From the category archives:

Legendary Games

New York Yankees 1 vs San Francisco Giants 0 – 1962 World Series

by JoeMagennis on June 30, 2010

Sometimes the Legendary Games are thrust in front of us, so it is best to just follow the path to see where they lead. We first introduced the Baseballisms community to the 1962 World Series during a Cover the Bases podcast with author Cecilia Tan, who wrote about the 7th game in her book The 50 Greatest Yankee Games. We also received a submission from a fan, Dave Schaub who vividly recalls this game in his story A Yankee Fan Recalls the 1962 World Series.

Finally, we heard about Willie McCovey’s comments regarding his final line drive out when we recorded a podcast with Dan Fost, about his book Giants Past and Present.

With all of these signs pointing us to this moment in baseball history, how could we not include it as part of our Legendary Games Scoreboard series? Here we see the final scoreboard posting from yesterday’s Card from the Diamond, showing with detached emotion, an unassisted putout by Yankees secondbaseman Bobby Richardson. Missing from this image is the emotion and intensity that went along with this defining play.

For those who may not remember, this game 7 was a classic pitchers duel between Ralph Terry and Jack Sanford, with the only run coming in the top of the 5th, when Tony Kubek grounded into a double play scoring Moose Skowron who had singled to open the inning. So not even an RBI!

The rosters for these teams are loaded with Hall of Fame names, as well as many significant contributors recognizable to any baseball fan. Yankees skipper Ralph Houk could pencil in names like Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Elston Howard on his scoresheet. While Alvin Dark used Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda in the 3 – 4- 5 spots on his batting order.

Leading up to the final at bats, the Giants had to work their way out of a bases loaded, no outs top of the 8th. Pitcher Billy O’Dell came on in relief of Jack Sanford, and was able to get Roger Maris to ground into a 4 – 2 force at the plate, followed by a double play ball by Elston Howard to keep the deficit at one run.

The bottom of the ninth inning is the reason that this has become such a well known Legendary Game. Willie Mays doubled with Matty Alou on first, putting runners on second and third with two outs. All that the home team fans wished for was a base hit from clean up hitter Willie McCovey to score the tying run, and surely drive the speedy Mays around from second base with the World Series clinching run!

Keep in mind that Ralph Terry is on the mound and Yankees fans everywhere must have been thinking about the 1960 World Series, when Terry gave up Bill Mazeroski’s Series winning homerun for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Could lightning strike twice or was redemption a possibility?

With the count 1 – 1, the left handed hitting McCovey pulled a line drive rocket at second baseman Richardson, who with a small step and a leaping stab was able to grab the final out for the Yankees. Giant fans were deflated by the thought that a hit a little bit higher or a little bit wider would have turned the final score in their favor.

We hope you enjoy these little games that we produce every single day .. tomorrow we start our 9th Legendary Game. Let us know in the comments if you have any guesses as to which Game we are presenting. The first to guess correctly gets a Baseballisms t-shirt!

We would also like to thank a couple of web sites which are so valuable to pulling these Legendary Games together. The great Baseball Almanac helps us with the rosters and uniform numbers, while Baseball-Reference gives us the play by play accounts of the game. Thanks again for all of your awesome work!

We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message. We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

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Arizona Diamondbacks 3 vs. New York Yankees 2 – 2001 World Series

by JoeMagennis on April 5, 2010

@AndyNY2, friend of Baseballisms, picked up on this Legendary Game very early as the daily scoreboards were being posted. Although it pained him to recall, it is the 2001 World Series Game 7, come from behind victory for the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Yankees.

In this last moment of the game, Mariano Rivera stands on the mound after surrendering a little flair to Luis Gonzalez over the head of Derek Jeter, driving home Jay Bell with the winning run.

As a fan of the game of baseball, some times rooting interests should be set aside for the bigger picture, and this was one of those moments. Following the tragedies of 9/11 just a few short weeks prior to this World Series, this was a demonstration of the ability of baseball to bring together a community. That community, whether it was local such as the City of New York or broad as in the entire country, could find solace in the natural sounds and rhythms of nine men on a diamond seeking safety at home. I for one was rooting for the Yankees to win this World Series. As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I set aside the rivalry and openly cheered for a Yankee victory. It seemed to me that having the great Rivera close out the 9th inning for another Yankee championship banner would bring back some equilibrium.

Alas, not all stories can have magical endings and this one was re-written at the last moment. The expansion Arizona Diamondbacks, a team that had entered the league in 1998, rode the arms of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling to their first World Series Championship.

However, for many people it is the three wins in Yankee Stadium that has become the legacy of the 2001 World Series …..

We hope you enjoy these little games that we produce every single day .. we have started our Eighth Legendary Game. Let us know in the comments if you have any guesses as to which Game we are presenting. The first to guess correctly gets a Baseballisms t-shirt!

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Results of Legendary Scoreboard Poll

by JoeMagennis on March 16, 2010

We have come to the conclusion of our poll where we asked which was the best Legendary Scoreboard Game we have featured. The votes are in and in a close race the Kirk Gibson walk off home run off of Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series just edged out Don Larsen’s 1956 Perfect Game.

Here is the breakdown:

Game	Teams	Notes	Votes
World Series Game 1 1988	A’s versus Dodgers	Gibson Walkoff	31%
World Series Game 5 1956	Dodgers versus Yankees	Larsen’s Perfect	28%
World Series Game 6 1986	Red Sox versus Mets	Buckner’s Boot	19%
World Series Game 6 1993	Phillies versus Blue Jays	Carter’s Walkoff	14%
World Series Game 4 1996	Yankees versus Braves	Leyritz Homer	8%

There might have been some last minute persuasion as a Baseballisms fan, Jim Bawbe, submitted a recollection of actually attending that game …

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Now it’s time to put up a new poll. There are so many things that would be interesting to know, we had a hard time deciding what to ask. After some serious brainstorming we have decided to ask your favorite Fan Ballpark Tradition.

So baseball fans, which tradition would you most like to participate in?

Wrigley Field – Cubs Fans throw back an opponent home run ball

Yankee Stadium – Yankee Fans conduct the player Roll Call

Ebbetts Field – Dodger fans march as the Brooklyn Dodger Sym-Phony Band

Fenway Park – Red Sox Royal Rooters sing Tessie

Angel Stadium – Fans break out Rally Monkeys and Thundersticks

Please vote early and vote often in the Poll in the right hand column. We know there are more that we could have included so please let us know in the comments any others that are worthy of a mention.

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A Witness to the Miracle of Kirk Gibson’s Homerun

by JoeMagennis on March 11, 2010

Baseball Fan Jim Babwe’s email submission to Baseballisms.com reprinted with permission. Long time fans of this site will remember that this was the first Legendary Game that we highlighted when we launched in 2008.

Saturday, October 15, 1988: World Series, Game 1

At approximately 1:00 PM, I received a phone call from a friend who asked me whether I’d be interested in buying two tickets for that afternoon’s game at Dodger Stadium. He said they were available at face value, but added that I would need to drive to a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport to pick them up.

I said, “Yes, I want the tickets.”

As soon as I hung up the phone, I picked it up again to call a friend who I knew would want to come along. No answer. I left a message on the machine.

I called another friend. No answer. I left a message on the machine.

Another call. Same result.

I don’t recall exactly how many phone calls I made–maybe two or three more. Even though it was a Saturday, nobody was home, and because I didn’t want to be late for the game, I started to leave.

Before I reached the front door, the phone rang.

The caller was a college friend who I hadn’t seen for a few years or so. He had moved to the Midwest, but was in town on business and wanted to get together for lunch or dinner.

I said, “Do you want to go to the game at Dodger Stadium today?”

Knowing he was (still is) a lifelong baseball fan, I knew the answer before he said yes.

I looked at the clock, knew we’d be cutting it close, so I told him I’d pick up the tickets and meet him at the Stadium.

I drove to LAX, picked up the tickets, drove to Dodger Stadium, met my friend, and on the way to the turnstiles, caught up on general stuff. I told him the story about not being able to find anyone for the second ticket.

We agreed about the good timing.

1988 World Series–Game 1. Most baseball fans know how this game ended. Gibson hobbles to the plate, hits a 3-2 pitch over the right field wall. Gibson limps around the bases. Dodgers win. People who left in the 7th or 8th inning “to beat the traffic” curse themselves for the rest of their lives.

For me, there’s another unforgettable part of that game’s dramatic conclusion.

As the tension mounted and the count went full, picture a capacity crowd (minus at least a few dozen who got a head start toward the freeways)–shouting, yelling, whistling, screaming, clapping. Oakland’s ace reliever, Dennis Eckersley, delivers the 3-2 pitch. Gibson swings.

One of these days, I’m going to use a stopwatch to see how much time elapsed from the moment of contact–that crack of the bat–and the moment it descended like a crazy dream into some lucky fan’s hands there in the right field pavilion.

However many seconds passed (more than one, maybe close to four) an almost unbelievable silence (quick as it was) replaced the noise. It was as if everyone there–witnessing the almost inconceivable–simultaneously inhaled and wiped the sound away until, just as suddenly, the subsequent release of air launched a collective shout of joyful disbelief that transformed itself into at least a half hour of continuous shouting, yelling, whistling, screaming, clapping, and cheering. As we picked up our programs and left our seats, as we walked down the stairs, out to the parking lot, as we drove onto the freeway, and away from Dodger Stadium that evening, the cheering continued.

Theologians may point out technicalities to dispute the point. Skeptics and pessimists may dismiss the point as trivial or irrelevant in terms of the broader scope of Life on Earth. But because the memory reminds me how the will to succeed can prevail over seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and that no matter how rarely miracles occur, what I saw in the bottom of the ninth inning on October 15, 1988 showed me that miracles can and do happen. You just have to keep yourself ready for them. Grab a bat, step into the box, and take your best cut.

Do you have a story like Jim’s? We would love to hear from you! Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message. We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

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Oakland A’s 3 vs. Cincinnati Reds 2 – 1972 World Series

by JoeMagennis on January 4, 2010

Our Sixth Legendary Scoreboard Game on Baseballisms.com featured two emerging powerhouse teams of the Seventies, The Oakland Athletics and the Cincinnati Reds. The final scoreboard below, which appeared on yesterdays Cards from the Diamond, was from the Seventh Game of the 1972 World Series, and indicates Rollie Fingers was on the mound for the visiting team getting the last batter to fly out to the left fielder. We had no correct answers in the comments for this particular game.

Our previous Legendary Scoreboard Games have presented batter by batter; World Series perfect games, great walkoff wins in Toronto and Los Angeles, and tough losses for Braves and Red Sox fans.

We try to pick games that are dramatic to the end, so that we can maintain the mystery as each scoreboard is posted, but most importantly they are chosen because they represent something meaningful to us as fans. Are you of the age where you remember the beginnings of these two great dynasties, one of which flourished throughout the decade while the other was dismantled?

In this game for the A’s you had names like Campaneris, Rudi, Tenace, Bando, Odom, Hunter and Fingers appearing on your lineup card. For the Reds you will recognize a core of Rose, Morgan, Bench, Perez, Geronimo, and Concepcion with some pitching help from Billingham, Borbon and Carroll. All of these names will appear throughout the 1970′s World Series highlight reels.

The choice of a World Series game in which the A’s appeared is also a reflection of some memories that I have playing our version of “stickball” in the driveway growing up. Using a wooden bat and a tennis ball, my brother and I would proceed batter by batter through the lineups of two teams, The Boston Red Sox facing the Oakland Athletics. The choice of the teams was simple actually. The Red Sox of course because we grew up as fans of the home town team, and the A’s because we somehow happened to obtain a plastic green and gold batting helmet.

The batter would don his appropriate helmet in order to really get into the feel for the game and take either a righty or lefty stance depending upon the team lineup. Burleson, Remy, Lynn, Rice etc., versus Campy, Rudi, Tenace, Bando etc.. The lineups were mostly a reflection of the 1975 season when the two teams faced off in the American League Championship Series.

We would battle back and forth with the divider between the garage doors acting as the strike zone, but mostly it was a matter of K’s or blasts that settled these high scoring affairs.

High scoring was not the case for most of the ’72 Series, and was not the case for this Legendary Scoreboard Game either, as the big inning for the victorious A’s came on two run producing doubles in the sixth, one by Gene Tenace (my favorite, a catcher and infielder like me, and World Series MVP) and his team captain Sal Bando.

We hope you enjoy these little games that we produce every single day .. check out our Seventh Legendary Game beginning tomorrow, and let us know in the comments if you have any guesses as to which Game we are presenting. The first to guess correctly (Game Five winner was @Faceyman) gets a Baseballisms t-shirt!

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