Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 9: The Start of Something New

Game 1, 1972 American League Championship Series: Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics

October 7, 1972, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

The 1972 Oakland Athletics didn't look like any other team that preceded them. They had already ruffled some conservative feathers in the previous years by ditching the traditional white at home/gray on the road uniform combo and switching to a much bolder green and gold combination. 

Then, star outfielder Reggie Jackson showed up to 1972 spring training with a full beard. Oakland owner Charley Finley first hoped to convince Jackson to shave through reverse psychology by telling a couple of other players to grow moustaches. Finley hoped Jackson's rebellious nature would make him hate seeing other players copying him and decide to shave. Finley's plan backfired, and soon several other players were putting down the razor. Instead of punishing everybody, Finley leaned into it, encouraging his players to grow facial hair and even providing bonuses to anybody who could grow a moustache before Fathers Day. Soon every player on the A's roster had facial hair of some kind, when there had only been two players in the previous 70 years to do so. (It's remarkable how conservative the sport used to be, where green uniforms and moustaches were considered acts of rebellion). 

1972 was also notable for being the absolute nadir of offense in baseball. Aside from a few peaks and valleys here and there, Major League Baseball's average runs scored per game has generally held steady between 4 and 5 runs per game per team. When there has been a valley, baseball has usually taken action to correct it. The first major change came by replacing the rolled-up gray sock that doubled as a ball during the dead ball era with an actual modern baseball, which directly led to Babe Ruth's breakout; the second major change came after the 1968 season, when MLB lowered the height of the pitching mound to give hitters a chance.

Just three years into the lower mound era, offense cratered again in 1972. Only eight seasons in baseball history had less offense than 1972, and seven of those came during the dead ball/rolled-up sock era. MLB would react to 1972's lack of offense by adding the designated hitter to the American League, but that wouldn't happen until 1973, making this ALCS the last one without the DH. And if any series needed the offensive boost provided by a DH, it'd be this one. The A's and Tigers ranked second and third, respectively, in fewest runs allowed in an already offensively challenged season.

Since it was Game 1, it was a battle of the pitching aces, Catfish Hunter of the A's and Mickey Lolich of the Tigers. Norm Cash got to Hunter with a home run in the second, and Joe Rudi tied the game for the A's with a sacrifice fly in the third. And for quite a while, that was all. The Tigers only managed three hits off Hunter through eight innings, while the A's had seven hits but only the single run.

The Tigers finally knocked Hunter out of the game when Duke Sims led off the ninth with a double. Oakland had Rollie Fingers - who would become the second reliever elected to the Hall of Fame - ready in the bullpen, but they first went to start Vida Blue. Going with Blue instead of Fingers was a matter of the matchup - Cash was up next for Detroit, and though he had homered earlier in the game, he was miserable against lefties. Like a .149 batting average miserable. So the man who was responsible for Detroit's only run earlier in the game was relegated to a sacrifice bunt attempt in a tied 9th inning. Cash got the bunt down to move Sims to third, and Cash himself was safe when second baseman Ted Kubiak dropped the throw while covering first. With runners on first and third with nobody out, this was Detroit's first real threat of the game, but Fingers came in and cleaned up the mess, with help from an inning-ending double-play ball.

Because it was the 70s, Lolich kept on pitching for Detroit, and he threw 1-2-3 innings in both the 9th and 10th innings. Fingers was still in for Oakland, and he gave up a go-ahead home run to Al Kaline with one out in the 11th. Detroit kept the threat going with a Sims triple, but Fingers got two ground outs to make sure Oakland got to the bottom of the 11th only down 2-1.

With Lolich still in the game, Sal Bando led off the bottom of the 11th with a single, then saw pitcher Blue Moon Odom replace him as a pinch runner. Epstein then singled to left on a hit-and-run, but Odom tripped over the bag at second and was unable to advance any further. Finally Detroit went to the bullpen, bringing in Chuck Seelbach to face Oakland catcher Gene Tenace.

Gene Tenace wasn't known as being much of a bunter in 1972. In fact, he wasn't known for much of anything. It wasn't until the next season that he became a regular with Oakland, blasting home runs, drawing walks, and not doing much else. In 1972, he was still a part-time catcher with only two sacrifice bunts to his name. Perhaps it wasn't a surprise, then, when his bunt attempt went right to third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez, who threw to shortstop Ed Brinkman for the out at third. Brinkman then fired across to try to get the slow-footed Tenace at first. It looked at first like Detroit got the double play, but the throw pulled Cash off the bag, and the first-base umpire ruled Cash's tag attempt missed Tenace. 

So now the A's had one out, still with runners on first and second, but with a slower runner on first in Tenace. And Tenace's "speed" would come into play in the next at bat. Pinch-hitter Gonzalo Marquez singled through the hole between second and third, and Epstein scored easily from second. Tenace didn't hesitate rounding second and, adjusting his batting helmet on the fly, he headed for third. Kaline threw to third, but his throw hit a head-first-sliding Tenace in the spikes, bouncing past Rodriguez at third and allowing Tenace to score the winning run.

The gold jersey-wearing, moustache-clad Athletics celebrated their win, and they weren't done. They beat the Tigers in five games, then beat the Cincinnati Reds in a seven-game World Series. That World Series win was the first of three straight for Oakland, making them the only team not named the Yankees to win a three-peat. It was a green and gold wearing dynasty, which all started with a low-scoring, extra-inning classic.

Game 1, 1972 American League Championship Series Overall Rank: 9 Top 10 Swing: 253 Top play: Gonzalo Marquez's game-winning single (WPA of 71% for Oakland) Loser's largest WE: 91 T11, 1 out, runner on 3rd, Detroit up 2-1, Norm Cash batting Average LI: 1.64 Highest leverage moment: 6.99 (B11, 1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd, Detroit up 2-1, Marquez batting)

Obligatory picture of the 1972 Athletics.
Behold the glory of 25 1970s-era moustaches.

Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 10: The Unlucky vs. The Cursed

Game 1, 2003 American League Division Series: Boston Red Sox at Oakland Athletics

October 1, 2003, Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland, California

Oakland general manager Billy Beane, subject of the "Moneyball" book and movie, famously told the author of that book, Michael Lewis, that "My shit doesn't work in the playoffs." It wasn't meant as a complaint, but as a matter-of-fact statement: Getting to the playoffs was the goal; winning once you got there was all about luck.

Using that logic, the Athletics of the early 2000s were incredibly unlucky. They had made the playoffs three years in a row, only to lose in a deciding Game 5 of the ALDS all three times. The first two of those losses had been to the Yankees, which were at least understandable, but the most recent loss - to a just-happy-to-be-there Twins team in 2002 - was what really stung.

Oakland's 2003 postseason matchup must have been met with some optimism, then. This time they weren't facing the dynastic Yankees or the nothing-to-lose Twins, but the still-cursed Red Sox. They had to feel good about playing a team even more prone than devastating postseason losses than they were.

But facing the Boston Red Sox of the turn of the 21st Century meant facing prime Pedro Martinez, which meant your scoring opportunities would be limited. You had to take advantage of the few innings where Martinez might falter, and the A's did just that, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third and having a fourth thrown out at home. 

Behind Tim Hudson, the A's kept that lead into the top of the seventh, when a tiring and possibly hurt Hudson gave up a two-out single to Nomar Garciaparra. With lefty Todd Walker coming up next, the A's turned to their normally lights-out bullpen. Ricardo Rincon threw two out of the strike zone, then threw one in the zone. Walker liked the one in the zone and hit it out for his second home run of the game, giving the A's a 4-3 lead. 

Having given Martinez a lead for the second time in the game, the Red Sox must have felt comfortable. But as the bottom of the 7th approached, Martinez was approaching the dreaded 100-pitch mark. The Red Sox had a tough choice - keep riding their ace well past his normal expiration point, or turn the game over to their brutal bullpen. They picked option 1, and after a leadoff single, Martinez got two straight outs. He was also at 112 pitches, well into the danger zone. The A's knew what to do next - Mark Ellis drew a five-pitch walk, then Erubiel Durazo fought off Martinez for 11 pitches before walking himself. And now the bases were loaded with Oakland's number 3 hitter, Eric Chavez, batting. Martinez threw his 130th pitch of the night and Chavez took a big swing ... and popped it up behind the plate.

Damon in 2004, his 
Full Jesus stage

It was Boston's turn to load the bases with two outs in the top of the 8th. A still pre-Jesus Johnny Damon came to the plate with a chance to break the game open, but he grounded to third to keep the score 4-3.

On to the ninth. The A's got runners on 1st and 2nd with one out on Boston closer Byung-Hyun Kim. Kim got Ellis to strike out, then saw manager Grady Little coming out of the dugout. Little brought in Alan Embree for a lefty-vs-lefty matchup against Durazo. It seemed kind of weird to not let a closer finish things off, but it's the kind of move that more teams would have made today. Plus, the Red Sox had zero faith in their bullpen at that point. Anyway, Durazo instantly made the move look foolish with a single to left to tie the game. Chavez then hit a grounder that Garciaparra almost threw into the crowd before Kevin Millar saved the throw - and the game - with a great stretch and catch.

Both teams threatened in 11th, only to see potential rallies end with two-out strike outs. So on to the 12th, where both teams had starting pitchers in the game in relief, ready for the long haul. Manny Ramirez led off the 11th with a walk for Boston. Then after moving to second on a wild pitch, Ramirez stayed rooted there after a strike out and a pop out. Rich Harden walked Bill Mueller intentionally to set up a force play at third, and then Gabe Kapler grounded on sharply to third. Chavez, the AL Gold Glove winner at third base, made a sensational diving stop to save a run, then beat Ramirez to the base with a head-first slide to end the inning.

The old saying goes that if you end an inning in baseball by making a great play in the field, you naturally end up leading off the next inning. Well Chavez didn't lead off the bottom of the 12th, but he did find himself on second base with two outs. Chavez stole third during a walk to Scott Hatteberg, then stayed where he was as Hatteberg took second uncontested one pitch later. Little told Derek Lowe to walk Terrence Long; after first shaking his head "no" toward the dugout, Lowe did just that, bringing up catcher Ramon Hernandez with the bases loaded.

Lowe was worried about hitting or walking Hernandez to force in the game-winning run. What he was not worried about - and what nobody in the stadium was expecting - was Hernandez laying down a bunt. But Hernandez did just that, channeling Jake Taylor Paul Blair by dropping a bunt down the third base line. The ball bounced once off the plate and once on the grass, and by the time Bill Mueller picked it up, Chavez had scored and Hernandez had reached first.

The A's celebrated their tenacity and their catcher's guts to drop down a bunt in that situation. Maybe their playoff fortunes had finally turned around.

Well, nope. After winning Game 2, the A's lost the series, again dropping a five-game ALDS. The Red Sox were still cursed, but would break that curse for good the next October. The A's, meanwhile, have only won one playoff series since 1992.

Game 1, 2003 American League Division Series Overall Rank: 10 Top 10 Swing: 226 Top play: Erubiel Durazo's game-tying single in the 9th (WPA of 46% for Oakland) Loser's largest WE: 88 B9, 1 out, nobody on, Boston up 4-3 Average LI: 1.96 Highest leverage moment: 7.16 (B9, 1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd, Boston up 4-3, Mark Ellis batting)

Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 20: Royal Theft

2014 American League Wild Card Game: Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals

September 30, 2014, Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

The celebration started well before the first pitch in Kauffman Stadium that night. There was a good reason for that: the 2014 AL Wild Card game was the first postseason baseball game in Kansas City since Game 7 of the 1985 World Series. After nearly three decades of mediocrity, the Royals were back.

The 2014 Royals would have fit right in with some of the teams from the 80s, as they were last in the American League in home runs and first in stolen bases. They used their speed whenever they could, and if they built any kind of lead, they gave the ball to one of their flamethrowers in the bullpen to lock it down. 

It was a strategy that appeared to be working through five innings of the Wild Card game, as the Royals used their speed, combined with some sacrifice bunts and well-timed wild pitches, to build a 3-2 lead over Oakland. Starting pitcher James Shields was pitching well and the Royals' bullpen was rested and ready to go. Everything was going the way the Royals wanted.

But then Shields gave up a single and a walk to lead off the 6th, and Kansas City had to act quickly. Manager Ned Yost reacted in a confusing way. Despite having the best bullpen in the league, he called for one of his starters, Yordano Ventura, to relieve Shields. This might have made sense at the beginning of the 6th if Yost thought it was too much to ask his bullpen to get four innings of work, but it was a strange decision to bring in a starter in relief with runners on base. That's something relievers are used to doing, not starters. 

Ventura, visibly uncomfortable, started with two straight balls out of the strike zone, then gave up a three-run home run to Brandon Moss. It was Moss' second home run of the game, and it left the Royals shell-shocked; the A's took advantage with two more runs before the inning mercifully ended with Oakland up 7-3.

Now most teams throw the brakes on the running game when they're down by multiple runs. The idea is that baserunners are too valuable to risk losing them, especially so late in the game. But the Royals weren't most teams. Not only did they keep the running game going, they doubled down on it. In the bottom of the eighth, they used three singles, two walks, and three stolen bases to cut the deficit to 7-6, and there was still only one out. But it's really hard to steal home, and with two runners on base with nowhere to go, the last two Royals batters struck out to end the eighth.

Oakland did their best to extend the lead in the top of the ninth, making Brad Pitt proud by drawing three walks to load the bases before Jed Lowrie lined out to right to end the threat.

It was then, down by one entering the bottom of the ninth, that the Royals' small-ball enterprise went into overdrive. After a single by Josh Willingham, Jerrod Dyson pinch-ran for him. Much like Dave Roberts of the 2004 Red Sox, everybody knew Dyson was going to try to steal a base. But it was a sacrifice bunt that moved him over to second. But despite drawing all sorts of attention from A's closer Sean Doolittle, Dyson stole third, safe by inches, then scored one pitch later on a sacrifice fly to tie the game.

The small ball wasn't done, either. The Royals got a leadoff single in the bottom of the 10th and moved the runner over to second on a bunt before failing to score. Same story in the 11th - leadoff single, sacrifice bunt, two straight outs.

Oakland finally broke the pattern by jumping ahead in the 12th. Josh Reddick drew a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice (so many bunts), moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored the go-ahead run on a pinch-hit single by Albert Callaspo.

In the bottom of the 12th, Eric Hosmer forgot about Kansas City's identity, crushing one the opposite way to left field. The ball was placed perfectly - exactly between outfielders Jonny Gomes and Sam Fuld, and one foot above either of their gloves. The ball hit the wall, Gomes and Fuld hit each other, and Hosmer ended up on third with a one out triple. Christian Colon was next up, and he followed with a perfectly hit ball of his own, bouncing one right off the plate, high enough that a charging Josh Donaldson had no chance to throw out either Hosmer or Colon. 

After writing all that about stolen bases, it only makes
sense to show a picture of the slow-as-molasses
catcher getting the winning hit.

And so it was tied again. And I probably don't need to tell you that Colon stole second. Two pitches later, Salvador Perez finally ended things with a single that glanced off the glove of a diving Donaldson to win the game.

As the Royals celebrated their win in shallow centerfield and the A's players slowly walked off the field, you couldn't help but think the Royals literally stole the game. After all, they stole seven bases as a team (with seven different players stealing a base), and five of those runners came around to score. 

As they continued through the playoffs, the base stealing slowed down - the Royals "only" stole six bases combined in their two straight sweeps over the Angels and Orioles, then only one in their seven-game World Series loss to the Giants. 

2014 AL Wild Card game Overall Rank: 20 Top 10 Swing: 217 Top play: Perez's single (WPA of 39% for Kansas City) Loser's largest WE: 97 Oakland up 7-3 entering the 8th Average LI: 1.63 Highest leverage moment: 5.92 (Twice; both times the Royals had the tying run on third with one out)

1972 World Series: First name Fury

The Teams
American League: Oakland Athletics (93-62) - First World Series
National League: Cincinnati Reds (95-59) - Sixth World Series (Won in 1919, 1940)

What Happened
Not many people outside of Oakland had heard of Gene Tenace before the 1972 World Series. The ones that had heard of Oakland's backup catcher/utility player probably didn't know his real first name was Fury (Seriously! Fury Gene Tenace), and they certainly didn't peg him as the potential offensive star of the upcoming series, not with the Big Red Machine in the other dugout. He was an afterthought, a bit player at best.

And then he hit two home runs in Game 1. After hitting only five home runs during the regular season, on top of a .225 average, Tenace homered in his first two at bats of the 1972 World Series. With his unexpected home runs, plus four innings of scoreless relief from Rollie Fingers and Vida Blue, the A's had a surprising Game 1 win in Cincinnati. They won Game 2, too, helped by a sensational ninth-inning catch by Joe Rudi that saved at least one run:


Rudy's catch


After the Reds won Game 3, Tenace struck again. He hit a home run to open the scoring in Game 4, then hit one of Oakland's four straight ninth-inning singles that gave the A's a commanding 3-1 series lead. He did it again in Game 5, hitting a three-run home run in the second inning - his record tying fourth of the series - that put the A's on the verge of the title. Oakland entered the eighth up 4-3, but the Reds tied the game in the eighth, then took the lead on a Pete Rose single in the 9th. Tenace walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth, but pitcher Blue Moon Odom, pinch-running for Tenace, was thrown out at the plate on a popup for the final out.

After a Cincinnati thrashing in Game 6, the series went to Game 7, where Tenace shined again. He didn't hit any home runs this time, but he did have two hits, including the go-ahead double in the sixth. After Fingers escaped a jam in the 8th, the A's held on to win their first championship on the West Coast.

MVP 
Tenace was the obvious choice for MVP, another one of those underdog stories so common in baseball. His four home runs were more than all other World Series batters combined, and they paid off not just in a championship but in the long term. A backup catcher before the 1972 Series, Tenace became a mainstay in the Oakland starting lineup, playing at least 120 games each of the next eight years. He made a name for himself as a low average, high power, high on-base percentage player - he would have fit right in with the "Moneyball" A's. While the series may have turned around his career, he was never able to duplicate his postseason success; his 9 runs batted in in the 1972 Series were almost 2/3 of his career postseason total, and the four home runs were the only four postseason home runs he ever hit.

Scores 
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Oakland	3	2	0	3	4	1	3
Cincinnati	2	1	1	2	5	8	2

The List
I'm ranking all the World Series, from worst to best. Here are the ones I've done so far:

9. 1972 - Oakland (A) def. Cincinnati (N) 4-3
Numbers 10-19
Numbers 20-29
Numbers 30-39
Numbers 40-49
Numbers 50-59
Numbers 60-69
Numbers 70-79
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

Game 7s
Simultaneously, I'll rank all the Game 7s. The ones that have appeared in my countdown so far:

3. 1960: Pittsburgh 10, New York (A) 9
5. 1997: Florida 3, Cleveland 2
7. 1946: St. Louis (N) 4, Boston (A) 3
9. 1925: Pittsburgh 9, Washington 7
10. 1926: St. Louis (N) 3, New York (A) 2
11. 1962: New York (A) 1, San Francisco 0
12. 1979: Pittsburgh 4, Baltimore 1
13. 1955: Brooklyn 2, New York (A) 0
14. 1952: New York (A) 4, Brooklyn 2
15. 1971: Pittsburgh 2, Baltimore 1
16. 1940: Cincinnati 2, Detroit 1
17. 1972: Oakland 3, Cincinnati 2
18. 1987: Minnesota 4, St. Louis 2
19. 1958: New York 6, Milwaukee 2
20. 1986: New York (N) 8, Boston 5 
21. 1968: Detroit 4, St. Louis 1
22. 1931: St. Louis (N) 4, Philadelphia (A) 2
23. 1973: Oakland 5, New York (N) 2
24. 2002: Anaheim 4, San Francisco 1
26. 1982: St. Louis 6, Milwaukee 3
28. 1965: Los Angeles (A) 2, Minnesota 0
29. 1964: St. Louis 7, New York (A) 5
30. 1957: Milwaukee 5, New York (A) 0
31. 1967: St. Louis 7, Boston 2
32. 1945: Detroit 9, Chicago (N) 3
33. 1909: Pittsburgh 8, Detroit 0
34. 1934: St. Louis (N) 11, Detroit 0 
35. 1985: Kansas City 11, St. Louis 0
36. 1956: New York (A) 9, Brooklyn 0

1973 World Series: Finley's follies

The Teams
American League: Oakland Athletics (94-68) - Second World Series (Won in 1972)
National League: New York Mets (82-79) - Second World Series (Won in 1969)

What Happened
The 1973 World Series wasn't so much a battle to see who was the best team, but rather one about who was less bad. Sure, the A's were the defending World Series champions, but they didn't exactly set the world on fire defending their championship. With as much time as they spent fighting each other or complaining about team owner Charlie Finley, it's amazing they ended up with a winning record, much less back in the postseason. But they won the AL West, then pushed their issues to the side while the took care of Baltimore to get back to the World Series.

The Mets, meanwhile, were ... well, it's hard to use "mediocre" to describe a National League champion, but that's the best way to describe them. They won only 82 games, the lowest ever for a World Series team. They would have finished fourth in the National League West, but they won the NL East, then beat Cincinnati to advance to the series.

The one thing these two teams had in common was great pitching, and for the most part, that pitching dominated the series. The big exception was Game 2. A four-run sixth gave the Mets a 6-3, which the Athletics cut to 6-4 entering the ninth. Then, with two outs in the 9th, the A's rallied to tie the game. To the 12th, then. With two runners on base, the Mets' Willie Mays, who had shown every one of his 42 years during the season and series, reached down for one more bit of magic, delivering the go-ahead hit. After another single, two straight batters hit balls right at Oakland second baseman Mike Andrews, and he committed an error on both of them. Three more runs came in as a results of the Andrews errors, runs that loomed even bigger when the A's scored once in the bottom of the 12th.

With the series tied at 1-1, Finley was furious. He blamed Andrews for the Game 2 loss. To get his revenge, he forced Andrews to sign a false affidavit saying he was injured so that Finley could replace him on the World Series roster. Outraged, the A's players threatened to boycott the rest of the series if the move were allowed to go through, and Oakland manager Dick Williams resigned, effective at the end of the series. Fortunately, the commissioner's office didn't let the stunt pass, ordering Andrews reinstated.

With all the circus going on, there was still a series to be played. United behind their anger at their owner, the A's won Game 3 in 11 innings to reclaim homefield advantage, then suffered through the wet and cold New York weather for two losses before series headed back to Oakland. From there, the A's great pitchers finally took control. Oakland's Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers outdueled Tom Seaver and Tug McGraw to win Game 6, and a four-run third was all Ken Holtzman and Fingers needed for Game 7. They hated each other, they hated their owner, but somehow, the A's were two-time World Champions.

MVP 
Reggie Jackson was a most curious choice for MVP, as he didn't really get going until the final two games. The future Mr. October his his first career World Series home run in that four-run rally in Game 7, so that might have had something to do with it. It really should have been Fingers, who pitched in six of the seven games and only gave up 1 earned run in a team-high 13 innings.

Scores
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

New York	1	10 (12)	2	6	2	1	2
Oakland	2	7	3 (11)	1	0	3	5

The List
I'm ranking all the World Series, from worst to best. Here are the ones I've done so far:

20. 1973 - Oakland (A) def. New York (N) 4-3
21. 2002 - Anaheim (A) def. San Francisco (N) 4-3
22. 1980 - Philadelphia (N) def. Kansas City (A) 4-2
23. 1911 - Philadelphia (A) def. New York (N) 4-2
24. 1915 - Boston (A) def. Philadelphia (N) 4-1
25. 1971 - Pittsburgh (N) def. Baltimore (A) 4-3
26. 1918 - Boston (A) def. Chicago (N) 4-2
27. 1988 - Los Angeles (N) def. Oakland (A) 4-1
28. 1946 - St. Louis (N) def. Boston (A) 4-3
29. 1925 - Pittsburgh (N) def. Washington (A) 4-3
Numbers 30-39
Numbers 40-49
Numbers 50-59
Numbers 60-69
Numbers 70-79
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

Game 7s
Simultaneously, I'll rank all the Game 7s. The ones that have appeared in my countdown so far:

7. 1946: St. Louis (N) 4, Boston (A) 3
9. 1925: Pittsburgh 9, Washington 7
12. 1979: Pittsburgh 4, Baltimore 1
13. 1955: Brooklyn 2, New York (A) 0
15. 1971: Pittsburgh 2, Baltimore 1
16. 1940: Cincinnati 2, Detroit 1
18. 1987: Minnesota 4, St. Louis 2
19. 1958: New York 6, Milwaukee 2
21. 1968: Detroit 4, St. Louis 1
22. 1931: St. Louis (N) 4, Philadelphia (A) 2
23. 1973: Oakland 5, New York (N) 2
24. 2002: Anaheim 4, San Francisco 1
26. 1982: St. Louis 6, Milwaukee 3
28. 1965: Los Angeles (A) 2, Minnesota 0
29. 1964: St. Louis 7, New York (A) 5
30. 1957: Milwaukee 5, New York (A) 0
31. 1967: St. Louis 7, Boston 2
32. 1945: Detroit 9, Chicago (N) 3
33. 1909: Pittsburgh 8, Detroit 0
34. 1934: St. Louis (N) 11, Detroit 0 
36. 1985: Kansas City 11, St. Louis 0

1988 World Series: The Impossible Has Happened

The Teams

National League: Los Angeles (94-67) - Ninth World Series (won in 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981)

American League: Oakland Athletics (104-58) - Fourth World Series (won in 1972, 1973, 1974) 

What Happened

The blast was tremendous, a no-doubter. The second-inning grand slam Jose Canseco hit in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series flew high toward center field, landing on – and denting – the very television camera used to record the blast. In 1988, Canseco was the best player on baseball’s best team, and in most instances, in most World Series, a blast like that would have set the tone for the widely anticipated Oakland sweep.

But this wasn’t most seasons; indeed, this wasn’t like most World Series. Oakland may have had the best team – their 104 wins were the most in the American League in nearly 20 years – and they certainly led all of baseball in intimidation factor, with muscle-bound (and steroid-enhanced) sluggers Canseco and Mark McGwire in the middle of the lineup and the nearly unhittable Dennis Eckersley in the bullpen.

But they didn’t have Orel Hershiser or Kirk Gibson. And in 1988, those two players were enough to lead an otherwise unremarkable Dodger team to the National League pennant. Hershiser, of course, was out-of-this-world good, breaking Don Drysdale’s record of consecutive scoreless innings, and doing so in the heat of the pennant race when giving up even a single run could have meant elimination for his team. Gibson’s effect on the Dodgers was a little more difficult to quantify. His numbers looked merely OK, not great, yet he was easily voted National League MVP. Sometimes leadership can’t be quantified by numbers. Gibson’s 1988 season is a perfect example of that.

Yet when the World Series started, the Dodgers thought they’d be without their MVP. As Canseco’s grand slam flew over the fence, Gibson was in the clubhouse in street clothes, trying to do something as simple as stand on his two injured legs. He was officially on the World Series roster, but he was essential useless. On television, announcer Jack Buck even said as much, saying that Gibson wasn’t even in uniform for Game 1.

Gibson heard that, and something came over him. Blocking out the pain, he started swinging the bat. The Dodgers cut their deficit to 4-3, but couldn’t tie the game, and entered the ninth still trailing. Gibson took a few swings and told manager Tommy Lasorda he was ready to go. After Mike Davis drew a two-out walk off Eckersley, Lasorda made the call. 

Gibson limped up to the plate. The crowd roared, then started hoping, begging, praying. Would their hero come through once more? After six pitches - including a foul down the first base line that was hit so weakly that Dodger fans had to feel sick - Gibson struck. He swung awkwardly - back foot off the ground, one hand off the bat at contact - but it flew, deep to right, over and out. Gibson rounded first base and pumped his fist. Vin Scully, the voice of the Dodgers, said "In a season that has been most improbable, the impossible has happened." Lasorda joined the rest of the Dodgers in greeting Gibson at home plate. And Los Angeles celebrated deep into the night.

At that point, the series was over. The Dodgers had won a most improbable game - beating the game's best reliever, at that - and they had Hershiser ready to pitch as many as three games. And the A's weren't beating Hershiser. He shut them out in Game 2, giving up only three hits - all of them to left fielder Dave Parker. He beat them again in Game 5, finishing the series with another complete game win. And the best team in baseball had been beaten by two men.

MVP

Hershiser won the MVP, and deservedly so. Few pitchers have ever been better than Hershiser was in the fall of 1988. But the emotional MVP was Gibson. He had only one at bat in the 1988 World Series, but that one at bat will live on in baseball lore.

  
Scores

(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Oakland	4	0	2	3	2
Los Angeles	5	6	1	4	5

The List
I'm ranking all the World Series, from worst to best. Here are the ones I've done so far:

27. 1988 - Los Angeles (N) def. Oakland (A) 4-1
28. 1946 - St. Louis (N) def. Boston (A) 4-3
29. 1925 - Pittsburgh (N) def. Washington (A) 4-3
Numbers 30-39
Numbers 40-49
Numbers 50-59
Numbers 60-69
Numbers 70-79
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

1974 World Series: Triple Crown

The Teams
American League: Oakland Athletics (90-72) - Third World Series (won in 1972, 1973)
National League: Los Angeles Dodgers (102-60) - Fifth World Series (won in 1959, 1963, 1965)

What Happened
One of the most often-repeated concepts in sports is that a team has to have good chemistry to win. Most teams have the talent to win, but it's not until you have a team full of players who are truly pulling for each other that you can take that championship step. Without good team chemistry, you just have a team wasting its potential.

The Oakland A's of the 1970s did not have good chemistry. They hated each other, getting into locker room fights as often as possible, including in the day before the 1974 World Series started. They hated their manager, Alvin Dark, a man who didn't hide is devout religious beliefs or his apparent racism. But most of all, they hated their penny-pinching, player-undermining owner, Charlie Finley.

Maybe it was part of Finley's plan all along - the easiest way to get such differing personalities to play together was to unite them behind a common enemy - or maybe it was just dumb luck, but Oakland's lack of chemistry worked to perfection. The A's entered the 1974 World Series trying to something that no team outside the Bronx had ever done: win three straight World Championships.

They had gotten there with pitching, speed, and clutch power, and despite the constant meddling of their owner. Perhaps the most egregious of Finley's moves was to hire Herb Washington, a former Michigan State track star with no baseball experience, to be a "designated runner." Washington was obviously overwhelmed, getting caught stealing almost as often as he was successful while never batting even once in his Major League career. In fact, Washington was indirectly responsible for Oakland's Game 2 loss in the 1974 series, getting picked off first to kill a ninth-inning rally that allowed the Dodgers to escape with a 3-2 win.

Aside from that, though, the A's showed why they had won two straight titles. Despite have far less talent than the Dodgers, Oakland found a number of ways to win. They scored three times in Game 1 on a home run, a suicide squeeze, and an error. They scored early in Game 3, leading 3-0 after 4, then let their Hall of Fame pitchers Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers finish the job. And they got the big inning in Game 4, scoring 4 runs in the sixth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit.

Finally, with a chance to clinch the series in Game 5, Oakland's crowd got in on the act. Earlier in the series, Los Angeles' Bill Buckner had said that there were only two or three Oakland players who could crack the Dodgers' lineup. Though Buckner was probably right, his comment still worked Oakland fans up into a frenzy, and it boiled over in the seventh inning. The game was delayed for several minutes as the field was cleared of the debris Oakland fans were throwing at Buckner in left field. Once that was taken care of, Joe Rudi hit the first pitch after play resumed into those very fans in left field, giving Oakland a 3-2 lead. Fingers came in to shut the door, and the team that hated each other piled on top of one another, celebrating the most improbable three-peat in baseball history.

Defining Game
If you wanted a snapshot of how the A's were able to win three straight championships, look no further than Game 1. They opened the scoring with a home run by Reggie Jackson, their Hall-of-Fame slugger who had already developed a sense of the moment. They got their second run on a suicide squeeze by their speedy shortstop, Bert Campaneris, showing that when precise execution was required, they rarely failed. They scored their third run after a Dodger error, showing their knack for making their opponents pay for every mistake. And while all this was happening, they leaned on their great pitchers, with closer Fingers pitching four innings of relief, then getting relieved himself by ace starter Hunter for the final out. They were powerful and clutch, they did the little things right, they were opportunistic, and they were flexible. It all added up to a Triple Crown of titles.


MVP
Some people see Fingers' selection as MVP as more of a lifetime achievement award for his great postseasons over the previous three seasons, but he did pitch in four of the five games, throwing nine innings in those four games, and getting a win and two saves. Also, every time he entered the game, the A's knew it was over, which has to count for something.

Random Fact
This was the first World Series played entirely in California.

Scores
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Oakland	3	2	3	5	3
Los Angeles	2	3	2	2	2

The List
I'm ranking all the World Series, from worst to best. Here are the ones I've done so far:

56. 1974 - Oakland (A) def. Los Angeles (N) 4-1
57. 1955 - Brooklyn (N) def. New York (A) 4-3
58. 1979 - Pittsburgh (N) def. Baltimore (A) 4-3
59. 1987 - Minnesota (A) def. St. Louis (N) 4-3
Numbers 60-69
Numbers 70-79
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

1990 World Series: The Nasty Boys

The Teams
National League: Cincinnati Reds (91-71) - Ninth World Series (Won in 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976)
American League: Oakland Athletics (103-59) - Sixth World Series (Won in 1972, 1973, 1974, 1989)

What Happened
It wasn't supposed to be close. These two teams didn't deserve to be on the same field, much less play against each other in the World Series. It was a team about to establish itself as a great baseball dynasty against a team that had eked into the playoffs with a patchwork lineup, with only a strong relief corps as something to brag about. The 1990 World Series was expected to be a bloodbath.


And it was. Except the wrong team won.

After sweeping the World Series in 1989, the Oakland A's came back even stronger in 1990. Jose Canseco was healthy the entire season, Rickey Henderson won the AL MVP award in one of the best all-around seasons of all-time, and Dave Stewart won 20 games for the fourth straight season. They made mincemeat of the AL West, swept the Red Sox in the ALCS, and started licking their chops at the prospect of playing the lowly Reds in the World Series.

Meanwhile, all Cincinnati had to brag about was their bullpen, nicknamed the Nasty Boys both for their personality and for their stuff on the mound. Their lineup was above-average at best, their pitching staff was good but not great, and they were expected to be nothing more than a footnote in the story of Oakland's dynasty.

But then Cincinnati's Eric Davis hit a two-run home run off Stewart in the first inning of Game 1, leading the way to a 7-0 Cincinnati victory that put to bed all the talks comparing Oakland to the 1927 Yankees.

Their chances at a sweep gone, Oakland's started making careless mistakes. Over the course of a long season, Oakland's offensive prowess could usually cover up little mistakes, but in a four-game series with everything on the line, they were magnified. Such as when Canseco took a poor angle on a Billy Hatcher line drive in the 8th inning of Game 2. Hatcher ended up with a triple and later scored the game-tying run. Cincinnati won that game in 10 innings, taking a 2-0 lead. Then came Game 3, when Mark McGwire committed an error on a soft grounder in the third, which led to six unearned runs for the Reds and another stunning victory.

All the while, Oakland couldn't touch Cincinnati's pitchers, specifically their bullpen. In fact, Oakland didn't score a run after the third inning the entire series. The nadir came in Game 4, when the A's could manage only 2 hits against Cincinnati ace Jose Rijo. As expected, the series was over in four games. Like nobody expected, it was the Reds who were celebrating after Game 4.

Defining Game
Game 2. It showed the best of Canseco - a towering second-inning home run that played a part in Oakland taking a 4-2 lead - and the worst of Canseco - his misplay of Hatcher's liner, a play he botched so badly that it caused manager Tony LaRussa to curse him out in public and eventually bench him for Game 4. The game also showed off Cincinnati's biggest strength. After falling behind 4-2, the Reds went to their bullpen, and the Nasty Boys threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings the rest of the way. Then, Cincinnati showed that you can win without power, as three weak ground ball hits led to their game-winning rally in the 10th.

MVP
The writers picked Jose Rijo, which was a perfectly fine choice; Rijo won games 1 and 4, giving up only 1 run in 15 innings in the series. But they could have easily picked Hatcher, who started the series with seven straight hits and ended up hitting .750 for the series. In fact, the only thing that could stop him was being hit by a pitch in Game 4. While his teammates were celebrating the championship on the field, Hatcher was in the hospital with a broken wrist.

Scores
(Home team in Bold)

Oakland	0	4	3	1
Cincinnati	7	5 (10)	8	2

---

The List
I'm ranking all the World Series, from worst to best. Here are the ones I've done so far:

90. 1990 - Cincinnati (N) def. Oakland (A) 4-0
91. 1966 - Baltimore (A) def. Los Angeles (N) 4-0
92. 1927 - New York (A) def. Pittsburgh (N) 4-0
93. 2004 - Boston (A) def. St. Louis (N) 4-0
94. 1932 - New York (A) def. Chicago (N) 4-0
95. 1908 - Chicago (N) def. Detroit (A) 4-1
96. 1999 - New York (A) def. Atlanta (N) 4-0
97. 1963 - Los Angeles (N) def. New York (A) 4-0
98. 2010 - San Francisco (N) def. Texas (A) 4-1
99. 1937 - New York (A) def. New York (N) 4-1
Numbers 100-107

1989 World Series: The Earthquake

The Teams
American League: Oakland Athletics (99-63); fifth World Series (won in 1972, 1973, 1974)
National League: San Francisco Giants (92-70); second World Series

What Happened
The 1989 World Series will always be remembered for the earthquake that occurred moments before Game 3. More than 3,700 people were injured and 63 people were killed in the quake, and the World Series was postponed for 10 days while the region. Strangely, the excitement of a World Series featured the two Bay Area teams likely kept the number of casualties down; because of the large number of people who either left work early to watch the game or stayed late to join special viewing parties, the normally busy freeways were unusually quiet when the earthquake hit. Since the vast majority of the deaths occurred when a section of freeway collapsed, it's easy to say that the World Series saved hundreds of lives that day.

This series is always remembered for the earthquake, almost exclusively so. That's because the action on the field was largely forgettable. The Giants were a ho-hum team that year, making the World Series only because they played the Cubs in the playoffs; you know, because everybody beats the Cubs. The A's, meanwhile, were a great team, in the second year of what would turn into three straight American League titles.

After losing to the Dodgers the previous year, the A's added future hall-of-famer Rickey Henderson in a midseason trade in 1989, turning an already great lineup into the stuff of legends. With Henderson at the top of the lineup, and the Steroid Bash Brothers of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire ready to drive him in, the A's were nearly unstoppable. San Francisco had no chance. Oakland hit nine home runs in the four games, never trailed in the series, and laid down a thrashing that was forgotten as soon as it was over.

Defining Game
Game 3. When your pregame report is interrupted by an earthquake that's televised live across the nation, it's pretty safe to say that's your defining moment of the series.

MVP
Henderson batted .474 with five extra-base hits in his first World Series; Carney Lansford hit .438; Terry Steinbach drove in nine runs. Any one of Oakland's hitting stars could have been the MVP. Pitcher Dave Stewart was the official winner, and it's hard to argue with that choice. He threw a complete-game shutout in Game 1, then gave up only three runs in 8 innings in Game 3 after the break. In between, he spent time on the streets helping Oakland begin the recovery from the earthquake. A very deserving MVP.

The Scores
(Home team in Bold)

San Francisco	0	1	7	6
Oakland	5	5	13	9

---

The List
I'm ranking all the World Series, from worst to best. Here's the ones I've done so far:

105. 1989 - Oakland (A) def. San Francisco (N) 4-0
106. 1928 - New York (A) def. St. Louis (N) 4-0
107. 1917 - Cincinnati (N) def. Chicago (A) 5-3

1972 ALCS: Stealing runs

How they got here
For the first time, a players strike cancelled Major League games in 1972, as the first 13 days of the season - and 86 games - were lost because of a labor dispute. When the players returned, their bats didn't, as run scoring dropped and team batting averages hovered around the .240 mark.

With runs so hard to come by, the Oakland A's rode a great pitching staff and just-good-enough offense to their second straight AL West title. The A's only scored 3.9 runs a game, but that total was good for second in the league in 1972 (for comparison, the 2011 A's also scored 3.9 runs per game - and finished 12th in that category. And remember, 2011 was considered a good year for pitcher). But the A's had pitching, and a lot of it. So much, in fact, that starters Vida Blue and Dave Hamilton, each of whom had an ERA in the 2.80 range, were relegated to the bullpen for the playoffs because they were the odd men out.

The A's opponents were the Detroit Tigers, four years removed from a World Series title in 1968. Like that previous year of the pitcher, the Tigers rode to the top of the standings, but they had a little luck in 1972. With the cancelled games that were never made up, not all teams played the same number of games. The Tigers won the AL East by a half-game, because they played one more game than division rival Boston.

Like Oakland, Detroit's primary offensive weapon was the home run, as they both finished in the top three in the league. That was really all Detroit could do, as they stole a stunningly low 17 stolen bases all year, the third-worst team total in Major League history.

In the ALCS, the home team won each of the first four games, but not without drama. While two of the games were shutouts, each team blew an extra innings lead in one of their road games. The A's blown lead came in Game 4, when they had a 2-run lead with a chance to clinch the series before allowing the Tigers to score three runs without getting an out.

Game 5 replay of Game 2 matchup; Blue Moon Odom beat Woodie Fryman 3-0.

The Game
With nothing decided after four games, Oakland's Blue Moon Odom met Detroit's Woodie Fryman in a rematch of Game 2. While Odom shut out Detroit in their first meeting, the Tigers scored first in Game 5, getting on the board in the first inning on a single, a walk, a passed ball, and a groundout.

It wasn't exactly a thrilling rally, but that's how runs were scored in 1972. Oakland showed that again in the second, when Reggie Jackson led off the inning with a walk, stole second, then moved to third on a flyout. After an unproductive out, Jackson boldly stole home with two outs. Though he pulled his hamstring on the play and had to leave the game, his daring play tied the game at 1.

Move ahead to the fourth, where George Hendrick, who replaced Jackson in center field, reached on an error. After being bunted over to second, Hendrick scored on a Gene Tenace single, the first run-scoring hit of the game.

Leading 2-1, Oakland put it into cruise control. Odom only pitched five innings before being replaced by Blue, but the two Blues held the Tigers to just five hits, all of them singles. Oakland only had four hits themselves, but their two runs were enough, and they won 2-1 to advance to the World Series.

The Aftermath
With such a low-scoring baseball season, it would make sense that the World Series was low-scoring, too. And low-scoring World Series games often mean tense World Series games. The 1972 series between Oakland and Cincinnati was exactly that. Six of the seven games in the '72 series were one-run games, with Oakland prevailing to win their first championship since 1930, when they were based in Philadelphia. In an odd coincidence, both teams batted .209 and slugged .295 in the series.

Oakland's title was their first of three in a row, as they staked their claim to being known as the team of the 70s. Detroit, meanwhile, was already getting old in 1972, and they didn't return to the postseason until 1984.

What I'm doing.

The list so far:

14. 1972 ALCS: Oakland 2, Detroit 1
15. 1973 ALCS: Oakland 3, Baltimore 0
16. 1985 ALCS: Kansas City 6, Toronto 2
17. 2007 ALCS: Boston 11, Cleveland 2
18. 1991 NLCS: Atlanta 4, Pittsburgh 0
19. 1973 NLCS: New York 7, Cincinnati 2
20. 1987 NLCS: St. Louis 6, San Francisco 0
21. 1988 NLCS: Los Angeles 6, New York 0
22. 2004 ALCS: Boston 10, New York 3
23. 1986 ALCS: Boston 8, California 1
24: 1996 NLCS: Atlanta 15, St. Louis 0

Still to come:
1972 NLCS: Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh
1976 ALCS: Kansas City vs. New York
1977 ALCS: Kansas City vs. New York
1980 NLCS: Houston vs. Philadelphia
1981 NLCS: Los Angeles vs. Montreal
1982 ALCS: California vs. Milwaukee
1984 NLCS: Chicago vs. San Diego
1992 NLCS: Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh
2003 NLCS: Chicago vs. Florida
2003 ALCS: Boston vs. New York
2004 NLCS: Houston vs. St. Louis
2006 NLCS: New York vs. St. Louis
2008 ALCS: Boston vs. Tampa Bay

1973 ALCS: Hunter beats the Birds

How They Got Here
For the third straight season, the Oakland A's were in the playoffs. The defending World Champions didn't have much of a challenge winning the subpar American League West.

Against most teams, the A's pitching staff of Vida Blue, Catfish Hunter, Ken Holtzman and reliever Rollie Fingers would have given them a huge edge in a short series. Not against Baltimore, though. The Orioles didn't make the postseason in 1972 after three straight World Series appearances, but they were back in 1973. And with Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Mike Cuellar, they were a rare team that had a pitching edge over Oakland. Plus, the Orioles had won the ALCS over the A's in 1971.

Jim Palmer took control of Game 1, shutting out the A's and Blue in Game 1. Oakland bounced back behind Hunter and Fingers to win Game 2, then won Game 3 in 11, as both Holtzman and Cuellar each threw complete games. In Game 4, the A's jumped on Palmer, knocking him out in the second and taking a 4-0 lead into the seventh inning before the Orioles scored five runs in the last three innings off Blue and Fingers, forcing a deciding Game 5.

The Game
At home for Game 5, the Athletics had Catfish Hunter back on the mound with a chance to give them a shot at the World Series. The Orioles countered not with Game 2 starter McNally but with Doyle Alexander. That didn't turn out well, as Oakland scored once in the third and twice in the fourth to knock Alexander out of the game. In his place was Palmer, still fresh after pitching only one inning the previous game.

But it didn't matter. Hunter had three runs to work with, and he was in control. He only struck out one Oriole batter all game, but Baltimore never got more than one runner on base in a single inning. None of those runners came across to score. Hunter had himself a complete game and the A's had themselves a second straight American League championship.

Aftermath
After dispatching the Orioles, the A's were supposed to have an easier time against the sub-par Mets. But the Mets put up a surprisingly tough fight, pushing the A's to seven games before Oakland finally prevailed for their second straight championship.

What I'm doing.

The list so far:

15. 1973 ALCS: Baltimore vs. Oakland
16. 1985 ALCS: Kansas City 6, Toronto 2
17. 2007 ALCS: Boston 11, Cleveland 2
18. 1991 NLCS: Atlanta 4, Pittsburgh 0
19. 1973 NLCS: New York 7, Cincinnati 2
20. 1987 NLCS: St. Louis 6, San Francisco 0
21. 1988 NLCS: Los Angeles 6, New York 0
22. 2004 ALCS: Boston 10, New York 3
23. 1986 ALCS: Boston 8, California 1
24: 1996 NLCS: Atlanta 15, St. Louis 0

Still to come:
1972 NLCS: Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh
1972 ALCS: Detroit vs. Oakland
1976 ALCS: Kansas City vs. New York
1977 ALCS: Kansas City vs. New York
1980 NLCS: Houston vs. Philadelphia
1981 NLCS: Los Angeles vs. Montreal
1982 ALCS: California vs. Milwaukee
1984 NLCS: Chicago vs. San Diego
1992 NLCS: Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh
2003 NLCS: Chicago vs. Florida
2003 ALCS: Boston vs. New York
2004 NLCS: Houston vs. St. Louis
2006 NLCS: New York vs. St. Louis
2008 ALCS: Boston vs. Tampa Bay

2002 ALDS: No pressure

Pregame
After losing MVP Jason Giambi to free agency, the Oakland Athletics surprised a lot of people in 2002 by winning even more games than they had in 2000 and 2001. This time, not trapped behind the juggernaut Mariners, they had the division title to themselves.

Even without Giambi, the A's were seen as heavy favorites against the upstart Minnesota Twins, appearing in the postseason for the first time since 1991. Oakland had the three best pitchers in the series - and in all honesty, three of the best five pitchers in the league - in Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, and Tim Hudson.

But given their recent postseason history, they couldn't have relaxed too much against the Twins. After all, it was the Twins who had ended Oakland's 20-game winning streak during the regular season, and the young Twins entered this postseason with no expectations, and thus no pressure.

The Twins' lack of experience showed in the first two innings of Game 1. A pair of errors led to a three-run first inning for Oakland. After the Twins got one run back, they committed another error in the second to give Oakland two more runs. Trailing 5-1, it would have been easy for Minnesota to give up, or at least become disheartened.

But give up they didn't, and a two-run home run by Corey Koskie put them right back in the game. Three innings later, a three-run rally knocked Hudson out of the game and gave the Twins a Game 1 victory.

Oakland won games 2 and 3 fairly easily, as expected. But then the unexpected happened. The Twins lit up Hudson for seven runs - five of them unearned - in the fourth inning of Game 4, giving them a comfortable victory and forcing a Game 5 back in Oakland.

The Game
Minnesota had done next to nothing against Mulder in Game 2, getting only a solo home run when they were already down 9-0. Mulder was definitely the guy Oakland wanted on the mound. Meanwhile, despite the hiccup in the first two innings, Brad Radke had actually earned the win in Game 1, and as Minnesota's unquestioned ace, he was the guy the Twins wanted on the mound.

Both Radke and Mulder pitched outstanding games; Mulder struck out nine in seven innings, while Radke gave up only six hits in six and two thirds innnings. Entering the ninth, Minnesota had a 2-1 lead, and Oakland brought in closer Billy Koch to try to keep the score right where it was and give Oakland a chance in the bottom of the inning.

Instead, Koch struggled right out of the gate, walking Dustan Mohr after an eight-pitch at bat, then giving up a first-pitch home run to A.J. Pierzynski. As Pirezynski flip his bat and yelled out an expletive as he watched his home run sail, it seemed like he had put the final nail in Oakland's coffin. However, it was David Ortiz's two-out double later in the inning, the one that made it 5-1, that was truly the final blow.

See, Oakland mounted a comeback against Twins closer Eddie Guardado in the bottom of the ninth. With one out and a runner on first, David Justice doubled to deep center, followed by a Mark Ellis home run to make it 5-4. Ortiz's double, which hadn't seemed so big at the time, now seemed huge. Guardado got Terrance Long to fly out to center, but then gave up a single to bring the winning run to the plate with two outs.

Here's the thing about Oakland Coliseum. With all the remodeling done to accomodate the Oakland Raiders, the stadium ended up with a weird shape for baseball. The weirdest part of the shape was the yards and yards of foul territory in the infield, by far the most of any major league park. So when Ray Durham lifted a foul ball on the seventh pitch of the deciding at bat, Twins second baseman Denny Hocking started giving chase. And he chased and chased and chase, well past the point where the ball would have fallen foul in any other ballpark. Then Hocking reached up his glove, caught the ball over his shoulder, and gave the Twins their first postseason series win since 1991.

Postgame
The Twins celebrated like mad after beating Oakland. Perhaps they celebrated too aggressively, as Hocking was stepped on in the celebration and was out for the ALCS against Anaheim. Without their utility player, the Twins still won Game 1 in the Metrodome before the combination of Anaheim's unhittable relievers and a red-hot Adam Kennedy sent the Twins home in five games.

Though they lost in the ALCS, the youthful Twins were viewed as team that would contend for years to come. But although the Twins have made the postseason five times since the 2002 season, that ALDS against Oakland remains their last postsesaon series win.

Oakland, meanwhile, was left to ponder yet another disappointing season. It was the third straight year they would lose in five games in the ALDS. 2003 would make it four straight.

The Rundown

13. Minnesota 5, Oakland 4 (2002 ALDS)
14. Boston 4, Oakland 3 (2003 ALDS)
15. Cleveland 4, N.Y. Yankees 3 (1997 ALDS)
16. L.A. Angels 5, N.Y. Yankees 3 (2005 ALDS)
17. Texas 5, Tampa Bay 1 (2010 ALDS)
18. San Francisco 3, Atlanta 1 (2002 NLDS)
19. N.Y. Yankees 5, Oakland 3 (2001 ALDS)
20. Seattle 3, Cleveland 1 (2001 ALDS)
21. Chicago 5, San Francisco 3 (1998 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
22. N.Y. Yankees 7, Oakland 5 (2000 ALDS)
23. Los Angeles 4, Houston 0 (1981 NL West Division Series)
24. Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0 (1981 NL East Division Series)
25. N.Y. Yankees 7, Milwaukee 3 (1981 AL East Division Series)
26. Seattle 9, California 1 (1995 AL West tiebreaker)
27. Chicago 5, Atlanta 1 (2003 NLDS)
28. Houston 12, Atlanta 3 (2004 NLDS)
29. N.Y. Mets 5, Cincinnati 0 (1999 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
30. Cleveland 8, Boston 3 (1948 AL tiebreaker)
31. Houston 7, Los Angeles 1 (1980 NL West tiebreaker)

2003 ALDS: Variation on a theme

Pregame
It was the same old story for Oakland. Another playoff appearance, another first-round series that went five games. The previous three years, Oakland had lost that fifth and deciding game.

The only reason for hope this year was that the A's were up against Boston rather than New York. Boston's poor playoff history was well-documented, perhaps over-documented. If anybody could find a way to lose against the team that had made an art of losing, it would be Boston.

Like in past series, there was no reason the A's should have had to play in a Game 5. They won the first two games at home against Boston, scoring five runs each time, giving them three chances to close out the series. But the Red Sox won Game 3 in 11 innings, then scored two in the eighth of closer Keith Foulke to win Game 4, and it was the same old story again. Sure, the A's were at home for Game 5, but at this point, they had to believe they were cursed, right? Plus, in this Game 5, they were up against the great Pedro.

The Game
Game 4 starter Barry Zito got the dubious honor of starting for Oakland in Game 5, drawing the short straw to get the ball against Pedro Martinez. Already a proven postseason performer, Martinez was just finishing up the prime of his career in 2003. A slew of no decision left him with only 14 wins in 2003, but the 4 losses and the league-best 2.22 ERA were still plenty impressive. He was still feared around baseball, and though Zito was considered Oakland's ace, he didn't have anywhere near the reputation.

Given Oakland's recent postseason history, it was a bit of a surprise when Jose Guillen drove home the game's first run in the bottom of the fourth, letting Oakland draw first blood. But it was only a matter of time before A's would become postseason choke artists again.

It started in the top of the sixth. Zito had only given up two hits to that point, but Jason Varitek led off the inning with a game-tying home run. From there, the A's must have felt the pressure, felt their season slipping away once again. Johnny Damon walked after a nine-pitch at bat. Nomar Garciaparra gave Zito and the A's a break by fouling out to first, but then Zito hit Todd Walker with a pitch, putting two runners on base for Manny Ramirez.

It's probably pretty easy by now to figure out what Ramirez did in the next at bat.

And so that's that. Boston is leading 4-1, and they're moving on. Oakland would cement their legacy as the postseason choke artists of the 2000s. That run in the bottom of the sixth didn't matter. The run in the bottom of the eighth mattered only in that it knocked Martinez out of the game, making way for Boston's suspect bullpen.

But then came the bottom of the ninth, where the first two Oakland batters walked. See, this was getting interesting. Oakland had a poor recent history of playoff chokes, but Boston had a long, lengthy history of them. Suddenly, Oakland seemed like they had a chance.

And Boston was getting desperate. After their closer walked the first two batters of the game, Derek Lowe, who hadn't pitched in relief all season, came in to get the save. Oakland gave them the first out with a sacrifice that put runners on second and third with one out. That bunt might have been the textbook play to make, but this A's team wasn't known for hitting for a high average. They couldn't afford to be giving up outs with so few of them left in the season.

On cue, pinch-hitter Adam Melhuse struck out looking. Oakland looked dead. But then Chris Singleton drew a walk, Oakland's third of the inning. Now Boston looked dead. Oakland was a single away from winning the series, and they were a walk, or a wild pitch, or - considering this was Boston pitching - an error away from tying the game.

It only took four pitches to decide things. With the bases loaded, two outs in the ninth, trailing by one, pinch-hitter Terrance Long did something that will probably haunt him for years: he struck out looking. As Boston celebrated, Oakland hung their heads. Just like last year. And the year before that, and the year before that...

Postgame
Boston's win over Oakland set up an ALCS against the Yankees, giving national media outlets multiple chances to wax poetic about the great rivalry while the two teams played seven grueling games. Boston's famous curse was played up over and over again in the series, especially in the eighth inning of Game 7, when a fatigued Pedro Martinez was left in the game to give up the game-tying run. When Aaron Boone ended things with a home run in the bottom of the 11th, the nation's baseball fans were obligated to wonder if Boston would ever break their curse.

(Hint. They did. The very next year).

Oakland, meanwhile, stayed competitive the next few years, but free-agency cost them many of the great stars that had led them to four straight playoff appearances. They missed out on the playoffs two straight years before returning to the postseason in 2006. This time, though, they got some revenge, sweeping the Twins in the first round before getting swept in the ALCS. That run in 2006 was the last gasp for that Oakland dynasty, as they haven't had a winning record since.

The Rundown

14. Boston 4, Oakland 3 (2003 ALDS)
15. Cleveland 4, N.Y. Yankees 3 (1997 ALDS)
16. L.A. Angels 5, N.Y. Yankees 3 (2005 ALDS)
17. Texas 5, Tampa Bay 1 (2010 ALDS)
18. San Francisco 3, Atlanta 1 (2002 NLDS)
19. N.Y. Yankees 5, Oakland 3 (2001 ALDS)
20. Seattle 3, Cleveland 1 (2001 ALDS)
21. Chicago 5, San Francisco 3 (1998 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
22. N.Y. Yankees 7, Oakland 5 (2000 ALDS)
23. Los Angeles 4, Houston 0 (1981 NL West Division Series)
24. Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0 (1981 NL East Division Series)
25. N.Y. Yankees 7, Milwaukee 3 (1981 AL East Division Series)
26. Seattle 9, California 1 (1995 AL West tiebreaker)
27. Chicago 5, Atlanta 1 (2003 NLDS)
28. Houston 12, Atlanta 3 (2004 NLDS)
29. N.Y. Mets 5, Cincinnati 0 (1999 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
30. Cleveland 8, Boston 3 (1948 AL tiebreaker)
31. Houston 7, Los Angeles 1 (1980 NL West tiebreaker)

2001 ALDS: What makes a champion

Pregame
Everything should have been laid out exactly the way Oakland wanted. The A's had won 102 games in 2001, a fact that was overshadowed by the fact that division rival Seattle had won 116. Stuck being the wild card team, Oakland earned another first-round matchup with the Yankees, who had knocked Oakland out of the playoffs the year before. New York was the three-time defending World Series champion and had the home-field advantage in the series.

But the A's proved their 102 wins were no fluke, winning the first two games in New York to head back to Oakland up two games to none. They seemed to have set themselves up perfectly for a matchup with Seattle for the American League pennant.

The Yankees reminded everybody why they were the three-time defending champions, however. They won Game 3 1-0, helped by Derek Jeter's famous backhand flip to catcher Jorge Posada to cut down the potential game-tying run in the seventh inning. Then they cut down Oakland 9-2 in Game 4, helped by five runs batted in by Bernie Williams. Having lost the momentum and the advantage, the A's had to fly back to New York for Game 5.

The Game
With Oakland's Mark Mulder facing Roger Clemens in a rematch of Game 1's pitching matchup, both teams had their ace on the hill for the deciding Game 5. Though they had lost all the momentum, Oakland jumped out to a 2-0 lead, getting an rbi single by Jason Giambi in the first and an rbi single by Jason's brother Jeremy in the second. But like they had so many times in the previous three seasons, the Yankees answered right back, getting a bases-loaded single by Alfonso Soriano to tie the game in the second.

After that, the game was a textbook example of what makes some teams champions and other teams also-rans. With one out in the third, Williams struck out on a ball in the dirt, but backup catcher Greg Myers - who had come in for starter Ramon Hernandez just that inning - threw the ball away to allow Williams to reach. One batter later, a fly ball that should have been the third out moved Williams to third, and he then came in to score on an error by third baseman Eric Chavez.

The Yankees had taken the lead in an inning where they were given five outs rather than the typical three. They extended that lead after another Oakland error the next inning. After Chuck Knoblauch led off the fourth with a single, Mulder seemed to have him picked off, but in the ensuing rundown, Jason Giambi threw the ball away, allowing Knoblauch to get to second. After being bunted over to third, Knoblauch scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.

Jason Giambi tried to make amends for his error with a run-scoring single in the fifth, but the Yankees got that run right back with a pinch-hit home run by David Justice in the sixth.

The rest of the way, the Yankees used what had been their unquestioned strength throughout their postseason run - their incredible bullpen. Giambi's single came in the first at bat against a Yankee reliever; the rest of the game, the only other hit Oakland got was a Giambi eighth-inning single. Mariano Rivera closed the door again to send the Yankees to the ALCS, and to teach the A's a valuable lesson: never, ever give the Yankees any extra outs.

Postgame
Even with the home-field advantage, the Yankees might have been underdogs against Oakland. They were definitely underdogs against the mighty Mariners in the ALCS. But the Yankees again showed why they were such great champions, dispatching the Mariners with relative ease in a five-game victory. Advancing to the World Series, the Yankees lost the first two games to Arizona, then came from behind to win games 3, 4, and 5. After a loss in Game 6, the Yankees came from behind again in Game 7 to take the lead entering the ninth inning before the game - and their dynasty - got away from them.

Oakland wasn't finished with their postseason runs. 2001 was merely the second of four straight seasons in which they suffered a five-game defeat in the first round.

The Rundown

18. N.Y. Yankees 5, Oakland 3 (2001 ALDS)
19. Seattle 3, Cleveland 1 (2001 ALDS)
20. Chicago 5, San Francisco 3 (1998 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
21. N.Y. Yankees 7, Oakland 5 (2000 ALDS)
22. Los Angeles 4, Houston 0 (1981 NL West Division Series)
23. Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0 (1981 NL East Division Series)
24. N.Y. Yankees 7, Milwaukee 3 (1981 AL East Division Series)
25. Seattle 9, California 1 (1995 AL West tiebreaker)
26. Chicago 5, Atlanta 1 (2003 NLDS)
27. Houston 12, Atlanta 3 (2004 NLDS)
28. N.Y. Mets 5, Cincinnati 0 (1999 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
29. Cleveland 8, Boston 3 (1948 AL tiebreaker)
30. Houston 7, Los Angeles 1 (1980 NL West tiebreaker)

2000 ALDS: From a runaway to a nailbiter

Pregame
The Yankees were the two-time defending World Champions in 2000, but they were getting old. They struggled to an 87-74 record in the 2000 regular season, which was good enough to win the AL East but left them without home-field advantage in that year's ALDS. Their opponent in the first round was the Oakland Athletics, champions of the West, who were in the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

The upstart A's won the first game of the series, coming from behind to beat Roger Clemens. The Yankees won the next two before an 11-1 thumping by the A's sent the series back across the country to Oakland. Andy Pettitte, who had shut out the A's in Game 2, was on the mound for New York. The Athletics responded with Gil Heredia, the Game 1 winner.

The Game
It was obvious from the beginning of the game which team was the confident two-time defending champion and which team was the overwhelmed newcomer. Six of the first seven Yankees reached base against Heredia, with the only out being a sacrifice fly that scored a run. It was 4-0 with only one out in the first when the Athletics mercifully took Heredia out. After adding two more runs, the Yankees were up 6-0 before Oakland had even come to bat. Game, set, match.

But not so fast. Oakland loaded the bases in the bottom of the second, scoring two runs on a two-out single by Randy Velarde. An Eric Chavez double in the third made it 6-3. David Justice hit a solo home run for New York in the fourth inning, providing an early insurance run. The Yankees didn't know at the time how important that seventh run would be, but they would find out soon enough.

Fast forward to the bottom of the inning. The A's loaded the bases with nobody out, and striding to the plate came big Jason Giambi, that year's AL MVP. There was nobody Oakland would have rather had at the plate in that situation. The crowd was rocking, Pettitte was reeling. It seemed like the A's had their chance.

Giambi lifted a high fly ball to center field that at first seemed destined for the seats. But the ball died in Bernie Williams' glove. It was a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 7-4, but it seemed like it should have been much more. The A's added another sacrifice fly in the fourth and knocked Pettitte out of the game. Though they had cut the deficit to 7-5, they had to feel sick about the runs they left on the field.

That fourth inning probably kept getting replayed in Oakland minds through the rest of the game, as the A's kept going down against the Yankees bullpen. Through the next four innings, the A's only got two hits, and they entered the ninth still trailing 7-5.

In the ninth, the great Mariano Rivera got the first two outs without a problem before giving up a two-out single to Miguel Tejada. With Eric Chavez representing the winning run at the plate, the A's had one more chance. On the first pitch from Rivera, Chavez hit a high pop up in foul territory to the right of first base. And that was a problem. In most ballparks, that ball would have landed harmlessly in the seats. But in Oakland, with its huge amount of foul territory, it was a lazy popup. Tino Martinez closed his glove on it, and the Yankees advanced to the ALCS.

Postgame
While the 2000 Yankees weren't as good as the previous two teams, they still had the killer instinct. After beating the A's, they knocked out Seattle in the ALCS before winning the World Series to take their third straight title. With the same core of players, they advanced to the World Series in 2001, as well, carrying a lead into the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 before seeing their chance at a four-peat slip away.

For Oakland, 2000 was the start of a stretch of bittersweet success. In each of the next three years, Oakland made the playoffs, only to lose each year in a five-game ALDS. By the time the A's finally did win a playoff series, in 2006, most of the key players from their 2000 team had left.

The Rundown

21. N.Y. Yankees 7, Oakland 5 (2000 ALDS)
22. Los Angeles 4, Houston 0 (1981 NL West Division Series)
23. Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0 (1981 NL East Division Series)
24. N.Y. Yankees 7, Milwaukee 3 (1981 AL East Division Series)
25. Seattle 9, California 1 (1995 AL West tiebreaker)
26. Chicago 5, Atlanta 1 (2003 NLDS)
27. Houston 12, Atlanta 3 (2004 NLDS)
28. N.Y. Mets 5, Cincinnati 0 (1999 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
29. Cleveland 8, Boston 3 (1948 AL tiebreaker)
30. Houston 7, Los Angeles 1 (1980 NL West tiebreaker)

October 15, 1988: Two bad legs

LOS ANGELES - Kirk Gibson wasn't even in uniform when game 1 of the 1988 World Series began. He had two bad legs, could barely walk, and was all but ruled out of the World Series. That he was even on the World Series roster at all was as a token of gratitude for his incredible first season with the Dodgers.

After nearly a decade with Detroit, Gibson came over to Los Angeles and instantly became the team's biggest hitting threat. In a year where the Dodgers were especially punchless, Gibson was their only truly dangerous offensive player. Add to that the emotional leadership he gave them, and he was an easy choice for NL MVP.

That didn't do him any good, though, sitting in the trainers' room. Without Gibson, and going up against the powerful Oakland A's, the Dodgers looked cooked. He wasn't even announced in the pregame introductions, choosing instead to stay in the clubhouse to get treatment.

During the game, one of the TV announcers casually mentioned how Gibson was hurt and not even in uniform. That pissed Gibson off, and he immediately put on his uniform and began trying to get loose, hoping beyond hope that he could will himself onto the field. In the seventh inning, he sent word to Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda: he was ready to pinch hit if he was needed.

The Dodgers entered the ninth trailing 4-3, thanks to a grand slam by Jose Canseco in the second inning that dented the center field camera. Oakland sent Dennis Eckersley, the best reliever in the world, out to the mound. Even though it was only a one-run game, Lasorda didn't want to use Gibson unless he could win the game, so Gibson waited on the bench while the first two batters went down quietly. A pinch-hitting Mike Davis provided a glimmer of hope by drawing a two-out walk, and then Lasorda made the call.

Dodger fans, hoping for a miracle, cheered wildly when Gibson was introduced. Here was their MVP, hoping for one more big blast for his team. For people watching at home, though, it didn't look good. The man could barely walk to home plate - how was he supposed to get a good swing off Eckersley?

After two fouls, Gibson hit a foul ball down the first base line made it look even worse, as he could barely get out of the batters box. It became apparent that he had to hit the ball past the outfielders to even be guaranteed of making it to first base. But he stuck with it. Another foul, sandwiched between two out of the zone. Davis stole second on ball three. It was a full count.

As Eckersley got set for the 3-2 pitch, Gibson called time and stepped out of the box. He adjusted his gloves, took one swing, examined his bat, and thought. Every pitch Eckersley had thrown him to that point had been a fastball. What if he tried to sneak that slider past him? He stepped back in, waiting. Eckersley kicked his leg and fired.

A waist-high slider. An awkward, almost one-armed swing. A line drive to right. Canseco looking up. Gibson painfully running to first, his right fist in the air. The Dodgers leaping out of the dugout, Lasorda leading the way, waving his arms. Gibson doing the now-famous double fist pump as he rounded second base. Jack Buck yelling "I don't believe what I just saw!" Gibson getting mobbed as he reached home plate.

.........

Kirk Gibson only had one at bat in the 1988 World Series. After his game 1 blast, he was far too injured to even consider playing again. But it didn't matter. His home run had changed the course of the series like no other one before it. The Dodgers had all the inspiration they needed, beating the heavily favored A's in five games. Orel Hershiser won the World Series MVP award for two masterful complete-game wins, but everybody knew who the true MVP was. It was a man who stepped up when his team needed him, who delivered despite a debilitating injury. It was a man who won a World Series with one swing.

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