1. 1927 New York Yankees
They were called Murderers' Row, in deference to a lineup dominated by two incomparable sluggers. Babe Ruth (.356 BA, 60 HRs, 164 RBIs, 158 runs, 137 BBs) and Lou Gehrig (.373 BA, 47 HRs, 175 RBIs, 149 runs, 109 BBs) posted numbers that would earn them nine-figure deals in today's market. The Yankees topped the AL in home runs with 156, exactly 100 more than any other team. Ruth outhomered all seven other AL clubs himself. Bolstered by the league's best pitching staff, the Yankees set an American League record with 110 wins, outpacing second-place Philadelphia by 19 games. They were in first place every day of the season, then polished off the Pirates, 4-0, in the World Series. No team has ever so dominated an entire season.
Team roster and stats
2. 1961 New York Yankees
This Yankees club was ahead of its time when it came to the long ball. Six players clouted more than 20 home runs, including the M&M Boys, Mickey Mantle (54) and MVP Roger Maris (61), who chased Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60. Maris, of course, did set the mark, and it stood for 37 years, longer than Ruth's. The club's 240 home runs were a major league record (the 1997 Mariners hit 264), and nine players were named All-Stars — including Cy Young Award winner Whitey Ford (25-4) — en route to a 109-win regular season and a 4-1 victory over the Reds in the World Series.
Team roster and stats
3. 1936 New York Yankees
This team featured six Hall of Famers and eight All-Stars, including league MVP Lou Gehrig (.354 BA, 49 HRs, 152 RBIs) and rookie Joe DiMaggio (.323 BA, 29 HRs, 125 RBIs). Five players drove in more than 100 runs for an offensive that led the league in home runs with 182 (61 more than second-place Cleveland), and runs scored. The pitching staff posted the lowest ERA in the league at 4.17. It was a team that won the first of four straight World Series for the Pinstripes, and it was also the first of a record 12 straight Yankees teams that would lead the league in home runs.
Team roster and stats
4. 1970 Baltimore Orioles
The middle team of three straight O's teams to have advanced to the World Series, this is the only one of the trio to have won the Fall Classic. Led by three 20-game winners (Mike Cuellar, 24 wins; Dave McNally, 24; and Jim Palmer, 20), Baltimore's stamp was its starting pitching and defense, which led the league in lowest ERA and fewest errors committed. MVP Boog Powell (.297 BA, 35 HRs, 114 RBIs) wasn't too shabby at the plate, and neither were his Hall of Fame teammates, Brooks and Frank Robinson. Earl Weaver's team won 108 games in the regular season, and easily danced trough the postseason, sweeping the Twins in three games and besting the Reds, 4-1, in the World Series.
Team roster and stats
5. 1976 Cincinnati Reds
It's pretty much the same team that won a seven-game World Series against the Red Sox the previous season, but we'll call this one better if only because of the way it romped through the postseason. Seven games up, seven games down. A three-game sweep of the Phillies in the NLCS and a four-game dismantling of the Yankees. Three of the top four leading vote-getters for MVP were Reds batters, including award-winner Joe Morgan (.320 BA, 27 HRs, 111 RBIs, 60 SBs). The Big Red Machine led the NL in virtually every offensive category: runs, home runs, batting average, stolen bases. The pitching staff didn't rival that of the 1970 Orioles, but it did place fourth in ERA. On defense, four players won Gold Goves, including catcher Johnny Bench.
Team roster and stats
6. 1998 New York Yankees
Aided by extra playoff series added in 1969 and 1995, this team of Bronx Bombers holds the record for most total wins in a season with 125 — a then-AL-record 114 in the regular season and 11 more in three playoff series in which they lost only two games. The roster may have featured only two future Hall of Famers in Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera (both were in only their third full seasons), but it was a consistent stream of solid, smart, talented players that wore down opponents. Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Jorge Posada and David Cone were just some of the players that led the Yankees not only to this World Series title, but the following two as well.
Team roster and stats
7. 1986 New York Mets
They may have squeaked by in two classic playoff series against the Astros and Red Sox, but this team was the best of the 1980s. Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter is the only team member inducted into Cooperstown, but Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry sure looked like they were headed there. The Mets' pitching staff, the youngest in the league, led the NL with a scant 3.11 ERA. Offensively, the Mets topped and league in batting average and runs scored. As a whole, New York outdistanced the second-place Phillies by 21.5 games and made no apologies for their wealth of talent.
Team roster and stats
8. 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
Having six Hall of Famers on your team is usually a good thing. And so is having Don Zimmer on your bench, no? Zim hit 15 homers as a reserve infielder for the talented squad that finally got passed the Yankees, 4-2, in the World Series. MVP Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and Carl Furillo powered an offense that was the oldest in the league but talented enough to lead the NL in runs, home runs, batting average and stolen bases. The pitching staff was the league's stingiest. Despite the success, the Dodgers drew just over a million fans, second-best in the league but roughly half of what Milwaukee's third-year team drew.
Team roster and stats
9. 1984 Detroit Tigers
History will likely record no Hall of Famers on this team, but a couple of numbers really jump at you: a 35-5 record to start the season and six All-Stars. They won nine in a row to start the season, went 18-2 in April, 19-7 in May and never looked back, winning the division by 15 games over Toronto. The offense, led by Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish, led the league in home runs and runs scored, while the AL's best pitching staff was bolstered by Jack Morris and Willie Hernandez, who won both the Cy Young Award and MVP.
Team roster and stats
10. 1948 Cleveland Indians
Loaded with five All-Stars and five Hall of Famers, Cleveland's last world Series winner was a powerhouse. Shortstop Lou Boudreau, who hit .355, was named league MVP, and his infield mates Ken Keltner and Joe Gordon each smack more than 30 homers and drove in more than 100 runs. Bob Lemon and Gene Beardon posted 20 wins, and Bob Feller added 19, for a pitching staff was the league's best, allowing an ERA nearly a half-run better than any other team. Cleveland also drew the most fans in the AL, averaging 33,172 per game.
Team roster and stats