I prefer to do top 10s, but the Dodgers have been around only 120 seasons and haven’t gotten around to winning 10 World Series yet.

So we will to settle for a top 5. With one (1959) to spare!

From fifth to first:

5 — 1955. Yes, I know. This was the first. When “wait till next year” became “this year.” The Dodgers defeated the Yankees in seven games, with young Johnny Podres pitching the winning game.  But those were the Brooklyn Dodgers, and I was too young to notice — or know I was supposed to care. So this is where it ranks. Fifth.

4 — 1981. The fitting conclusion to Fernandomania. Fernando Valenzuela won the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. The postseason was a bit awkward, because the season was shortened by a strike, and an extra round of playoffs was introduced. Rick Monday hit a key homer to win the decisive Game 5 in the National League playoffs, and then the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in six games. Ron Cey, Steve Yeager and Pedro Guerrero shared the series MVP award. The whole thing was a little fluky and odd.

3– 1965. The Dodgers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Minnesota Twins in seven games. Sandy Koufax pitched on two days rest to win Game 7. A great series.

2 — 1963. The Dodgers stamped themselves as the best team in baseball, with no discussion necessary, by sweeping the proud Yankees in four games. The Dodgers’ pitching and speed were too much for the Yanks — and everyone else. Arguably the competitive zenith in the history of the franchise.

1 — 1988.  And not just because it’s the most recent. Kirk Gibson and Orel Hershiser carried the Dodgers into the playoffs, and Mike Scioscia’s clutch homer propelled them past the Mets and into the World Series against the Bash Brothers and the Oakland Athletics. Game 1 produced the classic Gibson walkoff homer off Dennis Eckersley (“I don’t believe what I just saw!”), and then the Dodgers brought it home in five games with probably the weakest lineup in World Series history. The Game 5 lineup: Steve Sax 2b, Franklin Stubbs 1b, Mickey Hatcher lf, Mike Marshall rf, John Shelby cf, Mike Davis dh, Rick Dempsey c, Jeff Hamilton 3b, Alfredo Griffin ss, Hershiser. Yes. They won with those guys. A clutch team, a lovable team, and champions.