The 1989
National League Championship Series was played between the
National League West champion
San Francisco Giants and the
National League East champion
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
. The Giants won the series four games to one, en route to losing to the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
in four games in the
1989 World Series
The 1989 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1989 season. The 86th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the Nat ...
.
Summary
Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants
Game summaries
Game 1
Wednesday, October 4, 1989, at
Wrigley Field in
Chicago, Illinois
The Giants entered the series as slight favorites due to the
MVP season of
Kevin Mitchell, the solid play of
Will Clark, and the best ERA in baseball by pitcher
Scott Garrelts. The Cubs had won their second NL East title in six seasons behind the excellent rookie performances of
Jerome Walton and
Dwight Smith, who finished one-two in the 1989 NL Rookie of the Year balloting. The Cubs also had three pitchers with 16 or more victories,
Rick Sutcliffe,
Mike Bielecki, and
Greg Maddux
Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams. Maddux is best known for his accomplishments while playing for the Atlanta Braves ...
, coming off his third full season in the majors. The opener pitted Maddux against Garrelts.
By the time the Cubs came to bat, the Giants led, 3–0.
Brett Butler led off with a single and moved to third on Rick Wrona's passed ball. Clark drove in his first run of the series with a double. Clark moved to third on Mitchell's single and scored along with Mitchell on
Matt Williams' double. Maddux had given up three runs and recorded only one out, but he retired
Terry Kennedy and Pat Sheridan to end the first. The Cubs came right back in the bottom of the first.
Ryne Sandberg doubled and
Mark Grace drilled a two-out, two-run homer to cut the Giants lead to 3–2. Clark got a run back when he homered in the third, but Sandberg's solo homer cut the Giants lead back to one. With the score 4–3, the Giants came to bat against Maddux in the fourth.
Pat Sheridan and
José Uribe singled, and Uribe's steal put runners at second and third. Garrelts struck out, and the Cubs walked Butler intentionally hoping for a double play.
Robby Thompson popped to shortstop, and the
infield fly rule resulted in an automatic out. Bases loaded and two out with Clark batting. Having already driven in two runs, Clark tied the NLCS record for RBIs for an ''entire series'' in less than four innings when he drilled a grand slam to right that finished Maddux and the Cubs. The 8–3 lead ended in an 11–3 Giants victory when Mitchell nailed a three-run homer to close the scoring in the eighth. The Giants had drawn first blood and taken back home-field advantage.
Legend has it that Clark read Greg Maddux’s lips during the mound visit before the grand slam, and that helped Clark pound a high fastball over the wall for a grand slam that helped the Giants steal Game 1 in Wrigley. Although, Clark's teammate,
Bob Brenly, expressed doubts about the truth of that story. Postgame, Cubs' manager
Don Zimmer summed up Clark’s brilliant outing by saying "He
larkhad a helluva week tonight."
Game 2
Thursday, October 5, 1989, at
Wrigley Field in
Chicago, Illinois
Giving the Giants a dose of their own Game 1 medicine, the Cubs ended Game 2 early with a six-run first inning, five of the runs coming against Giants starter and loser
Rick Reuschel. After
Mike Bielecki picked Butler off first and retired the side, the Cubs went to work.
Jerome Walton singled and scored on
Ryne Sandberg's triple. After Dwight Smith lined out to first,
Mark Grace doubled Sandberg home. Reuschel struck out
Andre Dawson, but
Luis Salazar singled to score Grace and moved to second on a single by
Shawon Dunston. The Giants walked
Joe Girardi to get to the pitcher's spot, and Bielecki responded with a single that scored Salazar and Dunston to make it 5–0. Walton again singled, scoring Girardi, and when
Kelly Downs retired Sandberg on a pop-up, the Cubs went back into the field with a 6–0 lead.
The game was essentially over after the first inning. The Giants cut the lead to 6–2 in the fourth when
Will Clark singled and
Kevin Mitchell homered for the second time in the series. But the Cubs got those runs plus another back in the sixth when Grace doubled with the bases loaded, scoring all three runners and giving the Cubs a 9–2 lead. The Giants got three cosmetic runs when Williams homered in the eighth and Robby Thompson homered in the ninth. But the Cubs' early scoring made it one game apiece as the series headed to
San Francisco for Game 3.
Les Lancaster
Lester Wayne (Les) Lancaster (born April 21, 1962) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1987–1993 and later managed in the minor leagues.
Along with fellow reliever Mitch Williams, Lancaster helped lea ...
got the win for the Cubs.
Game 3
Saturday, October 7, 1989, at
Candlestick Park in
San Francisco, California
Tied at one apiece, the series converged on Candlestick Park for Game 3. The pitching match-up featured 16-game winner
Rick Sutcliffe against
Mike LaCoss. Neither pitcher would be involved in the decision.
Following the trend of the first two games—five runs by the two teams combined in the first inning of Game 1 and six in the first inning of Game 2—the Cubs roared out of the gate with two first-inning runs courtesy of back-to-back singles by Walton and Smith, a wild pitch by LaCoss that put them on second and third, and a single by
Andre Dawson that scored both and put the Cubs in the lead, 2–0. The Giants answered with three in their half of the first. Butler and Thompson singled, and
Will Clark's fielder's choice ground out moved the runners to second and third.
Kevin Mitchell was given an intentional pass, and
Matt Williams grounded out to the pitcher to score Butler. Two more walks gave the Giants a second run when Thompson scored, and Jose Uribe's infield single scored Mitchell. The Giants now led, 3–2, but Sutcliffe avoided further damage by getting LaCoss to pop up.
The Cubs tied it in the fourth, but they settled for one run with a chance to open up the game. They loaded the bases against LaCoss with nobody out, and
Roger Craig summoned reliever
Jeff Brantley. Brantley got Sutcliffe to hit into a double play, including a force on Salazar at the plate. With runners at second and third and two out, the Giants nearly escaped, but a wild pitch from Brantley scored Dunston and tied the game. Walton flied out to end the inning.
The Cubs regained the lead in the seventh when Sutcliffe doubled and went to third on Walton's bunt.
Greg Maddux
Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams. Maddux is best known for his accomplishments while playing for the Atlanta Braves ...
was sent in to pinch-run for Sutcliffe, and he scored on
Ryne Sandberg's fly to center. Dwight Smith popped out, but the Cubs led, 4–3.
The Giants, however, came back to put the game away in the bottom of the seventh.
Les Lancaster
Lester Wayne (Les) Lancaster (born April 21, 1962) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1987–1993 and later managed in the minor leagues.
Along with fellow reliever Mitch Williams, Lancaster helped lea ...
took the mound to face the Giants. He was the winning pitcher in Game 2, but he gave up a home run to
Robby Thompson. Lancaster inherited
Brett Butler at first and his first hitter was Thompson. Moments later, Thompson had his second home run in his last two at-bats against Lancaster, and the Giants had a 5–4 lead.
Don Robinson got the win in relief,
Steve Bedrosian got the save, and the Giants had a 2–1 series lead.
Game 4
Sunday, October 8, 1989, at
Candlestick Park in
San Francisco, California
In keeping with the first three games, the scoring began early in Game 4 as the Cubs sought to tie the series and the Giants hoped to take a 3–1 lead in the series. The pitching match-up featured a rematch of first-game pitchers Scott Garrelts and
Greg Maddux
Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams. Maddux is best known for his accomplishments while playing for the Atlanta Braves ...
. Garrelts had triumphed in round one, but neither pitcher would be involved in the decision in the rematch.
The Cubs opened the first playing small ball. A double by Sandberg followed by a short single by Smith and a line out to right by
Mark Grace scored Sandberg to give the Cubs a 1–0 lead. The Giants mimicked the Cubs in the bottom of the first when Thompson walked, went to third on a Clark single, and scored on a
Kevin Mitchell ground out.
Luis Salazar then stunned the Giants faithful with a homer to give the Cubs a 2–1 lead in the second. But a
bases-loaded
This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries.
...
single by
Matt Williams in the bottom of the third scored two runs and put the Giants back in front.
José Uribe doubled in the fourth. Maddux seemingly had him picked off, but a throwing error put Uribe at third, and he scored on Maddux's wild pitch to make it 4–2 Giants. In the top of the fifth, Walton singled and scored on Grace's triple. Grace then scored on Dawson's double and the score was tied at four. But in the bottom of the fifth, Clark doubled and Matt Williams (after fouling off seven pitches in a 12-pitch at-bat) hit his second homer of the series to give the Giants a 6–4 lead that was the final score.
The Giants' win gave them a three games to one edge and a chance to finish the series the next day at home.
Kelly Downs was the winning pitcher, and
Steve Wilson was the loser.
Steve Bedrosian got his second save in as many days.
Game 5
Monday, October 9, 1989, at
Candlestick Park in
San Francisco, California
Before the game, the
Tower of Power horn section played the
National Anthem.
The Giants made it to their first
World Series since
1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
with a 3–2 win over the Cubs to win the 1989 National League pennant, four games to one. The final game pitted
Mike Bielecki against a well-rested (due to his quick exit from Game 2)
Rick Reuschel. Reuschel made amends for his poor start in Game 2 by giving up only one run over eight innings. The one run Reuschel gave up was an unearned run the Cubs scored when Walton reached on an error by Mitchell and then scored on Sandberg's double. The Cubs held the 1–0 lead until the seventh inning when
Will Clark tripled and scored on Mitchell's sacrifice fly.
With two outs in the eighth, the Cubs appeared ready to perhaps send the series back to Chicago, but
Candy Maldonado pinch-hit for Reuschel and walked. Bielecki then proceeded to load the bases by walking both Butler and Thompson.
Don Zimmer sent for
Mitch Williams to end the jam, but Clark drove home the pennant-winning runs with a single to center that gave the Giants a 3–1 lead.
Les Lancaster
Lester Wayne (Les) Lancaster (born April 21, 1962) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1987–1993 and later managed in the minor leagues.
Along with fellow reliever Mitch Williams, Lancaster helped lea ...
got Matt Williams out to end the inning but the Cubs were finished.
They did rally, however, in the ninth with three straight singles that made it 3–2. But Sandberg grounded out and the Giants were in their first
World Series since
1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
. Clark's stellar performance earned him
Most Valuable Player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
honors for the Giants. Clark hit .650 with eight RBIs.
Composite box
1989 NLCS (4–1):
San Francisco Giants over
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
Television coverage
NBC play-by-play man
Vin Scully was unable to call Game 2 because he had come down with
laryngitis
Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under two weeks.
Laryngitis is categorised ...
. Thus, number two play-by-play man,
Bob Costas filled-in for him. Around the same time, Costas was assigned to call the
American League Championship Series
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
between
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
and
Toronto. Game 2 of the NLCS occurred on Thursday, October 5, which was an off day for the ALCS. NBC then decided to fly Costas from Toronto to Chicago to substitute for Scully on Thursday night. Afterwards, Costas flew back to Toronto, where he resumed work on the ALCS the next night.
Game 5 of the 1989 NLCS (October 9, 1989) was the last Major League Baseball game that
NBC, which had broadcast MLB in some shape or form since 1947, would televise for five years (
CBS would become the exclusive broadcast television network home for Major League Baseball in the meantime); the ensuing
World Series was broadcast on
ABC, with those four games being that network's last in the same timeframe. NBC would next televise a Major League Baseball game on July 12, 1994 (the
All-Star Game from
Pittsburgh); that same year, ABC began to broadcast Saturday night games via
The Baseball Network. During the
1995 season, NBC began broadcasting Friday night games, with ABC still continuing Saturday night games, and the two networks would rotate postseason series, as well as games in the
World Series, in which the
Atlanta Braves defeated the
Cleveland Indians, 4 games to 2.
After The Baseball Network was dissolved,
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
took over the exclusive broadcast rights for MLB regular season games, although NBC would still broadcast select postseason games and alternate with Fox for World Series coverage. By 2001, Fox became the exclusive broadcast home for the MLB postseason as well, a position it held through 2006. Beginning in 2007, TBS and Fox would alternate televising the LCS, with Fox taking the ALCS in odd years, and the NLCS in even years. TBS would do the reverse, televising the NLCS in odd years and the ALCS in even years.
Aftermath
Giants pitcher
Dave Dravecky, who would ultimately have his pitching arm amputated due to cancer, broke his arm during the Giants' on-field celebration following Game 5.
The Giants were swept by the
Athletics in the
1989 World Series
The 1989 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1989 season. The 86th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the Nat ...
. The ‘89 World Series was most known for the
Loma Prieta earthquake
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of t ...
, which hit minutes before Game 3 causing significant damage to both
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
and
San Francisco. The game was postponed out of concerns for the safety of everyone in the ballpark as well as the loss of power, with
commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
Fay Vincent later saying that he did not know when play would resume. The series resumed ten days later on October 27 and finished the next day. Until that point, it was the latest a World Series had ever been played.
Long-time Giants catcher
Bob Brenly would later serve as a color analyst for
televised Chicago Cubs games from
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
-
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
. In between the end of his playing career and his announcing career, Brenly would win a World Series managing the
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks
The 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, in their fourth year of existence, looked to improve on their 2000 season. They had to contend in what was a strong National League West Division.
Arizona had the best one-two pitching combination in the majors: ...
. On that 2001 Diamondbacks team were a 35-year old
Matt Williams and a 37-year old
Mark Grace.
Known for their title droughts — the Giants had never won a World Series in San Francisco, while the Cubs had not won in 81 years at the time of this series in 1989 — both teams would have to wait until the 2010s to win a World Series. In 2010, the
Giants defeated the
Texas Rangers in five games to win the
World Series for the first time since moving to San Francisco in
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
, thus ending the 52-year "
Curse of Coogan's Bluff". The
Cubs beat the
Cleveland Indians in the
2016 World Series
The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...
in seven games after trailing in the series 3 games to 1. They won Game 7 by a score of 8–7 in 10 innings at Cleveland's
Progressive Field
{{Infobox stadium
, name = Progressive Field
, nickname = ''"The Jake"''
, logo_image = Progressive_Field_Logo.svg
, logo_caption =
, image =
, caption = Progressive Fiel ...
, ending their 108-year drought.
The Cubs and Giants met in a
Wild Card tiebreaker in 1998 where the
Cubs advanced, beating the
Giants 5–3. On their way to a 2016 World Series, the Cubs also beat the
Giants in the
2016 NLDS
The 2016 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2016 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1-3) and a fourth team—the winner of a one-gam ...
, 3 games to 1. The Cubs series clinching win in Game 4 was their first postseason win in a game played on the
West coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
. They had previously lost their first 10 games as the visiting team on the West Coast in the postseason.
Notes
External links
1989 NLCS at Baseball ReferenceGiants Clubhouse: Postseason '89
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