CITY SERIES HIGHLIGHTS

Previous World Series that took place in the same metropolitan area:

1906: Chicago White Sox 4, Chicago Cubs 2

The Cubs had a still-record 116 wins and finished 20 games ahead of the second-place Giants. As league leaders in batting, fielding, and pitching (with a team ERA of only 1.76), they were the clear favorites. The White Sox were the junior circuit’s weakest hitters, batting only .230, 32 points below the Cubs. But the “Hitless Wonders” prevailed. Though they batted only .198, the White Sox bunched their hits for 23 runs. Pitching star: Ed Walsh, who was 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA for the Sox, winning Game 3 and 5 (on one days’ rest). Batting star: White Sox shortstop George Davis hit .308 with three doubles and six RBIs. There were no home runs in the Series.

Game 1--White Sox 2, Cubs 1

Game 2--Cubs 7, White Sox 1

Game 3--White Sox 3, Cubs 0

Game 4--Cubs 1, White Sox 0

Game 5--White Sox 8, Cubs 6

Game 6--White Sox 9, Cubs 3

1921: New York Giants 5, New York Yankees 3

This was the final nine-game World Series and since the Giants and Yankees called the Polo Grounds home, all eight games were played there, with the two clubs switching as home team. Pitching ruled in Games 1 and 2, with Carl Mays shutting down the Giants in Game 1, and in Game 2, Art Nehf of the Giants allowed the Yankees only three singles, but Waite Hoyt gave up only two hits in a 3-0 victory. The Giants won the final three games to win the Series, and the Yankees scored only one run the final two games. All three of the Giants’ runs in the last two games were unearned. Pitching star: Hoyt, who has an ERA of 0.00 in his three starts, but finished 2-1 and lost Game 8, 1-0, because of an unearned run because of an error by shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh. Batting star: Giants’ outfielder Irish Meusel hit .345, homered and led both teams with seven RBIs.

Game 1--Yankees 3, Giants 0

Game 2--Yankees 3, Giants 0

Game 3--Giants 13, Yankees 5

Game 4--Giants 4, Yankees 2

Game 5--Yankees 3, Giants 1

Game 6--Giants 8, Yankees 5

Game 7-Giants 2, Yankees 1

Game 8--Giants 1, Yankees 0

1922: New York Giants 4, New York Yankees 0 (1 tie)

A tie in Game 2 prevented a sweep. The Giants dominated the Yankees, holding them a .203 average and Babe Ruth to two hits in 17 at-bats. In Game 2, the score was tied, 3-3, after 10 innings, with 45 minutes left before sundown. The umpires called the game for darkness and provoked a storm of seat cushions and bottles to be thrown from the stands. Jack Scott shut out the Yankees on four hits in Game 3, and the Giants never looked back. Pitching star: Scott, with his shutout, but the other Giant starters--Jesse Barnes, Hugh McQuillan and Art Nehf--also pitched well. The Yankees never scored more than three runs in a game. Batting stars: Again, Irish Meusel, who drove in seven runs for the second World Series in a row. Also, third baseman Heinie Groh hit .474.

Game 1--Giants 3, Yankees 2

Game 2--Giants 3, Yankees 3

Game 3--Giants 3, Yankees 0

Game 4--Giants 4, Yankees 3

Game 5--Giants 5, Yankees 3

1923: New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 2

The Yankees played their first World Series in the recently opened Yankee Stadium. Game 1 ended on an inside-the-park homer by Giant outfielder and future Yankee manager Casey Stengel. Babe Ruth homered twice to lead the Yankees in Game 2 and the Giants won Game 3, 1-0, on a home run by Stengel. But that was it for the Giants, as the Yankees won the next three games for the first of their 25 World Series titles. Pitching star: Herb Pennock of the Yankees went 2-0 in his two starts and picked up a save in Game 4. Batting stars: Babe Ruth hit .368 with three homers, and Bob Meusel led the Yankees with eight RBIs. Stengel hit .417 for the Giants with two homers.

Game 1--Giants 5, Yankees 4

Game 2--Yankees 4, Giants 2

Game 3--Giants 1, Yankees 0

Game 4--Yankees 8, Giants 4

Game 5-Yankees 8, Giants 1

Game 6--Yankees 6, Giants 4.

1936: New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 2

The Giants won two games, but the Series was really no contest. The Yankees outhit the Giants, .302 to .246, and outscored them, 43-23. .Giant ace Carl Hubbell, who won his final 16 decisions of the regular season, continued his streak in the Series opener, but lost Game 4. Game 2 was a Yankee blowout, as the Yankees hammered five Giant pitchers for 18 runs. The Giants pulled out Game 5 in 10 innings, but otherwise it was all Yankees. Pitching star: Lefty Gomez won two games, and Pat Malone and Johnny Murphy were excellent in relief for the Yankees. Batting stars: Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri led the Yankees with seven RBIs, Gehrig had two homers. Joe DiMaggio hit .346.

Game 1--Giants 6, Yankees 1

Game 2--Yankees 18, Giants 4

Game 3--Yankees 2, Giants 1

Game 4--Yankees 5, Giants 2

Game 5--Giants 5, Yankees 4 (10)

Game 6--Yankees 13, Giants 5

1937: New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 1

The Yankees dominated again, holding the Giants to one run in each of the first three games, as Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing and Monte Pearson were dominant. The Giants finally broke through against Bump Hadley in Game 4, but it was too little, too late, as Gomez came back in Game 5 to clinch the Series. Pitching star: Gomez, who was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. Batting stars: Outfielder George Selkirk drove in six runs and Tony Lazzeri hit .400 for the Yankees. The Giants’ best hitter was outfielder Jo-Jo Moore, at .391.

Game 1--Yankees 8, Giants 1

Game 2--Yankees 8, Giants 1

Game 3--Yankees 5, Giants 1

Game 4--Giants 7, Yankees 3

Game 5--Yankees 4, Giants 2

1941: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 1

This Series is remembered for one thing--Dodger catcher Mickey Owen’s dropped third strike in Game 4. But Yankee pitching dominated. Three Yankee starters hurled complete-game wins, with each giving the Dodgers only one earned run. Forgotten about this Series, and just as damaging to the Dodgers as Owen’s blunder: Freddie Fitzsimmons was sailing along in Game 3, shutting out the Yankees, when the final out of the seventh--a line drive by Marius Russo--bounced off Fitzsimmons’ leg, breaking his kneecap. Hugh Casey, who replaced Fitzsimmons in the eighth, promptly gave up two runs and lost the game. In Game 4, Brooklyn held a 4-3 lead with two out in the top of the ninth. Casey, who had shut out the Yankees since coming on in the fifth inning, then struck out Tommy Henrich for what should have been the game-ending out. But Owen let the ball get by him, and before the third out was recorded Casey had given up a single, two doubles, and two walks--and four runs as Brooklyn went on to lose its third game. Pitching stars: Yankee starters Tiny Bonham, Red Ruffing and Russo all went 1-0, holding the Dodgers to one earned run each. Batting stars: Yankee second baseman Joe Gordon hit .500 with five RBIs. Outfielder Charlie Keller also drove in five runs.

Game 1--Yankees 3, Dodgers 2

Game 2--Dodgers 3, Yankees 2

Game 3--Yankees 2, Dodgers 1

Game 4--Yankees 7, Dodgers 4

Game 5--Yankees 3, Dodgers 1

1944: St. Louis Cardinals 4, St. Louis Browns 2

This Series was played at one stadium, Sportsman’s Park, which was owned by the Browns. But the Cardinals owned the Browns in the Series, thanks in large part to some atrocious fielding by the Browns, who committed 10 errors, four in Game 2 alone. Brown pitcher Nelson Potter’s two errors (a dropped ball and a wild throw) on a bunt in the third inning of Game 2 led to an unearned run, and third baseman Mark Christman’s error an inning later set up a second unearned run. Two Brown errors led to two unearned runs in Game 3. The Cardinals easily won Games 4 and 5. Two of the Cardinals’ three runs in Game 6 were made possible by shortstop Vern Stephens’ throwing error. They provided the margin of victory. Pitching stars: Mort Cooper had a 1.13 ERA in two starts, limiting the Browns to nine hits in 16 innings. Brown pitcher Denny Galehouse went 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA. Batting stars: Stan Musial hit .304 with a homer and two RBIs for the Cardinals, who did not have a hitter with more than two RBIs. Browns’ first baseman George McQuinn led all batters with a .438 average.

Game 1--Browns 2, Cardinals 1

Game 2--Cardinals 3, Browns 2 (11)

Game 3--Browns 6, Cardinals 2

Game 4--Cardinals 5, Browns 1

Game 5--Cardinals 2, Browns 0

Game 6--Cardinals 3, Browns 1

1947: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 3

Two of the most memorable plays in baseball history brought the Dodgers wins in Game 4 and 6, but the Yankees stood tall when the Series ended. In Game 4, Yankee pitcher Bill Bevens, although he averaged a walk an inning, had allowed no Dodger hits and only one run entering the last of the ninth. Bevens retired two in the ninth, but walked his ninth and tenth batters (one intentionally), then lost both his no-hitter and the game as Dodger pinch-hitter Cookie Lavagetto doubled home Spider Jorgensen and Eddie Miksis to even the Series at 2-2. The Yankees won Game 5, but the Dodgers won a dramatic Game 6. The Dodgers built an early 4-0 lead, but the Yankees took the lead in the fourth. The Dodgers regained the lead, 8-5, in the sixth, but with two on in the bottom of the inning, Joe DiMaggio hit a long fly to left that looked like a sure homer. Left fielder Al Gionfriddo--in what turned out to be his last major league game--raced to the bullpen fence (415 feet from home plate) to rob DiMaggio of the home run. New York scored a run in the ninth, but thanks to Gionfriddo’s catch it was not enough to win the game. In Game 7, the Yankees won, 5-2. Pitching stars: Spec Shea was 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA in two starts for the Yankees. Hugh Casey was 2-0 with one save in six relief appearances for the Dodgers. Batting stars: Joe DiMaggio hit two homers but batted only .231 for the Yankees. Outfielder Johnny Lindell led New York with seven RBIs, hitting .500. Pee Wee Reese hit .304 with four RBIs for the Dodgers.

Game 1--Yankees 5, Dodgers 3

Game 2--Yankees 10, Dodgers 3

Game 3--Dodgers 9, Yankees 8

Game 4--Dodgers 3, Yankees 2

Game 5--Yankees 2, Dodgers 1

Game 6--Dodgers 8, Yankees 6

Game 7--Yankees 5, Dodgers 2

1949: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 1

New York and Brooklyn traded 1-0 wins to begin the Series. The teams entered the ninth inning of Game 3 tied, 1-1. But in the top of the ninth, Dodger starter Ralph Branca, after loading the bases on two walks and a single, gave up another single to pinch-hitter Johnny Mize for two runs. Jerry Coleman drove in another run before the third out was made. In the last of the ninth, Yankee closer Joe Page gave up homers to Luis Olmo and Roy Campanella, but struck out pinch-hitter Bruce Edwards for New York’s second win. The Yankees then easily won Games 4 and 5. Pitching star: Allie Reynolds was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two games for the Yankees. Batting star: Third baseman Bobby Brown hit .500 and led the Yankees with five RBIs. Gil Hodges led the Dodgers with four RBIs.

Game 1--Yankees 1, Dodgers 0

Game 2--Dodgers 1, Yankees 0

Game 3--Yankees 4, Dodgers 3

Game 4--Yankees 6, Dodgers 4

Game 5--Yankees 10, Dodgers 6

1951: New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 2

The Giants carried the momentum of Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” into the World Series, winning the first game, 5-1. It was all Yankees after that. One memorable moment: In Game 4, the Yankees scored six runs, including a two-run homer by Joe DiMaggio, the last home run of his career. Pitching star: Ed Lopat was 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA for the Yankees. Batting stars: Yankee second baseman Gil McDougald hit .261 and led the team with seven RBIs. DiMaggio, in his final Series, hit .261 with two doubles, a homer and five RBIs. Giants’ outfielder Monte Irvin led all batters with a .458 average.

Game 1--Giants 5, Yankees 1

Game 2--Yankees 3, Giants 1

Game 3--Giants 6, Yankees 2

Game 4--Yankees 6, Giants 2

Game 5--Yankees 13, Giants 1

Game 6--Yankees 4, Giants 3

1952: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 3

The teams combined for 16 home runs. In Game 7, the score was tied, 2-2, in the sixth inning when Mickey Mantle homered off Dodger starter Joe Black for what proved to be the Series decider, as three Yankee relievers held Brooklyn scoreless through the final four innings. Memorable moment: In the eighth inning of Game 6, Mantle hit the first of his record 18 World Series homers. That, too, provided the difference in the Yankees’ 3-2 win. Pitching star: Yankee starter Vic Raschi was 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA. Allie Reynolds won the other two games, and earned a save in Raschi’s Game 6 victory. Batting stars: Mantle hit .345 with two homers and three RBIs, while Yankee first baseman Johnny Mize hit .400 with three homers and six RBIs. Duke Snider hit .345 with four homers and eight RBIs for the Dodgers.

Game 1--Dodgers 4, Yankees 2

Game 2--Yankees 7, Dodgers 1

Game 3--Dodgers 5, Yankees 3

Game 4--Yankees 2, Dodgers 0

Game 5--Dodgers 6, Yankees 5

Game 6--Yankees 3, Dodgers 2

Game 7--Yankees 4, Dodgers 2

1953: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 2

The Yankees won a record fifth consecutive World Series title despite being outhit by the Dodgers, .300 to .279. Dodger ace Carl Erskine lasted only one inning of the opener, giving up three walks and two triples for four Yankee runs. The Dodgers outhit New York in Game 2, and held a 2-1 lead entering the bottom of the seventh, but Billy Martin tied the score with a leadoff homer, and Mickey Mantle won it with a two-run blast in the eighth. The Dodgers won Games 3 and 4 to even the Series, as Erskine set a record with 14 strikeouts in Game 3, but the Yankees never trailed while winning Games 5 and 6, winning the final game on Martin’s single in the bottom of the ninth. Pitching stars: Yankee starter Ed Lopat was 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA, while Allie Reynolds won one game and saved another. Batting stars: Martin hit .500 and set a six-game Series record with 12 hits. He also had one double, two triples, two homers and drove in eight runs. Mickey Mantle had two homers and seven RBIs. For the Dodgers, Duke Snider hit .320 with five RBIs.

Game 1--Yankees 9, Dodgers 5

Game 2--Yankees 4, Dodgers 2

Game 3--Dodgers 3, Yankees 2

Game 4--Dodgers 7, Yankees 3

Game 5--Yankees 11, Dodgers 7

Game 6--Yankees 4, Dodgers 3

1955: Brooklyn Dodgers 4, New York Yankees 3

In their sixth Series matchup in 15 years, the Dodgers finally beat the Yankees. The Dodgers dropped the first two games, but won the next three in Brooklyn. In Game 3, Johnny Podres held the Yankees to three runs, one of them a homer by Mickey Mantle, who appeared in only three games because of a leg injury. Home runs by Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, and Duke Snider accounted for six of Brooklyn’s eight runs in Game 4 and Snider had two homers in the Game 5 win. The Yankees took Game 6, scoring all five of their runs in the first inning. In Game 7, Gil Hodges drove in two Brooklyn runs with a single in the fourth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth and that was enough as left fielder Sandy Amoros stopped New York’s only scoring threat with a spectacular running catch in the sixth that started a double play and preserved Podres’ second win. Pitching stars: Podres, who was 2-0, giving up two runs in 18 innings. Clem Labine and Roger Craig had the other Dodger victories. Whitey Ford was 2-0 for the Yankees. Batting stars: Snider hit .320 with four homers and seven RBIs. Hodges drove in five runs. Billy Martin led the Yankees, hitting .320 with four RBIs.

Game 1--Yankees 6, Dodgers 5

Game 2--Yankees 4, Dodgers 2

Game 3--Dodgers 8, Yankees 3

Game 4--Dodgers 8, Yankees 5

Game 5--Dodgers 5, Yankees 3

Game 6--Yankees 5, Dodgers 1

Game 7--Dodgers 2, Yankees 0

1956: New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 3

The baseball world returned to normal as the Yankees won the World Series. This time, the Yankees lost the first two games, won the next three. This Series will always be remembered for Game 5, Yankee pitcher Don Larsen’s perfect game. Game 7 was a disaster for the Dodgers. Don Newcombe gave up two two-run homers to Yogi Berra and a solo shot to Elston Howard. Bill Skowron hit a grand slam in the seventh off of Roger Craig as the Yankees won, 9-0. Pitching star: Larsen. Batting stars: Berra hit .360 with three homers and 10 RBIs. Mickey Mantle hit three homers. For the Dodgers, Gil Hodges hit .304 and drove in eight runs.

Game 1--Dodgers 6, Yankees 3

Game 2--Dodgers 13, Yankees 8

Game 3--Yankees 5, Dodgers 3

Game 4--Yankees 6, Dodgers 2

Game 5--Yankees 2, Dodgers 0

Game 6--Dodgers 1, Yankees 0

Game 7--Yankees 9, Dodgers 0

1989: Oakland 4, San Francisco 0

The Series was dominated by the Athletics, who easily won Games 1 and 2. After a day off, the Series shifted eleven miles across the Bay to San Francisco. But just as fans were settling into their seats, an earthquake struck, knocking out power to Candlestick Park and killing 67 people in the Bay Area. Despite the pleas of some who felt the Series should be canceled, Game 3 was played, 10 days later. Pitching star: Dave Stewart and Mike Moore each went 2-0. Batting star: Athletic third baseman Carney Lansford hit .438, left fielder Rickey Henderson hit .474 and catcher Terry Steinbach led the team with seven RBIs. How bad were the Giants? They were led in RBIs (three) by little-used Greg Litton and pinch-hitter Bill Bathe.

Game 1--Athletics 5, Giants 0

Game 2--Athletics 5, Giants 1

Game 3--Athletics 13, Giants 7

Game 4--A’s 9, Giants 6