Tony Gwynn got his first and last Fall Classic hits off two pitchers who combined for 510 wins!
Gwynn, who just passed away earlier today, was a member of the 1984 and 1998 San Diego Padres. In '84 they were up against a team for the ages, the Detroit Tigers. The Bengals started off 1984 35-5. And they were there in the October classic and had not the slightest intention of losing any games!
So game was at home for Gwynn and the gang. And Detroit was off and running in the top of the first. And scoring, too!
Lou Whitaker, the second basemen for the Motor City, led off the game for the Tigers against the Padres starter Mark Thurmond. It was a great at-bat, going ten pitches. But Lou doubled. Alan Trammell, who formed the dynamic double play combo with Lou at short, then went almost ten pitches himself. On the eighth pitch, Alan singled to score his buddy. A fitting start for the Tigers. Trammell then made a rare mistake and was caught stealing. But Detroit put two more runners on via singles before Thurmond got out of the inning. Needless to say, Mark was lucky to give up just that one run.
But Detroit sent to the hill Jack Morris. Morris, the winner of 254 games lifetime, always loved being there in big games. Not the guy San Diego wanted to face. Proof of that came as Alan Wiggins fanned to start things off. Gwynn was out on a fly to Kirk Gibson in right. Two outs, nobody on. What could the Padres do now?
Steve Garvey kept the inning alive with a single. When Greg Nettles followed suite, San Diego had something going. When Terry Kennedy surprised everyone with a double to left, San Diego had the lead, 2-1!
Gwynn batted again in the bottom of the third. Wiggins had gotten a single to start it off. Gwynn walked. But Garvey hit into a double play. The Padres got another man on as Nettles walked, but Jack got the Tigers out of the mess with a fly ball out from Kennedy.
The Tigers then took advantage of that missed opportunity as Larry Herndon hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth. Detroit reclaimed the lead, 3-2. Gwynn and his boys had some work to do!
Morris got the first two batters out in the bottom of the frame, but Tony Gwynn got a single to keep the inning going. Then, for good measure, he stole second. Runner in scoring position. Steve Garvey could only ground out.
The Padres them got a little too aggressive on the base paths in the bottom of the seventh. Kurt Bevacqua, who was the last ever DH in a National League ballpark in the Fall Classic, led off with a double. Kurt was out trying to make it a triple. With two down, Gwynn walked. But when Tony tried for another theft of second,, Tiger catcher Lance Parrish threw him out. The promising inning was over. And Detroit still had the 3-2 lead.
Morris would retire the next six batters as Detroit took this close one, 3-2. And although San Diego took game two, it was Detroit's last loss of 1984. The Tigers would win it all in just five games!
Fourteen years later, Gwynn was back in the World Series on the same team, but with a lot of new faces. But here, the Padres were up against the New York Yankees. This was another team to be reckoned with. And the Bronx Bombers proved that by winning game one, 9-6, game two, 9-3. Game three in San Diego went 5-4 for New York. The Padres needed game four to avoid the sweep.
It was an almost impossible task as the Yankees sent Andy Pettitte to the hill. Pettitte, winner of 256 games lifetime, was in fine form on this day. Gwynn and his mates may as well have been facing Jack Morris again the way this one went down!
Gwynn was the second batter for the Padres in the bottom of the first inning and grounded out. He was also the second batter in the bottom of the third. Again, all Tony could do was ground out.
The Yankees took a 1-0 lead of Padres' starter Kevin Brown in the top of the sixth inning. Bernie Williams scored Derek Jeter with a ground out. Gwynn came to the plate again in the bottom of the frame.
Leading off the bottom of the sixth, Gwynn came through with a single. But Greg Vaughn would force him at second and Ken Caminiti hit into an inning-ending double play.
The Yankees plated two more runners in the top of the eighth as Scott Brosius singled home a man with the bases filled. Ricky Ledee followed with a sac fly to make it, 3-0 for New York. The end was growing near for San Diego.
John Vander Wal batted for pitcher Kevin Brown to begin the bottom of the eighth for the Padres. He flied out out to center off Pettitte, who was still working on the shutout. But Quilvio Veras, the Padres' leadoff hitter, walked. When Gwynn followed with a much-needed single, San Diego had the tying run at the dish with only one out!
Pettitte had thrown his last pitch as Jeff Nelson came in. It was a good move by Yankees' manager Joe Torre, as Greg Vaughn went down on strikes.
Mariano Rivera replaced Nelson but gave up a single to Ken Caminiti. The bases were loaded and there were two outs. But Rivera got it together and got Jim Leyritz out on a fly to center. San Diego got another hit of Mariano in the bottom of the ninth before the game ended.
Tony Gwynn will be missed by all, and his 1984 and 1998 World Series appearances would prove to be the only time his team's advanced to the Fall Classic. But still, to have gotten your first World Series hit off Jack Morris, such a great competitor in the postseason, and your last off Andy Pettitte (19-11 in the postseason himself) must have been something. Sometimes it's not what you do, but who you do it to!
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 16 Jun. 2014.
Gwynn, who just passed away earlier today, was a member of the 1984 and 1998 San Diego Padres. In '84 they were up against a team for the ages, the Detroit Tigers. The Bengals started off 1984 35-5. And they were there in the October classic and had not the slightest intention of losing any games!
So game was at home for Gwynn and the gang. And Detroit was off and running in the top of the first. And scoring, too!
Lou Whitaker, the second basemen for the Motor City, led off the game for the Tigers against the Padres starter Mark Thurmond. It was a great at-bat, going ten pitches. But Lou doubled. Alan Trammell, who formed the dynamic double play combo with Lou at short, then went almost ten pitches himself. On the eighth pitch, Alan singled to score his buddy. A fitting start for the Tigers. Trammell then made a rare mistake and was caught stealing. But Detroit put two more runners on via singles before Thurmond got out of the inning. Needless to say, Mark was lucky to give up just that one run.
But Detroit sent to the hill Jack Morris. Morris, the winner of 254 games lifetime, always loved being there in big games. Not the guy San Diego wanted to face. Proof of that came as Alan Wiggins fanned to start things off. Gwynn was out on a fly to Kirk Gibson in right. Two outs, nobody on. What could the Padres do now?
Steve Garvey kept the inning alive with a single. When Greg Nettles followed suite, San Diego had something going. When Terry Kennedy surprised everyone with a double to left, San Diego had the lead, 2-1!
Gwynn batted again in the bottom of the third. Wiggins had gotten a single to start it off. Gwynn walked. But Garvey hit into a double play. The Padres got another man on as Nettles walked, but Jack got the Tigers out of the mess with a fly ball out from Kennedy.
The Tigers then took advantage of that missed opportunity as Larry Herndon hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth. Detroit reclaimed the lead, 3-2. Gwynn and his boys had some work to do!
Morris got the first two batters out in the bottom of the frame, but Tony Gwynn got a single to keep the inning going. Then, for good measure, he stole second. Runner in scoring position. Steve Garvey could only ground out.
The Padres them got a little too aggressive on the base paths in the bottom of the seventh. Kurt Bevacqua, who was the last ever DH in a National League ballpark in the Fall Classic, led off with a double. Kurt was out trying to make it a triple. With two down, Gwynn walked. But when Tony tried for another theft of second,, Tiger catcher Lance Parrish threw him out. The promising inning was over. And Detroit still had the 3-2 lead.
Morris would retire the next six batters as Detroit took this close one, 3-2. And although San Diego took game two, it was Detroit's last loss of 1984. The Tigers would win it all in just five games!
Fourteen years later, Gwynn was back in the World Series on the same team, but with a lot of new faces. But here, the Padres were up against the New York Yankees. This was another team to be reckoned with. And the Bronx Bombers proved that by winning game one, 9-6, game two, 9-3. Game three in San Diego went 5-4 for New York. The Padres needed game four to avoid the sweep.
It was an almost impossible task as the Yankees sent Andy Pettitte to the hill. Pettitte, winner of 256 games lifetime, was in fine form on this day. Gwynn and his mates may as well have been facing Jack Morris again the way this one went down!
Gwynn was the second batter for the Padres in the bottom of the first inning and grounded out. He was also the second batter in the bottom of the third. Again, all Tony could do was ground out.
The Yankees took a 1-0 lead of Padres' starter Kevin Brown in the top of the sixth inning. Bernie Williams scored Derek Jeter with a ground out. Gwynn came to the plate again in the bottom of the frame.
Leading off the bottom of the sixth, Gwynn came through with a single. But Greg Vaughn would force him at second and Ken Caminiti hit into an inning-ending double play.
The Yankees plated two more runners in the top of the eighth as Scott Brosius singled home a man with the bases filled. Ricky Ledee followed with a sac fly to make it, 3-0 for New York. The end was growing near for San Diego.
John Vander Wal batted for pitcher Kevin Brown to begin the bottom of the eighth for the Padres. He flied out out to center off Pettitte, who was still working on the shutout. But Quilvio Veras, the Padres' leadoff hitter, walked. When Gwynn followed with a much-needed single, San Diego had the tying run at the dish with only one out!
Pettitte had thrown his last pitch as Jeff Nelson came in. It was a good move by Yankees' manager Joe Torre, as Greg Vaughn went down on strikes.
Mariano Rivera replaced Nelson but gave up a single to Ken Caminiti. The bases were loaded and there were two outs. But Rivera got it together and got Jim Leyritz out on a fly to center. San Diego got another hit of Mariano in the bottom of the ninth before the game ended.
Tony Gwynn will be missed by all, and his 1984 and 1998 World Series appearances would prove to be the only time his team's advanced to the Fall Classic. But still, to have gotten your first World Series hit off Jack Morris, such a great competitor in the postseason, and your last off Andy Pettitte (19-11 in the postseason himself) must have been something. Sometimes it's not what you do, but who you do it to!
References
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
2005. 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.
Nemec,
David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of
Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications
International, 1993. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 16 Jun. 2014.
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