History of World Series sweeps: How Brewers can join rare MLB history with Game 4 win over Rays

Typically billed as a clash between baseball's best sides, the World Series is always better when it's tightly-contested.

Unfortunately for baseball fans, there's no prequisite that matchups will take on such a disposition. The Fall Classic has featured its fair share of sweeps over the years. The Brewers' performance through three games against the Rays this year suggest another could be on the horizon.

With that, here's a look back at the history of sweeps in the World Series, a list that could prove that much lengthier should Milwaukee set Tampa Bay aside in Game 4.

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To date, 19 teams have completed World Series sweeps. That's a healthy number, to be sure, although it accounts for a little more than 15 percent of the total World Series results.

The first team to claim four-straight victories en route to hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy was the Boston Braves, who dispatched of the Athletics in four matches to claim the 1914 title. No team has accomplished the feat since 2012 when the Giants set the Tigers aside in four en route to its seventh World Series crown.

Two sides — the 1907 Cubs and the 1922 Giants — claimed titles without losing a game. Both sides drew games during their series, preventing them from joining the elites to have officially swept their opponents en route to World Series glory.

Here's a list of the 19 official World Series sweeps, sorted by year. Five have taken place since the turn of the century, good for an average of one World Series sweep every six years. The Yankees have recorded more Fall Classic sweeps than any of their adversaries, hitting four past their foes on seven occasions.