World Series Legitimacy Tiers

World Series Legitimacy Tiers

Tier 4: Completely Illegitimate, because the winning team was exposed as a cheater

1997 Florida Marlins (Steroids: Gary Sheffield)

2001 Arizona Diamondbacks (Steroids: Luiz Gonzalez, Matt Williams)

2003 Florida Marlins (Steroids: Iván Rodríguez)

2004 Boston Red Sox (Steroids: David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez)

2007 Boston Red Sox (Steroids: David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez)

2013 Boston Red Sox (Steroids: David Ortiz)

2017 Houston Astros (Mechanics: Buzzers)

2018 Boston Red Sox (Mechanics: Apple Watches)

2022 Houston Astros (Mechanics: Buzzers)

Tier 3: Partly Legitimate, due to a shortened season (Less than 154 games)

1903 Boston Americans (Red Sox -- 138 games, seasons were 154 from 1904-61/62)

1918 Boston Red Sox (126 games, shortened at the end by World War I restrictions)

1919 Cincinnati Reds (140 games, shortened at the beginning by World War I restrictions)

1981 Los Angeles Dodgers 110 games, shortened in the middle by the Strike of '81)

1995 Atlanta Braves (144 games, shortened at the beginning by the Strike of '94)

2020 Los Angeles Dodgers (60 games, shortened by COVID restrictions)

Tier 2: Mostly Legitimate, but the opposing team had at least one significant injury

1904 Boston Americans (Red Sox)

1921 New York Giants (Yankees' Babe Ruth was injured in Game 2)

1925 Pittsburgh Pirates (Senators' Bucky Harris and Ossie Bluege both got hurt in the Series)

1941 New York Yankees (Dodgers' Freddie Fitzsimmons was injured in Game 3)

1942 St. Louis Cardinals (Yankees lost players due to the war effort)

1943 New York Yankees (Cardinals lost players due to the war effort)

1944 St. Louis Cardinals (Browns lost players due to the war effort)

1945 Detroit Tigers (Cubs lost players due to the war effort)

1946 St. Louis Cardinals (Red Sox' Dom DiMaggio was injured in Game 7)

1950 New York Yankees (Phillies lost Curt Simmons to Korean War)

1952 New York Yankees (Dodgers lost Don Newcombe to Korean War)

1953 New York Yankees (Dodgers lost Don Newcombe to Korean War)

1955 Brooklyn Dodgers (Yankees' Mickey Mantle was injured)

1964 St. Louis Cardinals (Yankees' Mel Stottlemyre was injured in Game 1)

1967 St. Louis Cardinals (Red Sox' Tony Conigliaro was injured)

1975 Cincinnati Reds (Red Sox' Jim Rice was injured)

1985 Kansas City Royals (Cardinals' Vince Coleman was injured)

1986 New York Mets (Red Sox' Bill Buckner was playing through injury)

1989 Oakland Athletics (Series disrupted by earthquake)

1996 New York Yankees (Braves' David Justice was injured)

Note: I'm counting 1904 in the "injury" category because the New York Giants basically forfeited. While no Giants were injured in the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, it's much easier to imagine them bouncing back without it happening than with it.

World War II did not affect the Yankees or the Cardinals much in either 1942 or 1943, the Cardinals or the Browns much in 1944, or the Tigers or the Cubs much in 1945. But it did affect their respective regular-season opponents, and thus their paths into the World Series, significantly. The Yankees were missing Tommy Henrich in '42; and missing him, Joe DiMaggio, Charlie Keller and Phil Rizzuto in '43.

It should be noted that the Yankees lost Whitey Ford to the Korean War in the 1951 and '52 seasons, but not '53. So both '52 teams lost a key pitcher, so that makes the Yankees' '52 title more legitimate than those they won in '50 and '53. But the Giants lost Willie Mays for '52 and '53 as well, so, given that they won the Pennant with Mays in '51 and '54, that also casts the Dodgers' Pennants for those seasons in doubt.

Tier 1: Completely Legitimate, as far as we know

1905 New York Giants

1906 Chicago White Sox

1907 Chicago Cubs

1908 Chicago Cubs

1909 Pittsburgh Pirates

1910 Philadelphia Athletics

1911 Philadelphia Athletics

1912 Boston Red Sox

1913 Philadelphia Athletics

1914 Boston Braves

1915 Boston Red Sox

1916 Boston Red Sox

1917 Chicago White Sox

1920 Cleveland Indians (Guardians)

1922 New York Giants

1923 New York Yankees

1924 Washington Senators

1926 St. Louis Cardinals

1927 New York Yankees

1928 New York Yankees

1929 Philadelphia Athletics

1930 Philadelphia Athletics

1931 St. Louis Cardinals

1932 New York Yankees

1933 New York Giants

1934 St. Louis Cardinals

1935 Detroit Tigers

1936 New York Yankees

1937 New York Yankees

1938 New York Yankees

1939 New York Yankees

1940 Cincinnati Reds

1942 St. Louis Cardinals

1947 New York Yankees

1948 Cleveland Indians (Guardians)

1949 New York Yankees

1954 New York Giants

1956 New York Yankees

1957 Milwaukee Braves

1958 New York Yankees

1959 Los Angeles Dodgers

1960 Pittsburgh Pirates

1961 New York Yankees

1962 New York Yankees

1963 Los Angeles Dodgers

1965 Los Angeles Dodgers

1966 Baltimore Orioles

1968 Detroit Tigers

1969 New York Mets

1970 Baltimore Orioles

1971 Pittsburgh Pirates

1972 Oakland Athletics

1973 Oakland Athletics

1974 Oakland Athletics

1976 Cincinnati Reds

1977 New York Yankees

1978 New York Yankees

1979 Pittsburgh Pirates

1980 Philadelphia Phillies

1982 St. Louis Cardinals

1983 Baltimore Orioles

1984 Detroit Tigers

1987 Minnesota Twins

1988 Los Angeles Dodgers

1990 Cincinnati Reds

1991 Minnesota Twins

1992 Toronto Blue Jays

1993 Toronto Blue Jays

1998 New York Yankees

1999 New York Yankees

2000 New York Yankees

2002 Anaheim Angels

2005 Chicago White Sox

2006 St. Louis Cardinals

2008 Philadelphia Phillies

2009 New York Yankees

2010 San Francisco Giants

2011 St. Louis Cardinals

2012 San Francisco Giants

2014 San Francisco Giants

2015 Kansas City Royals

2016 Chicago Cubs

2019 Washington Nationals

2021 Atlanta Braves

2023 Texas Rangers

2024 Los Angeles Dodgers

2025 Los Angeles Dodgers

2026 Milwaukee Brewers

Therefore, counting Completely Legitimate as 1.00, Mostly Legitimate as 0.75, Partly Legitimate as 0.50, and Completely Illegitimate as 0.00,  then, by this measure: New York Yankees, 24.50; St. Louis Cardinals, 10.75; Los Angeles Dodgers, 7.00; Philadelphia Athletics, 5.00; Boston Red Sox, 4.75; Pittsburgh Pirates, 4.75; Cincinnati Reds, 4.75; New York Giants, 4.75; Detroit Tigers, 3.75; Oakland Athletics, 3.75; Baltimore Orioles, 3.75; Chicago White Sox, 3.00; San Francisco Giants, 3.00; Chicago Cubs, 3.00; Cleveland Indians, 2.00; Minnesota Twins, 2.00; Toronto Blue Jays, 2.00; Philadelphia Phillies, 2.00; Kansas City Royals, 1.75; New York Mets, 1.75; Atlanta Braves, 1.50; Boston Braves, 1.00; Washington Senators, 1.00, Los Angeles Angels, 1.00; Washington Nationals, 1.00; Texas Rangers, 1.00; Milwaukee Brewers, 1.00; Brooklyn Dodgers, 0.75; all other teams, 0.00.

If you count moved teams as combined totals: New York Yankees, 24.50; St. Louis Cardinals, 10.75; New York/San Francisco Giants, 7.75; Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, 7.75; Philadelphia/Oakland Athletics, 8.75; Boston Red Sox, 4.75; Pittsburgh Pirates, 4.75; Cincinnati Reds, 4.75; Detroit Tigers, 3.75; Baltimore Orioles, 3.75; Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins, 3.00; Chicago White Sox, 3.00; Chicago Cubs, 3.00; Cleveland Indians, 2.00; Toronto Blue Jays, 2.00; Philadelphia Phillies, 2.00; Kansas City Royals, 1.75; New York Mets, 1.75; Atlanta Braves, 1.50; Boston Braves, 1.00; Los Angeles Angels, 1.00; Washington Nationals, 1.00; Texas Rangers, 1.00; Milwaukee Brewers, 1.00; all other teams, 0.00.