(Disclaimer: I use major league from the birth of the National League in 1876 to the present. For now, The National Association (1871 to 1875), The American Association (1882 to 1891), aren't going to be included.The American League joined the fray in 1901. I will include the Federal League, however, as one of my all time favs, Chief Bender, pitched one season and sported a 4-16 record. Must have been one tough league!)
So baseball approaches 200,000 games played tomorrow.
That many?
Through the years, it has provided some of the greatest excitement ever seen from sports fans.
Here, for your pleasure, is my Top 10 Most Memorable Games EVER In Baseball:
10) Game 6, 1993 World Series, October 23, 1993. Joe Carter's homerun, I must have jumped so high, I hit my head on my basement ceiling!
9) September 9, 1965: Poor Bob Hendley. He tosses a 1-hitter over 8 innings. That's enough to beat anyone. Anyone, that is, except for Sandy Koufax, who tosses a perfect game and wins 1-0.
8) July 2, 1963: Warren Spahn is nearing the end of his career, while Juan Marichal was just sort of starting his. But it was Juan heck of a long game, that ended with Marichal on top 1-0...in 16 innings via Willie Mays' homerun!
7) May 26, 1959, Harvey Haddix retires 36 straight batters to start the game, then ends up losing it somehow!
6) Game 5, 1956 World Series, October 8th: Don Larsen commits grand larceny by throwing the only perfect game, or even no-hitter, in World Series history
5) Game 1, 1954 World Series, September 29th: Mays makes THE CATCH!
4) Game 6, 1975 World Series, October 21st: First Bernie Carbo's dramatic 3-run pinch hit homerun ties the game, then brilliant plays by George Foster and Dwight Evans keep it tied. And then Carlton Fisk leads off the bottom of the 12 and...
3) Game 7, 1991 World Series, October 27th: Gene Larkin is sent up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th to pinch hit for DH (?!) Jarvis Brown and delivers the blow that ended a World Series that, honestly, seemed to have no end in sight!
2) Game 7, 1960 World Series, October 13th: Bill Mazeroski! Sorry Dad, that game!
1) Game 3, 1951 National League Playoffs, October 3rd: Need I say more?
References
So baseball approaches 200,000 games played tomorrow.
That many?
Through the years, it has provided some of the greatest excitement ever seen from sports fans.
Here, for your pleasure, is my Top 10 Most Memorable Games EVER In Baseball:
10) Game 6, 1993 World Series, October 23, 1993. Joe Carter's homerun, I must have jumped so high, I hit my head on my basement ceiling!
9) September 9, 1965: Poor Bob Hendley. He tosses a 1-hitter over 8 innings. That's enough to beat anyone. Anyone, that is, except for Sandy Koufax, who tosses a perfect game and wins 1-0.
8) July 2, 1963: Warren Spahn is nearing the end of his career, while Juan Marichal was just sort of starting his. But it was Juan heck of a long game, that ended with Marichal on top 1-0...in 16 innings via Willie Mays' homerun!
7) May 26, 1959, Harvey Haddix retires 36 straight batters to start the game, then ends up losing it somehow!
6) Game 5, 1956 World Series, October 8th: Don Larsen commits grand larceny by throwing the only perfect game, or even no-hitter, in World Series history
5) Game 1, 1954 World Series, September 29th: Mays makes THE CATCH!
4) Game 6, 1975 World Series, October 21st: First Bernie Carbo's dramatic 3-run pinch hit homerun ties the game, then brilliant plays by George Foster and Dwight Evans keep it tied. And then Carlton Fisk leads off the bottom of the 12 and...
3) Game 7, 1991 World Series, October 27th: Gene Larkin is sent up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th to pinch hit for DH (?!) Jarvis Brown and delivers the blow that ended a World Series that, honestly, seemed to have no end in sight!
2) Game 7, 1960 World Series, October 13th: Bill Mazeroski! Sorry Dad, that game!
1) Game 3, 1951 National League Playoffs, October 3rd: Need I say more?
References
Anderson, Dave. Pennant Races: Baseball At Its Best. New York:
Doubleday, 1994. Print.
Baseball's Greatest Moments.
Prod. Major League Baseball Home Video. Perf. Warner Fusselle. Major League
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Bingley,
Phil, et al. Another World: the Toronto Stars Tribute To The’ 93 Blue
Jays. Toronto Star for Doubleday Canada, 1993. Print.
Brenner, Richard J. The World Series: The Great Contests.
East End Publishing, 1989. Print.
Buckley, James Jr. Unhittable: Reliving The Magic And
Drama Of Baseballs Best-Pitched Games. Triumph Books, 2004. Print.
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
2005. Print.
Ford,
Whitey, and Phil Pepe. Slick. New York: W. Morrow, 1987. Print.
Gallagher,
Mark. Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs. New York: Arbor
House, 1987. Print.
Golenbock,
Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees,
1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print.
Golenbock,
Peter. Fenway: An Unexpurgated History of the Boston Red Sox. Chicago, IL:
Triumph Books, 2005. Print.
Kahn,
Roger. The Boys Of Summer. Harper & Row, 1972. Print.
Kaplan, Jim. The
Greatest Game Ever Pitched: Juan Marichal, Warren Spahn, and the Pitching Duel
of the Century. Chicago, IL: Triumph, 2011. Print.
Mantle,
Mickey, and Mickey Herskowitz. All My
Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball.
New York: HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L.
Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball,
1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Paper,
Lewis J. Perfect: Don Larsen's Miraculous World Series Game And The Men Who
Made It Happen. New York, NY: New American Library, 2009. Print.
Seaver,
Tom, and Martin Appel. Great Moments in Baseball. New York, NY: Carol
Pub. Group, 1992. Print.
Snyder,
John S. World Series!: Great Moments and
Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 23 Sept. 2011.
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