Baseball during the 21st century has seen it all: An analytics revolution. Scandals involving substances of both the pharmaceutical and “sticky” variety (with sign-stealing drama for good measure). Scores of all-time great players began and ended their careers during this span. An All-Star Game once ended in a tie. It’s truly been a wild ride.
There have also, of course, been champions. So far, 25 teams have successfully hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy, spread across 16 different franchises. The year 2000 was the most recent one to see a team repeat as champion, making parity among the era’s defining traits. This is the century that brought the end to World Series droughts of 86, 88 and 108 years, with six different clubs reaching the mountaintop on more than one occasion.
