A series of great Series

Two years ago, news editor Bob Mayes and I had a showdown of sorts.
OK, it just sounded fancy to say “showdown.” We named our 10 greatest World Series moments, and Bob ever so keenly guessed I would name Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956 as the greatest moment.
On occasion, I will do an Elite Eight list, which I introduced during the summer. And with the Chicago White Sox battling the Houston Astros in this year’s Fall Classic starting tonight, I felt it was time to unveil the eight greatest World Series of all time.
My apologies beforehand to Bob for not suggesting another “showdown.”
8. 1926, St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Yankees: The Cardinals held a 2-1 lead in games, when in Game 4, Babe Ruth belted three home runs to lead the Yankees to a 10-5 rout. In Game 5, Tony Lazzeri’s sacrifice fly brought home the winning run in the 10th inning a 3-2 win, putting the Yankees one win from winning the title.
But the Cardinals stormed back for a 10-2 win in Game 6, and in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, the Cardinals held a 3-2 lead until the seventh inning. Jesse Haines tired, and was replaced by future Hall of Famer Pete Alexander. With Earle Combs, Bob Meusel and Lou Gehrig on base and two outs, Alexander struck out Lazzeri. The Cardinals would hold on for the 3-2 win and their first World Series title.
7. 2002, Anaheim Angels vs. San Francisco Giants: The teams split the first four games, then in Game 5, the Giants unloaded for 16 hits to win 16-4, taking the series back to Anaheim up 3-2.
In Game 6, Russ Ortiz and the Giants held a 5-0 lead when manager Dusty Baker came out to relieve Ortiz and told him he could take the ball as a “keepsake” for what he thought was going to be the deciding victory. But the Angels got to relievers Felix Rodriguez, Scott Eyre and Tim Worrell as Scott Spiezio hit a three-run home run in the seventh, Darin Erstad hit a home run in the eighth and Troy Glaus delivered a two-run double in the eighth to complete a 6-5 comeback win.
In Game 7, Garrett Anderson’s three-run double broke a 1-1 tie in the third and that was all John Lackey, Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodriguez and Troy Percival needed to bring home the Angels’ first and only Series title.
6. 1955, Brooklyn Dodgers vs. New York Yankees: For years, Dodger fans lived by the motto, “Wait ‘til next year.”
The first six games went to the home team, and by that pattern, it looked as if the Yankees would claim another title, playing Game 7 in Yankee Stadium. But pitcher Johnny Podres, a 23-year-old left-hander, had other ideas. Podres scattered eight hits, walked two and struck out four, and was aided by a fourth-inning RBI single by Gil Hodges and a wild pitch that brought home Carl Furillo in the sixth.
In the sixth, the Yankees threatened with one out and two on. Yogi Berra hit a fly ball to left field near the corner. Sandy Amoros, who had just been put in the game, raced over to make a one-handed catch, wheeled around and fired back to shortstop Pee Wee Reese, who fired to first to get Gil McDougald. The Dodgers held on for the 2-0 win and next year had finally arrived.
5. 1960, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Yankees: The Pirates won their first three games by 6-4, 3-2 and 5-2 scores. The Yankees, managed for the last time under Casey Stengel, won their games 16-3, 10-0 and 12-0, setting up arguably the greatest Game 7 ever at Forbes Field.
The Pirates jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but the Yankees came back to lead 5-4 in the sixth. They added two more runs in the eighth to take a three-run lead, but the Pirates rallied for five runs, the final three on a Hal Smith home run, to take a 9-7 lead into the ninth. The Yankees battled back on a Mickey Mantle RBI single and a Berra RBI groundout to send the game into the bottom of the ninth tied at 9.
But facing Ralph Terry, Bill Mazeroski belted a shot over the left-field fence to give the Pirates their first Series title in 35 years.
4. 1986, New York Mets vs. Boston Red Sox: OK, you know about the famous Game 6 and the Bill Buckner error on Mookie Wilson’s grounder that allowed Ray Knight to score the winning run in the 10th inning after the Mets fell behind 5-3 in the top of the inning on Dave Henderson’s home run.
But the Red Sox still had Game 7, and actually took a 3-0 lead into the sixth before the Mets tied it, then scored three more in the seventh, sparked by Ray Knight’s home run. The Red Sox cut the lead to 6-5 in the eighth before Darryl Strawberry’s home run off Al Nipper in the eighth put away the 8-5 win and the Mets’ second Series title.
3. 2001, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Yankees: People remember many things about this World Series, mostly due to the games being played in New York a month after the Sept. 11 tragedies.
The Yankees rode ninth-inning home runs by Tino Martinez (Game 4) and Scott Brosius (Game 5), both off Byung-Hyun Kim, to eventual extra-inning victories to take a 3-2 series lead back to Phoenix.
But the Diamondbacks pounded the Yankees in Game 6, 15-2, setting up the dramatic Game 7 finish that saw Alfonso Soriano’s home run off Curt Schilling in the eighth inning give the Yankees a 2-1 lead for Mariano Rivera to protect. But the Diamondbacks rallied against the reliable Rivera and won it with two in the bottom of the ninth. Luis Gonzalez’s RBI single knocked in Jay Bell for the game-winner.
2. 1991, Minnesota Twins vs. Atlanta Braves: Little-known second baseman Mark Lemke was one victory away from being named the MVP of the series.
But thanks to Kirby Puckett’s 11th-inning home run off Charlie Liebrandt in Game 6, the Twins forced what may be one of the greatest finales of all time.
There was Lonnie Smith stopping at second base thanks to Chuck Knoblauch’s fake double-play deke on Terry Pendleton’s double that might have gotten the Braves on the board in the eighth inning against Jack Morris. There was Morris getting big out after big out in going all 10 innings and battling John Smoltz. And in the 10th with the Metrodome crowd going crazy, it was Gene Larkin’s single to left field that scored Dan Gladden with the winning run that gave the Twins their second title in five years.
1 1975, Cincinnati Reds vs. Boston Red Sox: Plenty of storylines throughout the series made this the most memorable of all the Fall Classics.
Luis Tiant’s Game 1 shutout with his father watching him pitch for the first time ever. Ed Armbrister’s infamous blocking of Carlton Fisk in Game 3 that led to the Reds winning in the ninth inning. Bernie Carbo’s two pinch-hit home runs that made him an instant Sox hero.
And, of course, there was Game 6, maybe the greatest World Series game ever, capped in the 12th inning with Carlton Fisk’s line drive hitting the left-field foul pole at Fenway to force Game 7. In Game 7, the Red Sox took a 3-0 lead, only to watch Tony Perez’s home run off Bill Lee cut the lead to 3-2 in the sixth and spark the Reds’ comeback, which culminated in Joe Morgan’s RBI single in the ninth that scored Ken Griffey. The Reds held on for the 4-3 win and first title in 35 years.

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