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1919
Probably the strangest and certainly among the most debated World Series ended with Cincinnati defeating the Chicago White Sox -- later nicknamed the "Black Sox" -- five wins to three. It was the first of three World Series in which the championship team was required to win five times, rather than four.
Almost a year after the outcome, American League president Ban Johnson declared that eight members of the White Sox had participated in a conspiracy to throw the title. Those players were "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Oscar "Happy" Felsch, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, George "Buck" Weaver, Charles "Swede" Risberg, star pitchers Lefty Williams and Eddie Cicotte, and reserve Fred McMullin, who barely played.
Jackson batted .375 and Weaver .324 in the eight games. McMullin went 1-for-2 as a pinch hitter, and Cicotte pitched in three games with a 2.91 earned-run average.
The final game was a 10-5 Reds win in Chicago. The only error charged to the Sox in the finale was by eventual Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk, who was not implicated in the gambling scandal. The key player for the Reds was outfielder Earle "Greasy" Neale, who batted .357. Standout teammate Edd Roush, the National League batting champ, hit just .214.
1960
The heavily favored New York Yankees hit 10 home runs, batted .338 and scored 55 runs in the seven-game series. The Pittsburgh Pirates hit four homers, batted .256 and scored 27 runs.
But the Pirates won, four games to three, in maybe the most dramatic seventh-game ending ever. Second baseman Bill Mazeroski homered off Ralph Terry in the bottom of ninth at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field to provide his team with a 10-9 win.
The 1960 Series still stands as one of the most unfathomable ever. The Yankees won back-to-back games by a combined score of 29-3 -- 16-3 in Game 2 at Pittsburgh and 10-0, behind the flawless pitching of Whitey Ford, in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. Then, in Game 6 at Pittsburgh, the Yanks took a 12-0 win when Ford held the Bucs to seven harmless hits.
Yankees immortal Mickey Mantle called the Series outcome the low point of his career, but no one could blame the Mick. He batted .400 with 10 hits, three homers and 11 runs batted in. The Yanks finished with 91 base hits, 31 more than Pittsburgh.
1986
The New York Mets were so dominant in the National League regular season race that they almost lapped the field, finishing with a 108-54 record and eliminating Houston in six games to reach the Series.
But against Boston, the Mets struggled, losing Games 1 and 2 at New York's Shea Stadium and bickering with each other all the way to Fenway Park. The Mets won two straight but fell, 3-2 in Game 5, and set the stage for a classic Game 6 in New York.
After nine innings, the score was tied 3-3. Boston scored twice in the top of the 10th and seemed on the way to a long overdue championship. But with the winning run on base, Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner misplayed a grounder by Mookie Wilson. Ray Knight scored the winning run, and the Red Sox collapsed again in Game 7. They took a 3-0 lead but lost 8-5.
Often forgotten about Game 6 was Boston pitcher Bob Stanley's wild pitch earlier in the count against Wilson. The errant throw allowed Knight to advance and Mets runner Kevin Mitchell to score from third.
