It took seven games, but the Dodgers finally defeated the Blue Jays to become 2025’s World Series champions. That marked the ninth championship in the Dodgers’ long history, which ties them for the third-most in MLB, alongside the Athletics and Red Sox.
The Dodgers have actually been to the World Series the second-most of any organization, behind only the Yankees, and have a 9-14 record in those Fall Classics. Despite the sub-.500 showing, they are inarguably one of the most successful franchises in MLB history – here are each of the nine championship seasons, from most recent to their very first.
2025: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays, 4-3
The hero of the 2025 World Series was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched in three games: he started Game 2, a 5-1 victory, as well as Game 6, which Los Angeles won to force a Game 7. Yamamoto then pitched in relief in Game 7, too, on zero days rest, after throwing 96 pitches the day before. He’d toss another 34 here across 2.2 scoreless innings, which gave the Dodgers time to tie the game – thanks to a ninth-inning homer by Miguel Rojas – and then win it in extras to capture their ninth championship.
Dodgers’ Will Smith Launches GO-AHEAD HOME RUN in 11th Inning vs. Blue Jays
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Will Smith launched a go-ahead homer in the 11th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series.
2024: Dodgers vs. Yankees, 4-1
The 12th matchup between the Dodgers and Yankees in the World Series was the first between the two since 1981, and didn’t go the way it so often did – the Yankees came into the series 8-3 against the Dodgers in the Fall Classic, but they’d fall to 8-4 with Los Angeles’ dominant victory here.
Freddie Freeman won Game 1 of the World Series with the first-ever walk-off grand slam, and outside of a win-or-go-home Game 4, in which New York scored 11 runs, the Yankees just couldn’t put it together throughout the rest of the series.
2020: Dodgers vs. Rays, 4-2
The Dodgers had been the dominant team in the sport for half-a-decade already, but had not yet won a World Series. They lost to the Astros in 2017 and the Red Sox in 2018. They won 106 games in 2019, but lost in the NLDS to the eventual-champion Nationals. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, though, the Dodgers raced out to a 60-43 record – a .717 winning percentage – before taking down the Brewers, Padres and Braves en route to the World Series, where they faced the Rays. The Rays were yet to win a World Series, and still are after Los Angeles’ win.
1988: Dodgers vs. Athletics, 4-1
It might seem like the Dodgers are always a threat for a championship, but that’s just in the present: before 2020’s World Series title, their last one came in 1988. This World Series featured Orel Hershisher at the peak of his powers: he set career-highs in wins above replacement (7.2), innings (267) and was a unanimous NL Cy Young winner, on the strength of a 2.26 ERA that was powered by a record 59-inning scoreless streak. Hershiser also went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI at the plate in the World Series in his home start to go with his two complete-game victories.
Oh, and Kirk Gibson hit one of the most famous home runs ever, too.
1981: Dodgers vs. Yankees, 4-2
Three Dodgers served as co-World Series MVPs in 1981, with Pedro Guerrero (.333/.417/.762 with 2 HR and 7 RBIs), Ron Cey (.350/.458/.500, 1 HR and 6 RBIs) and Steve Yeager (.286/.267/.786 with 2 homers) all sharing the honors. Guerrero and Yeager went back-to-back in the seventh inning of the decisive Game 5, in which the Dodgers were trailing 1-0, to give Los Angeles the W and another championship.
Rookie phenom Fernando Valenzuela wasn’t at his best in his lone World Series start this season, but he still managed to throw nine innings with four runs allowed in what ended up being a 5-4 Dodgers victory – a solid exclamation point on a season in which Fernandomania dominated and he took home NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young honors, and came in fifth for NL MVP.
1965: Dodgers vs. Twins, 4-3
Sandy Koufax was the World Series MVP; how could it have been anyone else? The legendary lefty started three games, two of which the Dodgers won, including a 2-0 Game 7. Koufax might have lost a game, but he allowed just two runs, one earned, in 24 innings of work: 29 strikeouts against 5 walks and 13 hits, and a 0.38 ERA.
1963: Dodgers vs. Yankees, 4-0
The Dodgers’ first World Series matchup with the Yankees after their move to Los Angeles resulted in a victory for the former Brooklyn squad – they had just one championship against New York in their many previous attempts, but 1963 signaled the first of three such victories in a row. Despite it being a four-game series, Sandy Koufax still pitched – and won – twice, winning MVP honors for allowing just 3 runs across 18 innings.
1959: Dodgers vs. White Sox, 4-2
This was the Dodgers first World Series appearance and championship after their move to Los Angeles from Brooklyn, in just their second season after that relocation. Sandy Koufax threw nine innings over two games – one start, one relief appearance – and allowed a single run, but he was far from alone in that level of performance, with Don Drysdale (just a run allowed in a seven-inning victory) and Larry Sherry, who would win World Series MVP honors, joining him there. Sherry also gave up just a single run, but did so across two starts: Dodgers’ victories in Game 4 and Game 7.
1955: Dodgers vs. Yankees, 4-3
“Wait ‘til next year!” was the rallying cry of the Brooklyn Dodgers, at least until 1955. Despite winning pennants in 1916, 1920, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953, the Dodgers had not yet won a World Series at this time. To make matters worse, the Yankees had defeated the Dodgers in ’41, ‘47, ’49, ‘52 and ’53. Brooklyn took on New York yet again in 1955, but things finally went the Dodgers’ way this time: the Yankees went out to a 2-0 series lead, but the Dodgers fought back to win Games 3, 4 and 5 to pull ahead, and then finally Game 7.
This was Jackie Robinson’s lone World Series championship in his 10 years and many attempts with the Dodgers – he would retire after the 1956 season, which ended with the Dodgers losing to the Yankees in the World Series again. That defeat was probably a little easier to stomach after the magic of ’55.
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