1989 World Series: Earthquake Delay

1989 World Series: Earthquake Delay

1989 World Series: Earthquake Delay

The 1989 World Series pitted the American League Champion Oakland Athletics against the National League Champion San Francisco Giants, and this World Series would go by a few nicknames. This World Series would be better known as either the Battle of the Bay, the Bay Bridge Series, the BART Series or the Earthquake Series.

The Oakland Athletics were loaded with talent which included a pair of powerful home run hitters known as the Bash Brothers. First baseman Mark McGwire belted 33 home runs in the 1989 regular season while also recording 113 hits and 95 RBI in 490 at-bats. Outfielder and Designated Hitter Jose Canseco crushed 17 home runs to go along with 61 hits and 57 RBI in 227 at-bats.

Left fielder Rickey Henderson was a blur on the base paths for the Athletics, posing as a dangerous threat to steal bases when opposing pitchers weren’t looking. On June 21, 1989 the Athletics would send Eric Plunk, Luis Poloria and Greg Cadaret to the New York Yankees in a trade to acquire Henderson, bringing him back to Oakland for a second run. His first stint with the Athletics spanned from 1979 to 1984. Henderson stole 52 bases and scored 72 runs to go along with 126 walks, which would be the most walks any hitter in the American League would obtain since 1970.

On August 22, 1989 Rickey Henderson had the honor of being the 5,000th strikeout victim in the storied career of pitcher Nolan Ryan.

Third baseman Carney Lansford was an unsung hero for the Athletics in the regular season as he batted .336 and recorded a team-leading 185 hits. Center fielder Dave Henderson also provided some power, crushing 15 home runs and recording 80 RBI’s.

The Athletics were fantastic in the pitching department as 4 of their 5 pitchers in the starting rotations won at least 17 games. Mike Moore went 19-11 recording a 2.61 ERA and 172 strikeouts. Bob Welch went 17-8 recording a 3.00 ERA and 137 strikeouts. Dave Stewart was the best pitcher on the team, going 21-9 and recording a 3.32 ERA with 155 strikeouts. Storm Davis also contributed with a 19-7 record and 91 strikeouts.

Opposing batters dreaded the bullpen of the Athletics the most as it was anchored by reliever Rick Honeycutt, who recorded 12 saves and a 2.35 ERA, and closer Dennis Eckersley, who recorded 33 saves and 1.56 ERA.

In 1989 the Oakland Athletics won the American League West division with a 99-63 record, 7 games over the Kansas City Royals and 8 games over the California Angels. They defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4 games to 1 in the American League Championship Series to get to the Fall Classic.

The San Francisco Giants packed their own punch on offense First baseman Will Clark batted .333 with 23 home runs, 196 hits and 111 RBI’s in 588 at-bats. Left fielder Kevin Mitchell batted .291 and obliterated 47 home runs, recording 158 hits and 125 RBI’s in 543 at-bats. Second baseman Robby Thompson crushed 13 home runs and got 132 hits.

Starting pitcher Scott Garrelts had a good season, going 14-5 with a 2.28 ERA and 119 strikeouts. Rick Reuschel did the heavy lifting for the Giants as he went 17-8 with 2.94 ERA and 111 strikeouts. Don Robinson posted a 12-11 record with a 3.43 ERA and 96 strikeouts.

Relievers Craig Lefferts and Steve Bedrosian held down the fort for San Francisco’s bullpen as Lefferts would record 20 saves along with a 2.69 ERA and 71 strikeouts, and Bedrosian would record 17 saves with a 2.65 ERA and 34 strikeouts.

In 1989 the San Francisco Giants won the National League West division with a 92-70 record, 3 games over the San Diego Padres and 6 games over the Houston Astros. They defeated the Chicago Cubs 4 games to 1 in the National League Championship Series to meet the Athletics in the World Series.

The 1989 World Series officially began on October 14, 1989 in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and the scoring began in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Dave Henderson took a walk and then moved up to second base off a single from catcher Terry Steinbach. Another single by infielder Tony Phillips allowed Dave Henderson to score for the Athletics. Shortstop Will Weiss softly hit the ball up to first base, and NCLS MVP Will Clark’s throw back to catcher Terry Kennedy was too low, going to the right of Kennedy. Steinback would knock the ball out of Kennedy’s glove before scoring. Kennedy would be charged with an error on the play.

Athletics Designated Hitter Dave Parker crushed a solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd inning and then Walt Weiss hit his own solo home run in the bottom of the 4th inning. Dave Stewart took command of Game 1 from the pitcher’s mound as he gave up only 5 hits in a complete game shutout of the Giants. The Athletics won Game 1 5-0.

In Game 2 on October 15 the Athletics would be off to the races as ALCS MVP Rickey Henderson walked in the bottom of the 1st inning and then quickly stole second base just 1 pitch later. Carney Lansford would then drive Rickey Henderson home with a laser shot double to right field. The Giants finally started scoring in the top of the 3rd inning as shortstop Jose Uribe reached first base on a fielder’s choice, with a single by center fielder Brett Butler and a sacrifice fly by Robby Thompson driving Uribe to home plate.

In the bottom of the 4th, Jose Canseco took a walk and he would score another run for the Athletics after Dave Parker pulverized a line shot. Dave Henderson then waked and Mark McGwire struck out. Terry Steinbach then came up big by blasting a 3-run home run into left field. The Athletics won Game 2 by a score of 5-1.

Game 3 was supposed to begin on October 17, 1989 at 5:35 PM, but the mood of the World Series completely changed at 5:04 PM when the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area. Numerous live television broadcasting feeds would be temporarily knocked out due to the earthquake, and days of repairs would need to be made to restore Candlestick Park’s power and transmission links. Major League Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent made the decision to initially postpone Game 3 for 5 days, and then he postponed Game 3 an additional 5 days because of the time it took to restore power in the Bay Area.

The World Series finally resumed on October 27 and Game 3 would be played at Candlestick Park. The Athletics won by a score of 13-7 in a game that featured a home run parade of sorts. Dave Henderson crushed 2 home runs while Tony Phillips, Jose Canseco and Carney Lansford all hit a home run each. For the Giants third baseman Matt Williams and catcher Bill Bathe each hit home runs. Dave Stewart was in control once again as he would only give up 3 runs in his solid 7 inning start.

The Oakland Athletics completed the 4-game sweep of the Giants on October 28 as Rickey Henderson’s leadoff home run would signal the beginning of the end. The Giants managed to chop down a 8-0 deficit to 8-6 in the span of 2 innings, thanks in part to a Kevin Mitchell home run, but the door on the Giants would be closed by Dennis Eckersley, who recorded the save.

In a classy move to honor the victims of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, the Oakland Athletics did not pop open bottles of champagne to celebrate. Dave Stewart would be named the 1989 World Series Most Valuable Player.