The 1989 World Series was played between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants. The Series ran from October 14 through October 28, with the A's sweeping the Giants in four games. It was the first World Series sweep since 1976, and is best remembered for the Loma Prieta earthquake, which occurred on October 17 before Game 3 began, and caused a 10-day disruption in play. Fay Vincent presided over the Series, his first as Commissioner of Baseball after the sudden death of his predecessor Bart Giamatti over a month earlier.^[1] This Series is also known as the "Earthquake Series", "Bay Bridge Series", "BART Series", and "Battle of the Bay," as the two participant cities lie on opposite sides of San Francisco Bay, connected by the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. It was the first cross-town World Series (involving two teams from the same metropolitan area) since 1956, and only the third such series that did not involve New York City.

Background[link]

The San Francisco Giants won the NL West division by three games over the San Diego Padres, then defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to one in the National League Championship Series. The Oakland Athletics won the AL West division by seven games over the Kansas City Royals, then defeated the Toronto Blue Jays four games to one in the American League Championship Series.

Summary[link]

AL Oakland Athletics (4) vs. NL San Francisco Giants (0)

†: Game 3 was originally slated for October 17 at 5:35 pm; however, it was postponed when an earthquake occurred at 5:04 pm.

Matchups[link]

Game 1[link]

Saturday, October 14, 1989 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California

Prior to Game 1, a tribute to late Commissioner Bart Giamatti was held; Giamatti's son Marcus threw out the first pitch, and the Whiffenpoofs from Yale University (Giamatti's alma mater) sang the national anthem.^[6] Dave Stewart, the Athletics' ace, took on Giants pitcher Scott Garrelts in game one of the Bay Bridge series.

Oakland took the lead in the bottom of the second when Dave Henderson walked, advanced to second on a Terry Steinbach single, and scored on another single by Tony Phillips that moved Steinbach up to third. Walt Weiss then sent a soft ground ball toward first, but Giants first baseman (and NLCS MVP) Will Clark threw the ball low and to the right of catcher Terry Kennedy. Steinbach knocked the ball out of Kennedy's mitt, scoring the second run of the inning. Kennedy was charged with an error, and Phillips advanced to second. Rickey Henderson then drove in Phillips on a single to right field; the second inning ended with Oakland leading 3–0.^[6]

A's designated hitter Dave Parker tattooed a solo home run to lead off the third off of Garrelts, and Weiss added a lead off home run of his own leading in the fourth. Oakland starter Stewart dominated the Giants, allowing five hits in a complete game, handing the A's a one-game edge in the Series. "We ran into a buzz saw," Clark said of Stewart's pitching.^[6]

Game 2[link]

Sunday, October 15, 1989 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California

Little League World Series MVP and future NHL star Chris Drury threw out the ceremonial first pitch in Game 2. Oakland starter Mike Moore took on Giant Rick Reuschel.

Oakland got off to a fast start; Rickey Henderson led off the bottom of the first with a walk. Henderson promptly stole second, and scored one pitch later when Carney Lansford hit a double to right field. The Giants scored their first run of the Series in the top of the third; José Uribe reached first on a fielder's choice, advanced to third via a Brett Butler single, and scored on a Robby Thompson fly ball.^[6]

The A's regained the lead in the bottom of the 4th when Dave Parker drove a line shot off the wall that was both an inch from being foul and an inch from being a home run. Jose Canseco, who drew a walk earlier that inning, scored on the play. Parker stood at the plate for a moment to watch the flight of the ball, and started to run as soon as the ball hit the wall; Giants right fielder Candy Maldonado appeared to throw Parker out at second, but second base umpire Dutch Rennert called Parker safe. After Dave Henderson walked and Mark McGwire struck out, Terry Steinbach hit a three-run home run off Reuschel to left field, scoring both Parker and Henderson. The Giants had no answer for Oakland's relievers, and the A's won 5–1 and took a 2–0 lead in the Series.^[6]

During a pre-game interview on ABC, A's manager Tony LaRussa mentioned that he thought that Terry Steinbach was going to hit a HR, which he did in the fourth inning, forcing Reuschel to leave the game^{[citation needed]}.

The Loma Prieta earthquake[link]

The Loma Prieta earthquake struck on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m. Game 3 was scheduled to start at 5:35 p.m. at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, and thousands of people were already in the stadium when the quake occurred. Because of the coincidence of timing, it was the first major earthquake in the United States ever to be broadcast by live television. Experts credit the timing of the Series as a lucky break that prevented massive loss of life in the city; key in reducing the loss of life was the fact that many people had left work early or were staying late to participate in after-work group viewings and parties, reducing the traffic that would otherwise have been on the collapsed freeways (initial expectations were that hundreds of people had died in the collapse of Interstate 880 in Oakland; the final death toll from that event was 42). A Goodyear Blimp that had been covering the game was used to coordinate emergency efforts.

At the time the earthquake hit, the announcing team for ABC Sports, Tim McCarver, Al Michaels, and Jim Palmer immediately grabbed what they perceived to be the armrests; it turned out that they grabbed each others' thighs, leaving each of them with bruises; recounting this incident years later, Michaels would boldly admit his strong belief that had the earthquake lasted much longer than 15 seconds, he would have been killed. The ABC Sports team remained in their broadcast booth and appeared composed once a backup generator restored power. By contrast, the broadcasting team in the CBS Radio booth next door, consisting of Jack Buck, Johnny Bench, and John Rooney, ran out as soon as the earthquake started. Bench ran to a spot underneath a steel grate, to which Buck quipped, "If you would have moved that fast when you played, you wouldn't have hit into so many double plays." The ESPN live coverage of the Series (ESPN and ABC at the time produced separate broadcasts) was interrupted during then-television analyst Joe Torre's pre-game report on the field. Their equipment van was the only one with a generator, and they continued their live coverage with Chris Berman and Bob Ley. Separately from the broadcast, Peter Gammons and Oakland Athletics pitcher Bob Welch were walking by Marina Middle School in order to get a residency pass when they spotted a slightly unshaven man with a white wind-breaker waiting in line for his pass, who turned out to be Joe DiMaggio, who was concerned over the status of his sister, Louise. Gammons shared this story during a 1999 SportsCenter Flashback special chronicling the 1989 World Series.

The collapse of the Bay Bridge forced Oakland players to return home via San Jose

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, ABC aired a rerun of Roseanne (and later, The Wonder Years) before Ted Koppel began anchoring news coverage from Washington, with Michaels acting as a de facto reporter. The Goodyear Blimp (which was already aloft for the game) provided video of structural damage and fires within the city. The ABC opening for this telecast (leading up to Al Michaels informing the viewers of the earthquake) was used at the beginning of a 1990 television movie (documenting the Loma Prieta earthquake) called After The Shock.^[7]

As for the Series itself, Fay Vincent decided to postpone Game 3 (although he didn't tell anyone before doing so, resulting in an umpire protest) initially for five days, resulting in the longest delay in World Series history. It was postponed for another five days (until October 27) because of delays in restoring transmission links. Then San Francisco mayor Art Agnos wanted to wait a month before resuming it, with Vincent responding to Agnos by telling him that he might move it elsewhere if the delay would be that long.

Players for the Oakland Athletics returned home, but had to travel via San Jose, adding an extra 90 minutes because some roadway sections of the Bay Bridge had collapsed. Not long after returning, Jose Canseco (still in full uniform) and his wife Esther were spotted filling up their car at a self-service gas station. As noted in his later book Juiced, Canseco noted that someone wrote an article portraying him as forcing his wife to pump the gas, but that in reality, she told him to let her do it because if people saw him in his full uniform, it would cause a scene.

Game 3[link]

Originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 17, 1989 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco; rescheduled to October 27 after the Loma Prieta earthquake

At the start of Game 3, some emergency responders who had aided during the earthquake, including police officers and firefighters, were honored and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Dave "Hendu" Henderson just missed hitting three HRs for the A's as his first inning shot bounced off the top of the wall for a double.

Giants catcher Bill Bathe became the fifth National League player in World Series history to hit a home run in his very first at-bat. His teammate Matt Williams noticed him wobbling when the earthquake started. Apparently, he was looking in the stands for his family.

When Game 3 was originally scheduled for October 17, the scheduled starting pitchers were Bob Welch for the A's and Don Robinson for the Giants. Meanwhile, Ken Oberkfell was slated to start at third base for the Giants, with Matt Williams moving over to shortstop instead of the benched José Uribe. Also, Pat Sheridan was slated to take over for Candy Maldonado in right field for the Giants. Maldonado told ESPN that he was in the clubhouse getting ready when the earthquake hit. The first person he saw in the midst of all of this was his teammate, Robinson, who told Maldonado that he sensed that an earthquake was occurring.

This game set a record for most combined HRs hit in a World Series game (7) as well as tying a record for most HRs hit by a single team (5) in a World Series game (the New York Yankees won Game 4 of the 1928 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, which like this series, would end in a sweep).

Game 4[link]

Saturday, October 28, 1989 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California

At the time, October 28 was the latest end date for a World Series, even though the series only lasted the minimum four games. (This record was tied in 1995, and has since been topped by the terrorism-delayed 2001 World Series which ran from October 27 through November 4 and the 2009 World Series which ran from October 28 through November 4 as regularly scheduled.) The World Series now regularly ends around this time because there is an extra round of playoffs.

The A's led from the first batter of the game on as Rickey Henderson's leadoff home run set the tone. Kevin Mitchell's homer would bring the Giants closer as they cut an 8–0 deficit to 8–6 in two innings. But it would prove to be too little too late for San Francisco as they would lose 9–6.

This was also Candlestick Park's final World Series game. The Giants' two subsequent National League pennants have come since their move to AT&T Park, in 2002 and 2010.

Out of respect for the Loma Prieta earthquake victims, the Oakland Athletics chose not to celebrate their World Series victory with champagne, as is normally customary for the winning team in the World Series.^[8]

Composite box[link]

1989 World Series (4–0): Oakland Athletics (A.L.) over San Francisco Giants (N.L.)

Radio and television coverage[link]

ABC play-by-play man Al Michaels, who spent three years in San Francisco as an announcer for the San Francisco Giants, was nominated for an Emmy Award for news broadcasting after giving an eyewitness account of the aftermath of the earthquake at Candlestick Park.

This would be the last World Series that ABC would televise from start to finish (and also the last they would produce themselves) and the last MLB game on ABC, period, until July 1994. The television rights would move exclusively (ABC had shared coverage with NBC since 1976 up until the end of the 1989 season) to CBS the following year. ABC would next televise a World Series in 1995, but only broadcast Games 1, 4, and 5 (the other games were covered by NBC, who had a joint venture with ABC and MLB called The Baseball Network).

Due in part to the earthquake and subsequent interruption of play, as well as the four-game sweep by the A's, ABC only drew an overall Nielsen rating of 16.4 for the Series. This was the first World Series since the introduction of prime-time games in 1971 to draw a rating of less than 20.^[10]

CBS Radio also covered the Series, with Jack Buck and Johnny Bench in the broadcast booth. This was Buck's seventh and last World Series call for CBS Radio, as he moved to CBS' television coverage of baseball the following year. Bench continued to call the World Series on radio through 1993.

Aftermath[link]

Both teams would later appear in the World Series; the A's in 1990 and the Giants in 2002 and 2010. The A's were swept by the Cincinnati Reds in 1990 and have not appeared since (the closest being 2006, when the A's lost to the Detroit Tigers in four games in the American League Championship Series), while the Giants faced a crushing seven-game loss to the then-Anaheim Angels in 2002, but would defeat the Texas Rangers in five games in 2010. At the time of the 1989 World Series, the A's had not seen a World Series win since 1974. The Giants had not seen a pennant in 27 years, in 1962, and a win since 1954 as the New York Giants. When they won the 2010 World Series, they ended a 56-year championship drought.

On the A's, players Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco would later play for other teams. McGwire would be traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997, where he would beat Roger Maris' single-season home run record in 1998. Canseco would play for various teams starting in 1993, but return to the A's for a brief time in 1997. He would later win the 2000 World Series with the New York Yankees. Both retired in 2001.

Giants manager Roger Craig (affectionately known as "Humm Baby") would leave after the 1992 season and be replaced by Dusty Baker, who would guide them to the pennant 13 years later. The final member of the 1989 team, Matt Williams, would leave after the 1996 season, and would ultimately become the last active player of that team, retiring in 2003. Perhaps the biggest star of the team, Will Clark, would leave after 1993 and join the Texas Rangers, retiring with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000.

On June 13, 2009, immediately prior to the second game of the interleague regular season meeting between the Giants and A's, the Giants honored 27 members of their 1989 team.

The A's victory continued a string of success for any Bay Area-based professional sports team. The San Francisco 49ers of the NFL continued its '80s dynasty by winning Super Bowl XXIII and XXIV in between the Athletics' World Series triumph. The last championship for the city of Oakland came in 1980, when the Oakland Raiders of the NFL won Super Bowl XV (the Raiders were in Los Angeles when they won Super Bowl XVIII in 1984).

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series. 1st ed. New York: St Martins, 1990. (Neft and Cohen 430–434)
• Forman, Sean L.. "1989 World Series". Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information.. Archived from the original on 30 November 2007. http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1989_WS.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-09. 

External links[link]

San Francisco Bay Area portal

• 1989 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
• 1989 World Series at Baseball Almanac
• 1989 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
• The 1989 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) at Retrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1989 at The SportingNews. Archived from the original on 2008.
• 1989 World Series LIVE right before the earthquake
• Swept Away at SI.com
• 1989 Oakland Athletics at baseballlibrary.com
• 1989 San Francisco Giants at baseballlibrary.com
• Don Knapp, 10/89 - Giants vs A's in the World Series
• San Francisco earthquake rocks World Series
• Thirteen years ago, NL champions - Unforgettable events followed Giants' last pennant
• October 9, 1989
• TEN YEARS AFTER: FIRST IN A WEEK-LONG RETROSPECTIVE OF THE LOMA PRIETA QUAKE.
• Giants Clubhouse: '89 Earthquake
• Loma Prieta Earthquake Anniversary - San Jose Mercury News
• Al Michaels on 1989 WS earthquake

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