World Series of the 2010s, Ranked

Ready to feel old? Wednesday night's World Series was the last professional championship in the four major North American sports leagues that we'll see in the 2010s.

Thus, get ready to see plenty of "end of the decade" lists by the time we get to New Year's Eve. Take a stroll down memory lane with us, as we count down the best Fall Classics of the 10s...

10. 2010 (Giants over Rangers 4-1)
A decade of excitement really started off with a bit of a thud. San Francisco's even-year dominance began in a five-game set that was over rather quickly. While we got to see a rookie Madison Bumgarner work his magic in Game 4 (8.0 IP, no runs, three hits in a 4-0 win), none of the other games were particularly in doubt, save for the 3-1 finale in Arlington.

9. 2012 (Giants over Tigers 4-0)
We promise we're not picking on you, Giants fans. San Francisco, was perhaps a victim of its own dominance, as this is the lone sweep of a decade flush with seven-game series'. If you like pitcher's duels, this was the series for you, as just 22 combined runs were scored over the four games.

8. 2015 (Royals over Mets 4-1)
The Mets tried all they could to make this a real series. Kansas City needed 14 frames to win Game 1 at home, and the Mets earned a 9-3 win in Game 3. In terms of a five-game set, it was certainly an exciting non-LDS matchup. The Royals -- a clear team of destiny after the heartbreak of 2014 (more on that later) -- had to sandwich their effort with extra inning wins, winning Game 5 with a five-run 12th inning.

7. 2018 (Red Sox over Dodgers 4-1)
The Dodgers were appearing in their second straight World Series, but they were no match for a dominant Red Sox team that had won 108 games. This series gets a few more props because of its 18-inning thriller in Game 3, LA's only win of the set. Boston otherwise ensured there would be little drama.

6. 2013 (Red Sox over Cardinals 4-2)
This is perhaps best known for the long-awaited celebration at Fenway Park. A 6-1 victory in Game 6 allowed the Red Sox to earn their first clincher at home since the infamous 1918 title and, to date, they're the last team to celebrate their championship at home.

The third and fourth games each ended in unusual ways. St. Louis won Game 3 via an obstruction call, while the Red Sox shifted momentum with the first ever postseason game won via pickoff in Game 4.

5. 2014 (Giants over Royals 4-3)
This series marked the lowest of our seven-game tilts. There's plenty to enjoy about the 2014 edition, but it can be argued that it's the type of series that's rectified and remembered with a classic Game 7. Only one of the first six games was decided by less than five runs prior to the finale, which could be forever defined by the decision to hold Alex Gordon at third base and Bumgarner's thrilling performance out of the bullpen.

4. 2017 (Astros over Dodgers 4-3)
Three years later, the opposite came to pass. A relatively strong series was perhaps ruined by a relatively ho-hum Game 7, as Houston pounced on Yu Darvish early to take the finale by a 5-1 score. Prior to the seventh game, all but one of the games -- including a 13-12 Astros win in Game 5 -- was decided by two or fewer runs.

3. 2019 (Nationals over Astros 4-3)
From a historical perspective, this one probably has all other North American championship series beat, as it marked the first time that a road team won every game of a series. Baseball's most recent Game 7 had a flair for the dramatic, even if the 6-2 final seemed somewhat one-sided in the end. Howie Kendrick's two-run blast in the seventh inning erased an early Astros lead in Game 7 and gave the Nationals a lead they wouldn't surrender.

The pitching matchups, featuring names like Cole, Verlander, Scherzer, Strasburg and Greinke, were also a refreshing turn from the trends of "openers" and tight pitch counts.

2. 2011 (Cardinals over Rangers 4-3)
Recency bias may cause this one to be forgotten, but it was truly one for the ages, a series that will haunt the runners-up for a long time. Texas, of course, was a single out away from victory in Game 6 before St. Louis' heroics changed the course of history. Whereas the Rangers' decade-opening defeat was almost expected, as it was enough of a win to see upstart Texas in their first Fall Classic. This one wound up being the definition heartbreak on the diamond.

1. 2016 (Cubs over Indians 4-3)
Where could you have possibly gone wrong with this one? Two teams working off nearly two centuries of autumn futility, the Cubs ending their lengthier drought by coming back from a 3-1 deficit in extra innings in a Game 7 that featured a rain delay. Hollywood couldn't have written a better script than what Chicago and Cleveland conjured up over seven nights in October. We'll be lucky if the 20s have anything as intense to offer us.