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#1: 1921: New York Giants (5) vs. New York Yankees (3) If the 1920 season had left Boston wondering if they had made a mistake, then the 1921 season surely removed any doubt. Babe Ruth was in New York and busy breaking his own records for the 2nd consecutive season. As the Red Sox were struggling to stay competitive, the Yankees were still getting used to winning after coming off of a 3rd place A.L. finish during the Babe's "rookie" season in a pinstriped uniform. Nothing changed in 1921 as their new acquisition raised his homerun record to a staggering 59, his RBI total to 171 and his batting average to .378 on the way to their first American League pennant and World Series appearance. The Babe wasn't alone though as teammate Bob Meusel contributed 24 homers and 135 RBIs and the rest of the Yankees batted .288 or higher. Two other "ex Red Sox", Carl Mays (a 27 game winner) and Waite Hoyt (with 19) added insult to injury while Bob Shawkey added 18 more victories. The National League's Giants
were veterans to the Fall Classic and had plenty to smile
about themselves. With a line-up of "lumberjacks" including
Frankie Frisch, Ross Youngs, George Kelly and Irish Meusel
and a solid pitching staff known as the "fearsome foursome"
(Art Nehf, Fred Toney, Jesse Barnes and Phil Douglas), they
promised to give Babe Ruth and his re-born Yankees a run for
their money. In the first World Series to be played entirely
in one ballpark (the Polo Grounds), the Big Apple's "rival
roommates" squared off in the first official "Subway
Series". Despite rumors of Ruth on the mound, Miller Huggins
gave the Game 1 start to Carl Mays while John McGraw
selected Phil Douglas. The Yankee's pitchers quickly set the
tone for the Series with an opening 3-0 victory that was
repeated the following day with a 2-hit, 3-0 triumph by
Waite Hoyt.
Despite the absence of the Babe, the Yankees still felt confident with their remaining line-up. That was until they lost Game 6, 8-5 and Game 7, 2-1. Great performances at the plate by Irish Meusel and Frank Snyder as well as a solid outing on the mound by Phil Douglas had put the Giants out in front. Game 8 evolved into a classic pitcher's duel between Waite Hoyt and Art Nehf, who led the standoff 1-0 going into the bottom of the 9th. In a last chance effort, the desperate Yankee skipper went to his bench and replaced the struggling Wally Pipp (who had batted a miserable .154) with the still injured Babe Ruth who grounded out to first. Two plays later, the Series was over with the Giants winning 5 games to 3. Although they had fallen
short in their first World Series appearance, the Yankees
had shown a glimpse of what would become a dynasty. Waite
Hoyt had not allowed a single earned run in 27 innings and
Carl Mays had been just as effective with an ERA of 1.73
over 26. Ruth batted an impressive .313 and added his first
World Series homer and 4 RBIs. After 4 straight losses, the
Giants had finally reclaimed the championship title for the
first time since 1905.
Baseball in 2001 will always be remembered not for the games that took place during the regular season, but for the patriotism and heroic tributes that took place in the wake of the 9/11 terrorists attacks. It somehow seemed fitting that the city of New York, led by Mayor Rudy Giuliani, would show immeasurable strength and host the event after suffering such devastating loss a few months earlier. As usual, the Yankees remained on top of the American League as baseball's most storied franchise prepared to face one of its newest as the National League's Arizona Diamondbacks had just won their 1st pennant in their 4th year of existence. Many fans felt that this was the year to beat the perennial champions and as a banner hung at Arizona's Bank One Ballpark stated; Yankees = History - Diamondbacks = Future. The simple, yet bold statement was well written and foretold the future as the youngest expansion team in major-league history would come from behind during the 9th-inning to de-thrown the "kings of baseball". Midway through Game 1 it was difficult to tell who were the 3-time defending champions and which was the franchise making it's Classic debut. Arizona ace Curt Schilling continued his remarkable postseason with 7 superb innings and Luis Gonzalez homered, drove in 2 runs and scored twice as the Diamondbacks stunned the Yanks, 9-1. Taking advantage of a rough start by New York's Mike Mussina and some sloppy defense, the Diamondbacks seized the opening advantage that resulted in titles nearly 60 percent of the time. Nothing changed the following day as Randy Johnson tossed a 3-hitter and Matt Williams added a 3-run homer in the 7th for 4-0 victory. "The Big Unit" was dominant from the start, allowing just a walk and a single over the first 7-innings. He struck out 11 and improved to 3-1 in the postseason. In his last 3 outings, he allowed just 2 runs and 13 hits in 25 innings. New York finally bounced
back in Game 3 as Roger Clemens and Mariano Rivera combined
on a 3-hitter and Scott Brosius snapped a 6th-inning tie
with an RBI single for the 2-1 triumph. Leading
2-games-to-none, Arizona had a chance to put a stranglehold
on the series with a win. The Diamondbacks got a great
outing from starter Brian Anderson but committed 3 crucial
errors, 3 wild pitches and ran themselves out of the opening
inning. Despite the win, the Yankees continued to struggle
offensively. They got only 7 hits, including a home run by
Jorge Posada in the 2nd, but the 1-2 combo of Clemens and
Rivera prevented an Arizona attack that scored 13 runs in
the first 2 games. Shutdown by the return of Schilling (on 3
days' rest), the defending champions were staring at the
possibility of a 3-games-to-one deficit in Game 4. With 1
out, Paul O'Neill shot an opposite-field single in front of
left fielder Luis Gonzalez and after Bernie Williams struck
out, Tino Martinez hit the first pitch he saw from reliever
Byung-Hyun Kim over the wall in right-center field. As the
ball cleared the outfield barrier, the hometown crowd of
55,863 erupted as the invigorated Yankees spilled out of the
dugout. The stadium that had fallen deadly silent after the
Diamondbacks scored 2 runs (in the 8th) was deafening now
and would not stop celebrating until Martinez came out on
the deck for a curtain call. Rivera (1-0) cruised through
the 10th and improved to 2-0 with 5 saves and a 0.71 ERA in
9 postseason appearances. Derek Jeter completed the cycle in
what had evolved into one of the most memorable games of all
time by lining a 3-2 pitch over the right-field wall for the
game-winner.
Game 7 looked to extend the Yankees consecutive-win streak, but the "never-say-die" Diamondbacks rose to the challenge and put together one of the greatest late-game comebacks in World Series history. After Kim had surrendered the trio of heartbreaking home runs in New York, the Diamondbacks returned home and rallied against the incomparable Rivera who had converted 23 straight postseason saves and had struck out the side in the 8th (with a 2-1 lead). As Luis Gonzalez stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 9th, the Yankees infield moved in to prevent base-runner Jay Bell from scoring. The positional strategy proved disastrous as "Gonzo" connected for a shallow looping single (that just cleared the infield in center) sending home the winning run and sealing the World Series title. The Diamondbacks (many of them veterans getting their first taste of the World Series) exploded from the dugout as the "neighborhood bully" Yankees had finally fallen to the "new kids on the block".
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Web Links: Yankees Fan Network UltimateYankees Fast Facts: Betcha' didn't know On May 24, 1936, Lazzeri became the first player in history to hit 2 Grand Slams in one game. He did it against the Philadelphia A's in a 25-2 win while driving in 11 runs for an American League record. On June 17, 1978, "Louisiana Lightning", struck out 18 against the California Angels, setting an American League record for a left-hander. "When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a baseball player and join the circus. With the Yankees I have accomplished both" Graig Nettles Reggie Jackson, upon signing with the Yanks in 1976 Trivia: Joe Torre is the 4th man to manage both the Yankees and Mets. Name the other three. Answer In Next Issue Have a trivia question? Email it to us and maybe we'll use it in an upcoming issue. Fan Feedback: Cartoonist Wanted! We have received several emails suggesting the addition of jokes and baseball cartoons. |
