The 2026 Dodgers were chasing MLB’s first three-peat since the Yankees’ 2000 title.
New York completed its three-year championship run by winning the 2000 World Series over the New York Mets. The Yankees had previously won the 1998 and 1999 World Series, making 1998–2000 their most recent three-peat. The 2000 championship was therefore the final title in that streak and the natural year used in this question.
The Dodgers entered 2026 as the defending champions after winning the 2024 and 2025 World Series. A third consecutive championship would have placed Los Angeles alongside only a small group of MLB dynasties. The Yankees also won three straight from 1936–1938 and five consecutive titles from 1949–1953, while the Oakland Athletics won three in a row from 1972–1974.
A common mix-up is answering 1998 or 1999 because those years began the Yankees’ run. The canonical endpoint, and the title year most directly preceding the Dodgers’ attempt, is 2000.