[SSW]

This was the 1st time in last 10 times that a visiting team has taken Game 7 to win the World Series on the road away from home. The last team to do it was the Pirates back in 1979 when the took the title from the Orioles in Baltimore.

Giants redeem themselves after the 7th game loss to the Angles back in 2002, which was the last time that the wild card teams met in the WS.

Giants have been to the WS 20 times but have only won 8 times. Most of those appearances 14 out of 20 were made by the NY Giants, who won 5 out of the 14 for a 35.7% win rate. The SF Giants have only been to the WS 6 times in 1962, 1989, 2002, 2010, 2012 and 2014 and they've won 3 out of 6 for a 50% win rate.

Only 2 teams have ever won 3 or more WS titles in a row: The 1972-74 Oakland A's and 3 different Yankees teams 1936-39 (4x's), 1949-53 (5x's) and 1998-2000 (3x's). Those teams certainly entitled to be considered DYNASTIES!!! Don't think the SF Giants even come close to that yet.

Also, all of those teams, other than the 1998-2000 Yankees, won BEFORE the age of free agency (starting in 1975) which made doing it easier because those teams were able to remain intact during those time periods.

This makes the accomplishment of the 1998-2000 Yankees all that more amazing (or explains why that Yankee team was able to win 3 in a row; they paid a lot of money to do it) considering how hard it has become to keep a winning team intact after free agency was adopted.

The last team to win 3 WS titles in 5 years was the St. Louis Cardinals back in 1942, 1944 and 1946, which was also prior to free agency. The fact that the Giants were able to win 3 WS in 5 years after free agency is a tribute to the ability of ownership to hold onto a solid core of players and to find others needed in order build 3 different teams that were each able to win the World Series.

Since the turn of the century in 2001, both the Giants and Red Sox have won 3 WS titles and the Cards won twice. The Giants have appeared 4 times (2002, 2010, 2012 & 2014) and won 3 of 4. The Red Sox appeared 3x's (2004, 2007 & 2013) and won all 3. The Cards have appeared 4 times (2004, 2006, 2011 & 2013) and won twice. Six other teams have won once each. So, the Giants, Red Sox and Cardinals have been the most dominant teams of the 21st century so far.

IF the Red Sox are able to return to win the WS next year, they would match the Giants record of 3 WS titles in 5 years and would have won 4 WS titles (1 more than the Giants). That would require the Red Sox (who have been decimated by free agency and other problems) go from last place to 1st place in one year. Not likely but anything can happen in baseball.

This 3rd WS title should make Bochy the front runner for Manager of the Year and should make him eligible for election into the Hall of Fame when he retires. Nine other managers who won 3 WS titles are in the Hall of Fame. Only one other manager in Giants history has 3 WS titles -- John McGraw (1905, 1921 & 1922) -- the last one over 90 years ago!!! -- and one of the managers already in the Hall of Fame.