Wow, what a World Series. Seriously.

The seven game battle between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays had all the excitement of fireworks going off in a barrel. There were game winning home runs, walk off hits in extra innings and superb pitching performances.

It was the second consecutive World Series title for the Dodgers, something that hasn’t been done by a Major League team in 25 years. Plus, it was the Dodgers third championship in six seasons: 2020, 2024, 2025.

The last time an MLB team won back-to-back World Series titles was when the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. Before that, the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, and they were hoping to win their third.

Now the Dodgers have their sights set on a three-peat. Keep in mind, no team has won two in a row since 2000, so that in itself is amazing, but if the Dodgers can win a third in a row, they would join sports royalty in that category.

Prior to the Yankees dynasty of the late 1990s, the Oakland Athletics won three World Series in a row, 1972-1974. The Yankees won five consecutive World Series from 1949 to 1953, and they won four straight titles in the 1930s. So, multiple back-to-back World Series streaks are not very common.

It is, however, highly possible with the high-powered offense and superb pitching on the current Dodgers roster that the team could feasibly win another championship next year. Is it likely? Probably not.

There is way too many factors to deal with between now and then to make such a guarantee. The biggest hurdle in the off season will be resigning free agents and then hoping everyone in the day-to-day starting lineup remains healthy, and that the pitching staff stays as solid as it was this season. Add to that having to sustain that level of dominance through a 162-game schedule and several playoff rounds.

The Dodgers really found a couple superstar pitchers in Japanese players Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. Yamamoto was credited with three of the Dodgers wins in the World Series and won the World Series MVP award. Ohtani has been a consistent home run threat at the plate since joining the Dodgers, but after returning this season from elbow surgery and shoulder surgery, Ohtani has proved he is also an ace on the mound.

Never since Babe Ruth has there been a player who could feasibly win a home run title and a Cy Young Award in the same season until now. Yeah, I’m putting Ohtani in the same category as Babe Ruth, but Ohtani might prove to be a much better pitcher and hitter than Ruth by the time his career is finished. We’ll have wait to see if his career stats bear out.

THREE-PEAT ROYALTY

There have been a few sports franchises who have won three or more championships in a row. I have already pointed out several in Major League Baseball history, but here are a few that stand out from other sports.

The most recent three-peat in the NBA came in 2000-2002 by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. It was head coach Phil Jackson’s first three seasons in Los Angeles, and in those NBA Finals, the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets.

Before the Lakers three-peat, Jackson built a dynasty in Chicago with the Bulls winning three NBA Finals in a row twice; from 1991-1993, and again in 1996-1998.

The last team to win three Stanley Cup Championships in the NHL was the New York Islanders, who actually put together four titles in a row, in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983. I remember this well because it really made me dislike the Islanders and I got sick of them winning each year when my favorite teams, Montreal and Buffalo, struggled. Those Islanders teams were led by some great players like Denis Potvin, Mike Bossy, Bob Nystrom, Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies and Billy Smith. The Islanders went to a fifth straight Stanley Cup Finals in 1984 but lost to the Edmonton Oilers.

There has never been an NFL team that has won three Super Bowls in a row, although the Green Bay Packers won three World Championships in a row from 1965-1967, but the Super Bowl didn’t exist until the 1966 season. I don’t even want to talk about my beloved Buffalo Bills going to four straight Super Bowls and losing all four.

TULSA BEACON RADIO

Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week my guests will be Victor Cruz, director of One to the Other Ministries and a couple of the local folks who have traveled with OTTOM on mission trips. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.