The History of World Series Rings

When Major League Baseball crowns its champion every year, the players and coaching staff of the winning team receive a ring commemorating the event. The ring award ceremony is now part of the champion's opening day the following season.

  1. First Rings

    • The first championship rings were awarded in 1922 to the New York Giants, who beat the cross-town rival Yankees that year four games to none. The ring was comparatively small by modern standards and had just a single diamond in the middle.

    Tradition

    • Rings were given out intermittently throughout the 20s--the 1922, 1926, 1927, 1929 and 1930 champions all received rings. It became an annual tradition starting with the 1931 season.

    Diamonds

    • Most early World Series rings only used a single diamond in each ring. Ring designs got more elaborate over the years, and in 1977 Yankees went over the top by spelling out its ring logo in multiple diamonds. Subsequent rings have copied that example.

    Names

    • The names of the players were often engraved on the inside of the early rings. The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers were the first team to put each player's name on the outside of the ring.

    Fun Facts

    • Though the ring often features an image of the championship trophy on the sides, only one team--the 1976 Cincinnati Reds--put it on the front of the ring. Other teams use either the team logo or simply the team name.