World Series MVP Guide (1985-2007)
Winners of the Most Valuable Player Award in the Fall Classic
Dec 13, 2007
1985: Bret Saberhagen, Kansas City Royals. Saberhagen was just a 21-year old kid when he led the Kansas City Royals to a seven game Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals by pitching two complete game victories and posting a 0.50 ERA.
1986: Ray Knight, New York Mets. Knight's career as a solid but mediocre player was highlighted by his excellent performance in one of the greatest World Series of all time. The Mets' third baseman hit .391 with five RBI and scored the winning run in the memorable Game 6 victory.
1987: Frank Viola, Minnesota Twins. Viola won two games in this Series, including Game 7.
1988: Orel Hersheiser, Los Angeles Dodgers. Just as he had been down the strecth in 1988 (when he pitched 59 straight shutout innings), Hershiser was unhittable in the 1988 World Series. He pitched two complete games, won them both and surrendered just two earned runs over 18 innings.
1989: Dave Stewart, Oakland A's. Stewart was 2-0 with an ERA of just 1.69 in the A's five game Series win over the San Francisco Giants.
1990: Jose Rijo, Cincinnati Reds. When the Reds swept the Oakland A's in 1990, it had to be one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. And Rijo as the main reason the Reds won. He pitched games 1 and 4, winning both and posting an absurdly low ERA of 0.59.
1991: Jack Morris, Minnesota Twins. Morris made 3 starts in the 1991 World Series, won two of them and gave up just 3 earned runs in 23 innings. In Game 7, he pitched a 10-inning shutout as the Twins won their second World Series in five years.
1992: Pat Borders, Toronto Blue Jays. Borders was another journeyman player who excelled in the October, hitting .315 in 32 postseason games. He reserved his best performance for the 1991 Fall Classic, when he hit .450 against a Braves pitching staff that included Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery.
1993: Paul Molitor, Toronto Blue Jays. This Hall of Famer had one of the greatest World Series in history against the Philadelphia Phillies. In 6 games, Molitor collected a record 12 hits, including two doubles, two triples and two home runs.
1994: NO WORLD SERIES HELD
1995: Tom Glavine, Atlanta Braves. After two heartbreaking Series losses in '91 and '92, Glavine pitched the Braves to a Fall Classic victory over the Cleveland Indians, going 2-0 with an earned run average of 1.29.
1996: John Wetteland, New York Yankees. Wetteland saved all four wins for the Yankees in their World Series win over the heavily-favored Atlanta Braves.
1997: Livan Hernandez, Florida Marlins. Hernandez was 2-0 and hit .357 in this Series.
1998: Scott Brosius, New York Yankees. Another New York third baseman who saved his best play for the Fall Classic, Brosius hit .471 with six RBI in the Yankees four game sweep over the Padres.
1999: Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees. Rivera won one game and saved two more in the Yankees second consecutive World Series sweep.
2000: Derek Jerek, New York Yankees. In the first Subway Series in 40 years, Jeter hit .409 and slugged an amazing .864 against the Mets. His leadoff home run in the pivotal Game 4 Yankee win was the biggest hit of the Series.
2001: Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks. These two guys killed the Yankees in the 2001 World Series, combining for a 4-0 record with an ERA of just 1.18 and 45 strikeouts in 38 innings.
2002: Troy Glaus, Los Angeles Angels. In the Angels seven game win over the San Francisco Giants, Glaus hit .385 with 3 home runs and 8 RBI.
2003: Josh Beckett, Florida Marlins. Beckett shut down the New York Yankees bats in his two outings, holding the Bronx Bombers to just eight hits and two earned runs in 16 innings.
2004: Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox. Manny had a fine series, hitting .412 with one home run and 4 RBI.
2005: Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox. In Chicago's sweep over the Houston Astros, Dye hit .438 with a double, a homer and 3 runs batted in.
2006: David Eckstein, St. Louis Cardinals. The little guy (he's five-feet six-inches tall) reached base 9 times in 22 at-bats in the Cardinals five game win over the Detroit Tigers.
2007: Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox. Lowell hit .400 with one home run and 4 RBI in Boston's second World Series sweep in four years.
