Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 4: A 97-Year Wait

Game 5, 1980 NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies at Houston Astros

October 12, 1980, Astrodome, Houston, Texas

The 1883 season was the eighth in the history of the National League and the first for the Philadelphia Phillies. Then known as the Quakers, Philadelphia finished 17-81, 46 games behind the first-place Boston Beaneaters and 23 games behind the seventh-place Detroit Wolverines. The next year didn't get much better, or the one after that, or the one after that. In fact, in the first 97 seasons of Philadelphia Quakers/Phillies history, they won the National League pennant exactly twice: In 1915, they were crushed in the World Series by the Red Sox, and in 1950, they were eviscerated by the Yankees. 

Two pennants, and no championships, in 97 seasons is not exactly the definition of success. By this time, 15 of the 16 franchises who existed in 1903, the year of the first World Series, had won it all at least once. The Phillies were the exception. But there were signs of optimism in the 1970s. They won three straight division championships in the mid-70s, and though they failed each time to advance to the World Series, the core of that team was still together in 1980. After another division championship, there was hope that this would finally be the year.

Waiting for the Phillies in the NLCS was the Houston Astros. Houston wasn't nearly as old of a franchise as Philadelphia - the unfortunately named Houston Colt .45s debuted in 1962 - and they weren't quite so bad, either, but 1980 represented their first-ever taste of postseason play. So regardless of who won the 1980 NLCS, somebody's fans were going to celebrate a once-in-a-generation season.

That once-in-a-generation season culminated in a once-in-a-generation series. After a sixth-inning comeback gave the Phillies a Game 1 win, each of the next three games went into extra innings, forcing a deciding Game 5 in Houston. And the fans in a packed Astrodome got to watch a game that was somehow even better than the four that preceded it.

Houston was trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth when Phillies left fielder Greg Luzinski dropped a fly ball to allow Denny Walling to get to second. Two batters later, Alan Ashby hit a single to score Walling, tie the game, and knock Phillies starter Marty Bystrom out of the game. 

And that's when things really got started.

Houston got a leadoff single from Terry Puhl in the bottom of the 7th, then wasted two outs getting him over to second. After an intentional walk, Walling got involved again, hitting a single to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. After a run-scoring wild pitch and a pitching change, Art Howe gave Houston some breathing room with a triple to make it 5-2.

So Houston was up by three and Nolan Ryan was on the mound. In his first year with his hometown Astros after terrorizing the American League for eight years, Ryan actually had a below-average season in 1980 - below average for him, at least. But there was still no one Houston would rather have on the mound to clinch the pennant.

Except Bowa started the 8th with a single to center. Bob Boone then singled off Ryan's glove, and Greg Gross singled when Ryan fielded his sacrifice attempt and found no one to throw the ball to. And so in the span of five pitches, the Phillies loaded the bases with nobody on, and Pete Rose was coming to the plate.

In retrospect, it's really an incredible at bat. At the plate was Rose, baseball's future all-time hits leader. On the mound was Ryan, baseball's future strikeout king. And the bases were loaded in an elimination game. Anticlimactically, Rose drew a walk, though doing so did bring in a run and knock Ryan out of the game. 

Keith Moreland then grounded into a force play to bring home the second run of the inning. Future Hall-of-Famer Mike Schmidt was up next, but he struck out looking, leaving it up to pinch-hitter Del Unser. Unser singled to tie the game, and then Manny Trillo delivered what looked like the fatal blow, a two-run triple that put the Phillies six outs from the pennant.

Closer Tug McGraw came in for the 8th for Philadelphia, and he alternated between giving up singles and getting strike outs for the first four batters. Rafael Landestoy continued the pattern with a single to make it a one-run game, and if the pattern had continued, Jose Cruz would have then struck out. Cruz, though, apparently hates patterns, and he instead singled to tie the game again.

To no one's surprise, the game went into extra innings again. Because with this series, extra innings seemed predestined. And maybe it was destiny that gave the Phillies two 10th-inning doubles, the second by Garry Maddox to give them an 8-7 lead. 

Garry Maddox got the game-winning hit, and he
caught the series-ending out.

Perhaps thinking that Phillies fans had suffered enough, the baseball gods decided to let the Phillies have a clean 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th, with the final two outs ending up in Maddox's glove in center field. For the third time in 97 years, the Phillies were the National League champions.

Nine days later, the 97-year wait was over. The team formerly known as the Quakers had done what had seemed impossible, winning the World Series with a Game 6 win over the Royals. Finally, all 16 original teams had won a title.

Game 5, 1980 NLCS Overall Rank: 4 Top 10 Swing: 243 Top play: Manny Trillo's go-ahead triple in the 8th (WPA of 40% for Philadelphia) Loser's largest WE: 95 End of the 7th, Houston up 5-2 Average LI: 1.88 Highest leverage moment: 5.38 (T8, 0 outs, bases loaded, Houston up 5-3, Keith Moreland up for Philadelphia)

 

Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 27: When You Don't Turn Two

Game 4, 2009 NLDS: Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado Rockies

October 12, 2009, Coors Field, Denver, Colorado

Phillies lead series 2-1.

The 2009 National League Division Series was already a little behind schedule when the Phillies and Rockies met in Game 4. After splitting the first two games in Philadelphia, the teams had to sit through two days off to wait out a blizzard before playing Game 3, which the Phillies won 6-5 with a run in the top of the ninth. 

So the Rockies were facing elimination at home in Game 4, but the extra day off allowed them to start their ace, Ubaldo Jimenez, to try to keep their season alive. Of course, the Phillies also had the extra day off, so their ace, Cliff Lee, also got his second start of the series. 

As might have been expected, the aces did their job, and the game went into the 8th with the Phillies leading 2-1. The Phillies loaded the bases in the 8th on three walks against the Rockies bullpen, but they couldn't score, giving the Rockies some life. But first, the Rockies would have to figure out Lee.

Fowler and Utley somehow avoiding
each other in the 8th inning.

Like so many games when the pressure is high, Game 4 turned more on a couple of plays that weren't made rather on plays that were. The first turning point came in the bottom of the 8th against Lee when, with one out and one on, Todd Helton grounded softly to second. It looked like a sure inning-ending double play, but Rockies baserunner Dexter Fowler, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, and the ball all converged, a traffic accident waiting to happen. Fowler leaped over Utley as he fielded the ball, somehow avoiding touching him and earning an interference call. Likely distracted, Utley flipped the ball wildly to second, and everybody was safe.

That near-double play knocked Lee out of the game in favor of Ryan Madson. After a fantastic diving catch by left fielder Ben Francisco, pinch-hitter Jason Giambi hit a single to left to tie the game. The next batter, catcher Yorvit Torrealba doubled to deep center to give Colorado a 4-2 lead.

Now only three outs from forcing a Game 5, it was the Rockies' turn to rue a grounder that they couldn't turn into a double play. This time, the double play that could have been would have ended the game, but in all fairness, Shane Victorino's one-out grounder was probably hit too softly to turn two. And unlike the Phillies, the Rockies did get the lead runner, putting them one out from a win. 

That turned into one strike from a win when closer Huston Street got ahead of Utley 0-2. Street lost Utley to a walk, however, then lost the lead when Ryan Howard doubled to deep right. The next batter, Jayson Werth, drove Howard home with a single, and the Phillies were suddenly back in front.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies brought in reliever Scott Eyre instead of normal closer Brad Lidge. It may have been because Lidge had thrown 20 pitches in a frigid Game 3 the night before, or it may have been because there were a couple of good lefties coming up for the Rockies. Either way, it was almost disastrous for the Phillies as the Rockies ended up with two runners on and two outs. Lidge finally came on, facing Troy Tulowitzki in a plate appearance with a leverage index of 6.81. Tulowitzki struck out, and the Phillies won 5-4 to advance to the NLCS.

After falling short in 2009, it took the Rockies eight seasons to make it back to the playoffs. Philadelphia, meanwhile, ended up advancing all the way to their second straight World Series, but they couldn't repeat as champions, losing to Yankees. 

Game 4, 2009 NLDS Overall Rank: 27 Top 10 Swing: 217 Top Play: Howard's 9th inning double (WPA of 38% for Philadelphia) Loser's largest WE: 96 Colorado leading 4-2, B9, 2 out, runner on second, Utley batting. Average LI: 1.62 Highest leverage moment: 6.81 (Troy Tulowitzki strikes out to end the game)

1993 World Series: Walking Off on Wild Thing

The Teams
American League: Toronto Blue Jays (95-67) - Second World Series (Won in 1992)
National League: Philadelphia Phillies (97-65) - Fifth World Series (Won in 1980)

What Happened
After winning the World Series in 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays did the unthinkable: they added two future Hall of Famers to their already potent lineup. After adding Paul Molitor in the offseason and Rickey Henderson during a midseason trade, the Blue Jays surprised no one by getting back to the World Series.

What was surprising was their opponents. While both the Braves and Giants won more than 100 games in the National League in 1993, it was the Phillies who ended up in the World Series. Center fielder Lenny Dykstra led the offense with 143 runs scored - the most in the National League since 1932 - and led the team in tobacco stains, though it was a tough battle. Between the wads of tobacco, then endless mullets, and the surprising number of potbellies, the Phillies looked more like an over-40 slowpitch softball team than a National League pennant winner.

Fittingly, then, the 1993 series had a lot of games with scores that looked like softball scores. The first two games - an 8-5 Toronto win followed by a 6-4 Philadelphia triumph - were nothing compared to the manic games that took place in Philadelphia. Toronto won Game 3, scoring 10 runs despite having AL batting champ John Olerud on the bench because of the lack of a DH in NL parks.

And then came Game 4. Crazy, maniacal Game 4. With a steady drizzle falling throughout the night, the pitchers had no shot. Both starters were gone by the third, which ended with Toronto ahead 7-6. The Phillies then dominated the middle innings, taking a 14-9 lead into the eighth inning. Toronto started to chip away, in the eighth, with Molitor driving in a run to make it 14-10. Then, Phildelphia brought in closer Mitch Williams. Nicknamed "Wild Thing" in honor the character from Major League - and because of his off-balance follow-through and inconsistent inability to find the strike zone - Williams drove Phillie fans crazy all season long, making all 43 of his saves gut-wrenching. On this night, he was asked to get five outs. He got two, but not before the Blue Jays scored five more runs to take a 15-14 lead. After the chaotic top of the 8th, the teams surprisingly went scoreless there rest of the way, but Toronto's 15-14 victory still stands as the highest-scoring World Series game of all time.

With the Phillies facing elimination and their bullpen completely taxed, Curt Schilling took matters into his own hands, reminding America what good pitching looked like by shutting out the Blue Jays on five hits. Still, the Blue Jays weren't worried, as they were heading back to Toronto needing just one win to wrap up their second straight title.

It's possible that they weren't worried even after the Phillies scored five runs in the top of the seventh of Game 6, either. Because while the Phillies were ahead, they were also in a save situation, and that meant the Wild Thing was coming into the game. I can't be certain, but this might have been the first save situation in World Series history where the team with the lead was more worried than the trailing team.

Rickey Henderson, the man who made an art form out of the walk, drew the least surprising leadoff walk ever to open the bottom of the ninth. Williams fell off the mound on the fourth pitch, and as Henderson jogged to first, Schilling hid his head in a towel on the Philadelphia bench, while Joe Carter clapped his hands on the Toronto one. It's like they both knew. A flyout, and then Molitor lined a single to center. The two Hall of Famers, then, had just made their acquisitions worthwhile. They were on base when Carter came to the plate. He took a couple of pitches that were way out of the zone, fouled off a couple other pitches, waited. Then he got one that broke inside and down, but not far enough in or far enough down. He swung, pulling it on a line to deep left. Normally, a right handed batter hitting a ball like that ends up pulling it violently foul, but not this time. This time, Carter's line drive stayed just straight enough, staying just high enough.

After throwing the pitch, Williams almost immediately started walking off the mound toward his dugout. He knew. As he approached the steps, he took one last look over his shoulder, but nothing had changed. He was off the field before Carter got to second base, in the clubhouse before Carter had gotten to third. He was never seen again in a Philadelphia uniform.

As Carter's hit cleared the wall, he started bouncing up and down. Carter bounced/leaped/jogged around the bases, waiving his arms like he needed the momentum to get all the way there. He jumped on home plate and was carried off on his teammates' shoulders, the man of the hour.  It was only the second time a World Series had ended on a home run, but the first time the hitting team was trailing at the time.

MVP
Paul Molitor played in five postseason series in his career. His batting average in the first four, in order: .250, .316, .355, .391. Not bad, but nothing compared to what he did in the 1993 series, when he batted .500 with 8 runs batted in, and half of his 12 hits were extra-base hits. He even played two flawless games at third base after not having played the position in three years. An investment worth every penny.

Scores
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Philadelphia	5	6	3	14	2	6
Toronto	8	4	10	15	0	8

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

18. 1993 - Toronto (A) def. Philadelphia (N) 4-2
19. 1956 - New York (A) def. Brooklyn (N) 4-3
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

1980 World Series: Finally for the Phillies

The Teams
National League: Philadelphia Phillies (91-71) - Third World Series
American League: Kansas City Royals (97-65) - First World Series

What Happened
The Phillies and Royals had a lot in common in the mid to late 1970s. They were the teams that kept winning their division, only to lose out in the playoffs to superior opponents. In 1980, they both finally broke through to make it to the World Series. Both were led offensively by future Hall of Fame third basemen; the Phillies had Mike Schmidt, who won the 1980 NL MVP after leading the league in home runs and runs batted in, while the Royals had George Brett, who chased a .400 average all summer before settling in at .390 and winning his own league's MVP award.

The Phillies and Royals finally got to experience the World Series in 1980, and both were trying for their first championship. For the Royals, that wasn't saying much, as they had existed only since 1969. But for the Phillies, it was almost beyond belief. They had existed as a National League franchise since 1883 but had never won the championship. It's not like they had a lot of chances, either, as they had only been to the series twice before making it in 1980.

The two start third basemen were the story for most of the series, though Brett probably would have preferred not to be during the first two games. He had a much-publicized case of hemorrhoids that got bad enough that he had to take himself out of Game 2. Meanwhile, the Phillies came from behind to win each of the first two games in Philadelphia, including a four-run eighth inning to beat Kansas City closer Dan Quisenberry in Game 2.

In Game 3, with Brett healed from emergency hemorrhoid surgery and Schmidt close enough to the title that he could smell it, the third basemen took over. Brett and Schmidt both homered in Game 3, a game the Royals won on a 10th inning single by Willie Aikens, who was having a monster series thus far for Kansas City. Brett and Aikens continued their play in Game 4 - Brett tripled and Aikens homered in the first inning of Game 4, then Aikens homered again in the second inning to provide the final margin for a Kansas City win.

The series turned in Game 5. Schmidt's early two-run home run gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead, but the Royals fought back to take a 3-2 lead into the top of the ninth. Schmidt led off the ninth with a single off Quisenberry and came around to score two pitches later on a double by Del Unser. The Phillies later took the lead, then turned the ball over to their closer, Tug McGraw. McGraw sandwiched three walks around two outs, giving the Royals hope before striking out Jose Cardenal to end the game.

With the first road win of the series under their belt, the Phillies took no time to put their foot down on the Royals' necks. Schmidt's bases-loaded single put the Phillies up 2-0 in the third, and Steve Carlton, who had been the Phillies' ace for a decade, took over from there. He pitched into the 8th before turning over to McGraw. The Royals took advantage of McGraw's wildness to load the bases in both the 8th and the 9th, but they only came away with 1 run in those two innings. The bases were loaded when Willie Wilson struck out to end the series and give the Phillies their first championship in 97 years of play.

MVP
Schmidt was all over the 1980 World Series. Along with his two home runs were the two key rallies he started in games 5 and 6 and the great defense he played. It was a situation where the teams' best player came up bit when it mattered most.

Scores
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Kansas City	6	4	4 (10)	5	3	1
Philadelphia	7	6	3	3	4	4

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

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

September 28, 2011: The Final Day

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Where was the best seat in the house for something like this? The final day of the season, four games, four different cities, each with playoff implications. The best place, of course, was your couch at home, where you could take in all the action as it happened - no relying on the scoreboard to show highlights, no peering at the out-of-town scores and wondering if they're up-to-the-minute.

But imagine what it was like in the normally stale Tropicana Field on September 28, 2011, as Rays fans were treated to updates to three games that swung the postseason fortunes of four teams, plus a game happening right in front of them, the first one to start and the last one to end, the one that decided it all.

At 7:10 eastern, the first pitch was thrown in St. Petersburg (Rays vs. Yankees), Atlanta (Braves against Phillies), and Baltimore (Orioles vs. Red Sox). Four hours later, none of those games were over, the two playoff spots available still up for grabs. Their drama easily overshadowed the fourth big game of the night, the Houston-St. Louis tilt that started at 8:10 and was over about 10 minutes later. The Cardinals scored four runs in the first, Chris Carpenter only gave up two hits, and St. Louis beat the hapless Astros 8-0 to clinch a tie for the NL Wild Card spot. After the game, they boarded a plane for St. Louis not knowing if their next game would a one-game playoff at home against Atlanta or Game 1 of the NLDS in Philadelphia.

The Phillies and Braves were deciding that one for themselves down in Dixie, with Atlanta hoping to avert a huge collapse, while Philadelphia was trying to knock their division rival out of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Rays and Red Sox were tied for the AL Wild Card lead, with the Rays needing to get past the division-champion Yankees at home and the Red Sox forced to deal with the lowly Orioles on the road. The next five hours were a flurry of game- and season-changing swings, shifts of momentum so dramatic it gave viewers whiplash. If you were watching at home and you took too long watching a replay of another dramatic hit, you risked missing watching the next one. It was a baseball night for the ages.

(All Times Eastern)

7:40 - Dustin Pedroia singles for Boston, driving in the first run in Baltimore.
7:54 - Mark Teixiera hits a grand slam for New York, putting the Yankees up 5-0 in the second inning.
8:03 - Dan Uggla homers for Atlanta, putting the Braves up 3-1 in the third.
8:06 - J.J. Hardy hits a two-run home run for Baltimore, putting the Orioles ahead of Boston 2-1.
8:20 - A balk ties the game in Baltimore.
8:35 - Teixiera homers again for New York, making it 6-0. While he's being congratulated in the dugout, Pedroia homers for Boston, and the Red Sox are ahead 3-2.
9:07 - After three scoreless innings in Atlanta, the Braves' Jack Wilson commits an error to reduce the Braves' lead to 3-2.
9:34 - With Boston leading 3-2, the seventh-inning stretch turned into a rain delay. As they walked into their clubhouse, they saw that Tampa Bay was trailing 7-0, and they breathed a sigh of relief. They had gone 7-19 in September to blow a 9-game lead in the wild card, but now it looked like they'd get in anyway. After all, at that exact point, Tampa Bay's win expectancy was 0. Nada. The Red Sox sat back to watch like the rest of the country.

While it was raining in Baltimore ...

9:56 - A Chase Utley sacrifice fly ties the Philadelphia-Atlanta game at 3-3 in the top of the ninth.
10:11 - Wilson strikes out for the final out in the bottom of the ninth. Atlanta and Philadelphia are going to extra innings.
10:17 - Sam Fuld draws a bases-loaded walk for Tampa Bay's first run. It was still 7-1 in the eighth inning in their game, but Fuld's walk was the start of something. Because then Sean Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to score a second run, and a sacrifice fly scored a third run. Then, at
10:23 - Evan Longoria hits a three-run home run to cut the Rays deficit to 7-6.

Here, then, came one of those Baseball Moments, the kind of thing that happens only in America's oldest sport. At 10:47, the Rays were one out from likely elimination. They were trailing 7-6, while the Red Sox were waiting out a rain shower with a 3-2 lead. Coming up to bat for Tampa Bay was Dan Johnson, a .108 hitter who hadn't gotten a hit since April 27. The last hope for Tampa had almost no hope of getting it done. But then,

10:47 - Johnson hits a deep line drive to right field that says fair by about two inches. Home run. Tie game. Bedlam. Chaos. And the night was just getting started.
10:58 - In Baltimore, the Red Sox wander out of the clubhouse in a daze. Their game was continuing, while they had watched their sure playoff berth disappear into the seats in Tampa Bay. They still had the lead in their game, but if this was a boxing match, they were staggering.
11:13 - In Atlanta - remember this game? - Martin Prado grounds out with runners on the corners to end the 12th inning. On to the 13th.
11:18 - Boston's Marco Scutaro is thrown out at home trying to extend Boston's lead. It remains 3-2 entering the ninth.
11:28 - A two-out infield single by Hunter Pence in the 13th inning gives the Phillies the lead for the first time since the top of the first.
11:40 - Phillies 4, Atlanta 3, Final. Atlanta is eliminated. On their flight back home, St. Louis starts to celebrate their playoff berth. Meanwhile, Jonathan Papelbon is in the game to close it out for Boston, with a win giving them no worse than a tie for the Wild Card. He strikes out the first two batters before giving up a first-pitch double to Chris Davis.
11:59 - Nolan Reimold hits a double for Baltimore, tying the game.
12:02 - Robert Andino hits a sinking liner to left. At first, it looks like Carl Crawford is going to catch it, but he just misses it. Reimold scores. Baltimore wins. The Red Sox walk off the field in shock, their collapse complete.



12:05 - In St. Petersburg, with Evan Longoria up in the bottom of the 12th, the sign appears on the scoreboard: BAL 4, BOS 3, F. The crowd goes wild, cheering madly and ringing their cowbells, believing in miracles. The Rays are on the top step of the dugout, pounding the railing in anticipation. Longoria steps out of the batters box because of the cheering, calming himself. He steps back in. He swings. A low liner to left. Hooking. Sinking.

Gone.

1915 World Series: Stadium Games

The Teams
American League: Boston Red Sox (101-50) - Third World Series (Won in 1903, 1912)
National League: Philadelphia Phillies (90-62) - First World Series

What Happened
There were lots of curious decisions in World Series games in the early part of the 20th Century. Some, like the continuous, almost obsessive sacrifice strategies, were simply a sign of the times. Others, like putting your best player on the bench for most of the series, made no sense whatsoever.

Two other common ones from that era were to let in as many fans as possible for big games, then have the extras stand behind ropes strung along the edge of the outfield. Yah ... that wouldn't happen now. The other was switching stadiums for big games. This could only happen in cities with two Major League teams, but it happened. It was really a Boston thing - when the Braves won the National League pennant, they rented out Fenway Park for the World Series because Fenway had more seating than the Braves' South End Grounds. The Red Sox made the World Series in 1915, and they copied their neighbors, renting out the brand-new Braves Field to take advantage of a larger capacity.

Like their Boston counterparts, the two Philadelphia teams made the World Series back-to-back in 1914 and 15, but they weren't about to switch stadiums. The Phillies of 1915 built their team to take advantage of the short right-field fence of the Baker Bowl. They had powerful lefthanded hitters who seemed born to play there, and the result was the first pennant in franchise history.

A big reason for their league title was the pitching of Pete Alexander. Alexander won pitching's triple crown in 1915, including the jaw-dropping numbers of 31 wins and a 1.22 ERA. Alexander beat the Red Sox in Game 1, giving up only 1 run while getting some help from the weather; three Philadelphia grounders got stuck in the mud, turning into hits when they should have been easy outs. The Red Sox won Game 2 when pitcher Rube Foster gave up only three hits while getting three hits on his own, including one that drove in the game-winning run in the 9th.

After splitting in Philadelphia, Boston went to their home away from home in Braves Field, where they took full advantage of their borrowed home. While Braves Field had a larger capacity than Fenway Park, it also had much a much larger outfield, which played right into Boston's hands. Boston's outfield of Duffy Lewis (lf), Tris Speaker (cf), and Harry Hooper is still considered the best in baseball history, and with the wide open fields in the Braves Field outfield, they had plenty of opportunity to show off their stuff.

Taking full advantage was Lewis, who turned the rest of the series into his own personal highlight reel - you know, if there had been television back then. With a run already in and two on in the third, Philadelphia slugger Gavvy Cravath blasted one deep to left field. In Fenway Park, it would have bounced off the wall, making it 3-0. In Braves Field, though, it turned into an out in Lewis' glove, as he ran it down in front of the wall. Then in the bottom of the 9th, with the game tied at 1 and runners on second and third, Alexander chose to pitch to Lewis rather than walk him to set up a force play, and Lewis responded with a single up the middle to win the game. In Game 4, he made two great running catches - again, both on balls that would have been doubles in Fenway, and drove in yet another run in a 2-1 win.

Leading the series 3-1, the Red Sox traveled back to Philadelphia, where the Phillies had oversold tickets for Game 5. This required fans to stand behind a rope in the outfield, cutting down on the Baker Bowl's already small dimensions. And while the Phillies owners' made some extra cash, the Red Sox took full advantage. The ground rule was that the rope would then become like the outfield wall, and Boston hit three balls into the crowd for their only three home runs of the series (one of them bounced into the crowd, but back then, balls we know as ground rule doubles were ruled as home runs). It was when the home runs were hit, too, that hurt the most; Lewis tied the game with a two-run home run in the 8th, and then Hooper won it with a solo shot in the top of the 9th. The Red Sox had won their third championship, and would win two more before the decade was up. It would take the Phillies 35 years to even win an NL pennant, and 65 years to win a World Series.

MVP
Lewis would have been an easy choice, as he drove in 5 runs (out of only 11 that Boston scored) and saved at least three with his glove (in games the Phillies only scored 1). He also batted .444.

Random Fact
Babe Ruth played for this Red Sox team. A full-time player, even. And yet, I'm only mentioning him now. Why? Because he had but a single pinch-hitting appearance in the series. No starts as a pitcher, just one single at bat as a hitter. I mean, I don't even know what to say.

Scores (Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Philadelphia	3	1	1	1	4
Boston	1	2	2	2	5

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

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

2008 World Series: Rain

The Teams
National League: Philadelphia Phillies (92-70) - Fifth World Series (Won in 1980)
American League: Tampa Bay Rays (97-65) - First World Series

What Happened
The Tampa Bay Rays were a great story in 2008. After 10 seasons of utter incompetence, they dropped the "Devil" from their nickname and suddenly became good, surprisingly winning the AL East over the Yankees and defending champion Red Sox and advancing to the World Series.

The Phillies were also a good story in 2008. After seven straight seasons of winning at least 80 games but perpetually being not quite good enough, they finally took the final step to advance to the World Series, winning the National League pennant for only the fifth time in their 125-year history.

The two feel-good stories were overshadowed, though, by the cold and wet weather that greeted them in Philadelphia. The rain was cold and relentless, and it became the dominant storyline of the World Series.

Rain wasn't in the forecast for the first two games in St. Petersburg's domed Tropicana Field as the teams played a pair of games that appeared to be closer than they really were. Philadelphia led all of Game 1 after Chase Utley's 2-run, first-inning home run; Tampa Bay cut a 3-0 deficit to 3-2 in the sixth, but didn't get a hit after that. It was Tampa Bay's turn for a wire-to-wire win in Game 2; they only got seven hits, all singles, but managed to get a 4-0 lead and hold on for a 4-2 win.

Then the series went north to Philadelphia, and things took a turn. Players took the field in Game 3 wearing long sleeves and modified hats with ear flaps. They were playing more against the weather than against each other. The Phillies took a 4-1 lead in the 6th inning of Game 3, only to see Tampa Bay tie it in the 8th. Philadelphia's Eric Bruntlett was hit by a pitch to lead off the ninth, then moved to third on a wild pitch and throwing error. After two intentional walks, Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz hit the first infield single walkoff hit in World Series history to give the Phillies a 2-1 series lead.

After the Phillies battered Tampa Bay for a 10-2 win in Game 4, Commissioner Bud Selig announced before Game 5 that despite official rules stating otherwise, he would not allow a World Series championship to be decided in a rain-shortened game. His words became prophetic when, with Game 5 tied at 2 in the middle of the sixth inning, the skies opened up, forcing the teams to scamper to their dugouts. And then they waited. And waited. And waited. What started as a rain delay turned into a suspension, and then a postponement of the suspended game. After missing the rest of Monday and all of Tuesday, the teams finally reconvened on Wednesday to play what had essentially become a three-inning game. The Phillies scored first after play resumed, then held on for the championship.

Defining Game
Game 5 would have been the defining game of this series no matter how it turned out. It took three days to play the thing, after all. But it was also the best game in terms of quality of play. When the teams resumed play in the bottom of the sixth - two days after the Rays had tied it in the top of the inning - Philadelphia reclaimed the lead after just three batters. In the top of the seventh, the Rays struck again, with Rocco Baldelli tying the game with a one-out home run. Then came the play of the series. With Jason Bartlett on second and two outs, Tampa Bay's Akinori Iwamura grounded one up the middle. Utley was able to track the ball down but had no play at first. Instead, he jumped, faked a throw to first, then fired home to nail a surprised Bartlett, who was trying to surprise the Phillies himself. Inspired by their second baseman, it again took the Phillies only three batters to reclaim the lead, on Pedro Feliz's single to center, and this time the Rays couldn't answer.

Utley's play

MVP
Phillies ace Cole Hamels was named the MVP after winning Game 1 and pitching well in Game 5, but it was an odd choice. He was good, but not overpowering. His award seems like one of those where the voters didn't really know who to pick, so they just went with the ace.

Scores
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Philadelphia	3	2	5	10	4
Tampa Bay	2	4	4	2	3

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

44. 2008 - Philadelphia (N) def. Tampa Bay (A) 4-1
45. 1933 - New York (N) def. Washington (A) 4-1
46. 1929 - Philadelphia (A) def. Chicago (N) 4-1
47. 1982 - St. Louis (N) def. Milwaukee (A) 4-3
48. 1923 - New York (A) def. New York (N) 4-2
49. 1944 - St. Louis (N) def. St. Louis (A) 4-2
Numbers 50-59
Numbers 60-69
Numbers 70-79
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

1950 World Series: What could have been

The Teams
American League: New York Yankees (98-56) -  17th World Series (won 12 previous times)
National League: Philadelphia Phillies (91-63) - Second World Series

What Happened
Things were looking so good for the Phillies in 1950. Dubbed the Whiz Kids because of the youth of their talented roster, the Phillies stormed to the top of the National League after the All Star break and had a 7.5-game lead in the standings on September 20. But then, all the bad luck that they had been avoiding all season caught up with them. No. 2 starter Curt Simmons was called up to military duty and two other starters went down with injury. The Phillies started to tumble, and what had been a seemingly safe lead was cut to a single game entering the final game of the season. But the Phillies beat the Dodgers in 10 to win their first pennant since 1915.

Exhausted and shorthanded, the Phillies were overwhelming underdogs against the Yankees, who some places had listed as 2-5 favorites. To drive the mismatch home, the Phillies were forced to use Jim Konstanty as their Game 1 starters. It's true that Konstanty had won the NL MVP award that year, but he had done so as a reliever, having not started a game since 1946.

Konstanty pitched well, probably better than the Phillies could have imagined. He got into jams int he first, third, fourth, and fifth innings, but he got out of all of that allowing only a single run. That one run was costly, though, as the Phillies weren't hitting Yankees pitcher Vic Raschi at all. Raschi's two-hit shutout helped the Yankees open the series on a positive note.

Game 2 was about more blown chances for Philadelphia. The game was tied 1-1 entering the eighth, with Phillies ace Robin Roberts pitching gamely despite his exhaustion at being overused down the stretch. The Phillies threatened in both the bottom of the 8th and the bottom of the 9th, only to see both threats snuffed out with double plays. Then, in the bottom of the 10th, the great Joe DiMaggio, who up to this point had been a sleeping giant, woke up with a bang, leading off the inning with a home run. Allie Reynolds finished his complete game, and the Yankees had handed the Phillies their second straight heartbreaking defeat.

If they were deflated after losing two painfully close home games to open the series, the Phillies didn't show it in Game 3, taking a 2-1 lead into the 8th inning. Then, the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs, leading Philadelphia to bring Konstanty in from the bullpen. Konstanty did his job, getting a ground ball, but the Phillies didn't, as an error let the Yankees tie the game. Philadelphia threatened in the top of the ninth, but had the potential go-ahead run cut down at the plate. Then, with Konstanty having been taken out for a pinch hitter, the Yankees strung three straight singles together in the ninth; the last one, by Jerry Coleman, won the game.

Having given everything they had and still fallen behind 3-0 in the series, the Phillies were done by the time Game 4 rolled around. The Yankees scored 2 in the first, forcing the Phillies to go to Konstanty again, and they added three runs off the exhausted reliever in the sixth. As if to torture their fans even more, the Phillies got two runs back in the ninth, but ended the game with the tying run at the plate.

Defining Game
Game 3 was a perfect example of how frustrating the series was for the Phillies. Even when they were succeeding, they couldn't get out of their own way, like when they had a sixth-inning rally snuffed out by getting a runner picked off.

MVP
He didn't have the best numbers on his team, but Coleman came up big for the Yankees all series long. He drove in the only run of Game 1, scored one of the two Yankee runs in Game 2, then drove in two runs and scored a third in Game 3. His 0-fer in Game 4 didn't matter much, because by then the series was over. Then came the ugly 8th, when the Yankees loaded the bases with three consecutive two-out walks, then scored on an error by shortstop Granny Hamner. After getting the tying run thrown out at home in the top of the ninth, the Phillies again let the Yankees off the hook. After two outs, the Yankees got two straight infield hits before Coleman ended it with another single. At least Coleman's single made it to the outfield.

Random Fact
Three years after Jackie Robinson, the Yankees and Phillies still hadn't integrated their teams. That makes this the last all-white World Series. 

Scores
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

New York	1	2 (10)	3	5
Philadelphia	0	1	2	2

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

63. 1950 - New York (A) def. Philadelphia (N) 4-0
64. 1906 - Chicago (A) def. Chicago (N) 4-2
65. 1981 - Los Angeles (N) def. New York (A) 4-2
66. 1943 - New York (A) def. St. Louis (N) 4-1
67. 1954 - New York (N) def. Cleveland (A) 4-0
68. 1978 - New York (A) def. Los Angeles (N) 4-2
69. 2006 - St. Louis (N) def. Detroit (A) 4-1
Numbers 70-79
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

2009 World Series: Home Run Derby

The Teams
American League: New York Yankees (103-59) - 40th World Series (won 26 previous times)
National League: Philadelphia Phillies (93-69) - Sixth World Series (won in 1980, 2008)

What Happened
It wasn't so much of a World Series as it was a home run derby. The Phillies and Yankees hit a combined .237 in the 2009 World Series, but combined to bash 17 home runs and 23 doubles. A lot of times, it seemed like the two offenses were just sitting around waiting for somebody to hit the next big home run.

I suppose it wasn't too surprising. Both teams easily lead their leagues in home runs, and between them, 16 of their 17 regular starters reached double-digits in home runs. They both had one solid ace pitcher leading an otherwise so-so staff. But there was no question about it: These were good, deep teams who should have been known as more than just power-hitting behemouths.

Only one team looked powerful in Game 1, as Philadelphia's Cliff Lee struck out 10 in a complete-game victory over the Yankees' C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia did well himself, giving up only a pair of solo home runs to Chase Utley in his seven innings, but the Yankees bullpen betrayed them, and Philadelphia scored four runs in the final two innings to close it out.

In Game 2, A.J. Burnett surprisingly shut down Philadelphia and the Yankees hit two home runs off Pedro Martinez as they tied the series. The series moved to Philadelphia in Game 3, and the fireworks started there. Each team hit three home runs in Game 3 as the Yankees came back from 3-0 down to win 8-5; Sabathia pitched Game 4 on short rest, and though he gave up two more home runs, he led the Yankees to a 3-1 series lead.

Game 5 was Lee's turn, and he was backed by three Phillie home runs to take an 8-2 lead into the eighth inning. But then, he tired, and the Yankees got three runs off him in the 8th and one more in the 9th before the rally fizzled. Though the Phillies won the game they needed to win, the Yankees comeback made couldn't have made them feel too good about themselves. Game 6 was back in New York, with Martinez back on the hill for Philadelphia. The Yankees knocked him out after four innings with a 4-1 lead, then scored three more to take a commanding lead. They were done scoring, but they had scored more than enough to clinch their 27th World Series title.


Defining Game
The Yankees played nearly 1,600 innings in the 2009 season, but no inning was more important than the 9th inning of Game 4 against Philadelphia. With the Yankees holding a 2-1 lead in the series, the Phillies twice came back from 2-run deficits. After Pedro Feliz hit a two-out home run in the bottom of 8th to tie the game, the teams entered the ninth inning knowing that it was very possible that the next team to score would win not only the game but the World Series.

Facing embattled Phillie closer Brad Lidge, the first two Yankee hitters went down quietly in the ninth, bringing up Johnny Damon, who was no stranger to postseason heroics. After falling behind 1-2, Damon called on his experience, fouling off three two-strike pitches and working the count full before lining a single the opposite way to get on base. He wasn't done there, either, as he stole second and third on the same pitch to open the next at bat. Rattled, Lidge hit Mark Teixeira with the next pitch to bring up Alex Rodriguez. After taking a strike, Rodriguez ripped a double to left field to score Damon and move Teixeira to third. The next batter was Jorge Posada, who drove Rodriguez and Teixeira home to make it a three-run lead. With Mariano Rivera coming in for the bottom of the ninth, that three-run lead might as well have been a 13-run cushion. The Yankees had their series-turning victory, sparked by a nine-pitch at bat from a World Series veteran.

Damon's at bat:


Damon's steals:




MVP
Though he only started the three games played in New York because of the DH rule, Hideki Matsui was the runaway choice for Series MVP. With a team leading .615 average, three home runs and eight runs batted in, it would have been foolish to go with anybody else.


Scores:
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Philadelphia	6	1	5	4	8	3
New York	1	3	8	7	6	7

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

78. 2009 - New York (A) def. Philadelphia (N) 4-2
79. 1984 - Detroit (A) def. San Diego (N) 4-1
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

1983 World Series: Ripken's first - and only - title

The Teams
American League: Baltimore Orioles (98-64) - Sixth World Series (Won in 1966, 1970)
National League: Philadelphia Phillies (90-72) - Fourth World Series (Won in 1980)

What Happened
It wasn't quite a subway series, as Baltimore and Philadelphia are in separate states, but with their stadiums sitting only about 100 miles apart, there was definitely a regional feel to the 1983 series.

While the teams were neighbors, they seemed to be going in opposite directions. After winning the World Series in 1980, the Phillies took the unusual step of getting older. After adding former Reds Joe Morgan and Tony Perez - to go along with another former Red, Pete Rose, who was there for the '80 title - the Phillies earned the nickname The Wheeze Kids. Meanwhile, youth led the way for the Orioles. Cal Ripken, Jr., who was named AL MVP, was only 23 years old, while Eddie Murray, MVP in the runner-up vote, was only 27. Win or lose, the future looked brighter for the Orioles, while the Phillies seemed to be in now-or-never mode.

While the Orioles had young offensive stars, it was their veteran pitchers who led the way in the Series. Two solo home runs was enough for the Phillies to win Game 1, but Baltimore got a complete-game three-hitter from Mike Boddicker to win Game 2. Philadelphia got two more solo home runs in Game 3, but Baltimore's bullpen threw five shutout innings, giving the offense enough time to rally for a win. Clutch hitting was at a premium in Game 4, as the teams combined for 14 runners left on base. Baltimore held on to win that one, then got two home runs from Eddie Murray and another from Rick Dempsey to cruise to a series-ending win in Game 5.

The final out was a line drive right to Ripken, which seemed as a symbol for the Orioles' future. He was destined to lead the Orioles to greatness for the next decade. Well, he led them, but not to glory. Ripken played for 18 more seasons for Baltimore, but never again appeared in the World Series.

Defining Game
Game 4 was the only true back-and-forth game in the series, which makes sense considering all the baserunners they had. A Rich Dauer single scored Ripken and Murray to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth, but the Phillies responded to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. The Orioles reclaimed the lead with a bases-loaded walk and a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the sixth, then added an insurance run on Dauer's seven-inning single. The insurance came in handy when the Phillies got one run back in the bottom of the ninth, but Morgan ended the game by lining out to second base.


MVP
Rick Dempsey. Though several of Baltimore's hitters had a good series, the normally light-hitting Dempsey stood out. All five of his hits were extra-base hits, including the game-winning double in Game 2 and a home run in Game 5.

Scores:
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Philadelphia	2	1	2	4	0
Baltimore	1	4	3	5	5

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

80. 1983 - Baltimore (A) def. Philadelphia (N) 4-1
81. 1913 - Philadelphia (A) def. New York (N) 4-1
82. 1930 - Philadelphia (A) def. St. Louis (N) 4-2
83. 1914 - Boston (N) def. Philadelphia (A) 4-0
84. 1951 - New York (A) def. New York (N) 4-2
85. 1939 - New York (A) def. Cincinnati (N) 4-0
86. 1910 - Philadelphia (A) def. Chicago (N) 4-1
87. 1905 - New York (N) def. Philadelphia (A) 4-1
88. 1965 - Los Angeles (N) def. Minnesota (A) 4-3
89. 1961 - New York (A) def. Cincinnati (N) 4-1
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

1980 NLCS: Rose vs. Ryan

How they got here
The Phillies had been here before. Multiple times, in fact; so often that they had to wonder if it would ever be their year. After three straight NL East titles from 1976-78, the Phillies took a step back in 1979 before returning to the top of the NL East in 1980. They weren't exactly a juggernaut. On offense, they had Mike Schmidt in the prime of his Hall-of-Fame career, but not much else. They brought in former Red Pete Rose for veteran leadership, but he was clearly on the tail end of his career. Their pitching wasn't much better. Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw were both good, of course, and were postseason veterans, but their primes had come in the late 60s. They had a little bit left, but not much.

Houston hadn't been here before. The division title the Astros won in 1980 was their first, and that was hard-earned. The Astros lost four straight games to the Dodgers to close the season before beating Los Angeles in a one-game playoff for the division title. The Astros got here by finally discovering the formula they would have to use playing in the cavernous Astrodome: good pitching, clutch hitting, and stolen bases instead of home runs.

Game 1 went to the Phillies, as Carlton and McGraw combined for a 3-1 win. The Astros stole a road win with a four-run 10th inning to win Game 2. They won Game 3 as well, getting an 11th-inning sacrifice fly to win that one 1-0, but the Phillies scored two 10th-inning runs to win Game 4 and avoid elimination. It had already been a great series, with three extra-inning games among the first four, so expectations were high for the deciding Game 5.

The Game
In retrospect, it's a fascinating scenario. The man who would eventually become baseball's all-time hits leader batting against the man who would eventually become the all-time strike out king. And while it wasn't the at bat that decided the series, it's the one that got the game-winning rally going.

After Pete Rose drew a bases-loaded walk after a seven-pitch at bat against Nolan Ryan, the Astros still had a 5-3 lead in the 8th. But the Phillies still had the bases loaded with nobody, and Rose's walk knocked the Houston ace out of the game. And things were just getting started.

In reality, the plot of the game could be picked up in the bottom of the seventh. With the game tied 2-2, Houston used small ball to scrape together the go-ahead run, only to follow that up with a wild pitch and a triple to make it 5-2.

Then came the top of the eighth. With Ryan still in the game in his second start of the series for Houston, the Phillies loaded the bases with nobody out, bringing up the veteran Rose. He drew the walk, Ryan hit the showers, and the floodgates opened. Four runs later, the Phillies had the 7-5 lead and were six outs from the World Series. But the way this series had gone, it wasn't over. Houston had a chance to answer, and they did, getting four hits off McGraw to tie the game.

After a scoreless ninth, it was extra innings, a stunning fourth straight game to go to extras in this five-game series. In the top of the 10th, Garry Maddox hit a two-out double to drive in the go-ahead run. This time, Houston didn't have an answer, and the Phillies finally broke through to the World Series.

Aftermath
After finally breaking through to the World Series, the Phillies faced the Royals, who exorcised similar demons in 1980. Like the Phillies, the Royals had lost in the League Championship Series in 1976, 77, and 78 before finally breaking through in 1980. Only one team could win, though, and that team was the Phillies, beating the Royals in six to win the first championship in the franchise's 97-year history.

What I'm doing.

The list so far:
3. 1980 NLCS: Houston vs. Philadelphia
4. 2006 NLCS: St. Louis 3, New York 1
5. 1976 ALCS: New York 7, Kansas City 6
6. 1977 ALCS: New York 5, Kansas City 3
7. 1972 NLCS: Cincinnati 4, Pittsburgh 3
8. 1981 NLCS: Los Angeles 2, Montreal 1
9. 1982 ALCS: Milwaukee 4, California 3
10. 2008 ALCS: Tampa Bay 3, Boston 1
11. 1984 NLCS: San Diego 6, Chicago 3
12. 2003 NLCS: Florida 9, Chicago 6
13. 2004 NLCS: St. Louis 5, Houston 2
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:
1992 NLCS: Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh
2003 ALCS: Boston vs. New York

Elimination games in 2011

Carlos Gomez flying around third and sliding into home. Chris Carpenter completely shutting down the heavily favored Phillies. Detroit being completely unimpressed by Yankee mystique. The 2011 postseason was, from start to finish, one of the best in many years. What helped that was that three of the four first-round series went the full five games.

I recently finished a countdown of the best early playoff elimination games, and I feel a divine obligation to add this year's three ALDS Game 5s to the list. Specifically, Milwaukee over Arizona, Detroit over New York, and St. Louis over Philadelphia. The problem is, where? How do I shoehorn three games into a list that's already 31 games long?

First, I ranked the three teams against each other, which was pretty easy to do. Milwaukee beating Arizona was a great game, easily the best of the three. Carpenter's masterpiece over Philadelphia was pretty easy to rank ahead of Detroit's win over the Yankees. So there's the ranking:

1. Milwaukee 3, Arizona 2
2. St. Louis 1, Philadelphia 0
3. Detroit 3, New York 2

Now, where to put them in the list? I decided to answer this question by simply comparing the Milwaukee game against all the top games, in order, until I found a spot where it fit.

Like, the number 1 game, the Shot Heard Round the World. Since Milwaukee's win over Arizona was not the single most memorable game in Major League history, it has to rank below that one. Minnesota-Detroit game 163? Nope, sorry. They both ended the same way - with Gomez flying around third to score the winning run in extra innings - but that Twins game featured so many twists and turns and changes in momentum that the Milwaukee game just doesn't compare.

The Brewers win doesn't quite add up to the Seattle-New York game of '95 or the Colorado-San Diego game of '07, either, again because of the changing fortunes part of it. Sure, there was a blown save in the ninth, but when Arizona didn't take the
lead that inning, it felt - at least to a neutral observer - that it was only a matter of time before Milwaukee finished it off.

But then? I think we found our spot for the Brewers. Sure, Bucky Dent's home run was a famous moment in baseball history, the fact that it happened in the seventh inning gives the Brewers their opening here. The Red Sox had three innings to recover from that disaster, and they almost did. But since the '78 game didn't have the added drama of a sudden death, it wasn't as good as the Brewers win. So the Brewers get ranked fifth. Not too shabby.

So next, Carpenter's 1-0 victory over his good buddy Roy Halladay. On the surface, it looks like it should have been a great game, as 1-0 games have the potential to be. But ... it wasn't. Rafael Furcal led off the game with a triple, scored one batter later, and that was it. The Phillies only challenged once, when Raul Ibanez flew out to deep right with two on in the 4th. After that, nothing. It's telling that if you look at the Win Probability Chart for that game, the biggest play of the game was Furcal's hit. When the game's biggest momentum shift comes on the fourth pitch thrown, you kind of have a dud.

But still, it was 1-0, so those always have a bit of tension. So I decided to rank this one right behind another 1-0 game, the White Sox-Twins Game 163 of 2008. That one actually had big plays that occurred after the first inning, allowing it to stay just barely ahead of the Carpenter-Halladay duel.

So then came the Detroit-Yankees game. After the Tigers took a 3-0 lead, the drama became about whether the Yankees would have enough time to get those runs back. There was plenty of drama in this one, with the Yankees leading the bases loaded twice, including in the seventh when they had cut the score to 3-2.

But, the Yankees never took the lead. In fact, there was never a lead change in this game, as Detroit took the lead in the top of the first. That fact hurts it in these rankings. I decided to rank it 12th, nestled between the Arizona-St. Louis game of 2001 and the Merkle's Boner Cubs-Giants game of 1908.

So, the final list (at least until next year):

1. N.Y. Giants 5, Brooklyn 4 (1951 National League playoff)
2. Minnesota 6, Detroit 5 (2009 AL Central tiebreaker)
3. Seattle 6, N.Y. Yankees 5 (1995 ALDS)
4. Colorado 9, San Diego 8 (2007 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
5. Milwaukee 3, Arizona 2 (2011 NLDS)
6. N.Y. Yankees 5, Boston 4 (1978 AL East tiebreaker)
7. San Francisco 6, Los Angeles 4 (1962 National League playoff)
8. Chicago 1, Minnesota 0 (2008 AL Central tiebreaker)
9. St. Louis 1, Philadelphia 0 (2011 NLDS)
10. N.Y. Yankees 5, Boston 3 (1949 American League)
11. Arizona 2, St. Louis 1 (2001 NLDS)
12. Detroit 3, New York 2 (2011 ALDS)
13. Chicago 4, New York 2 (1908 National League makeup game)
14. Boston 12, Cleveland 8 (1999 ALDS)
15. Boston 5, Minnesota 3 (1967 American League)
16. Minnesota 5, Oakland 4 (2002 ALDS)
17. Boston 4, Oakland 3 (2003 ALDS)
18. Cleveland 4, N.Y. Yankees 3 (1997 ALDS)
19. L.A. Angels 5, N.Y. Yankees 3 (2005 ALDS)
20. Texas 5, Tampa Bay 1 (2010 ALDS)
21. San Francisco 3, Atlanta 1 (2002 NLDS)
22. N.Y. Yankees 5, Oakland 3 (2001 ALDS)
23. Seattle 3, Cleveland 1 (2001 ALDS)
24. Chicago 5, San Francisco 3 (1998 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
25. N.Y. Yankees 7, Oakland 5 (2000 ALDS)
26. Los Angeles 4, Houston 0 (1981 NL West Division Series)
27. Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0 (1981 NL East Division Series)
28. N.Y. Yankees 7, Milwaukee 3 (1981 AL East Division Series)
29. Seattle 9, California 1 (1995 AL West tiebreaker)
30. Chicago 5, Atlanta 1 (2003 NLDS)
31. Houston 12, Atlanta 3 (2004 NLDS)
32. N.Y. Mets 5, Cincinnati 0 (1999 NL Wild Card tiebreaker)
33. Cleveland 8, Boston 3 (1948 American League tiebreaker)
34. Houston 7, Los Angeles 1 (1980 NL West tiebreaker)

On Halladay

We were sitting in the upper deck of Target Field on October 6, 2010, waiting for the first pitch of the first playoff game between the Twins and Yankees. While I was trying to convince myself that Francisco Liriano could outpitch C.C. Sabathia, the normal pregame banter that shows up on the scoreboard was removed. In its place was the television feed of another playoff game, the one between Philadelphia and Cincinnati. It didn't take long to figure out what was going on: Roy Halladay was one inning away from a no-hitter, and they were putting it up on the big screen so everybody could watch.

Halladay got the first two outs of the ninth on popups while I was trying to figure out how close he was to a perfect game. (The answer: very. A fifth-inning walk was his only blemesh). As Brandon Phillips stepped up to the plate for the Reds, Cincinnati's last hope, everybody was watching, even the Yankees who were supposed to be taking batting practice. Everybody knew this was a moment not to be missed. Not wanting to mess up history, Phillips hit a weak tapper in front of the plate - he could have bunted the ball farther. Carlos Ruiz picked it up and fired to first, and baseball had its second ever postseason no-hitter.

It was a cool moment. It's one thing to be able to watch a no-hitter. It's something completely different to share that experience with a stadium full of fans already buzzing with excitement, to look down and see Major League players applauding one of their own. But as I was reveling in the moment, I ruined my good mood for a moment by being nerdy and thinking about my blog. I wasn't thinking how I would write about this, but rather I was fretting about what day it was. See, that happened on October 6. Exactly one year after this.

Great. I was so excited to be able to include one of the greatest Twins games ever on my countdown of greatest sports moments by day. I loved the synergy that the Twins first playoff game in Target Field came exactly one year after their last, and most incredible, regular season game in the Metrodome. And now stupid Roy Halladay had ruined it by going and throwing a stupid no-hitter in his stupid first career postseason start. It was stupid.

But I shook myself out of my thoughts. I swore I'd enjoy this moment. After all, I had a year to decide whether Halladay's game would actually replace Game 163 on my countdown. I wouldn't have to worry. Instead, I could sit back and enjoy a Twins playoff game.

Well, it's been a year. I've spent some time thinking about this, but I'm paranoid it wasn't enough. I'm still torn. Halladay threw a postseason no-hitter, one of the greatest moments in baseball history. That has to be the best thing that's ever happened in sports on October 6, right? Then again, Twins-Tigers was one of the single greatest games ever played. People were still talking about the entire next season. Hell, people are still talking about it. So why should I bump it off the spot?

Then I got to thinking, well, if I leave that Twins game on there, I'll be accused of being an incurable homer. I want to be seen as a person with legitimate sports opinions, someone who can be trusted to opine on all teams, not just Minnesota ones. I want to be appropriately neutral. So I didn't know what to do.

Then I got to thinking some more. I write a blog. Bloggers are rarely, if ever neutral. Also, I write a blog that, quite frankly, very few people read. Those that do read it know me, and know I'm an unapologetic homer for all Minnesota teams. If anything, they'd expect me to leave Game 163 where it is. So that's what I'm going to do. No apologies.

And besides, that's not really the point. I'm a sports fan because of the memories created, about the moments that stand out over time. I'm a sports fan because of the days you can be watching a random game in the middle of the week and see something that moves you, something you'll never forget.

I'll always remember sitting - or standing, or pacing - in my basement on October 6, 2009, watching Game 163. And I'll always remember sitting in the upper deck on the third base side in Target Field on October 6, 2010, watching Roy Halladay finish off his no-hitter. It doesn't matter game which was better or more memorable. What matters is the memories that were made.

1981 NLDS: Hey ... I'm from Rogers!

Pregame
This should have been the St. Louis Cardinals' season. The Cardinals had the best record in the NL East in 1981 by a comfortable margin, but 1981's split schedule cost St. Louis a trip to the playoffs. The Cardinals were 2.5 games behind the defending champion Phillies when the strike hit, and they finished an agonizing half-game behind Montreal in the second half of the season, losing out on the pennant simply because they played one less game than the Expos.

Fair or not, it was the Phillies against the Expos in the NL East Division series. The Phillies were still riding high after winning the first World Series in franchise history the year before, while the 1981 season marked Montreal's first postseason appearance in franchise history.

The Expos won the first two games of the series at home by identical 3-1 scores. The series then moved to Philadelphia, where the Phillies won the next two games as the Expos committed a total of five errors in the two games. Game 5 would feature the same pitching matchup as Game 1, with Expos ace Steve Rogers going up against three-time Cy Young winner and future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.

The Game
1981 was not a kind season to hitters, and with two aces on the mound for this Game 5, there shouldn't have been too much surprise that a pitcher's duel broke out. The two Steves held the offenses in check for the first four innings, with nobody getting past second base. The Phillies got the best opportunity to score early, but Gary Matthews was thrown out at home trying to score on a single to end the bottom of the fourth.

In the top of the fifth, Rogers had a chance to win the game by himself. With two on and two out, Carlton walked Jerry Manuel to load the bases and bring up his opposing pitcher. Never a good hitting pitcher, Rogers had only driven in three runs all season long. But with the Expos facing their first real scoring opportunity, Rogers came through, driving a single to center to drive in two runs and give himself a 2-0 lead.

That was all the offense he needed. The Expos added a run in the sixth, but it wasn't really needed. Philadelphia didn't threaten much the rest of the way, with their only scoring opportunity snuffed out by a sixth-inning double play. Rogers finished the complete-game shutout, and the Expos moved on to the NLCS.

Postgame
Montreal earned the right to play Los Angeles in the NLCS, fighting the Dodgers to the fifth game. Rogers won Game 3 of the series, then came in to relieve in the ninth inning of Game 5. Rogers gave up a home run to Rick Monday, a shot which gave the Dodgers the series win. Though heartbreaking at the time, the disappointment was tempered a bit by the belief that the Expos would be back. But they never were. The 10 games they played in 1981 were the only postseason games in Montreal history.

The Rundown

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 23, 1993: Wild Thing

TORONTO - Usually, when a team brings in its closer with the lead in a World Series game, it's cause for celebration. They would be three outs away from the victory, and now their best reliever, if not their best pitcher, was coming into the game. For the trailing team, it was time to grip the bat handles a little tighter, to feel the hearts racing a little bit faster - they had to make a comeback against THIS guy?

But when the Philadelphia Phillies brought in their closer for the bottom of the ninth of game 6 of the 1993 World Series, asking Mitch Williams to get the three outs they needed to get to game 7, the Toronto fans stood and cheered. You could say that they were cheering as a way to drum up support for their offense, but they were also cheering because there was no pitcher they'd rather face than Williams.

Williams was nicknamed the Wild Thing because of his crazy delivery that left him tumbling off the mound and because of his lack of knowledge of where the ball was going to go. He even took the number 99 in honor of the other "Wild Thing," Ricky Vaughn from the Major League movies. He had been pretty good in 1993, effective enough to get the Phillies to the World Series despite his wild innings, but he had completely fallen apart in the World Series. He hadn't been able to find the strike zone at all, and when he had, Toronto's hitters had battered him. Now he needed to find a way to get three outs, and the Toronto fans were sure he wouldn't do it.

That he was able to pitch in a save situation at all was the result of a fantastic rally by his teammates, who had scored five runs in the 7th to take a 6-5 lead. Toronto had loaded the bases without scoring in the eighth, and now Philadelphia was handing the ball, and their season, to Wild Thing. It's probable the Phillies had all the confidence in the world in Williams. It's also possible that they wished they had scored more than the five runs in the seventh, that they had been able to give him more than a one-run lead.

Whatever the Phillies were thinking, the Toronto fans were full of confidence, and they erupted in cheers when Rickey Henderson led off the ninth with a four-pitch walk. Williams hadn't been close on any of the pitches, and now the tying run was already on first. The crowd was going crazy.

Williams ignored the crowd as best he could, getting Devon White to fly out after a nine-pitch at bat. One down. Next up was Paul Molitor, a future Hall of Famer like Henderson. Williams' first pitch was hopelessly wild. The crowd went wild again. Perhaps knowing he was losing control, Williams eased up just a bit on the next two. The first one Molitor fouled off. The second one he lined into center. The World Series-winning run was on first base.

Joe Carter was up next. Though he was Toronto's cleanup hitter, he may have been no more than their sixth best hitter. Having incredibly talented teammates surrounding him in the batting order inflated his numbers, making him look better than he probably was. Still, though, he was a threat to hit a home run at any time. Although, it's hard to hit a home run when you're trying to dodge a ball thrown at your feet. Carter didn't have to dodge the second pitch, but it was clearly high. At this point the crowd was delirious - the winning run on first, a pitcher who had shown no ability to get a ball anywhere near the strike zone, and a dead fastball hitter at the plate. This had to end well.

Carter wasn't going to swing at anything until Williams proved he could throw a strike, so he watched the 2-0 pitch go right down the middle. Then Williams proved why he was still, for the most part, an effective closer, cutting loose a slider. Earlier in the at bat, Carter had needed to jump out of the way of a slider. Now he was swinging and missing at one that came much closer to its target. It was a 2-2 count.

The next pitch was a fastball that ran inside, Williams hoping to jam Carter to get a double play ball. But Carter was a dead-red fastball hitter, was looking fastball, so he got the barrel of the bat out and pulled a line drive deep to left. Usually, balls pulled that hard off inside pitches end up hooking foul, but Carter's stayed straight as an arrow, landing just on the other side of the fence to end the series.

A jubliant Carter hopped around the bases, never coming close to jogging until he had already reached second base. His teammates swarmed the field, along with several dozen fans, congratulating him as he took his trip around the bases. Carter had become the second man to end the World Series on a home run, the first to do so while his team was trailing. It was celebration time in Toronto for the second straight year.

As Carter's home run cleared the fence, Williams walked off the mound, head down. He took off his hat, wiped his forehead with his sleeve, and walked down to the clubhouse, not even stopping in the dugout. All season long, the Phillies put up with, even embraced, Williams' Wild Thing persona. Suddenly, it seemed very old. A season's worth of great memories were erased with one bad inning. Williams never threw another pitch for Philadelphia.


http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=3251266

October 20, 1993: Wet and wild

PHILADELPHIA - The runs came early and often. Philadelphia led 4-3 after one inning, 6-3 after 2. Toronto lead 7-6 after three. Philadelphia took the lead back. Back and forth it went.

The rain had been falling all day, making conditions slippery and difficult for fielders, so the runs kept coming. Philadelphia put up runs in four straight innings, including five in the fifth, but Toronto kept answering. The scoreline started resembling something you'd see in a slow-pitch softball game, then it started looking like a football score. But it was the World Series.

The 1993 series had been high scoring before game 4. The defending champion Blue Jays had scored 22 runs in taking a 2-1 series lead, but Philadelphia's offense had represented itself well, also. But nothing that happened in the first three games compared to the wild events of game 4.

The first run of the game came in the top of the first, when Toronto's Paul Molitor drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk. The Blue Jays added two more that inning. Philadelphia's first run also came as a result of a two-out, bases-loaded walk in the first. The next batter, Milt Thompson, hit a triple to make the score 4-3. It was the first hit of the game for Philadelphia. Phillies leadoff hitter Lenny Dykstra hit a two-run home run in the third to extend the lead to 6-3. Toronto got the lead back, scoring four runs in the third with two walks, two stolen bases, and four singles.

Deep breath. The next four half-innings passed with only one run scoring. Perhaps the chaos had stopped.

Not quite. Philadelphia hit two home runs in the fifth, including a second by Dykstra, and took a 12-7 lead into the sixth. They seemed to be in control, especially since they kept answering when Toronto scored. When Darren Daulton drove in a run by being hit by a pitch, it was 14-9 Philadelphia entering the top of the eighth.

Then came the wild eighth inning. Five straight batters reached for Toronto as they scored twice and loaded the bases with one out. After a strikeout, Rickey Henderson hit a two-run single, followed by a two-run triple by Devon White, and Toronto was in front by a stunning score of 15-14.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about game 4 was that after all those fireworks, nobody scored in the final inning and a half. Philadelphia's final six hitters went down quietly, and Toronto only added one more hit. Their 15-14 victory put the Blue Jays one win away from a second straight championship.

The 29 runs scored set a postseason record for most runs scored in a single game, a record that still stands. The teams combined for 32 hits and 14 walks. Every position player who started for Toronto got at least one hit and scored at least once, while Philadelphia had three different players get three hits and had three players drive in three or more runs. The teams used 11 pitchers, and three different pitchers gave up at least six runs. There were 18 half-innings played in the game, and at least one run was scored in nine of them. The only completely scoreless inning was the ninth, by which point the offensive players might have been exhausted. Perhaps the only saving grace in the game was the fact that nobody committed an error.

The wet and wild game 4 destroyed the teams' pitching staffs and tired out the hitters. With the game not ending until after midnight, there were some dragging players who showed up to the park the next day. Order was restored a bit in that one, as Philadelphia won 2-0.