Road to 3-peat?

The 2026 spring training has already begun. Most of the MLB teams have begun full squad workout. For the Dodgers, they would like to defend the World Series title and lots of attention is certainly on them. After the off-season, it will be worth watching if the players are gradually ready for the new season, a season in which they are trying to become another 3-peat team.

 

Before the regular season started, let’s take a look at those teams that used to win three straight World Series titles.

 

Firstly, let’s go back to the late 1930’s. The Yankees defeated the Giants in the 1936 World Series and in the 1937 World Series. In the 1938 season, the Yankees won 99 games and took 53 losses during the regular season. In the World Series, they swept the Cubs, which won 89 games during the regular season. The Yankees won the 1938 World Series. Also, they swept the Reds in the 1939 Fall Classic. It was certainly a dynasty.

 

Secondly, another Yankees dynasty started in 1949. The Yankees won the World Series in 1949 and 1950. In 1951, the Yankees got 98 wins and 56 losses in the regular season. In the Fall Classic, they played 6 games against the Giants. The Yankees got 4 wins to become the World Champions. Additionally, the Yankees won the World Series in 1952 and in 1953. 5 straight World Series wins, that’s quite unbelievable.

 

In addition, from 1972 to 1974, the Oakland Athletics won the World Series titles for 3 straight seasons. The A’s beat the Reds in 7 games to win the 1972 Fall Classic. The next year, the A’s did it again in 7 games. This time, they defeated the Mets. In 1974, the A’s won 90 games and lost 72 times in the regular season. In the playoffs, they beat the Orioles in the ALCS to advance to the Fall Classic. In the 1974 World Series, they beat the Dodgers in 5 games.

 

Finally, let’s look at the most recent Yankees dynasty. The Yankees won the World Series in 1998 and 1999. In 2000, the Yankees won 87 games in the regular season to clinch a spot in the postseason. In the ALDS, they beat the A’s in 5 games (3-2). In the ALCS, the Yankees defeated the Mariners in 6 games (4-2). In the 2000 Fall Classic, the Yankees beat the Mets in 5 games (4-1).

 

As we can see, only 2 teams used to win 3 straight World Series titles. The Yankees became the first 3-peat team in the late 1930’s. They built a dynasty from 1949 to 1953 and the other dynasty came from 1998 to 2000. And the Oakland A’s are the only other team to win 3 consecutive titles. Looking back at their road to become a 3-peat team, the Yankees in the 2000 season were the only team that didn’t reach 90 wins. Hence, for the Dodgers, it might be safe to win 90 games during the regular season to clinch a spot in the postseason first. Moreover, another key thing is that no NL team has even won 3 World Series titles in a row. Certainly, there are challenges for them in 2026.