I’m a fan of Major League Baseball from the word go. And nothing brings a bigger rush to a true baseball fan than opening day and the World Series.
There have been some great World Series over the years and I’ve had the honor to watch many of them on television. Since I’ve began watching sports in the fall of 1969, there have been 52 worlds Series played. Here is a list of my top 10 during that span, in chronological order. (They didn’t have a World Series in 1994 due to a player’s strike.)
Here goes:
— The 1969 World Series between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles. It goes down as one of the most amazing wins of all time. The underdog New York Mets, just eight years after posting one of the worst records in history in their expansion year of 1962, knock off the heavily favored Orioles to a win the world Championship in ’69 in just five games.
— The 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. While the “Big Red Machine” won the series 4-3, it was the sixth game of the World Series that captured the imaginations of baseball fans, featuring Carlton Fisk’s dramatic homer over the left field wall to give Boston the win and force a deciding game seven.
— The 1986 World Series featured the error by usually sure-handed Bill Buckner of the Red Sox, that snatched the series win out of the hands of Boston, and gave the Mets a win in game six. One game later the New York Mets became World Series Champs once again.
— The 1988 World Series was won handily by the Los Angeles Dodgers oner the Oakland A’s in just five games. In fact, the most dramatic moment of the entire Series came in game one when injured Los Angeles slugger Kirk Gibson blasted a pinch-hit homer and then limped around the bases as the Dodgers won the game.
— A year later came the “Earthquake World Series.” Just before Game 3 was supposed to begin an earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California, delaying the World Series. The Oakland Athletics went on to sweep the Giants in four straight games.
— The 1991 World Series brings back memories of Kirby Puckett’s catch and homers, Jack Morris’ unbelievable clutch pitching, Chuck Knoblauch playing second base for he Twins, and Minnesota’s Kent Hrbek pushing Atlanta’s Ron Gant off of first base, to record a crucial out at first base. It was a showdown of two teams who had been in last place the year before, but wound up playing in the World Series the next year. The Twins beat the Braves in seven games.
— In 1995 the Atlanta Braves finally claimed a World Championship as the Braves beat the Cleveland Indians four games to two. Atlanta played in five World Series in the 1990s, but only won one..
— In 1997 the Florida Marlins defeated the Cleveland Indians 3-2 in 11 innings in game seven to take the World Series title. What makes this game so significant to Mississippians, and those who live in the Meridian area in particular, is that former West Lauderdale and Mississippi State standout Jay Powell was the winning pitcher in the final game. He pitched a scoreless top of the 11th, before the Marlins scored a single run in the bottom of the inning to hand Powell the win.
— I’m going to cheat a little here and combine the 2004 World Series and the 2016 World Series into one. In 2004 the Boston Red Sox won a World Series title for the first time scene 1918. Between 1912 and 1918 Boston had won the Championship four times, but didn’t win another ring until beating the St. Louis Cardinals in four straight games in 2004. The Chicago Cus won he World Series in 1907 and 1908 but didn’t win again until claiming the World Championship in seven games over the Cleveland Indians in 2016.
— Of Course 2021 is not eh list. The much-maligned Atlanta Braves, who were predicted by most to lose in every round of the playoffs, outlasted the Houston Astros and won the World Series in six games, giving the Braves franchise its fourth World Series crown. The previous three came in Atlanta in 1995, Milwaukee in 1957, and Boston in 1914.
Austin Bishop, AKA The Old Sports Dude, has been covering high school, college, amateur, and professional sports since 1975. He is currently pastor of Great Commission Assembly of God in Philadelphia, Miss. He may be contacted by email at starsportsboss@yahoo.com or by phone at 601-938-2471.
