With another major league baseball season about to begin, a look back.
Ten years ago – 2013 – David Ortiz had one of the all time great World Series, leading the Red Sox to victory over the Cardinals in six games. He was 11 for 16 with two doubles, two homers, eight walks, six RBIs and seven runs scored.
Twenty years ago – 2003 – Despite being outscored by the Yankees 21-17, the Marlins won the Series in six games with two 1-run wins and two 2-run wins. Pitching on short three-days’ rest, Josh Beckett banked the Yankees 2-0 on a five-hitter in the sixth game.
Twenty-five years ago – 1998 – The Yankees won the first of three straight Series with a sweep of the Padre. The Yankees won 114 regular season games and were 11-1 in the postseason for a record 125 victories.
Thirty years ago – 1993 – For only the second time, a Series ended with a walk off home run. Joe Carter’s three-run homer gave Toronto an 8-6 victory in Game 6 and the Series four games to two. The Blue Jays’ 15-14 win in Game 4 was the highest scoring game in Series history,
Forty years ago – 1983 – After losing the first game to the Phillies 2-1, the Orioles won four in a row. Eddie Murray homered twice and Scott McGregor pitched a five-hitter for a 5-0 win in the fifth game.
Fifty years ago – 1973 – The Oakland A’s won the second of three straight Series, defeating the Mets in seven games. The Mets won the National League with an 82-79 regular season record, worst ever for a pennant winner.
Sixty years ago – 1963 – L.A. Dodger pitching held the Yankees to four runs in a Series sweep. Sandy Koufax outdueled Whitey For in the first game 5-2 and the fourth game 2-1, capping off a season when he was NL MVP, unanimous Cy Young winner when there was only one winner for both leagues, World Series MVP and AP Mall Athlete of the Year.
Seventy years ago – 1953 – The Yankees won a record fifth consecutive Series, defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers in six games. Billy Martin, a .257 lifetime batter, was 12 of 24 for the Yankees with two homers, two triples, a double, eight RBIs and a walk off Series ending single in the sixth game.
Seventy-five years ago – 1948 – Cleveland won a one-game playoff against the Red Sox for the AL pennant, then beat the other Boston team, the Braves, in a six-game Series. Gene Bearden had a sensational rookie season for Cleveland with 20 wins, including the playoff game, a league leading 2.43 ERA and a win and a save in the Series with 10.2 scoreless innings.
Eighty years ago – 1943 – The Yankees defeated the Cardinals in five years. It was a reversal of the previous year, when the Cardinals won in five, ending the Yankees streak of eight straight Series victories.
Ninety years ago – 1933 – Hall of Famers Carl Hubbell and Mel Ott led the New York Giants to victory over the Senators in five games. Hubbell, the NL MVP, had two complete wins and Ott had two game winning hits.
One hundred years ago – 1923 – The Yankees won the first of their record 27 World Series in six games against the Giants. It was the only time that two teams met in the Series three years in a row, the Giants winning the previous two.
One hundred ten years ago – 1913 – Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s won the Series for the third time in four years, defeating the Giants in five games. It was the third straight Series loss for John McGraw’s Giants.
One hundred twenty years ago – 1903 – The Red Sox won the first Series, overcoming a 3-1 deficit against the Pirates with four straight wins in a best-of-nine Series. Deacon Phillippe had five complete games for Pittsburgh, three wins and two losses.
