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The all-time World Series team
Bettmann/Getty Images

The all-time World Series team

Since 1904, the World Series has loomed as not only the pinnacle event in Major League Baseball, but a premiere event in American culture. It is home many of the most memorable moments sports history, (The Catch, Babe Ruth calling his shot....) as well as the confirmation point for many of the great icons in the game (the birth of Mr. October....and Mr. November).

And due to that, selecting the best of the best in World Series history is a daunting task. But with the next chapter in the history of the Fall Classic preparing to be written, it is prime time to revisit the the heroes that have comprised that made that legendary story what it is. And with that here is a look at what the ultimate roster from the Fall Classic would look like.

 
1 of 21

AL catcher — Yogi Berra

AL catcher — Yogi Berra
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It is only right that the winningest player in World Series history gets a spot on the team, as he played a pivotal part in bringing 10 championships to the Bronx. In over 75 games in the Fall Classic, Berra hit .274 and drove in 39 runs. His 75 hits in World Series play are by far the all-time record. Berra hit .381 in four straight World Series appearances in 1953 and 1955-57, including famously catching Don Larson’s perfect game in Game 5 of the ’56 Series.

 
2 of 21

NL catcher — Johnny Bench

NL catcher — Johnny Bench
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Bench reached the World Series four times between 1970 and 1976, hitting .279 and homering in each series. Bench’s finest performance in the Fall Classic came in 1976 when he got the best of a catcher-vs.-catcher battle with Thurman Munson of the Yankees. Bench hit .533 (8-for-15) with two home runs, won World Series MVP honors and helped secure a second consecutive championship for the Reds.

 

 
3 of 21

AL first base — Lou Gehrig

AL first base — Lou Gehrig
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The Iron Horse played in seven World Series, winning six. In 1928 and 1932, Gehrig hit over .500 in Series play, going 15-for-28 with seven home runs. In 34 at-bats, Gehrig hit .361 and produced a 1.214 OPS. Eight times, Gehrig scored the game-winning run for the Yankees in Series play.

 
4 of 21

NL first base — Willie Stargell

NL first base — Willie Stargell
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Stargell’s time in the Series was a tale of two worlds. After going homerless and hitting .208 in his first trip to the Series in 1971, Stargell made the most of his return engagement later in the decade, in 1979. At age 39, Stargell hit .400 while connecting for three home runs and four doubles en route to winning the World Series MVP.

 
5 of 21

AL second base — Eddie Collins

AL second base — Eddie Collins
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Collins reached the Series on six different occasions: four times with the Philadelphia Athletics and twice with the Chicago White Sox. Collins hit .400 three times in Series play, with 42 hits total, and his 14 stolen bases are tied with Lou Brock for the most in Series history. Collins’ postseason career ended on a dubious note, as he was a member of the notorious 1919 "Black Sox," who colluded to throw the Series. However, Collins was not convicted as one of the conspirators.

 
6 of 21

NL second base — Frankie Frisch

NL second base — Frankie Frisch
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With all due respect to the heroics of Bobby Thomson, no second baseman has ever owned October like The Fordham Flash. No National Leaguer has more World Series hits than Frisch’s 58. In his eight trips to the Series, which were split evenly between the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, Frisch twice hit .400 and collected seven or more hits five times. In 1934, he won his second World Series as player-manager of the Cardinals.

 

 
7 of 21

AL third base — Brooks Robinson

AL third base — Brooks Robinson
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Robinson reached the Series four times between 1966 and 1971, winning twice. Robinson won MVP of the 1970 Series, hitting .429 with a pair of home runs and providing one of the signature defensive plays in postseason history in the process. The 16-time Gold Glove winner threw out Cincinnati’s Lee May while bounding into foul territory and throwing a strike across the field, which led to Reds manager Sparky Anderson famously quipping that he was "beginning to see Brooks in his sleep."

 

 
8 of 21

NL third base — Pablo Sandoval

NL third base — Pablo Sandoval
Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Say what you will about what the Panda has become, but there was a time when he owned the World Series. Sandoval kicked off the 2012 Series in style, becoming one of four players to ever hit three home runs in a World Series game. Over the course of the Giants' 2012 and 2014 World Series victories, Sandoval hit .454 and caught the final out of the Giants’ third title in six years.

 

 
9 of 21

AL shortstop — Derek Jeter

AL shortstop — Derek Jeter
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Who else could it be? Jeter crafted his legend in the postseason and took it to another level on the season’s biggest stage. The five-time champion and MVP of the Fall Classic in 2000, Jeter was a .321 career hitter in Series play. Jeter twice hit over .400 and topped .340 on two other occasions. His leadoff home run on the first pitch of the 2000 "Subway Series" vs. the Mets and 10th inning walk-off homer a year later against Arizona are two of the many legendary moments for "Mr. November."

 
10 of 21

NL shortstop — Edgar Renteria

NL shortstop — Edgar Renteria
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At only 20 years old, Renteria delivered one of the most memorable hits in postseason history when he drove a walk-off single to center field against Cleveland's Charles Nagy to win the 1997 World Series for the Florida Marlins. Over three trips to the Series with the Marlins, Cardinals and Giants, Renteria hit .333 and won two titles.

 

 
11 of 21

AL outfield — Babe Ruth

AL outfield — Babe Ruth
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There may be no greater overall performer in Series play than the Babe himself. Before converting into the most legendary slugger of all time, Ruth guided the Red Sox to two titles by going 3-0 with an 0.87 ERA and embarked on 29.2 consecutive scoreless innings, a Series record that stood for 40 years.

At the plate, Ruth hit 15 home runs in Series play, the second most in history. In 1928, he put on one of the most legendary performances of all time, hitting .625 with three home runs while propelling the Yankees to a sweep over the Cardinals. And of course, there was the legendary "called shot" in Game 3 of the 1932 Series against the Cubs, in which Ruth won his seventh and final championship.

 

 
12 of 21

NL outfield — Lou Brock

NL outfield — Lou Brock
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True to his name, "The Base Burglar" stole his fair share of bases in his three trips to the World Series (his 14 are tied for the most all time) as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. But Brock did a lot more than just that, hitting .391 over 21 career World Series games. In 1967, Brock hit .464 (13-for-28), with two home runs and seven stolen bases in a losing effort against the Detroit Tigers.

 

 
13 of 21

AL outfield — Mickey Mantle

AL outfield — Mickey Mantle
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No one has hit more World Series home runs than The Mick, who swatted 18 in his expansive World Series tenure. In addition to his home run record, Mantle is the all-time leader in RBI (40), extra-base hits (26), runs scored (42), walks (43) and total bases (123) in Series play. Mantle reached the Series 12 times in his 18-year career and was a seven-time victor.

 

 
14 of 21

NL outfield — Barry Bonds

NL outfield — Barry Bonds
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Although the Braves dynasty of the '90s blocked his path to reaching the Fall Classic more frequently, once Bonds finally did break through in October he made the most of it. Bonds hit .471 with four home runs and posted a record 1.994 OPS in the process.

 

 
15 of 21

AL outfield — Reggie Jackson

AL outfield — Reggie Jackson
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Few had a flare for the biggest moments that "Mr. October" had. His legendary three-home run outburst in the 1977 World Series clinched the first World Series win in 10 years for the Yankees. Overall, it was one of the great postseason performances ever, as Jackson hit .450 with a single-Series record of five home runs. Before taking his talents to the Bronx, Jackson was a centerpiece of the Oakland A’s lineup that won three consecutive titles, from 1972-74.

 

 
16 of 21

NL outfield — Duke Snider

NL outfield — Duke Snider
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While the Duke of Flatbush made six total appearances in Fall Classic with the Brooklyn Dodgers, it was the four appearances in five years between 1952 and 1956 when he was at his best. Although the Dodgers managed to prevail in just one of the four series in the five-year window, it was far from his fault. Snider hit .323 over 102 at-bats in four years, connecting for four home runs in both 1952 and 1956. 

 

 
17 of 21

Designated hitter — David Ortiz

Designated hitter — David Ortiz
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In his three trips to the Fall Classic, Ortiz was at his very best, going undefeated on the game’s highest stage. Big Papi was a .455 career hitter over 44 at-bats in the Series, with three home runs and six doubles. His 2013 performance was one of the most astonishing in World Series history, as Ortiz hit .688 (11-for-16) with a .760 on-base percentage, seven runs scored and a whopping 1.948 OPS, an effort that easily earned him World Series MVP honors.

 

 
18 of 21

AL manager — Connie Mack

AL manager — Connie Mack
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The venerable leader of the Philadelphia A’s was known for his insistence on professionalism, as well as a knack for being in the World Series. Over the course of his 50 years managing the A’s, Mack won five World Series, with his first and final victories coming 20 years apart. Mack remains the only manager to win consecutive Series on two different occasions (1910-11 and 1929-30).

 

 
19 of 21

NL manager — Bruce Bochy

NL manager — Bruce Bochy
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An expert tactician in October, Bochy is three-for-three in World Series opportunities. Of National League managers who have managed 20 or more games, Bochy has the highest winning percentage at .600. He is one of 10 managers ever to win three titles, with the nine others each being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

 
20 of 21

AL stadium — Yankee Stadium

AL stadium — Yankee Stadium
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There is no other venue in pro sports that matches the majesty and legacy that the original Yankee Stadium held. In its 85 years of existence, it hosted more postseason games than any other stadium in history, including 100 World Series games. Nine of the Yankees' 27 titles were clinched at the ballpark, while another seven titles were clinched there by opponents of the Yankees.

 

 
21 of 21

NL stadium — The Polo Grounds

NL stadium — The Polo Grounds
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While Wrigley Field is the most enduring venue in the National League, the home of Bobby Thomson’s legendary "Shot Heard Round The World" in 1951, as well as Willie Mays' iconic catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, the former home of the New York Giants is the National League’s most iconic postseason locale. Opening in 1890 and closing in 1964, the stadium (in its multiple incarnations) was home to John McGraw’s championship teams of the early 1900s, stretching through the legendary careers of Christy Mathewson, Mel Ott, Carl Hubbell and finally, Mays himself. 

 

Matt Whitener is St. Louis-based writer, radio host and 12-6 curveball enthusiast. He has been covering Major League Baseball since 2010, and dabbles in WWE, NBA and other odd jobs as well. Follow Matt on Twitter at @CheapSeatFan.

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