During the 1998 playoffs, the Yankees easily bested the Texas Rangers, fought off the Cleveland Indians for the AL pennant, and swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series. His club set a major-league record of 125 total wins a season, including regular and postseason, breaking the 1906 Chicago Cubs' record of 118. Torre won Manager of the Year honors, and the team is now widely regarded as "one of the best squads of all time," along with the Yankee teams of 1927, and , the 1972–1974 Oakland Athletics, and the 1975–1976 Cincinnati Reds. When ESPN launched its "Who's#1?" series on June 15, , the 1998 Yankees topped the network's list of best teams over the years 1979 to 2003.