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The 1939 World Series featured the three-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds, who were making their first Series appearance since the scandal-tainted 1919 World Series. The Yankees swept the Series in four games for the second straight year, winning their record fourth consecutive title (they would later win five straight from 1949–1953). Yankee manager Joe McCarthy won his fifth title, tying the record held by Connie Mack.
In the 10th inning of the final game, a famous play at the plate typified the Series. Charlie Keller scored when he and the ball both collided with catcher Ernie Lombardi and then Joe DiMaggio also scored while Lombardi, rolling on the ground, tried in vain to retrieve the ball. Lombardi had been smacked in the groin, but the puritanical press reported it as if Lombardi was "napping" at the plate.
The Yankees matched the Reds in hits with 27 but out-homered the Reds 7 to 0. Charlie "King Kong" Keller led the Yanks with eight runs, seven hits, three home runs, six runs batted in, a .438 batting average, and a 1.188 slugging percentage.
Keller broke the record for most homers by a rookie in a World Series game, during Game 3 when he went deep twice. Also in Game 3, Junior Thompson gave up five hits in 4 2⁄3 innings worked. Four of those five hits were home runs tying the record for long balls allowed during a Series game set by Charlie Root during the 1932 World Series.
Despite the loss, the Reds were an organization on the rise, having improved from finishing last in the National League in 1937 (56–98, .364), then fourth in '38 (82–68, .547) to the NL champions in '39. Ironically, despite being dominated by the Bronx Bombers in the WS, the Reds would be the team to return in 1940 to win the World Series while the Yankees lost out to Detroit in the AL pennant race, snapping their consecutive World Series appearances streak at four.