So the Cardinals of 2006 won just 83 games and took it all. The 1973 New York Mets won just 82 games, but still made the Fall Classic. No team that played in the Fall Classic has won fewer games.
The record was formally held by the 1918 Chicago Cubs, but 55 years later, along came the New York Mets. It had been just four years since they'd won it all in 1969. Up against the Oakland Athletics, and up against 94 wins.
But New York wasn't about to act like a team that wasn't that good. They still had Tom Seaver, right? They beat the Cincinnati Reds in five games in the NLCS, right?
Oakland barely won the first game, 2-1, at home. New York needed a split. And they need extras to do it. But what was very impressive was the Mets scored 10 runs in 10 innings. They could stay with the A's any way you wanted it.
Back home at Shea Stadium, New York took Oakland to extras, again. But alas, it was the visitors who won, 3-2. Bert Campaneris singled home Ted Kubiak in the top of the tenth. The Mets didn't go down without a fight in the bottom of the frame. Wayne Garrett singled to lead it off. He was at second went the final out was recorded. Now the home team needed to rally again.
However, no rally was needed in game four.
New York put up a "3" in the bottom of the first. They had all the runs that starter Jon Matlack would need. Ray Sadecki would finish the game, a combined 5-hitter. And a 6-1 Mets win.
Jerry Koosman and Tug McGraw were even better for the home team in game five. They combined on a 3-hitter! The 2-0 win put New York one win away from another championship. 82 wins went a long way in the regular season.
However, the Oakland Athletics, who'd won it all the previous year, were going home. They had no intention of losing there.
And the Athletics won game six and seven. It was never easy, as New York still had heroics up their sleeves. Tom Seaver pitched a great game six, falling just 3-1 to Catfish Hunter. In game seven, the 5-2 final score is misleading.
The game started out as a rout, but the visitors never quit. Behind 5-0 after 5, the Mets fought back. Two doubles scored a run in the top of the 6th. New York got 2 more runners on in the 7th, but couldn't get 'em home. Ray Sadecki and George Stone held Oakland at bay in the 6th, 7th and 8th, but the defiant New Yorkers came up in the top of the 9th, trailing by four runs.
John Milner opened with a walk of Rollie Fingers, who'd been pretty good in relief of starter Ken Holtzman. The Mets had an opening. Jerry Groat flied out, but it Don Hahn who singled Milner to second. Bud Harrelson grounded out, with both runners advancing. New York was down to their last out, but they weren't finished. Ed Kranepool grounded to first, and Gene Tenace booted it! Milner scored to make it a 5-2 ballgame.
Given this, New York suddenly had the tying run at the dish. Two substitutions were then made. Ted Martinez came in to run for Kranepool at first. Rollie Fingers was also done for the night, as Darold Knowles came in to face Wayne Garrett. New York was trying for one last big push. They'd gotten them in 1969, and they would again in 1986.
This, however, was the 1973 Fall Classic, and it ended as Wayne Garrett popped out to short. The New York Mets, with their 82 regular season wins, had come up a little short in the end. But they'd gone further than anyone could have hoped for.
References
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of
Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print.
Nemec, David. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-By-Year History Of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com
- Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 23 Mar. 2018.
Youtube. Web. 23 Mar. 2018. <https://www.youtube.com>.
The record was formally held by the 1918 Chicago Cubs, but 55 years later, along came the New York Mets. It had been just four years since they'd won it all in 1969. Up against the Oakland Athletics, and up against 94 wins.
But New York wasn't about to act like a team that wasn't that good. They still had Tom Seaver, right? They beat the Cincinnati Reds in five games in the NLCS, right?
Oakland barely won the first game, 2-1, at home. New York needed a split. And they need extras to do it. But what was very impressive was the Mets scored 10 runs in 10 innings. They could stay with the A's any way you wanted it.
Back home at Shea Stadium, New York took Oakland to extras, again. But alas, it was the visitors who won, 3-2. Bert Campaneris singled home Ted Kubiak in the top of the tenth. The Mets didn't go down without a fight in the bottom of the frame. Wayne Garrett singled to lead it off. He was at second went the final out was recorded. Now the home team needed to rally again.
However, no rally was needed in game four.
New York put up a "3" in the bottom of the first. They had all the runs that starter Jon Matlack would need. Ray Sadecki would finish the game, a combined 5-hitter. And a 6-1 Mets win.
Jerry Koosman and Tug McGraw were even better for the home team in game five. They combined on a 3-hitter! The 2-0 win put New York one win away from another championship. 82 wins went a long way in the regular season.
However, the Oakland Athletics, who'd won it all the previous year, were going home. They had no intention of losing there.
And the Athletics won game six and seven. It was never easy, as New York still had heroics up their sleeves. Tom Seaver pitched a great game six, falling just 3-1 to Catfish Hunter. In game seven, the 5-2 final score is misleading.
The game started out as a rout, but the visitors never quit. Behind 5-0 after 5, the Mets fought back. Two doubles scored a run in the top of the 6th. New York got 2 more runners on in the 7th, but couldn't get 'em home. Ray Sadecki and George Stone held Oakland at bay in the 6th, 7th and 8th, but the defiant New Yorkers came up in the top of the 9th, trailing by four runs.
John Milner opened with a walk of Rollie Fingers, who'd been pretty good in relief of starter Ken Holtzman. The Mets had an opening. Jerry Groat flied out, but it Don Hahn who singled Milner to second. Bud Harrelson grounded out, with both runners advancing. New York was down to their last out, but they weren't finished. Ed Kranepool grounded to first, and Gene Tenace booted it! Milner scored to make it a 5-2 ballgame.
Given this, New York suddenly had the tying run at the dish. Two substitutions were then made. Ted Martinez came in to run for Kranepool at first. Rollie Fingers was also done for the night, as Darold Knowles came in to face Wayne Garrett. New York was trying for one last big push. They'd gotten them in 1969, and they would again in 1986.
This, however, was the 1973 Fall Classic, and it ended as Wayne Garrett popped out to short. The New York Mets, with their 82 regular season wins, had come up a little short in the end. But they'd gone further than anyone could have hoped for.
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. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-By-Year History Of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008. Print.
Retrosheet. Web. 23 Mar. 2018. <www.retrosheet.org>.
Youtube. Web. 23 Mar. 2018. <https://www.youtube.com>.
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