1989 World Series facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 1989 World Series
Team (Wins) Manager(s) Season Oakland Athletics (4) Tony La Russa 99–63, .611, GA: 7 San Francisco Giants (0) Roger Craig 92–70, .568, GA: 3
Dates	October 14–28
Venue	Oakland Coliseum (Oakland) Candlestick Park (San Francisco)
MVP	Dave Stewart (Oakland)
Umpires	Rich Garcia (AL), Paul Runge (NL), Al Clark (AL), Dutch Rennert (NL), Vic Voltaggio (AL), Eric Gregg (NL)
Hall of Famers	Athletics: Tony La Russa (manager) Dennis Eckersley Rickey Henderson Giants: none
Broadcast
Television	ABC
TV announcers	Al Michaels, Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver
Radio	CBS KSFO (OAK) KNBR (SF)
Radio announcers	Jack Buck and Johnny Bench (CBS) Bill King and Lon Simmons (KSFO) Hank Greenwald and Ron Fairly (KNBR)
ALCS	Oakland Athletics over Toronto Blue Jays (4–1)
NLCS	San Francisco Giants over Chicago Cubs (4–1)
World Series

The 1989 World Series was the championship baseball series for the Major League Baseball (MLB) 1989 season. It was the 86th World Series ever played. This series was a best-of-seven playoff, meaning the first team to win four games would be the champion.

The series featured two teams from the same area: the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants. These two cities, Oakland and San Francisco, are on opposite sides of the San Francisco Bay. The series took place from October 14 to October 28. The Oakland Athletics won by sweeping the Giants in four games. This was the first World Series sweep since 1976.

This was only the fourth time these two teams had met in the World Series. The last time was in 1913. Before, the Giants were based in New York and the Athletics in Philadelphia. This 76-year gap between matchups was the longest in World Series history at the time. It was also the first time two teams played each other in the World Series after both had moved from different cities.

The Commissioner of Baseball, Fay Vincent, led his first World Series. He dedicated it to the memory of his predecessor, Bart Giamatti, who had passed away in September.

This series was known by many nicknames, like the "Bay Bridge Series," "BART Series," "Battle of the Bay," and "Earthquake Series." These names came from the fact that the two cities are connected by the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. The most famous nickname, "Earthquake Series," came from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that happened during the series. It was the first "cross-town" World Series since 1956, meaning both teams were from the same big city area.

On October 17, at about 5:04 pm, just before Game 3 was supposed to start, the Loma Prieta earthquake hit. It caused serious damage in both Oakland and San Francisco. Candlestick Park in San Francisco, where the game was to be played, was damaged. Pieces of concrete fell, and the power went out. The game was postponed because of safety concerns and the power loss. Commissioner Vincent wasn't sure when the games would start again. The series finally started back up on October 27 and finished the next day.

At that time, October 28 was the latest a World Series had ever ended. This was surprising because the 1989 series only lasted four games, the minimum. (The 1981 World Series also ended on October 28). This record has been broken many times since then. Now, the World Series often ends in late October or early November. This is because more playoff games, like the Division Series and Wild Card Games, have been added.

Teams in the Series

The San Francisco Giants won their division, the NL West. They then beat the Chicago Cubs four games to one in the National League Championship Series.

The Oakland Athletics won their division, the AL West. They then defeated the Toronto Blue Jays four games to one in the American League Championship Series.

This was the Giants' first trip to the World Series since 1962. The Athletics were playing in their second World Series in a row, after being in the 1988 series.

Series Games Summary

AL Oakland Athletics (4) vs. NL San Francisco Giants (0)

† Game 3 was supposed to be on October 17. But it was postponed because of the earthquake.

Game 1: Athletics Win 5-0

Before Game 1, there was a special tribute to the late Commissioner Bart Giamatti. His son threw out the first pitch. The Yale University singing group, the Whiffenpoofs, sang the national anthem.

Oakland's star pitcher, Dave Stewart, faced Giants pitcher Scott Garrelts. The Athletics scored three runs in the second inning. They added more runs with home runs from Dave Parker and Walt Weiss. Stewart was amazing, allowing only five hits in the whole game. Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Game 2: Athletics Win 5-1

Chris Drury, a future NHL star, threw out the first pitch. Oakland's pitcher Mike Moore started against Giant Rick Reuschel.

Oakland started strong again. Rickey Henderson walked, stole second, and scored on a hit by Carney Lansford. The Giants scored their first run of the series in the third inning. But Oakland took back the lead in the fourth. Dave Parker hit a double, scoring a run. Then, Terry Steinbach hit a three-run home run. The Giants couldn't score against Oakland's relief pitchers. The A's won 5-1, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Loma Prieta Earthquake

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake happened on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. Game 3 was set to start at 5:35 p.m. at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Thousands of fans were already inside the stadium when the earthquake hit.

This was the first major earthquake in the U.S. to be shown live on TV. Experts believe the World Series helped save lives. Many people had left work early or stayed late to watch the game. This meant fewer cars were on the roads that collapsed, like the Cypress Street Viaduct in Oakland.

The TV broadcast on ABC was interrupted. The announcers, Al Michaels, Tim McCarver, and Jim Palmer, grabbed onto things to stay safe. Michaels famously said, "I'll tell you what, we're having an earth-" before the feed cut out. A Goodyear Blimp that was covering the game helped coordinate emergency efforts.

Commissioner Fay Vincent decided to postpone Game 3. It was first delayed for five days. Then it was delayed for another five days because of problems with TV connections. San Francisco's mayor wanted to wait a month, but Vincent said he might move the game to another city if the delay was that long.

Oakland Athletics players had to take a much longer route home. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and a highway had collapsed. Player Jose Canseco was even seen filling up his car at a gas station while still in uniform!

The earthquake also changed who sang the National Anthem. Stevie Wonder was supposed to perform for Game 3. But after the quake, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers sang instead when the game was finally played.

Game 3: Athletics Win 13-7

During the ten-day delay, Candlestick Park was checked and fixed. It was safe to use. Before Game 3, police officers and firefighters who helped after the earthquake were honored. They threw out the first pitch.

The same pitchers from Game 1, Stewart and Garrelts, started again. The long delay allowed both teams to use their best pitchers.

Oakland's Dave Henderson almost hit three home runs. One of his hits bounced off the top of the wall for a double. Giants catcher Bill Bathe hit a home run in his very first World Series at-bat.

This game set a record for the most combined home runs in a World Series game (7). It also tied the record for most home runs by one team (5) in a World Series game. Oakland won easily, 13-7.

Game 4: Athletics Win 9-6 and the Series!

October 28 was the latest a World Series had ever ended at that time. Singer Nell Carter sang the National Anthem. Baseball legend Willie Mays threw out the first pitch.

The A's took the lead right away with a home run from Rickey Henderson. They built an 8-0 lead. The Giants tried to come back with home runs from Kevin Mitchell and Greg Litton, cutting the score to 8-6. But it wasn't enough. San Francisco lost 9-6.

This was the last World Series game ever played at Candlestick Park. The Giants later moved to a new stadium, Oracle Park.

Out of respect for the earthquake victims, the Oakland Athletics did not celebrate their World Series win with champagne. This is usually a tradition for winning teams.

Final Series Score

1989 World Series (4–0): Oakland Athletics (A.L.) beat San Francisco Giants (N.L.).

TV and Radio Coverage

ABC's play-by-play announcer, Al Michaels, was nominated for an award. This was for his live reporting during the earthquake at Candlestick Park.

This was the last World Series that ABC would show completely. After this, CBS took over the TV rights for baseball. The series had lower TV ratings than usual. This was partly because of the earthquake delay and the quick four-game sweep.

CBS Radio also covered the series. Jack Buck was the main radio announcer for his last World Series with CBS.

What Happened Next?

The A's went back to the World Series the very next year, in 1990. But they lost to the Cincinnati Reds. Oakland has not returned to the World Series since then.

The Giants did not win the National League Championship again for many years. They finally returned to the World Series in 2002, but lost. They won their first World Series since 1954 in 2010. They also won in 2012 and 2014.

Many players from the 1989 A's, like Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, later played for other teams. McGwire became famous for breaking the single-season home run record in 1998. Canseco won another World Series with the New York Yankees in 2000. The A's manager, Tony La Russa, also went on to manage other teams and win more championships.

Giants manager Roger Craig left the team in 1992. Players like Kevin Mitchell, Brett Butler, and Will Clark also moved to other teams or retired. Matt Williams later won a World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.

On June 13, 2009, the Giants honored 27 members of their 1989 team. This was before a game against the Oakland A's.

The A's victory was part of a winning streak for sports teams in the Bay Area. The San Francisco 49ers football team won two Super Bowls around the same time. Later, the Golden State Warriors basketball team from Oakland won NBA championships in 2015, 2017, and 2018.

This 1989 World Series was one of the first to end in the last week of October. The 2001 World Series was delayed by the September 11 attacks and ended in November.

Images for kids

• 

  The collapse of the Bay Bridge forced Oakland players to return home via San Jose

See also

In Spanish: Serie Mundial de 1989 para niños