Tag: World Series

Oct 27: The 7 game World Series

OCTOBER 27, 2019 | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Aren’t 7 game World Series more fun? They were an infrequent occurrence for a few years. From 1989 to 2010 (21 seasons) only 4 World Series went the full 7 games. There were more sweeps (7) than 7-game World Series.

It’s gotten better since 2010. Five of the last 9 World Series went the distance.

Year  – Games won
2019 – Washington 4, Astros 3 (7)
2018 – Boston 4, Los Angeles (NL) 1 (5)
2017 – Houston 4, Los Angeles (NL) 3 (7)
2016 – Chicago (NL) 4, Cleveland 3 (7)
2015 – Kansas City 4, New York (NL) 1 (5 games)
2014 – San Francisco 4, Kansas City 3 (7 games)
2013 – Boston 4, Cardinals 2 (6)
2012 – San Francisco 4, Detroit 0 (SWEEP)
2011 – St. Louis 4, Texas 3 (7 games)
2010 – San Francisco 4, Texas Rangers 1 (5 games)
2009 – New York (AL) 4, Philadelphia 2 (6 games)
2008 – Philadelphia 4, Tampa Bay 1 (5 games)
2007 – Boston 4, Colorado 0 (SWEEP)
2006 – St. Louis 4, Detroit 1 (5 games)
2005 – Chi. White Sox 4, Houston 0 (SWEEP)
2004 – Boston 4, St. Louis 0 (SWEEP)
2003 – Florida 4, NY Yankees 2 (6 games)
2002 – Anaheim 4, San Francisco 3 (7 GAMES)
2001 – Arizona 4, NY Yankees 3 (7 GAMES)
2000 – NY Yankees 4, NY Mets 1 (5 games)
1999 – NY Yankees 4, Atlanta 0 (SWEEP)
1998 – NY Yankees 4, San Diego 0 (SWEEP)
1997 – Florida 4, Cleveland 3 (7 GAMES)
1996 – NY Yankees 4, Atlanta 2 (6 games)
1995 – Atlanta 4, Cleveland 2 (6 games)
1994 – (not held due to strike)
1993 – Toronto 4, Philadelphia 2 (6 games)
1992 – Toronto 4, Atlanta 2 (6 games)
1991 – Minnesota 4, Atlanta 3 (7 GAMES)
1990 – Cincinnati 4, Oakland 0 (SWEEP)
1989 – Oakland 4, San Francisco 0 (SWEEP)

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
2008 World Series
All World Series results

Oct 13: The Halloween Classic

OCTOBER 13, 2016 | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Back in the day the World Series was coming to an end around October 13th. This year (2016), the National and American Leagues haven’t even begun their respective League Championship Series.

Today the World Series starts the last week in October. The 7th game, if needed, is played in November. The “October Classic” has become a Halloween event. Besides the weather factor in Northeast and Midwest locations, it’s simply a longer season than it used to be. Let’s compare:

1960 – The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off home run to win a spectacular up and down World Series between Pittsburgh and New York Yankees occurred on this date, October 13th. Box score & play-by-play.

1929 – The 5th and final game of the 1929 season was October 14th, the Philadelphia A’s beat the Chicago Cub 3-2 to win the series 4 games to 1.

1949 – The last game played in 1949 was on October 5th when the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 10-6 to win the World Series 4 games to 1.

1969 – The miracle season of 1969 came to an end on October 16th with the New York Mets’ stunning victory over the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 to win the series 4 games to 2.

1989 – Even the 1989 World Series ended before November, despite a 10-day delay because of the San Francisco earthquake of that year. The Oakland A’s beat the San Francisco Giants 9-6 on October 28th to sweep the Series.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
2016 MLB Postseason Calendar 
1989 San Francisco earthquake

This baseball history story is brought to you by Today in Baseball.

A STORY FROM JAN 16TH IN BASEBALL HISTORY – TWEAKING THE ALL-STAR GAME

We go back to 2003 for our story. Major League Baseball owners met Scottsdale, Arizona on this date in 2003 to rectify a public relations embarrassment. The 2002 all-star game did not end well.

Commissioner Bud Selig stopped a tied game in the 11th inning because both teams ran out of pitchers. Fans felt cheated. The game was played in Milwaukee, Selig’s home town.
 
The owners decided to tweak the summer classic to make it more than an exhibition. Starting in 2003 the league that wins the all-star game will have home-field-advantage in the World Series. Fifteen of the previous 17 World Series champions had home-field advantage. The two leagues had been alternating home-field-advantage since the World Series began in 1903.
 
Teams will be urged to save pitchers and other position players for the eventuality of the game going into extra innings.
 
The January 16, 2003 rule change lasted about a dozen years. As of December 2016, the owners changed the home-field-advantage rule again. Starting with the 2017 post-season, home-field-advantage for the World Series goes to the team with the best regular season record.

Contributing sources:
MLB All-Star game
SBNation home-field-advantage
World Series recaps

NOVEMBER 5, 1998 IN BASEBALL HISTORY-Yankees 27 Astros 1

NOVEMBER 5, 1998 | NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Houston Astros fans are relishing in the team’s first-ever World Series championship. Compare that to what the New York Yankees accomplished on this date in 2009. They won their 27th World Series. Yankees 27 Astros 1.

That’s more than the next three World Series winning teams combined.

It’s more than double the 11 won by the team with the second-most – the St. Louis Cardinals.

But it’s a start – Yankees 27 Astros 1.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Number of World Series won by each team
Postseason results, BASEBALL-REFERENCE.com
Yankees post-season results  

 

OCT 17 IN BASEBALL HISTORY, “I’ll tell ya what. We’re having an earth…”

OCTOBER 17, 1989 | SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – Broadcaster Al Michaels was frantic as ABC lost its signal just before game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s. Rain, sometimes snow, has been known to interrupt post-season play. This time the San Francisco earthquake of 1989 brought all activity in Candlestick Park, other than self-preservation, to a screeching halt, because, as Michaels’ said off-camera, “I’ll tell ya what. We’re having an earth…”. He was unable to get out “quake” before he was cut-off.

Millions watching the broadcast saw highlights of the previous game being described by announcer Tim McCarver when all of the sudden the picture sizzled and the broadcast signal was lost.

Candlestick Park, with 62,000 people inside, bent – fans felt the stands move and the light standards sway several feet – but did not break. There was catastrophic damage in other parts of the Bay Area; a section of the double deck Nimitz Freeway collapsed, as did part of the Bay Bridge. There were multiple explosions and fires in the Mission District of San Francisco. Sixty-three deaths and almost 4,000 injuries were reportedly caused by the earthquake.

The World Series, coincidentally involving the two Bay Area teams, was postponed for ten days, because, “I’ll tell ya what… we’re having an earth-“. The A’s eventually swept the Giants in four games.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
1989 Earthquake
ABC-TV
Oakland A’s post season