The World Series has been held every year since 1905 — despite boycotts by teams in the wake of the 1904 World Series, the outbreak of World War I, the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, America’s involvement in both world wars and a breakdown in collective bargaining that resulted in a players’ strike in 1994. It is arguably the most significant event in baseball’s calendar and it has seen some incredible moments over the years.
The Yankees dominated the early going in this World Series and had a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. Phil Rizzuto led off with a double that landed just inside the third base bag and took off for home. The next batter, future Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, hit a hard line drive that looked like it was heading for the right-field wall. But Dodgers center fielder John Mize was unable to catch it on the fly and Rizzuto reached third, where Yogi Berra grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The series was tied 3-3 and headed back to New York for Game 5. Aaron Judge, who came into the game batting just.152 in the postseason, teed off on Los Angeles starter Jack Flaherty, blasting his first-pitch home run 403 feet into the right-field seats. It turned Yankee Stadium into a bobbing sea of bedlam and became one of the most iconic Series moments in history.