Ned Yost, prior to managing the 2014 Kansas City Royals, faced the other Missouri baseball team in the Fall Classic.
Ned was not much of a player. In fact, the most games he ever played in a season was 80, less than half the season. In 1982, he was a catcher for 39 games and a DH for one game. His team, the Milwaukee Brewers, made it all the way to the World Series that year. Ned even made the postseason roster.
And he sat on the bench and waited. Even in the ALCS against California, he watched. Watched as the Brewers fell behind two games to zero. It looked like Ned and his mates were not going to make it to October's Classic!
But they rallied to win the next three games. Then, in game one of the World Series against St. Louis, it was all Milwaukee. They crushed 'em, 11-0.
But the Series went back and fourth, which each team alternating wins through five games. But after those five games, all Yost had done was ride the pine. The Brewers, though, could not have cared less. They were one win away from their first World Series championship. And the city's first since 1957. They never got that one more win, however.
Game six was all St. Louis. The Cardinals were not going to lose it at home. It was like game one again, but in reverse. After five, it was 7-0 for the Cardinals. Then six more runs in the bottom of the sixth made it 13-0, St. Louis.
Ted Simmons, the regular catcher on Milwaukee, made the last out of a 1-2-3 top of the seventh for The Brew Crew. Ned Yost was inserted for him in the bottom of the frame. It seemed unlikely that Yost would make it to the dish. All three St. Louis batters flied out to left. There were only nine pitches thrown in that inning. Yost caught only five of them!
A runner reached in the top of the eighth for the Brewers, as they tried to at least break the shutout. But the other three batters were retired without any advancement. The Brewers also committed an error in a thirteen-pitch, bottom of the frame. But again, no advancement.
So the stubborn and defiant Brewers came up for their last hurrah in the top of the ninth. They made it an interesting final frame, to say the least.
Jim Gantner got things going with a double. Paul Molitor singled him to third. A wild pitch to Robin Yount and it was 13-1. But Yount grounded out to third. However with Molitor at second, Yost was now in the on-deck circle. And there was only one out. Cecil Cooper grounded out to centre and Molly did not try for third. Ned Yost came to the dish. Paul better not try for third here, right?
He got ahead in the count, 2-1, then fouled off a pitch. When the next pitch missed, it was full. Another foul ball prolonged the plate appearance. But Yost was one pitch away from being retired. The Brewers, as a team, were on strike away from losing the game. The next pitch, from Cardinal starter John Stuper (on his way to a fine four-hitter) missed. Ball four!
But Ben Ogilvie flied to the centre to end that. When St. Louis took game seven, 6-3, The Milwaukee Brewers had lost. Ned Yost never made it back to the World Series as a player.
But this year, as a manager, many of his players are in the same situation that he was in as a player. Yost himself obviously knows that you can never be sure if it's going to happen to you again, so make the most of it. While his only World Series appearance may have been brief, what he took from that is undoubtedly rubbing off on his team. Down 3-2, Kansas is coming back home for games six and (if necessary) game seven of the 2014 Fall Classic. Ned, I'm sure, wants to win just as much as his players do. Nothing like winning for the first time ever, eh?
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.
Youtube. Youtube. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/>.
Ned was not much of a player. In fact, the most games he ever played in a season was 80, less than half the season. In 1982, he was a catcher for 39 games and a DH for one game. His team, the Milwaukee Brewers, made it all the way to the World Series that year. Ned even made the postseason roster.
And he sat on the bench and waited. Even in the ALCS against California, he watched. Watched as the Brewers fell behind two games to zero. It looked like Ned and his mates were not going to make it to October's Classic!
But they rallied to win the next three games. Then, in game one of the World Series against St. Louis, it was all Milwaukee. They crushed 'em, 11-0.
But the Series went back and fourth, which each team alternating wins through five games. But after those five games, all Yost had done was ride the pine. The Brewers, though, could not have cared less. They were one win away from their first World Series championship. And the city's first since 1957. They never got that one more win, however.
Game six was all St. Louis. The Cardinals were not going to lose it at home. It was like game one again, but in reverse. After five, it was 7-0 for the Cardinals. Then six more runs in the bottom of the sixth made it 13-0, St. Louis.
Ted Simmons, the regular catcher on Milwaukee, made the last out of a 1-2-3 top of the seventh for The Brew Crew. Ned Yost was inserted for him in the bottom of the frame. It seemed unlikely that Yost would make it to the dish. All three St. Louis batters flied out to left. There were only nine pitches thrown in that inning. Yost caught only five of them!
A runner reached in the top of the eighth for the Brewers, as they tried to at least break the shutout. But the other three batters were retired without any advancement. The Brewers also committed an error in a thirteen-pitch, bottom of the frame. But again, no advancement.
So the stubborn and defiant Brewers came up for their last hurrah in the top of the ninth. They made it an interesting final frame, to say the least.
Jim Gantner got things going with a double. Paul Molitor singled him to third. A wild pitch to Robin Yount and it was 13-1. But Yount grounded out to third. However with Molitor at second, Yost was now in the on-deck circle. And there was only one out. Cecil Cooper grounded out to centre and Molly did not try for third. Ned Yost came to the dish. Paul better not try for third here, right?
He got ahead in the count, 2-1, then fouled off a pitch. When the next pitch missed, it was full. Another foul ball prolonged the plate appearance. But Yost was one pitch away from being retired. The Brewers, as a team, were on strike away from losing the game. The next pitch, from Cardinal starter John Stuper (on his way to a fine four-hitter) missed. Ball four!
But Ben Ogilvie flied to the centre to end that. When St. Louis took game seven, 6-3, The Milwaukee Brewers had lost. Ned Yost never made it back to the World Series as a player.
But this year, as a manager, many of his players are in the same situation that he was in as a player. Yost himself obviously knows that you can never be sure if it's going to happen to you again, so make the most of it. While his only World Series appearance may have been brief, what he took from that is undoubtedly rubbing off on his team. Down 3-2, Kansas is coming back home for games six and (if necessary) game seven of the 2014 Fall Classic. Ned, I'm sure, wants to win just as much as his players do. Nothing like winning for the first time ever, eh?
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. 27 Oct. 2014.
Youtube. Youtube. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/>.
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