman

27. 1928 New York Yankees

The Cardinals never stood a chance. Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth combined for seven home runs in the series, and both hit well over .500 through the four-game set. Naturally, the duo was responsible for putting the series on ice. In Game 4, Ruth tied the game with a solo blast (one of three he hit in the contest) before Gehrig put the Yankees ahead for good. - Wilson

26. 2009 New York Yankees

The last time the Yankees won the World Series, it wasn't Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira who came to the rescue: It was Hideki Matsui. "Godzilla" hit .615/.643/1.385 with three home runs and eight RBIs in the six-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies. He capped it off by going 3-for-4 while driving in six in the series clincher. - Wilson

25. 2017 Houston Astros

Recency bias? Who cares? This Astros team was fun from start to finish, boasting a dangerously potent lineup and one of the league's most dominant bullpens. In a fitting cap to the most prolific home-run season in history, the Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers combined to go deep 25 times in Houston's seven-game victory; George Springer had five of those long bombs to secure MVP honors in the Astros' first-ever World Series title. - Bisson

24. 1937 New York Yankees

In 1937, for the second year in a row, two New York teams met in the World Series, and, for the second year in a row, the Yankees (102-52) got the best of the Giants (95-57), needing only five games to sink their crosstown rival - thanks in part to the efforts of a 34-year-old Lou Gehrig (1.102 OPS), who smacked his last-ever Fall Classic homer in a Game 4 loss. -Birenbaum

23. 1961 New York Yankees

After Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris combined to belt 115 home runs during the regular season - Maris' 61 broke the single-season record - the World Series was nearly an afterthought. And the 109-win Yankees made sure there was no upset, rallying from a Game 2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds by winning the next three contests, outscoring the NL champions 23-7. - Bisson

22. 1911 Philadelphia Athletics

What a time to be alive 1911 was. A's third baseman and future Hall of Famer Home Run Baker led the majors with a whopping 11 home runs (hence the nickname). Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack, aka "The Tall Tactician," may have only been 6-foot-1, but he's among the best skippers of all time. Second baseman Eddie Collins and starter Eddie Plank, who both ended up in Cooperstown as well, rounded out an impressive core. - Wegman

21. 1984 Detroit Tigers

The 1984 Tigers were truly a team effort. Six of their starting nine had an OBP above .350, and while nobody in the rotation had a sub-3.00 ERA, nobody's was over 4.00 either. The one-two bullpen punch of Willie Hernandez and Aurelio Lopez rounded out one of the most complete clubs ever, and Detroit went 7-1 in the postseason. - Wegman

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)