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. 7: Two Games for the Price of One

Game 4, 2005 NLDS: Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros

October 9, 2005, Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas

Astros lead 2-1 

The first surprise was that Brad Ausmus was batting here. Two outs in the ninth, Houston trailing 6-5 - it seemed like a perfect time to go pinch hit for the catcher who was only 2-for-15 in his career against this reliever. And right there on the bench, sitting right behind his manager and holding a bat, was Jeff Bagwell. You can find a picture of Bagwell now hanging on the wall in Cooperstown. So why couldn't we find him in the batters' box in a situation where a home run would tie the game? 

The second surprise was that Kyle Farnsworth was still in the game. Atlanta's bullpen was running on fumes, sure, but Farnsworth had pitched the entire 8th inning, a frame that included a grand slam by Lance Berkman that turned a Braves runaway into a nail biter. Surly a fresh reliever was a better option. Or maybe manager Bobby Cox knew Farnsworth's past success against Ausmus and figured he was as good a choice as anybody.

When it came down to it, with all the numbers examined and players considered, both managers chose to trust the guy they had. Houston's Phil Garner ended up being right. Ausmus hit a fly ball that hit the wall right at the corner of the yellow home run line on Minute Maid Park's left field wall and caromed into play. At first the Braves outfielders scrambled after it, hoping they could keep the slow-running catcher to a double. But there was the second-base umpire making the home run signal, and there was Ausmus jogging around the bases, and there was Cox in the dugout, now probably out of relievers he trusted, thinking "now what?"    

If he only knew. Ausmus' home run rescued Houston from defeat and temporarily delayed their travel plans to Atlanta for Game 5. As impossible as it might have seemed entering the bottom of the eighth - when Atlanta held a 6-1 lead thanks in large part to a third-inning grand slam from Adam LaRoche - this game was going into extra innings. And extra, and extra, and extra...

This should have been quick for Houston. Their bullpen had already proven itself in this series, while Atlanta's had been a disaster. But it was the playoffs, and nothing was supposed to be easy in the playoffs. 

Houston could have scored in the bottom of the 10th, when they had two men on with two outs and finally played their Bagwell card. But Bagwell got jammed, and his fly ball to left hung in the air just long enough for Ryan Langerhans to run underneath it.

Atlanta could have scored in the top of the 11th, with two men on with two outs, but Julio Franco grounded out. They also could have scored in the top of the 14th, when they loaded the bases with one out, but Dan Wheeler struck out Brian McCann and got Pete Orr to ground to third. And so they played on.

Wheeler was Houston's last available reliever, so Game 2 starter Roger Clemens eventually wandered out to the bullpen to warm up. And as both teams kept failing to score, Clemens had to come in - as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 15th with a runner on first. Clemens only had to bunt, of course, and he moved the runner over. But the Astros again didn't score, the threat ending on a double play, and so they played on.

Clemens was pitching because the Astros were out of relievers, but they were also out of position players. So as he shut down the Braves, all the way to the 18th inning - the first postseason game to ever enter the 18th inning, two games for the price of one - Clemens' spot in the batting order came up again. And since there was nobody left on the bench to pinch hit for him - and nobody in the bullpen to come in to replace the pinch hitter. Clemens had to bat. And he did what any pitcher would do when batting in the 18th inning of a playoff game - he swung as hard as he could, struck out swinging, and walked back to the bench to hope for a run.

It was finally over.

And the run finally came. Chris Burke hadn't started the game; he came in as a pinch runner for Berkman in the 10th. He had played center, and then left, as Garner moved the Astros around the field to accommodate pinch-hitters and double switches. So when he came to the plate with one out in the 18th, he had played almost an entire game despite entering the game in extra innings. He had already flied out to left once in extra innings. For his second time up, he hit one just a little bit farther. 

Burke's series-ending home run - only the 8th in Major League history at that point - sent the Astros to the NLCS, where they finally got past the Cardinals and into the World Series. And we've seen what happened in that series.

 

Game 4, 2005 National League Division Series Overall Rank: 7 Top 10 Swing: 235 Top play: Brad Ausmus' game-tying home run in the 9th (WPA of 49% for Houston) Loser's largest WE: 98 T8, entire inning after Atlanta takes a 6-1 lead. Average LI: 1.69 Highest leverage moment: 6.88 (T14, 2 outs, bases loaded, game tied 6-6, Pete Orr batting for Atlanta)

Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 12: The Other Jordan, the Other Two-Sport Star

Game 3, 1999 National League Division Series: Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros

October 8, 1999, Astrodome, Houston, Texas

Series tied 1-1

Sanders (left) and Jordan (right) pose with a
non-baseball-playing teammate. 

Of all the people who played for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Braves in the 1990s, Brian Jordan was easily the least famous. Deion Sanders got all the attention, and rightfully so; not only did Sanders play football and baseball at the same time (and once on the same day), he was one of the best football players of his generation. Jordan, meanwhile, was much better at baseball than Sanders was, to the point that he gave up on his NFL career after two seasons to focus solely on baseball.

Sanders was mostly done with baseball when Jordan reached his peak, crushing National League pitching in 1998 with 70 home run-hitter Mark McGwire batting right behind him. Jordan turned that season into a free agent contract with Atlanta, and he continued his hot hitting until a wrist injury slowed him down at the end of the season. He hit only .239 with 1 home run in the final 40 games of the season, but he was still Atlanta's cleanup hitter as they entered the National League Division Series against Houston.

After a split of the first two games in Atlanta, Houston took an early 2-0 lead in Game 3, holding that lead until the top of the sixth, when Atlanta threatened for the first time. Starting pitcher Tom Glavine led off the sixth, something that likely wouldn't have happened in 2021; teams would have easily pinch-hit for their starter while trailing 2-0 in the 6th in virtually any game in 2021, especially a playoff game. But this was 1999, and starters were supposed to give you 7 innings no matter what, so Glavine batted and grounded out.

That was when Gerald Williams came up. As the Braves' leadoff hitter, this was Williams' third at bat of the game. Again, in today's game, the Astros would have been watching pitcher Mike Hampton's workload very carefully, as teams are very quick to remove starters when they start facing hitters for the third time. But this was 1999, and starters were supposed to give you 7 innings, so Hampton stayed in. He got Williams to pop out, but Bret Boone singled, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Chipper Jones was walked, bringing up Jordan. 

It's possible that the walk to Jones wasn't exactly accidental, considering Jordan's late-season slump. Even though a walk put the tying run on base, Jones was likely viewed as a more dangerous hitter. But Jordan made Houston pay for the walk, blasting the first pitch deep to left to give the Braves the lead.

Both starting pitchers were replaced by pinch hitters in the 7th. Atlanta put in Walt Weiss, who grounded out, but Houston's pinch hitter, Russ Johnson, doubled to left to start a rally. Glen Barker ran for Johnson and eventually came home on Bill Spiers' one-out single to left. The Astros ended up loading the bases with one out, but reliever Mike Remlinger got a strike out and a fly out to escape further damage. 

Ahead to the 10th, when Williams hit a one-out infield single and was replaced by pinch-runner Otis Nixon. Throughout his career, and especially at this late stage, Nixon existed for one reason, and that was to steal bases. And that's what he did, stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error. After a strike out, Jones was intentionally walked and Jordan was unintentionally walked before Andruw Jones flied out to end the threat.

After escaping the top half of the inning, the Astros loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th with nobody out. Atlanta brought in closer/bigot John Rocker to a nearly impossible situation, asking him to get three outs without allowing a run to score. The first batter, Carl Everett, grounded to first, where Atlanta got a force at home. The next batter, Tony Eusebio, hit a sharp grounder that Weiss somehow stopped at short, turning to make a great throw to home for the second out. Picked up by his defense, Rocker then struck out Ricky Guiterrez to escape the inning.

In the 12th, the Braves threatened again. Two straight singles put runners on first and second with one out and Chipper Jones up. Jones grounded out, but the runners advanced, putting runners on second and third with two out. Jordan was up again, with first base open. The logical play may have been to walk Jordan, especially after his cannon shot home run in the 6th. But the Astros, either because they were more afraid of Andruw Jones batting behind him or were still focused on Jordan's injury and slump, decided to pitch to Jordan. Another first-pitch swing, another extra-base hit, this time a double that scored two runs. 

Now leading 5-3, but having already used their closer, Atlanta used Game 2 starter Kevin Millwood  as their closer. It was an odd choice to use a pitcher that had thrown a complete game two days before, but Millwood had only give up one hit in that complete game, so maybe Atlanta thought he'd carry it over to this game. And, well, he did. Three batters, three outs, and Atlanta had a 2-1 series lead. 

Game 3, 1999 NLDS Overall Rank: 12 Top 10 Swing: 217 Top play: Brian Jordan's go-ahead double in the 12th (WPA of 41% for Atlanta) Loser's largest WE: 94 B10, 0 out, bases loaded, tied 3-3, Carl Everett up for Houston  Average LI: 1.84 Highest leverage moment: 6.90 (T10, 2 out, bases loaded, tied 3-3, Andruw Jones up for Atlanta)

 

Baseball's Most Exciting Games, No. 17: Failed Rallies

Game 3, 2005 World Series: Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros

October 25, 2005, Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas

White Sox lead series 2-0

The 2005 World Series was supposed to be a celebration for the Houston Astros. Finally, after five empty playoff appearances since 1997, they had escaped the National League and were on baseball's biggest stage. They were up against the White Sox, who had played in the postseason only five times since losing the 1919 World Series on purpose.

The Astros had the postseason experience, but the White Sox had home field advantage in the first two games, and they left Chicago with a 2-0 lead. In Game 1, Astros pitcher Roger Clemens got hurt and left after two innings, putting the rest of his series in doubt. In Game 2, the Astros took a 4-2 lead, gave it back on a Paul Konerko grand slam, then tied the game in the 9th. Then White Sox centerfielder Scott Podsednik, who didn't hit a home run during the regular season, hit his second home run of the postseason to walk off the Astros.

Now trailing the series 2-0, the Astros got exactly what they needed in Game 3, with Roy Oswalt shutting the White Sox down early while the Astros built a lead. It was a 4-0 Houston lead through four innings when the wheels started to fall off for the Astros.

AJ Pierzynski was at his most punchable
in 2005.

It started with a Joe Crede home run leading off the top of the 5th. Normally that's not a big deal - a solo home run in a 4-0 game generally isn't back-breaking. But that was following by hit after hit after hit. Four White Sox singles later, with a couple of outs mixed in, A.J. Pierzynski was up with a chance to give Chicago the lead. And Pierzynski delivered, hitting a double to the deepest part of the ballpark to give the White Sox the 5-4 lead.

The shell-shocked Astros needed three innings just to get their next hit, but it was a big one: a two out  double by Jason Lane that tied it in the 8th.

From there, the game became a classic not because of great clutch hitting, but because of opportunities that went lacking. Orlando Hernandez walked three Astros and had a throwing error to load the bases in the 9th, but Morgan Ensberg struck out with the bases loaded to send the game to extra innings. Twice in extra innings, Houston had two runners on base with two outs; twice their rally ended with ground outs to the pitcher. 

For their part, the White Sox didn't do much offensively in extra innings until a leadoff hit in the top of the 14th. That runner was erased by a great diving stop by Ensberg at third that turned into a double play, but Geoff Blum followed that by slicing a three-iron hitting a low line drive that barely cleared the fence in right for a go-ahead home run. The White Sox added one more on a bases loaded walk before the stunned Astros could escape the inning.

The Astros tried to get something going in the bottom of the 14th, and they were helped by a two-out error by Juan Uribe that put two runners on base. But the White Sox asked Game 2 starter Mark Buehrle to come out of the bullpen, and he got Adam Everett to pop out for the final out.

After losing two straight devastating game, the Astros didn't have much fight left, getting only five hits in a 1-0 Game 4 loss that gave the White Sox the sweep.

Game 3, 2005 World Series Overall Rank: 17 Top 10 Swing: 212 Top play: Geoff Blum's 14th-inning home run (WPA of 41% for Chicago) Loser's largest WE: 91 B4, no out, Houston up 3-0 Average LI: 1.89 Highest leverage moment: 6.39 (tied 5-5, B9, bases loaded, 2 out, Morgan Ensberg up)

2005 World Series: The Best Sweep

The Teams
American League: Chicago White Sox (99-63) - Fifth World Series (Won in 1906, 1917)
National League: Houston Astros (89-73) - First World Series

What Happened
A couple of long droughts ended in the 2005 World Series. Buoyed by a powerful lineup and the deepest starting rotation in the game, the White Sox survived the American League playoffs to make their first World Series since 1959. Meanwhile, the Astros ended years of playoff frustration by finally breaking through in 2005, advancing to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. The two teams played four tense, tight games in a row, completing what has to go down as the most competitive sweep in World Series history.

One of the biggest reasons for the Astros finally reaching the World Series was the acquisition of Roger Clemens the year before. Though it wasn't an acquisition so much as a bribe to get him out of retirement, the Astros rode Clemens to Game 7 of the ALCS in 2004 and, finally, to the World Series in 2005. It was fitting, then that Clemens got the start in the first World Series game in Astros history.

Clemens wasn't himself, however, aggravating a groin injury that had originally bothered him in the regular season. He had to come out after two innings, and though the game was tied 3-3, his absence was a big blow to the Astros' confidence. After a Joe Crede gave the White Sox a 4-3 lead, the Astros' old postseason problems came back to haunt them, as Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell failed to drive in the go-ahead run in back-to-back innings. A Scott Podsednik triple gave the White Sox an extra win and a 1-0 lead in the series.

Following Game 1, the two teams played three of best back-to-back-to-back games the World Series has seen. The madness started in Game 2, when the teams traded momentum-shifting hits like they were playing Go Fish. First was Lance Berkman's two-run double to give the Astros a 4-2 lead in the fifth. Then came the bottom of the seventh when, with two outs, a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases for Paul Konerko, who promptly hit a grand slam to put the White Sox back ahead. Then came the top of the ninth when, with the Astros down to their last out, Jose Vizcaino hit a two-run single to tie the game again. If all that wasn't enough, Podsednik, the one slap hitter on a lineup of bashers, the man who didn't hit a home run in the regular season, ended the game with a home run in the bottom of the ninth.



Chicago was in bedlam, Houston was in shock, and the teams caught their breath as the World Series headed to Houston for the first time ever. They needed that breath, too, as they were about to embark on the longest game in World Series history. The Astros were up 4-0 after four innings, but the White Sox scored five in the fifth off Roy Oswalt. After Jason Lane tied the game in the 8th, the teams played six innings featuring blown offensive chances and desperate managerial moves. For the Astros, the run of innings was downright embarrassing: three runners left on in the ninth, two in the 10th, two in the 11th, one in the 13th.

Finally, perhaps sick of letting Houston hang around, the White Sox broke through in the 14th, taking the lead on a leadoff home run, then adding a run on a bases-loaded walk. When the Astros threatened again, Ozzie Guillen brought in Game 2 starter Mark Buerhle in relief - five innings after using Game 1 starter Orlando Hernandez in relief. Buerhle got the out he needed, and the White Sox were a win away from their first title since 1917.

It's no surprise, though, that they had to work for it. Houston's Brandon Backe threw seven shutout innings, matching the string of zeroes put up by Chicago's Freddy Garcia. The White Sox finally broke through against Houston closer Brad Lidge, with Jermaine Dye getting at two-out single in the 8th for the game's first run. Houston again threatened, getting two runners on in the 8th and one in the ninth. Just like the rest of the series, though, they couldn't get it done late. The White Sox got two straight great defensive plays from shortstop Juan Uribe to close things out, and they celebrated their first championship since the Wilson administration.

Defining Game
Any of the last three games could have qualified, but it's hard to ignore a 14-inning marathon, featuring blown chances nearly every inning after the seventh. Game 3 was the longest World Series game by time of game in history and tied Game 2 of the 1916 Series for longest game by innings.

MVP
It's hard to pick an MVP of a sweep, but the voters got this one right. They probably would have picked Dye because of his series-clinching hit regardless of what the rest of this numbers looked like, but it helped that he was Chicago's best hitter throughout the series. 
Scores
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Houston	3	6	5	0
Chicago	5	7	7 (14)	1

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

62. 2005 - Chicago (A) def. Houston (N) 4-0
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

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

2004 NLCS: Two pitches

How They Got Here
The NL Central wasn't much of a race in 2004. Led by the all-world Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals cruised to an NL-high 105 wins in '04, making a mockery of the division race early and spending most of September waiting for the playoffs to start.

The real drama in the National League that year was in the Wild Card race. For most of the summer, it didn't look like the Astros would have anything to do with that race. Despite convincing Roger Clemens to put off his retirement, Houston was 44-44 when manager Jimy Williams was fired, replaced by Phil Garner. But even Garner couldn't fix things right away, and the Astros were 63-62 on August 26. That's when they went on a 12-game winning streak to vault into the Wild Card lead.

The Astros couldn't hold the lead, though, and found themselves 2.5 games back of a playoff berth on September 25 with only seven games to play. Houston won all seven and finished a game clear of the Giants and three ahead of the Cubs to win the Wild Card.

St. Louis dispatched Los Angeles in four games in the NLDS, while the Astros beat longtime nemesis Atlanta in a five, the first postseason series victory in franchise history. Riding high after their first postseason success, Houston had to have confidence entering the NLCS. Sure, the Cardinals had finished 13 games ahead of the Astros in the division, but Houston had actually won the season series with St. Louis 10-8 that year, giving them every reason to believe they could compete.

What they didn't have, though, was Clemens and Roy Oswalt available to pitch in the first two games. With their two aces sidelined after a long first-round series, Houston lost the first two games of the NLCS in St. Louis. With Clemens and Oswalt back on the mound, the Astros won games 3 and 4 to tie the series.

Games 5 and 6 were instant classics. The teams took a double one-hitter into the ninth in Game 5 before Jeff Kent won it with a ninth-inning home run off Jason Isringhausen. Isringhausen gave up another ninth inning as the Astros fought back to tie Game 6 before St. Louis won on a Jim Edmonds home run to tie the series.

For Game 7, the Astros had the man they wanted on the mound in Clemens. St. Louis did not, forced to use fourth starter Jeff Suppan in the season-deciding game.

The Game
It can happen quick, the destruction of seasons. Just a matter of moments sometimes. For Houston, it took two pitches. They gave Clemens an early 2-0 lead in Game 7; Clemens gave one run back on a squeeze bunt by Suppan in the third, but it was 2-1 entering the bottom of the sixth.

After a leadoff single, Clemens got two straight outs. He had a runner on third, first base open, with Pujols at the plate. In most cases, the thought would be to automatically walk Pujols, but the golden rule of baseball is you don't put the go-ahead run on base, so the future Hall of Fame pitcher faced the future Hall of Fame hitter with the season on the line.

Clemens got the count to 1-2 on Pujols, a strike away from escaping trouble. And then the Astros' season was ruined. Pujols ripped a double to left field to tie the game. Cardinals fans barely had time to settle down when Scott Rolen blasted the very next pitch over the fence. 4-2. The Astros had been a strike away from getting out of the inning, up 2-1 with nine outs to go. Two pitches later, they were down 4-2, with nine outs to go.

There were still three innings to play, but that was it for Houston. They had signed Clemens for this moment, had given him the ball with the lead in a Game 7, and now they were trailing. Their loss was just a matter of time now. St. Louis added a run off a relieving Oswalt to make the final 5-2 and send the Astros home wondering what else they could do.

Aftermath
Fresh off their exciting win over Houston, St. Louis got annihilated by Boston in the World Series. In all honesty, though, they were just fodder, an inconsequential footnote to the Red Sox incredible journey.

Houston reloaded for 2005, bolstering their pitching staff by adding Clemens' good friend Andy Pettitte. They again barely eked out a Wild Card berth and again finished more than 10 games behind the Cardinals in the Central. And again, the Cardinals and Astros met in the NLCS. But this time Houston won to advance to the World Series, where it was their turn to get swept by a team named after socks.

What I'm doing.

The list so far:

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:
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
2006 NLCS: New York vs. St. Louis
2008 ALCS: Boston vs. Tampa Bay

1981 NLDS: 1980 Redux

Pregame

We've already discussed how the 1981 postseason was all kinds of messed up, from the Yankees making the postseason despite being the fourth-best team in the AL East to the Cardinals missing the postseason despite being the best in the NL East. No team was more affected, though, than the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds finished with the best record in baseball in 1981, yet finished a close second in both halves of the season to miss out on postseason play. What should have been a St. Louis - Cincinnati matchup in the NLCS turned into Montreal playing the winner of the NL West Division Series.

That matchup featured first-half champion Los Angeles playing second-half champion Houston. The Dodgers and Astros had met the previous year in a one-game playoff to determine the West Division championship; this year, they would play a five-game series to determine the champion of the West.

The biggest difference between the two teams a year after their tense division battle was the Dodgers' addition of rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela. Valenzuela dominated the National League in his first season, using his unhittable screwball to rack up a league-high eight shutouts and win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards.

The Dodgers, predictably, sent Valenzuela out for Game 1, with the Astros countering with flame thrower Nolan Ryan. The starters pitched to a draw, with the game tied 1-1 entering the ninth inning. The Dodgers pinch-hit for Valenzuela in the top of the ninth, but couldn't push a run across. Facing reliever Dave Stewart, the Astros won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run home run by Alan Ashby.

Game 2 was another great pitching duel, with the Astros winning 1-0 in 11 innings. With the series shifting to Los Angeles, the Dodgers won the next two games, cruising to a 6-1 win in Game 3, and riding Valenzuela's complete game to a 2-1 victory in Game 4. The Game 5 matchup pitted Ryan, who had only given up two hits in his Game 1 win, against Jerry Reuss, who had thrown nine shutout innings for the Dodgers in Game 2.

The Game
1981 had been a good year for pitchers. The Dodgers and Astros each played in a home stadium that had a reputation for being pitcher-friendly parks. So it was no surprise that all five games were tight games where runs were hard to come by. Game 5 was no exception. The only early threats came when the Astros got runners on first and third with one out in the second, and when the Dodgers got runners on second and third with one out in the third. Both starters wiggled out of those jams, though, and settled in for a good early pitchers' duel.

The Dodgers finally broke the ice in the bottom of the sixth, stringing together a walk and three singles to take a 2-0 lead. Then, when it looked like the Astros were going to get out of the inning without further damage, Houston first baseman Denny Walling dropped a throw from third base, turning what would have been the third out into the third Dodger run.

The lead was only 3-0, but it might as well have been 13-0. The losing team had failed to score more than one run in all four previous games in the series, and Reuss had just finished his 15th consecutive scoreless inning in the series. With only three innings left to score three runs, things looked bleak for Houston.

Things got even worse the next inning, when the Dodgers added another run against the Houston bullpen. By then, it was over. Houston never seriously threatened again, and the Dodgers won to advance to the NLCS.

Postgame
The Dodgers pitchers were on fire in the NLDS, and they continued that way through the rest of the playoffs. They had a staff era of 1.84 in the five-game win over the Expos in the NLCS, then held the Yankees to a .238 team batting average in the World Series, winning the title.

The great young pitchers kept it up for the next few seasons, with Valenzuela, Reuss, and Bob Welch leading the Dodgers to division titles in 1983 and 1985. Eventually, though, the heavy workload from the early part of their careers caught up to the pitchers, and all three were either off the team or injured spectators when the Dodgers won their next championship in 1988.

After peaking in 1980 and 81, the Astros fell off a bit for the next few years, rising again to win the division in 1986 before entering a dry spell that lasted until the mid-90s.

The rundown

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)

2004 NLDS: Revenge of the Killer B's

Pregame
Entering the 2004 season, the Houston Astros had never won a playoff series. Seven times, they had been to the postseason, and seven times they went home early. After convincing Roger Clemens to postpone his retirement to pitch for his hometown team, the Astros were hoping for big things in 2004. Clemens was brilliant, going 18-4 in his first season in the National League, but the Astros still finished 12 games behind the Cardinals. Still, their 92-70 record was good enough to give Houston the National League wild card spot.

Their opponent in the first round was the Atlanta Braves. Of course it was. The Braves and Astros had played each other in the first round three times in the previous seven years, and all three times the Braves swept the Astros into the offseason. The 2004 Braves were the Eastern Division champions for the 13th consecutive season, and most people thought that Houston's postseason futility would continue.

But the Astros' big free-agent signing paid off, as Clemens won Game 1 in Atlanta with ease. Atlanta won Game 2 in 11 innings before the Astros won Game 3 in Houston. Now needing just one win to win their first ever playoff series, Houston sent Clemens to the mound in Game 4. Despite being staked to a 5-2 lead, Clemens couldn't hold off the Braves, and Atlanta scored a run in the ninth to win 6-5 and send the series back to Atlanta for a deciding Game 5.

The Game
Roy Oswalt had been Houston's ace before the Astros lured Clemens out of retirement, so Houston was comforted in having him on the mound for the deciding Game 5. Meanwhile, Atlanta responded with Jaret Wright, who the Astros had pounded around in Game 1.

Game 5 started out much the same way, as the Astros scored twice on outs in the second and on a solo home run by Carlos Beltran in the third. The Braves fought back in the bottom of the fifth on a pair of solo home runs. Beltran responded in the top of the sixth with another solo home run, his fourth of the series, to make it 4-2.

By the time the seventh inning started, both starters were out of the game. The Astros' bullpen only had to hold off the Braves for three more innings to give them their first playoff series victory. Fortunately for them the Astros' offense, often their Achilles heel in past postseason failures, came to life in a big way.

For years, the Astros offense was known as the Killer B's, in honor of stars Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. Just to add to the nickname, it always seemed like the players Houston added around them in the lineup also had last names that started with B. In previous years, the Killer B's had struggled against Atlanta's pitching in the postseason. But this year they were hitting, and in the seventh inning of Game 5, they provided the spark that knocked the Braves out for good.

It started with an rbi single by Biggio to make the score 5-2. Biggio came around to score on a single by Beltran. Bagwell followed that up with a home run to make it 8-2. Lance Berkman then doubled and later scored on a single by Jeff Kent (who apparently didn't get the "Killer B" memo).

At 9-2, the game was essentially over. The Braves added one run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Killer B's started another rally in the eighth, adding three more runs. The bullpen got the final six outs, and the Astros advanced with a 12-3 victory.

Postgame
After beating the Braves, the Astros earned a date with St. Louis, the Central Division champions who were widely viewed as the best team in the National League. The Cardinals won the first two games at home, but the Astros didn't fold, winning the next three at home. Included in that was a remarkable Game 5, in which each team had only 1 hit entering the ninth inning before a three-run home run by Kent gave the Astros the lead in the series.

Going back to St. Louis needing only one win to advance to the World Series, the Astros instead lost two straight. They tied Game 6 with two outs in the ninth before losing in 12 innings. Then they took a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning in Game 7 before Clemens gave up three runs in the sixth to lead to Houston's defeat.

The experience from the 2004 postseason helped Houston, though. In 2005, they again beat Atlanta in the first round, then won their rematch with St. Louis in the NLCS, advancing to their first World Series. Though they lost in the World Series, the Houston and the Killer B's had left their mark on the National League.

The Rundown

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)

1980 NL West: Knuckled Under

Pregame
The 1980 National League West race was a tight-three team race all season long. The Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers took turns taking the division lead, with nobody gaining a lead larger than 3.5 games. With the Astros and Dodgers scheduled to play each other the final series of the season, it seemed pretty clear that those final three games would decide the pennant.

Houston almost made those games irrelevant, though, winning two out of three against Cincinnati then sweeping Atlanta to enter the final weekend with a three-game lead over the Dodgers. Playing at home, the Dodgers would need a sweep to force a one-game tiebreaker against the Astros.

In the first game, the Astros were one out from the division title when Ron Cey went to the plate for the Dodgers with runners on first and second. Cey momentarily saved the Dodgers season, driving home pinch-runner Rudy Law with the tying run to send the game to the 10th inning. Once there, catcher Joe Ferguson led off the 10th to give the Dodgers the first of the three wins they needed.

In game 2, Steve Garvey's 4th-inning home run off Nolan Ryan gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead, and they would win by that amount to cut their deficit to one game entering the final game. Game 3 featured another late Astros lead, with Houston up 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh. The Dodgers got one back in the seventh, but left the bases loaded. In the eighth, though, Garvey and Cey struck again. Garvey led off the inning by reaching on an error, and then Cey hit a home run to provide the final runs in a 4-3 win. Remarkably, the Dodgers had won three straight to force a tiebreaker.

The Game
The coinflip earlier in the season gave the Dodgers the home game for the tiebreaker, so the two teams stayed right where they were for game 163. It seemed like momentum would be on the Dodgers' side after their three straight dramatic victories to force the tiebreaker game. However, the Dodgers' late push left them with limited options for pitchers, and Dave Goltz, he of the 7-11 record, was tabbed to start. Houston, meanwhile, sent their second-best starter, knuckler Joe Niekro, to the mound.

Whether the Dodgers had used up their emotion and luck in the previous three games, or Houston simply had the better pitching matchup, this game wasn't close from the start. The Astros used two Dodger errors to score twice in the first, then added two more in the third. Then with Goltz out of the game, the Astros scored three more times in the fourth.

That was all the runs the Astros would need. While the previous three games had featured late rallies by the Dodgers, Neikro wasn't going to let that happen this time around. He held the Dodgers to a single unearned run on just six hits, pitching a complete game for his 20th win of the season. With the 7-1 victory, the Astros advanced to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Postgame
They had backed in to the playoffs a bit, having slumped at the end before finally winning the tiebreaker game, but the Astros were still confident entering the League Championship Series. They were facing the Philadelphia Phillies, who had also won their division in the final weekend of the season.

The Astros and Phillies then played one of the most dramatic LCS's in Major League history. After Philadelphia won Game 1 behind the brilliant pitching of Steve Carlton, the Astros won the next two games in extra innings. Needing to win both of the final two games in Houston to advance, the Phillies did just that, winning both in extra innings to advance to the World Series, where they won their first championship. The Astros, meanwhile, would have to wait 25 years to get to the World Series.

September 25, 1986: Great Scott

HOUSTON - The Astros were facing the good kind of pressure before their game on September 25, 1986. Holding a 9.5-game lead in the division, the second playoff appearance in franchise history was virtually assurred. The only question was when they would clinch. Needing only one win, and playing their last home game for a week before heading off on a six-game road trip, the Astros were under a bit of pressure to win the clinching game at home in front of their fans.

Houston sent its ace, Mike Scott, to the mound to try to clinch the division that day against San Francisco. Entering the game with a 17-10 record and a league-best 2.25 ERA, Scott was the best pitcher in the National League that year. It was fitting that he'd get the chance to win the clinching game for the Astros.

Things didn't start out so well, though, as Scott hit leadoff hitter Dan Gladden in the back to start the game. Gladden stole second and moved to third later in the inning, but was left stranded as the Giants went hitless. The second inning started in a similar manner, with Scott walking Chili Davis, watched Davis steal second, then shut down the Giants in order.

That's when Scott went into cruise control. The next five innings were perfect. Counting the last three batters of the second inning, he had retired 18 consecutive batters. After seven innings, he had not given up a hit. With the Astros up 2-0, the division title seemed locked up. Everybody was now focused on whether Scott could finish the job.

With one out in the eighth, Scott finally blinked, walking Phil Ouellette. That turned out to be a fortuitous walk, as the next batter, Harry Spillman, grounded a ball up the middle that second baseman Bill Doran had to dive to stop. Had the play been to first, it's unlikely the Astros would have been able to get the out, but Doran only had to throw to second, getting the force and keeping the no-hitter alive. A fly ball to center ended that threat.

The ninth inning came, and Astros fans were delirious. They were three outs from both the division title and a no-hitter. Scott made it easy by striking out the first two batters, giving him 13 for the game. With two outs in the ninth, Scott got Will Clark to ground to first. Afraid he'd bobble the throw, Scott had first baseman Glenn Davis make the play himself. The Astros had their division crown, and Scott had his no-hitter.

And there was much rejoicing.

There have been 268 no-hitters in Major League history, but Scott's remains the only one that also clinched a championship.

May 23, 1965: Lost in the glare

HOUSTON - The ball went up to right, an easy catch for the right fielder. He camped underneath it, ready to close his glove on the final out of the inning. But then he lost it. The glare from the sun blinded him, and the ball fell to the ground, turning the third out into an inside-the-park home run.

By itself, it may seem like an unremarkable play - outfielders lose balls in the sunlight all the time. But what was remarkable about this was that the game was played indoors, and this play helped lead to an invention that changed sports.

When it was completed in 1965, the Astrodome was considered a marvel of engineering. The first domed sports stadium in the world, it was nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World. It was designed to hold both baseball and football games, as well as numerous other events. It was also designed with natural grass.

To allow for the grass to grow, the ceiling contained many transparant planes of lucite, which filtered the sunlight in to allow grass to grow. Unfortunately, it also intensified the glare from the sun, making lost flyballs commonplace. The ball that right fielder Jimmy Wynn lost in the first inning of their game on May 23 was the final straw. The ceiling tiles were painted over the next day. Naturally, the grass died, forcing the Astros to come up with a solution.

What they came up with was an artificial playing surface originally called ChemGrass. The name was changed to AstroTurf in honor of the first team to install it.

Soon, AstroTurf was popping up all over the country, even in open-air stadiums, because of how cheap and easy it was to care for it. Inspired by the Astrodome and its fake turf, multi-purpose stadiums started popping up around the country. Before long, every new stadium that was being built, open-air or domed, was being fitted with AstroTurf.

AstroTurf has started to lose its favor now; only two stadiums in Major League Baseball now have fake grass, down from a high of 10. But high schools around the country are starting to see the benefits of reduced maintenance costs, installing turf on their fields so multiple teams can play on the same surface.

And if Jimmy Wynn had just made that catch in 1965, maybe all that wouldn't have been possible.

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HONORABLE MENTION
May 23, 1982: BOSTON - To say Boston fans in the 80s hated the Lakers - and vice versa - is an understatement. Aside from Celtics wins, nothing made Boston fans happier than Lakers losses, even if they needed somebody else to do it. So as Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals started to wind down, and it was obvious that Philadelphia was going to win, the Boston fans did something interesting. They started chanting "Beat L.A." Over and over again. They figured that if their team wasn't going to do it this year, might as well be somebody else. And though the 76ers didn't have enough left to beat the Lakers in the finals, they, for once, had Boston on their side.

May 14, 1976: Free Beer

HOUSTON - For anybody who has been to a minor league baseball game, or just about any baseball game below the Major League level where beer is served, there are three or four plate appearances in every game that are always more anticipated than others. It's not the at bats from the home team's best player, nor is it the three or four at bats that might decide the game.

No, it's not any of those. It's the K Man.

K Man, Beer Man, Whiff Man - he goes by many names. He is the player from the visiting team - chosen at random - who enables the fans to get free beer. All he has to do is strike out.

For minor league baseball fans, the game is often second nature to everything else that's happening, whether in the stands, between innings on the field, or whatever. But when the K Man comes up, the attention turns immediately to home plate. The cheering starts, and it gets louder with every strike. If the K Man strikes out, there's a standing ovation, though the real reason everybody is standing is to run to the concessions to get their free beer. Then, a couple innings later, the K Man comes to bat again, and the excitement begins anew.

Mike Schmidt might not have been the first K Man in baseball history - but based on the newspaper reports from the day after the Phillies game with the Astros, the idea was certainly a novel one. What is fairly certain is that he was the most accomplished player to ever be named a K Man - more than 500 career home runs, a 3-time MVP, 10 Gold Gloves, and a first-ballot hall of famer. A great player in all respects.

But he also struck out a lot, especially early in his career, which might be why the Astros representatives decided to make him the K Man for the night. In the fifth inning, he kindly obliged, giving more than 14,000 Astros fans the chance for a free drink.

The K Man is rarely, if ever, seen in the Majors any more - imagine trying to sort out free beer for more than 30,000 people, or having half the fans in a Major League stadium leave their seats in the middle of an inning. But it worked for Houston in 1976, and it works marvelously well at the Minor League level.

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HONORABLE MENTION
May 14, 1913: ST. LOUIS - Few pitchers have ever had a season like Walter Johnson's 1913 season: a 36-7 record, a 1.14 ERA, 243 strikeouts (the pitching triple crown), 11 shutouts, 13 straight wins to start the season. He was a machine. Perhaps most impressive was his scoreless innings streak. After giving up a run in the first inning of the season's first game, he went 55 2/3 straight innings without giving up another one, finally allowing his second run in a May 14 victory over the Browns. Johnson had a reputation for not bearing down as hard when his team was ahead, so perhaps that had something to do with the Browns getting to him with the Senators already ahead 6-0. Either way, Johnson's scoreless streak stood as the record until 1968, and it is still the American League record.