Dominating the Diamond: The 19 Baseball Teams With the Most Dominant Single Season, 1901-2000

Here are the nineteen baseball teams in the whole of the 20th century with the most dominant single seasons. The criteria for selection include leadership in winning percentage, runs scored, home runs, ERA, and differential runs. When the requirement of winning a World Series title is added to the criteria, only twelve teams meet the standards, but the author also includes seven other prime contenders. The introduction and Part I describe the selection process, the teams that made the cut-the 1927 Yankees, 1944 Cardinals, 1939 Yankees, 1937 Yankees, 1903 Red Sox, 1955 Dodgers, 1936 Yankees, 1984 Tigers, 1938 Yankees, 1905 Giants, 1917 White Sox, 1976 Reds, 1974 Dodgers, 1995 Indians, 1921 Yankees, 1906 Cubs, 1952 Dodgers, 1953 Dodgers, and the 1982 Brewers-and the teams that did not. Parts II though V discuss the game over four periods from 1901 through 2000 and provide in-depth discussion of the dominant teams. Part VI shows how difficult it is for teams to emerge dominant in today's game.