spatial series #2: the space between

not counting the 16 times the world series has featured two teams from the same city (including the match ups between the brooklyn dodgers and new york yankees and the oakland a's/san francisco giants match up), the distance between the two teams in the world series has fluctuated from 100 miles to over 2,000 (see chart to left). quick analysis...

1. it is again obvious to note where teams moved west with the spike right after 1960
2. it is an anomaly for teams to be so far apart...and this does not mean that teams have to be in the northeast (where there traditionally is a higher concentration of teams). for example: oakland/san francisco, anaheim/san francisco, kansas city/st. louis, etc.

so where does this series match up? this series between new york and philadelphia ties for the second shortest distance (not including same-city matchups) with 109 miles (tied with the 1905, 1911, 1913, and 1950 matchups between these two cities). the only series closer? when baltimore won the 1983 world series against the philadelphia phillies. the two cities are only 102 miles apart. the top ten closest city matchups...

1. baltimore v. philadelphia
2. new york city v. philadelphia
3. baltimore v. new york city
4. boston v. new york city
5. washington dc v. new york city
6. cincinnati v. detriot
7. cincinnati v. chicago
8. pittsburgh v. baltimore
9. pittsburgh v. washington dc
10. kansas city v. st. louis

the furtherest distances teams have traveled? the series that went near/over 2,500 miles...

• new york v. san francisco/oakland (2,944 miles)
• new york v. san diego (2,836 miles)
• los angeles v. new york (2,824 miles)
• baltimore v. los angeles (2,681 miles)
• phoenix v. new york (2,482 miles)

...and for the record, east coast teams won 5 out of 9 - so it seems that there is no real advantage there...or just needs some more analysis...