In 1969 and 1995: New playoff formats were used for the first time in baseball history. In 1969, the League Championship Series (LCS) debuted, with the Braves meeting the Mets and Baltimore going against the Twins to determine the pennant winners, eschewing the tradition of the first-place finishers in the regular season meeting in the World Series. In 1995, the League Division Series (LDS), an additional round of playoffs, made its first appearance, with two series’ in each league. In the American League, it was Yankees-Mariners and Red Sox-Indians, while the National featured Reds-Dodgers and Braves-Rockies. New York and Colorado were the first ever “Wild Card” teams.
In 1959: A World Series game was played west of the Mississippi River for the first time, with the Los Angeles Dodgers meeting the Chicago White Sox in Game 3 of the Fall Classic. It was also the largest crowd in World Series history, with over 90,000 in attendance at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Dodgers won the game 3-1 and the series in six games.
In 1922: For the first time, an entire World Series was broadcast over the radio. Legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice handled the broadcasting duties while the second straight “Subway Series” between New York teams saw the Giants sweep the Yankees in five games (Game 2 ended in a 3-3 tie).
and of course, on Oct. 1, 1903: The first-ever modern World Sereis game is played at Boston’s Huntington Avenue Grounds between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Beaneaters. It was known more as the “Championship of the United States” during that first year. The Pirates won the first game 7-2, but Boston would take the Series behind the pitching of Cy Young, five games to three.
