Will it be a Hollywood ending for the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Even with a 2-0 lead over the New York Yankees in the World Series, the final pages of the script are a long way from being written.
History, however, is on the side of the Dodgers after they won the first two games of the series in Los Angeles. Major League Baseball teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven postseason series have prevailed roughly 84 percent of the time.
The series now shifts to New York for three games. A loss for the Yankees on Monday in Game 3 would put them in a 3-0 hole that only one team in MLB history has managed to recover from. So, best for them to start their comeback now if they want to flip the script.
Here are the teams that came back from a 2-0 deficit in the World Series.
How many teams have come back from 2-0 in the MLB playoffs?
Teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven postseason series have won the series 77 of 92 times, per MLB.com.
The last MLB team to come back from a 2-0 deficit and win the series was the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks, who defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS in seven games.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto led LA to a win over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the 2024 World Series.
How many teams have come back from 2-0 in the World Series?
Ten teams in Major League Baseball history have come back from a 2-0 deficit in the World Series to win the championship, four of which were the Yankees.
The Yankees were also the most recent team to win the World Series after dropping the first two games, defeating the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series in six games.
Here are the 10 teams to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the World Series.
- 1996 World Series – New York Yankees over Atlanta Braves in six games
- 1986 World Series – New York Mets over Boston Red Sox in seven games
- 1985 World Series – Kansas City Royals over St. Louis Cardinals in seven games
- 1981 World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees in six games
- 1978 World Series – New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers in six games
- 1971 World Series – Pittsburgh Pirates over Baltimore Orioles in seven games
- 1965 World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers over Minnesota Twins in seven games
- 1958 World Series – New York Yankees over Milwaukee Braves in seven games
- 1956 World Series – New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games
- 1955 World Series – Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees in seven games
How many teams have come back from 3-0 in the MLB playoffs?
Only one, and the Yankees and their fans are well aware of this.
The Yankees blew a 3-0 series lead over the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series. The Red Sox won four straight elimination games, the last two of which were on the road in New York, to advance to the World Series.
The Red Sox then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series to win their first championship since 1918.
