<P> The best - of - seven style has been the format of all World Series except in 1903, 1919, 1920, and 1921, when the winner was determined through a best - of - nine playoff . Although the large majority of contests have been played entirely during the month of October, a small number of Series have also had games played during September and November . The Series - winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy . Players, coaches, and others associated with the team are generally given World Series rings to commemorate their victory; however, they have received other items such as pocket watches and medallions in the past . The winning team is traditionally invited to the White House to meet the President of the United States . </P> <P> A total of 113 Series have been contested, with the NL champion winning 48 and the AL champion winning 65 . The New York Yankees of the AL have played in 40 World Series through 2017--winning 27--the most Series appearances, victories, and losses (13) of any Major League Baseball franchise . The St. Louis Cardinals, who represented the NL for a 19th time in 2013, have won 11 championships, which is the second-most among all 30 Major League Baseball teams as well as most among NL teams . Both the Giants and the Dodgers have been NL champions more times, with the Giants winning 23 NL pennants and the Dodgers winning 22 . </P> <P> The Seattle Mariners and the Washington Nationals (formerly Montreal Expos) are the only current Major League Baseball franchises to have never appeared in a World Series; the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers (formerly the 1961--1971 version of the Washington Senators), Tampa Bay Rays, and Milwaukee Brewers (formerly Seattle Pilots) have all played in the Series but have never won . The Toronto Blue Jays are the only franchise from outside the United States to appear in a World Series, winning in 1992 and 1993 . The current World Series champions are the Houston Astros . </P> <P> Numbers in parentheses in the table are World Series appearances as of the date of that World Series, and are used as follows: </P>

Who won the most recent world series game