Original subtitles

human spirit that lives in the people of

Northern California who proved during

the World Series that champions by the

bay don't necessarily have to play

baseball there has never been a baseball

season in the Bay Area quite like 1989

the Oakland A's the San Francisco Giants

two teams battling through a regular

season of injuries and adversity guided

by managers who by year's end look like

magicians baseball fever reached a peak

when San Francisco won the National

League pennant and Oakland took the

American League title finally the world

series of four-game sweep by the A's the

World Series was supposed to be the

ultimate battle by the bay but then came

the earthquake that rocked Northern

California just before Game three a

quake that sent both players and fans

through a kaleidoscope of emotions and

created the awkward combination of

baseball and its glory and nature in its

fury as a result this tape is now

dedicated to more than just both teams

it's for the people of the Bay Area for

it was their strength their compassion

and their resiliency from which emerged

the true champions by the bay we begin

our story with the National League

pennant winning San Francisco Giants the

road to the Giants first pennant in 27

years began in February in Scottsdale

Arizona

cactus palm trees and the essence of

spring baseball

[Applause]

by the time I wake up in the morning I'm

ready to get back to the ballpark I

really am I start to get that that itch

I'm ready to go where you had across the

scene like this before 9:00 you hear

which is your line in two days you learn

that already so that's not a really a

problem

[Applause]

I feel good I'm bathing

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

the way everybody's talking right now

the Padres haven't won and dodges are

defending world champs sneak out on some

people we give him a rough day yeah

your Mali commanding turning Kevin

Mitchell and will Clarke into profits

the Giants opened the season in San

Diego and for Roger Craig's Club it was

a convincing display of power no one was

more prophetic than Mitchell as he hit

him with his first shot but Kevin wasn't

through he drove in four of the Giants

five runs on the night and then Mike

Lukas

sealed the victory against the Padres

[Music]

[Applause]

game is over and the Giants have won it

here

victory for the San Francisco Giants ooh

opened the season on a winning note as

April moved on Mitchell's hot bat was

wearing out national league pitchers the

Giants still needed fine-tuning in some

areas but Mitchell was already tuned up

and his medley of home runs and RBIs was

news up and down the dial she's not

bared sub-goals would you like to tell

us your name morning San Francisco

Franken mic here and here it is the 26th

of April and already it's a beautiful

day and that's because the Giants won

last night Don Robinson and Craig

Lefferts combined on a shutout of the

Cardinals that's right and will Clark

and Kevin Mitchell how about those guys

last night Mitch got his League leading

23rd RBI baby yes the Mitchell mystique

was growing fast but it wasn't always

fueled by offense and that sliced to

left field and it's another chance for

Mitchell and he makes a pair headed

[Applause]

tire life but never seen that happen

look at that I have a feeling you're not

alone you gotta be Matt Williams might

have felt good about his power stroke

when six days into the season he beat

the Reds with a grand slam but that

turned out to be a bright moment in an

otherwise trying month for Williams Matt

had the power but he was still

struggling with a breaking pitch and on

May 1st

hitting beneath 200 he was sent to the

minors the Giants meanwhile had their

ups and downs in the middle of May they

lost three consecutive one-run games the

last came in Philadelphia when they

tumbled to the Phillies in extra innings

the game was scoreless until San

Francisco broke loose in the 12th on

back-to-back homers by Clark and

Mitchell but in the bottom of the 12th

one out away from a two nothing win

Bob dernier up with two men on base for

the Phills gave the Giants more than

they could handle

[Applause]

still harder to believe were the Giants

pitching problems a recurrence of the

pattern from 1988 when Kelly downs went

on the disabled list in early May it was

like someone once said deja vu all over

again but on the bright side nothing but

sound numbers from Rik Russell just

before turning 40

Big Daddy one is 200th career game he

was pitching brilliantly and wound up

the first half with a record of 12 and 3

Big Daddy he's a guy who goes out there

once every fifth day and it's almost

like he's gonna win every time he goes

out there you know that you got that

feeling it's just that feeling who's

pitching a big Daddy okay you know it's

just like everybody just kind of relaxes

Big Daddies of the rock of the rotation

the first half of the season the team

scored just enough runs to win every

time I pitch and they'd make the great

plays in the field the bullpen was

outstanding everything that had to

happen for me to win the first half

happened every time I went up at year's

end Russell would bring his career

victory total to 211 most of any active

pitcher in the league if Rick needed

relief Craig Lefferts couldn't wait to

get there

the bullpen a surly on Lefferts had 14

of his 20 saves by the end of June of

course not all of his efforts took place

on the mound

and Webster hits it fair down the

right-field line and into the corner

Giants bullpen through the the Flint's

the door was open

that's classic and the you'll be see in

this shot every good for years to come

the door was open you talked about

closing the barn door after the damage

was done oh that's a great classic

[Music]

nothing improves the team's outlook more

than winning and in June when the Giants

came home to Candlestick they were

winning e'en Ernest they were also

finding out that the bench can prove to

be invaluable Ken Oberkfell found his

niche and he kicked off the June

homestand with a three-run pinch-hit

homer to beat the Padres

[Music]

two days later with San Diego up by Iran

in the bottom of the night heroics came

from rookie Greg Linton a 1/1 ball game

is reckless gets his first home run

since coming out from Phoenix that's

incredible

how true then three innings later in the

bottom of the 12th a more likely power

source gave the Giants their biggest

thrill of the day

[Applause]

[Music]

in sweeping both the Padres and the

Astros San Francisco reeled off a

terrific homestand going 10 and 2/3 of

those wins came courtesy of Don Robinson

who proved ever resilient pitching more

innings than any Giants starter and

becoming the only one to steer clear of

the disabled list even though the Giants

were playing very well the prospect of

staying in contention was iffy a problem

coming up with a right-handed stopper

the goose couldn't get the job done and

then in the middle of June the Giants

found the answer

rating for Philly's a Steve Bedrosian

the bullpen connection was complete high

in the 1-1 pitch and it's hit in the air

centerfield Butler is over he's batted

the ball game is over the Trojans saves

it in his

the currents as

they had pitched in a while at

Philadelphia as an adult drums over

there if you want to say and I was

relieved that happened came out to San

Francisco got in the next ball game and

got a standing ovation from the great

crowd out there and it made me feel good

bedrock picked up five saves in his

first five games and by the end of June

the Giants were in first place but even

though the bullpen problem had been

solved there were other pitching worries

Mike Krukow had a rotator cuff tear and

he was done for the rest of the year a

strained bicep would put at Lee Hamilton

with bad things coming in threes on July

1st at Candlestick Scott Darrell's

became the next to go luckily for the

Giants though the power numbers remain

hale and hearty well Frank time to check

out KNBR sports and as we roll into the

all-star break that Giants are still in

first yeah Mike hey you better get used

to the Pacific Stock Exchange too

because these guys just don't let up how

about will Clark 64 RBIs now average up

to 332 check out the numbers from Kevin

Mitchell 31 homers 81 RBIs the sock

exchange of Clark and Mitchell was

producing unheard-of dividends will was

already established as a star so the

most surprising return on investment was

coming from Mitchell as he headed to

certified start of himself as the

league's most valuable commodity and

most valuable player in 1989 here's the

old one pitch in Mitchell's Reagan hit a

deep to left field

see you later Fuchs Mitchell comes

through its two nothing in favor of the

Giants he homered against every team in

the league

[Applause]

it's the fifth that he's hit against

Atlanta this year

and his third in the last 24 hours 23 of

his home runs either tied a game or put

the Giants ahead Kevin Mitchell second

home of the night 31st of the year I

have not seen anyone have a first half

in terms of home runs like this fellow

right here he drove in 125 448 feet I

don't know how far that one but over

there

he hit more homers than any giant since

Willie made MIT's trail for Tanaka he's

been doing it all year that's why the

Giants are in first place I expected to

whom was that many but I just told

myself I was gonna go out here and have

a good year and keep my head up no

matter what happened and that's what's

been successful who me if I go for four

I know there's always a tomorrow in this

game and I gotta go out here tomorrow

and just try to do the job now it's not

that Mitchell didn't have power before

in two previous seasons he combined for

41 homers but still who would have

figured on this year's total of 47

[Music]

I've never seen a guy hit the balls hard

for a full season like Kevin Mitchell

has it's unbelievable I mean I've seen

him get home runs like a 2-iron I've

seen him get balls 500 feet and just

with a consistency that's unreal and

playing hurt when you got a bad wrist

he's tough to hit a ping-pong ball but

this guy just drives balls so hard then

piece had a fantastic year I've been

around some really really good hitters

and the kind of season that Kevin's

having out just been awed by it I was on

second base when Eric Shah was pitching

to Kevin and hit that ball in the upper

deck in San Diego I've never seen a ball

hit that for my life I stood on second

base and look until a ball hit the seats

and I turned around the second base

umpire it was out there I said wow I've

never seen that he said I've never seen

a ball that far either they pulled up a

battleship out here and showed this

ballpark they couldn't put it up there

anybody

bullying rays has always told me to be

aggressive about the blade up attack the

bar be the attacker that's what I've

been trying to do every time I step up

to the plate I have to go up there I

gotta try to overpower the bar not too

subtle but in Michels case a workable

approach by the middle of July he was on

a record pace with 31 homeruns numbers

that guaranteed him a spot on the

National League all-star team will Clark

was also an all-star of course and he

picked up the award for most votes

almost 2 million Rick Russell was there

for the fourth time in his career but

three weeks after in the all-star game

Russell would be sidelined with a groin

injury the same day Big Daddy went down

Atlee hammaker was disabled again this

time for almost two months then on

August 10th Dave drove ecchi brought the

Giants hope and inspiration bolstered by

his strong religious convictions and

overwhelming fan support he was fighting

back from cancer I remember from the

first day that I found out that I had

the tumor and then eventually had to be

removed that they were calling with

their support their encouragement and

from that day all the way through this

entire organization has been very

supportive and then the excitement for

them and for myself on August 10th being

a part of that day was just very special

it had only been a year since Trebek II

had a cancerous tumor removed from his

pitching shoulder the surgery was deemed

successful but the long-term prognosis

for recovery was uncertain at best even

still recovery and pitching again was

the only thing dravec II considered when

he came back this spree training and I

saw him and he had that big cleft there

with a muscle been taken out he says I'm

gonna make it back and I said well if

anybody can do it you can David he says

that's right he said I'm making a back

home we'll pitch in the big leagues this

year today's starting pitcher from San

Francisco number 43 Dave Trebek II while

I was standing on the mound it's too

difficult to express in words what I

actually felt inside it was just

something that was so overwhelming and I

was so thankful for that opportunity and

at the same time so excited about once

again having another

major league baseball drew Becky's

return felt like a miracle to fans and

players too it said something about the

human spirit it is the most memorable

thing that's ever happened to me in my

career to be able to sit in centerfield

teary-eyed watching Dave dravec he come

back in pitch when everybody in the

country doctors people even family

thought that maybe he wouldn't pitch

again a normal picture pitch in that

game in the pin traces of time there's a

lot of pressure a lot of anxiety but

what he went through to do something

like that was I'll never forget Ted it

was one of the most unbelievable things

I've ever seen in my life the day was

heroic Trebek II won the game bolstering

the pitching trouble Giants and giving

inspiration and courage to a young

cancer patient now I want to ask you one

question what did I ask you about I feel

good do you feel good but then just six

days later in the midst of delivering

this pitch to Tim Raines dravec II

collapsed his arm broken in the same

area where the tumor had been removed

this time there'd be no comeback fearing

further injury and after due

consideration dravec II decided to

retire the Giants had received

inspiration from Trebek II but now his

reinjure II put Roger Craig's pitching

staff and still more disarray I'm

welcome major league record this year by

using 15 starting pitchers which I

naturally didn't intend to do but you

know with everything that's happened you

know you

it happened so much last year I said no

way it can happen again this year but it

did so Craig kept rearranging and

restocking his pitching staff and

somehow the Giants kept on winning he

was the ideal combination of strategist

and optimist

Roger never deals in the negatives you

can't walk around our Clubhouse and hear

anybody talking about things that have

gone wrong things go right in this

atmosphere if we lose a tough game he

always come in a locker room and

everyone everybody's in there and he

tells them hey you know it games behind

this come on get over tomorrow and

that's the type of manager you don't

need the type of managers don't tell me

they'd get on you Roger Craig is the

encouragement manager he gives you that

confidence don't want to come back

tomorrow and find he's just been

outstanding the respect he gets from the

players the way he handled the teams

from starting in February all the way

through October existed it's just

wonderful the giant success was a direct

result of Craig's leadership but the

hitters The Fabulous Baker boys were the

work of batting instructor Dusty Baker

sitting and talked to dusty really helps

me I'll get tell me slow down a little

bit slow my bad work with my feet and

stuff like that so Dusty's been a big

asset for me and he's really been a big

asset to the younger players on this

team like rising star Matt Williams back

from the minors he practiced what dusty

preached you're listening to the giant

68 KNBR Frank and Mike here 19 days into

August and the Giants are two up on

Houston and Big Daddies back off the DL

got a win last night over the Phillies

hitting star will Clark his 20th homer

and Matt Williams hit number 10 a maybe

it's time to make room for another seat

on the stock exchange what Matt Williams

wasn't doing in April he was doing in a

big way since being called back up and

late-july Williams hit 11 home runs in

August ample evidence that the trip to

Phoenix had paid off I was sitting down

in May platon Triple Eight for three

months and all of a sudden it clicked I

think it's a little more patience a

little more confidence a little a little

more taking advantage of mistakes and

things like that but it's nothing big I

didn't change my swing

and changed my stance or my hands or

anything and all of a sudden that just

happened batting fifth

Williams loaded the sock exchange with

even more power turning the middle of

the order into the most awesome

threesome in the league

[Music]

run here in the sixth inning will Clark

and Kevin Mitchell

bad William structures wine well beyond

the wall in left-center field the power

didn't always come from the heart of the

order on August 20th for example the

Giants went into the ninth inning

trailing the Phillies 2 to 1 at

veteran's stadium then with two outs and

the bases loaded earnest trials found a

nice easy stroke deep to right field

[Applause]

such were the moments and the sometimes

unheralded players kept the Giants in

first place this is a big-time gamer

right here

the Giants were spelling trouble up and

down the order starting at the top with

Brett Butler gamer this is a gamer the

former brave and Indian proved he had a

well deserved reputation and so too did

the number two hitter Robbie Thompson

together a one-two combination at the

top of the order that scored almost 200

runs and supplied a little bit of

everything

[Music]

Thompson reached double figures and

doubles triples homers and steals all

from an ideal spot in the order set a

spot behind Brett Butler and ahead of

will Clark can't get any better net for

one with Brett on base he may seek up

more fast balls they're not gonna want

to get behind an account they're gonna

be around a plate for me because of rule

Clark being on deck Butler served up his

own breaks he had 23 bunt singles and

stole 31 bases and here's the most

telling staff in the nine games when

Butler and Thompson didn't reach base

the Giants didn't win little wonder they

can't do without these two

[Music]

good enough to make anybody's day we'll

Clark was too good to be true though he

lost out to Tony Gwynn for the batting

crown he had 333 and drove in a hundred

runs for the second straight year the

numbers though don't describe Clark's

intensity that you have to see for

yourself

[Music]

[Music]

we'll Clark reminds me more and more and

more of a young Ted Williams Ted was a

no-nonsense guy he came to the ballpark

with his game face on when he went

between the white lines nothing I used

to think that the stadium could burn

down around Ted Williams when he was at

bat and he wouldn't know it and I feel

the same way about well far I think the

whole place could collapse when he said

war with that pitcher

everything else is blocked out

[Music]

concentration is extremely intense a lot

of people let outside influences play a

big part like you know the crowd and the

background and my whole philosophy on

hitting is seeing the ball if I can see

the ball out of the pitchers hand see

what spin it's got on and see what

rotation and then see it all the way

until the point of contact I'm swinging

the bat good you're in trouble

unfortunately for opposing pitchers all

season long the thrill was on he hit 23

homers had a hundred ninety six hits and

did it all with a swing very much his

own a swing that to some at least

inspired thoughts of another dramatic

figure who achieved the status of legend

you know Dracula you know a lot of

vampires they throw up they tape when

they after they bite somebody and Renee

from the fly off will Clark gusts that a

little move he does after he is swinging

he throws his arm up and he goes like

this and now he's peeking you know like

a vampire would do and that's why I

called him call it decay

[Music]

[Applause]

all hitters have certain fundamentals

that have to be the same but everybody

has their own different style in order

getting in order to get to those

fundamentals and no Minds just just

won't call a low off the wall but a gets

the job done

okay giant fans this is it September the

1st the Giants are four games up on the

Astros and now comes nail-biting time

and don't forget Frank today's also the

day major league teams can expand their

rosters so guess who the Giants brought

back

wow what a moment here at Candlestick a

standing ovation marking the return

and what a return in his first game back

with a Giants friendly delivered

[Applause]

things were sizzling at the stick most

of all and best of all on the mound

Scott Carell it's open September in the

midst of an eight game winning streak

and he beat the Mets to keep it alive

[Music]

who else was on his way to 14 wins and

the league er a title while the Giants

took care of more immediate matters

sweeping the Mets and moving in even 20

games above 500 best of all the starting

pitchers were coming on strong winning

four in a row after polishing off the

Mets the Giants headed to Cincinnati on

September 4th at Riverfront Stadium

San Francisco saw nothing but read eight

runs in the red to be exact

by the end of the sixth inning had

looked as if the Cincinnati Reds had

this baby all wrapped up if the Giants

were going to get something going any

way at all they'd need the help of their

killer beez a group of guys so named for

their backup B team status in Spring

Training these B's turned out to be a

bench to reckon with they talked about

the starting eight being important but

for us the most important on our club is

to killer B's here they are

Donnell Nixon

Mike Benjamin killer BB Jim link Weaver

killer OB blogs logs indeed Mike laga

came off the bench against the Reds and

hit this two-run homer bring the Giants

within four then a swarm of bees attack

Thanks

with the scores then it's an 8 to 5

bargain

[Applause]

seven curveball centerfield

and the Giants have come all the way

back from a

deficit to tie it here in Cincinnati in

the ninth the Reds were stung for the

second time by Miss Galaga 1-1 pitch

the Giants lead 9 today put the killer

bees in and I tell you they did the job

would be supposed to do then went out

stinging all year long the Giants had a

knack for coming back Exhibit B on

September 20th they were losing to the

Dodgers 7-zip after three innings but

then San Francisco's explosive offense

well exploded and with four on the 9th

the Giants tied the game

now a win here was looking all the more

critical because while the Giants and

Dodgers were playing the onrushing

Padres were closing in Jack McKean boys

won 20 out of 25 and earlier that night

they pulled out an extra inning win

against the Reds sy Young Award winner

Marc Davis sealing the victory they had

a chance to move within four games of

the Giants if the Giants lost to the

Dodgers meanwhile back at Candlestick

Brett Butler faced the Dodgers John

Tudor in the ninth

breaking ball the ball game is over

Brett Butler hits one down the right

and the Giants come back to win it in

the bottom of the night by scoring five

one of 15 giant comebacks after the

seventh inning in 1989 more importantly

it kept the lead at five games but as

the last week of the season approached

and the magic number dwindled the Giants

would have to clinch on the road first

stops Los Angeles in a sense it was

no-nonsense time but after losing the

first two to the Dodgers the Giants

needed to get loose Mike Krukow tried to

do his part welcome to my world this is

the dugout this is the clubhouse and you

ever wonder what goes on here you're

about to find out let's go we got the

bedrock here bedrock he's thinking about

his role as stopper our club he's

thinking about the last three s of the

game what's going on your mind right now

that's exactly what I'm thinking about

going in there and putting it into it

you know tonight's the night and no it's

it's just a pleasure to be associated

with the quality type person yourself

when you come along and interview me it

just makes my day

that's scary ednan who's Fahey well you

said we get tied push P pooch

we paid $5,000 see who's all that here

goes well worth it kept the guys loose

it's a good luck charm right there a

couple rubs tonight I'm gonna be Western

Division champions another thing you

have to deal with here is the media as

you see bob brenly's giving an interview

ad over here and and we're interrupting

it which is one of the cardinal sins

media guys hate that BB what are you

guys talking about we're talking about

will Clark believe it or not will Clark

who else but well you know they're not

talking about me or me we'll take a

quick peek in here we don't like do a

lot of camera time here you can see

Kelly Mitchell coming out so we're we

like going around game time what's your

one main goal tonight

first one could have said it better

myself

[Music]

nice going big boy want to stick hello

anybody know do that later when he gets

a girlfriend

the Giants had no friends in Los Angeles

they lost three in a row to the Dodgers

the sweep set up a potential

season-ending showdown in San Diego but

to make that a reality and give

themselves a shot head to head against

the Giants

the Padres had to beat the Reds that

night in San Diego so after the game the

Giants listen on the radio to the Padres

Reds contest rooting for the Reds and

anxiously awaiting the faith that was

now out of their control we couldn't

hear the radio very well so everybody

was really silent and you know we had to

switch rooms twice to find a radio

reception that we could pick up to be in

there and know that you really don't

have control of this situation I think

everybody in their room really thought

that San Diego was gonna win the

ballgame and that we were gonna go into

San Diego have an O in one ball game

to clinch it there were a lot more

nerves in the clubhouse just listening

to the radio than actually going out on

the field and doing it I was biting my

nails for all I was worth now I can see

what some of the fans go through that

was excruciating pain Giants fans would

come down to LA were also glued to the

Padre game which was tied at one until

the Reds scored in the 13

[Music]

they scored a run and I'll tell you what

our hearts just got real excited but

what happened was everybody figured that

hey listen mate there's another half of

an inning left to play here and sure

enough win leads off with a base hit Oh

No but the Padre rally died and the

Giants were Western Division champs to

the play-by-play

[Applause]

what if you might say that we we didn't

win it by winning it and that taints it

and that doesn't work that way you know

you play a full season and we had an

outstanding year nothing better we'll

see in Chicago we're gonna pull it

[Applause]

[Music]

hum baby Mike hey the Giants clinched it

last night in LA da what could be

sweeter giant fans everywhere have got

to be feeling good hi baby I'm baby in

addition to the division title for the

first time in San Francisco history the

Giants drew more than 2 million a

testament to a team the critics said

couldn't become champs and a salute to

the truest believers who always knew the

Giants cool

[Applause]

I knew that I would hear

[Music]

have a booth

[Music]

don't have a baby

[Music]

[Applause]

champions by the bay continues with the

story of the 1989 Oakland Athletics the

other champions by the bay found spring

training to be a time to shed the

memories of their disappointing World

Series loss to the Dodgers in 1988 and

to refocus on going the distance in 1989

[Music]

win or lose the World Series 89 is a

different year and it's very important

you take the attitude that that you're

going to try and beat the 89 champions

in it you're not walking around as last

year's Champion's to that end the

Oakland A's did not stand pat they

acquired pitcher Mike Moore from Seattle

a man who'd won only five games in 1988

but who had the potential to solidify

Oakland starting staff one more step

that could make the difference we have a

ballclub that's definitely capable

within our division and want to another

series and we know the only thing that

can really hurt us is you know if we get

injured in key positions such as a Jose

go down or McGwire more prophetic words

were never spoken

for though Canseco looks strong in a

spring a stress fractures sat him down

for the first 88 games in fact injuries

besieged Oakland for the first four

months of the season and the depth of

the A's roster would be tested just

filling can psychos Boyd alone so on

opening night in Oakland it was up to

others to pick up the slack and Mark

McGwire figured this would be a good

time to rekindle the bash McGwire had

three RBIs against mark Langston in the

Mariners an old friend Dave Stewart was

a reassuring sight on the mound over the

first five innings

for good measure the Oakland defense

played a hefty role right at the middle

she goes you got it

and what could be more comforting than

Dennis Eckersley and release flyball

right-field 1989 is underway

these are in the victory column and they

do it with a very familiar planet good

starting pitching great defense one

longbow in Eckersley

[Music]

the A's had forged a 5 and 2 record by

April 10th when with one swing McGwire

injured his back and combined with

Canseco would leave Oakland with a

severe power shortage for the next 14

games it was clear the mighty mites were

going to have to step forward guys like

Tony Phillips Stan Javier and Mike

Gallego Diego alone would wind up

starting 59 games for the year

no one player proved more versatile than

Phillips though who played six positions

for Oakland in 89 and at times made

folks forget all about Canseco well

almost

Canseco's official fill-in was xavier

who started 49 games in right field and

hit 300 into May lowest inspector Tony

LaRussa having confidence and the

players that he had on the bench when

the injuries happen and I think that

give me and Diego and Stan Javier a

boost of confidence to go out there

performing

monitor lines went into right field and

it's fat handed by Javier

Kirby Pucket great stuff okay go look at

this play oh baby instead of there being

some drop-off these guys are playing at

that same high level so it's a

tremendous lift to your team because

instead of what you thought would be the

guys who play most of time you've got a

different combination but there's no

decrease in quality

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

one guy who escaped the injury bug was

the ace Dave Stewart Stewart won five

games without a loss in April

making him 11 and Oh in that month over

two seasons 1 2 delivery

[Applause]

it was an early sign that Stuart might

roll to his third straight 20-win

seasons only the second pitcher to do it

in Oakland A's history for me personally

getting out the gate as well as I do for

the past two years

that's real sample when I pitch the guys

hit they score runs they play defense

and it makes my job a lot easier to win

ballgames in April sample from the ace

of the staff to the diamond-in-the-rough

newcomer Mike Moore would go on to lead

the A's with a hundred seventy two

strikeouts and finish with a career-high

19 victories proof positive that the

potential they saw in him at Seattle

just needed to be realized Mike Moore

certainly came over here with a

tremendous amount of physical ability

and we incorporated into his repertoire

this year a forkball which is a new

pitch for him ooh good fork ball and a

strikeout victim it's added something

when I'm not as sharp with my other

pitches it's another pitch that I can

throw for strikes and now there is a

strike

the football that is his fourth

strikeout of the game war started strong

winning three games in April allowing

less than two runs a game and that

helped the A's for Jan 18 and eight

record the first month leaving them a

game behind the Texas Rangers returning

to the A's at the end of April was

McGwire and his May began he made his

impact felt the CMAs Toronto 9th inning

the a is trail by one but they staged a

most improbable rally two outs bases

loaded against Tom Henke it's McGwire

time for sure

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

McGuire's dramatic blasts put the A's in

first by half a game where they'd remain

the rest of the month but May was not

without its setbacks a seemingly

innocent DoublePlay pivot sent 1988's

Rookie of the Year should stop Walt

Weiss hobbling to the disabled list join

they're on the same day by pitcher storm

Davis two more key performers for the

A's suddenly no longer in the picture

and while guy a go covered for Weiss it

was Todd burns who weathered the storm

for Davis burns won three games in May

including one start where he retired 19

of the 20 man he faced with all the

injuries Tony LaRussa was forced to

manage like never before probably the

best prepared manager I've ever seen I

mean he is so prepared he is so into the

game he doesn't let anything slip and

what he did this year for the players he

had out and the players he had to play

with it just gives credit tutorial son

but LaRussa as he always does prefer to

put the credit elsewhere I think our

club has taken turns picking itself up

and I think the strength of our club is

our balance in our attitude for me if

you speak about the positives on the

ballclub I think you start with the

players but those players need a

philosophy on which to build and in Tony

LaRussa they have a leader who makes

everything that much easier

the man's a winner you know you gotta

like play for him because he's gonna

keep you in the ball game he keeps his

players whether you're starter or

whether you're on the bench he keeps

everybody sharp he keeps everybody in

tune he knows how to handle ball club

manager motivator navigator and always a

winner

one thing LaRussa could always count on

was the steadiness of at least a select

few people like Dave Parker Big Dave had

22 home runs and 97 RBIs figures that

led all designated hitters but Parker's

contribution was more than just the long

ball

he exuded experience and a swaggering

confidence that helps steady the younger

players during the pennant race you

should respect everyone and fear no one

and that's my tirion plan and that's

what I thought it reflect in the

clubhouse and on the field markers Savi

was nearly matched by that of outfielder

Dave Henderson a postseason veteran a

late inning hero of ever there was one

Henderson hit over 300 through mid-may

and 7 of his 15 home runs in 1989 gave

the a is the lead

[Applause]

but if Henderson was the bad boy on the

A's the uncontested good boy was catcher

Terry Steinbach fast becoming a

perennial all-star and always there to

lend a clutch hit

[Music]

[Applause]

in Oakland's subtle blend of age and

youth steady players like Parker

Steinbach and Dave Henderson gave the

club clutch performances and gave the

fans a reason to believe from late May

da's had some folks green with envy as

they swept the three-game series in New

York but not without a price on May 27

Eckersley injured his shoulder he was

forced to surrender the mound now with

the A's in first place by only a game

they'd have to play the next 40 without

their premier relief pitching the onus

now was on the starting staff and in the

first week of June Bob Welch did more

than his share picking up two wins the

first over Cleveland and then in the

second victory the outdueled Frank viola

of the Minnesota Twins fastball wealth

retires Mercado

he's tough but not tough enough as it

turned out for on June 12th

Welch strained his groin in a game

against Kansas City and was missing in

action for the next 14 games

so while storm Davis returned Welch took

his place on the disabled list with all

the injuries it was inevitable the A's

within a rough spot sooner or later and

in June came the proverbial swoon the

A's went just 13 and 14 and everything

that could go wrong did go wrong high in

the air to right field down the line

Javier's got room on the warning track

[Applause]

[Music]

something had to be done so on June 20th

the A's traded Greg quatre a Eric lund

and Luis Polonia to the Yankees for

Ricky Henderson

it was quite simply the trade of the

year got out of New York he's back home

where he's always loved to be and he

grew up and I loved him watch him steal

bases got to be out there I got to make

things happening and then let the big

boys take over June 22nd Ricky

Henderson's first game in an Oakland

uniform since 1984 and he immediately

reminded everyone about the kind of

impact he can have on a ballclub

[Applause]

and Ricky's home

[Applause]

jarring memories and scoring runs Ricki

also showed that his speed was not

confined to the base pads

[Music]

[Applause]

very pleasing

fans despite their June lows the A's

enter July a half game in front but with

Eckersley still out

LaRussa looked to others in the bullpen

like reliable left-hander Rick Honeycutt

they did a tremendous job when Dennis

Eckersley was not available for our club

Honeycutt just repeatedly went in there

and shut the door on the opposition and

and whenever Todd Burns was given the

opportunity he did as well the Hyde

throwing burns picked up four saves

while Eckersley was out and back just in

time from elbow surgery was Matt Young

who slowly settled into a setup role for

Oakland well the fourth straight year

the soft-spoken and hard throwing Jean

Nelson would appear in 50 or more games

[Music]

following a rough first half Kurt Young

came on strong with a three-in-one

second half mark and an earned run

average under - no question the depth of

the Oakland staff was coming through I

think that we have a club that realizes

that you don't you don't pat yourself on

the back too often but sure you be proud

of the way that you're going about

playing the game and you go out there

and you just keep grinding in and out so

even with all their injuries the

resource filets were bought a game and a

half out at the all-star break and were

certainly well represented at the game

LaRussa was the American League Manager

McGwire the first baseman for the second

straight year Terry Steinbach was the

catcher Mike Moore was there for the

first time and believe it or not so was

Stewart who despite back-to-back 20-win

seasons had never been named to the

all-star game before

for Stuart it was a long way from his

first few frustrating years with the

Dodgers he was traded from LA in 1983

winding up in Texas were a year later he

went seven and fourteen finally the

Phillies who buried him in the bullpen

released him in 86 somewhere the A's saw

something in Stuart that everyone else

had missed and brought the Oakland

native with a career record of just 30

and 35 back home Stuart responded with

three straight seasons of 20 or more

victories and just as importantly he

gave himself to the community in a

heartfelt effort to help others find

their way I'm from this area and my

situation is not different from very

many of the kids that have grown up in

this area there have been tough times in

my childhood I've been active in this

community since I started playing

professional ball back in 1975 in some

form working with the Boys Clubs

or just getting out in the parks and

recreations you know I work with kids

because I genuinely like being around

kids I don't think I can say any better

than that believing in yourself and

self-respect tell me what you know about

the drug situation

all I can say just stay away from drugs

be smart don't start my players are real

receptive in in what I'm trying to do

and they they offer to help me in in

whatever it is that I'm doing during the

course the seeds and so I think I'm

being well-received by my teammates and

and people in the area the thing about

Dave is that he's very sincere about the

things that he's done he feels important

if you know because where he grew up in

Oakland I think that he feels like he

wants to give something back he's

special when it comes to that and how

much does Oakland appreciate Dave

Stewart well enough to have a day in his

honor a citywide answer to Dave

Stewart's love my mother and my

grandmother who are behind me right now

have always said when you share your

group your gifts but gifts become

greater

if it's a worthwhile cause if it's for

the community if it's for the good of

youth in the community and dave is there

he's right there all of the time I'll

never forget to add at one of our

Christmas parties for deserving kids I

said thanks for being here so are you

kidding me I want to be here I mean he

truly does it because he wants to and he

believes in it he's a tremendous role

model the main thing is to survive and

be counted for and be counted for as a

person a whole person with the sense of

self esteem and ability to think for

yourself being able to make decisions

for yourself and that's what I try to

get across the kids following the

all-star game the picture brightened as

both Ken Sacco and Eckersley returned

and in his first major league game of

the year baseball's only 4040 Man and

with a perfect ninth-inning

it didn't take Eckersley long to assure

the A's that their one and a half game

deficit was really nothing to fear after

all the cavalry was here

from Bay Area native Eckersley a most

successful return to the active roster

meanwhile for another homegrown product

a Renaissance was about to begin for

much like in his high school days in

Oakland Ricky Henderson's bat was

passing all the tests well he saved

their life here early because when he

came in we had a lot of guys robot

played out because I think they had

risen to the occasion and beyond it to

overcome some of the injuries but

Ricky's been great great enough to steal

52 bases in 58 attempts for Oakland

nothing seemed to distract him as he

reached base in 80 of 85 games and gave

birth to a brand-new baseball term a

richer ally I think the total of us have

brought that Ricky rally up is this base

order you know I can draw a wall I could

steal second and third and scoreless

like Firefly with no hits and that's

what he called a Rick Carelli just let

me get no base do anything good to

bother me you know because he'd step out

of the box and he takes a lot of pitches

it's hard to throw strikes too and very

irritating you know to a pitcher it was

like a circus with Ricky as the

ringmaster

[Music]

on the end of July it was showdown time

against the California Angels the A's

were tied for first in the Western

Division with the upstart halos but by

the time the series was over the Angels

had won two of three and the A's were in

the not so familiar position of looking

up from a two-game deficit no doubt

about it the DIA pennant race to

determine how the West was won

[Music]

[Applause]

on July 31st all the key people were

back and healthy but some folks had

never left consistency was the Creed of

Carney Lansford who had one of Oakland's

all-time best offensive years Carney hit

336 and 89 missing the batting title by

three points he hit over 400 in both May

and July and developed a reputation as

quite the artist

the art of contact hitting you would ask

players and pitchers who is the 1

Oakland player you don't want to face

the answer would always be Lansford and

if there ever was a question as to why

the A's were just two games out despite

all the adversity Oakland fans knew

Carney was part of the answer still

another factor in the A's success was

their chemistry for a team that plays as

one well quite often wins is one you

can't come into this Clubhouse with a

sad face if you have a sad face on your

face you haven't smiled for the days

over with because people are beyond you

they're gonna make you laugh it's a

great team to be out

father teaches you don't want to

20 to 30 this year folks and how do they

age relax we play dominoes it's just

like a contest between who who feels

they did the greatest Domino players and

we get mad at each other yelling each

other about Domino quit

just relax you a lot to me is like

getting off frustrations I get an

opportunity to yelling Ricky Henderson

and talk about his hairdo and screaming

Xavier because he don't play that well

it just creates the Julin atmosphere and

when you got a jubilant atmosphere and

makes it a much better place to prepare

to play baseball with everyone now

healthy the mid-august rematch against

the Angels had a decidedly different

field California and Oakland were tied

for first but not for long

[Music]

[Applause]

right gray

Phil expects a diving stop of a one hop

grounder gets up and throws out Joyner

and it's in time he's out at third base

still nobody down a Dave Barker rivulet

the gap

in right-center Anderson on his way

that's good bring it up around it's an

RBI double by Parker

and a-five developing leave for Oakland

the A's won two of three from California

and in fact won eight of their last 12

in August putting them in first by two

games as September roll round

[Music]

the A's were no longer doing it with

magic not with everybody healthy and

when Boston packed their trunks and came

to town the A's really turned on the

heat

yes oakland saw the light and the chance

to increase its lead in the West they

did it when the Red Sox Roger Clemens

was unexpectedly victimized by A's

catcher Terry Steinbach

there's a long ride really tagging the

people

fail that is going

and a not so long wall helped out too

[Music]

later in the series Parker hit the

jackpot is eight career Grand Slam bitch

- Parker swung on had high and deep to

right field that one is into the

when all was said and done the A's had

fashioned their biggest lead of the year

at Boston's expense a four and a half

game Western Division bulge that truly

was worth trumpeting

but baseball teams never forget and ten

days later at Fenway the tables were

turned

the A's could do no right

the Red Sox no wrong I can't remember

the last time since I've been here that

that we've got swept by a ballclub and

I've had where I will consider a crucial

time the three losses in Boston really I

think brought the team together and and

really I think sparked the bakla because

we realized hey we got to go into

Cleveland and play very very well the

lead was down to two and a half and the

A's arrived in Cleveland with the eerie

feeling that the division might be

slipping away and though LaRussa may

have had his reservations much as I do

about this script the Indians were next

and the bats came alive

[Applause]

[Music]

but to only

a three-game sweep as it turned out that

put Oakland three and a half games in

front next stop Minnesota where they

rattle the twins with 19 runs in four

games

mcguire goes after the first pitch and

it's hit deep to center will this be his

first Metrodome offer he has the series

featured what was perhaps the play of

the year I tell you what that was gonna

be in the highlight reels right there

outstanding play I couldn't believe it I

couldn't believe he is actually doing

what he was doing it would seem like it

all went in slow motion when I was

watching the whole situation come about

and like I said he clipped it behind his

back and gave me a perfect feat and some

I expect I these events to do not Tony

tell us that's what sir meanwhile Bob

Welch became the fourth Oakland pitcher

to win 17 games his second straight

season with that victory total in

addition Stewart won his 20th game for

the third straight year something no

major league pitcher had done since Jim

Palmer in the 70s

and storm Davis won his 18th along the

way 219 for the year by the time the A's

left Minnesota in their wake the true

believers had been rewarded and

Oakland's magic number was down to three

the A's were more than happy to try and

clinch the West at home for more than

two million six hundred thousand fans

had come to see them in 1989 the highest

figure in franchise history and with the

Giants doing well in the National League

a Bay Area World Series would really cap

things off the A's took it one step at a

time

let's call repeat edition dompier

waiting on a seat ice waiting on ice Dom

pérignon waiting on ice September 27

against the Texas Rangers Mike Moore on

the mound

and more faced the minimum through 7 in

pursuit of his 19th win

[Music]

now all the fans needed was some hitting

and Jose was just the man

[Applause]

[Music]

and what would the clincher be without

some glove work

[Music]

[Applause]

they're not believable the first those

guys are sucked in to watch our pay

reparations were an order in the

clubhouse and in the dugout anticipation

everyone else in town was awaiting

Nelson's pitch the pitch that would

ensure a rerun of Oakland's favorite

show this the A's are Western Division

champions for the second year in a row

[Applause]

no it wasn't exactly the bash brothers

in 1989 nor was it easy but through all

the injuries the a is persevered thanks

to a love of the game that comes from

the heart and the kind of team effort

that comes from depth chemistry

resourcefulness and an unabashed will to

win

[Applause]

[Music]

the two champions by the bay were now

off to seek their fortunes in the

playoffs for the Oakland A's that meant

staying put at the Oakland Coliseum the

A's had their sights set on a second

straight pennant and in Game one they

greeted the Toronto Blue Jays who could

be a formidable opponent Dave Stewart

was touched for three early runs but

then stifled Toronto Oakland caught up

on a Mark McGwire homerun but it was

Ricky Henderson's speed and hustle that

would prove critical in the sixth inning

with the score tied 3-3 Oakland hats

were off to Ricky with Henderson on

first the bases loaded and one out

Carney Lansford hit what looked like a

sure double play ball that would end the

inning

but only one out was made and the A's

scored twice

it was the pivotal play of the game

Henderson broke up the double play and

the A's got a lead they never lost you

look at it as a man possessed and Ricky

that he was on line and he wanted to

show the world what he could do and

happen to be that he was clicking on all

cylinders he had everything working in

Game two

Toronto again got in front early but a

nice comeback featured the speed of

Ricky Henderson in the fourth he simply

ran over a one-run bluej advantage he's

running it's taken the throw to second

is safe at second base

is running in pitch taken high the throw

to third not inside

moments later the score was tied when

Carney lansford's sent Henderson Hall

with his third run into game and Oakland

was headed for another cake

[Applause]

[Music]

Heys fans had reason to be brash about

Ricki in the two games he reached base

seven times and stole six bases the A's

lead 2-zip the National League playoffs

opened under the lights at Wrigley Field

and the Giants came out swinging right

off the bat it was clear this night

belonged to will Clark the two o pitch

to Clark is swung on it

hit in the air to left-center field on

the run but a dive is the centerfielder

Walt he can't get it hit this score

buckler on his way to second with a

slide is Clark with a double and an RBI

of the Giants take a one day nothing

lead on his way to a league playoff

record 13 hits in just five games

Clark homered his next time up and then

in the fourth with the bases loaded he

delivered a bigger blast Maddux throws

at Clark's swing

[Applause]

well take a ride on that one that ball

was kissed Clark's Grand Slam turned a

close game into a blowout and gave will

the thrill' RBIs three four five and six

the giant first baseman has done it

again

Game one was just my night as looking

fastball in I got it in as soon as I hit

it there was no doubt there was no at

that ball would've left if the wind was

blowing in no matter that Wrigley was

not one of Clark's favorite parts to hit

in his tour de force performance gave

the Giants an 11-3 win and the one

nothing lead in the series the next

night in Game two Mark Grace introduced

his red-hot back and in showing giant

pitchers no mercy grace collected two

doubles a single and four RBIs as the

Cubs beat the Giants nine five and tied

the series had a win apiece with

Toronto's new Sky Dome hosting Game

three of the American League playoffs

Oakland storm Davis was facing a Blue

Jay rally in the fourth Tony Fernandez

came up with two men on

[Music]

[Applause]

third is

the throne

[Music]

nerado's four run rally did the ASN and

the series stood at two games to one in

favor of Oakland but in Game four Rickey

Henderson was on the go this time with

two home runs one of them a 430 foot

shot to dead center

Rikki's blast might have one even more

admiration were it not for the colossal

clout of Jose Canseco swaying at a high

deep drive to left field that stays fair

that is God

l8 goodbye into the upper deck somewhere

around 500 feet I can't imagine a ball

being hit any farther than that I don't

care Mickey Mantle or whatever even with

Oakland shower of power the Blue Jays

rallied from four runs down Mookie

Wilson on the run

[Applause]

we'll head for the plane here's the true

flying East or the Blue Jays scored

three times in fact and went to the

bottom of the night down by just one and

a sucker's Lee was in a jam a man aboard

and the winning run at the plate but he

fought off the threat saved the 6-5

victory and the A's were one win away

from the World Series in Game five

Rickey Henderson and friends brought

their full complement of pitching power

speed and defense but in the first three

innings it was Henderson alone a one-man

wrecking crew the MVP of the playoffs he

dashed off a little of this and a little

of that and the A's led to nothing

[Music]

Oakland add an another one and then in

the seventh Mike Gallego squeezed home

run number four in the eighth inning

Toronto showed signs of life they came

back with a run in the ninth George Bell

started a rally that would eventually

cut Oakland's lead to 4-3

[Applause]

but the Bluejays wouldn't get any closer

dennis eckersley made sure of that

[Music]

buttocks my champions of the American

Way for to cut 2nd of years and the

first team to repeat in more than a

decade still the victory wouldn't be

complete until the A's came home to

share it with their fans

[Applause]

[Music]

but fun times were starting to roll at

Candlestick - as giant fans prepared for

Game three with the series tied at a win

apiece more than 62,000 poured into the

stick but giant spirits were shaken in

the first inning when the Cubs took a

two nothing lead in a wild bottom of the

first though the Giants didn't get the

ball out of the infield and still scored

three runs to go ahead

[Applause]

the lead would swap hands again and in

the seventh les Lancaster came out of

the cub bullpen to try and protect a

one-run advantage Brett Butler on first

one out and up to the plate Robbie

Thompson who homered off Lancaster's in

Game two at Wrigley just pretty much

floating around the bases I tell you it

was one of those things to dream about

doing and here art was contributing with

a big hit and helping us go ahead in the

ballgame and pretty much shifted the

momentum a little bit back to our side

the momentum stayed on San Francisco

side Steve Bedrosian saving the 5-4

victory and the Giants went up two games

to one in Game four the cubs stamped out

a giant lead in the fifth when Andre

Dawson delivered a double that tied it

up

[Applause]

[Music]

but the Cubs would not celebrate for

long in the bottom of the fifth Matt

Williams came up with a runner on and in

a momentous 12 pitch battle with

relievers Steve Wilson he fouled off

pitch after pitch 7 and all

at the time I wasn't saying okay well

file this one enough to get a better

pitch I was trying to put them all in

play for more pitcher pitches too you'd

want it bad you see the ball you see the

lube with the speed to spin the ball and

you should be a better hitter just been

a heck of a battle right here three two

one

from a struggling sub 200 hitter earlier

in the year to playoff hero Williams

Houma won the game and raised his

play-off total to a league record nine

RBIs as for the Giants one win from a

pennant in Game five fresh from a second

straight comeback victory giant fans

were looking for a clean sweep at

Candlestick Rick Russell recovered from

a bad outing in Game two and held the

Cubs to just a single unearned run in

[Music]

the seventh the Giants tied it in the

eighth they rallied with two outs to

load the bases still tied and the wild

thing Mitch Williams comes on to face

cub killer will Clark but first a

consultation with Kevin Mitchell

well I actually Kevin know what he said

might throw and Kevin said fast balls

put he said away and I went and talked

to Dusty Baker and Dusty Baker says he

thought he'd throw fastballs away so

that's two out of three and like I said

I have the ultimate say so so I come

back to the on-deck circle and I'm

loosening up and Kevin said let's get

the job done I said it's done baldanado

with a lead from third Butler off second

Thompson from first on the pitch and

Clark

[Applause]

Superman has done it again

Martz hit capped off an MVP performance

and gave the Giants their first trip to

the World Series since 1962 Webster at

second walnut first Bedrosian throws to

Sandberg on the pitches crowd at the

second base Thompson has it throws the

first

[Applause]

[Applause]

I couldn't ask for a better place to be

for there was no better place to be than

a World Series between two familiar

champions by the bay they know about us

they know about us as we know about them

you know they were watching the game

tonight

so the seam in the series and my best

homey

[Music]

and my cats and a span days when my

husband's sleeping on the couch

[Music]

this is a classic of all classics it may

never happen ever again

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

and a lot of managers would like the

luxury of Dave Stewart going for them in

Game one

[Music]

Stewart was closed to invincible passing

his first test of national league

hitters this year with straight A's and

the A's would get all they need in a

second by playing some good

old-fashioned hardball on the base pass

[Music]

long in a slow bouncer to first itse led

by Clark coming home a Steinbach he nuts

[Music]

[Applause]

and inning later San Francisco slipped

another peg as for the first time in 12

World Series games Dave Parker cut loose

swing and a drive to deep right way back

the Dave Parker laughs what end of the

for Oakland fans the series opener

couldn't have turned out better as

Stewart made their night complete now

the natto waiting on the fish swinging a

groundball its dealer by Phillips lon

[Applause]

the 5-nothing victory had set the tone

the A's were seeking but it was after

all just the beginning and a really good

sign as to which team would take the

initiative in game two came in the very

first inning after Ricky Henderson drew

a walk

Ricky runs the pitch is dropped by

Canada

[Applause]

Russell then had to face the pesky

Carney Lansford who has a knack for

bringing runners home

[Music]

[Applause]

the diets would come back to tie the

game at one

but in the fourth Terry Steinbach

connected

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

once again timely offense and solid

starting pitching this time from Mike

Moore sent the Giants down to a 5-1

defeat and sent the series back to

Candlestick with San Francisco in a 2

nothing hole their spirits sagging and

as the saying goes their backs clearly

to the wall the pregame warm-up for game

3 was winding down when the event took

place that would change this series

place in history forever

fans media and players were simply going

about their business then earthquake

for 15 seconds the stadium shook and in

response many fans first let out a

collective roar of celebration everybody

began comparing notes about the natural

phenomenon that had struck the national

pastime but in time news began to

trickle in the Bay Bridge the very

symbol of the series had collapsed in

mid span what's more there was a major

fire burning in the marina district then

tragically word came that Interstate 880

had collapsed crushing more than a miles

worth of cars beneath it clearly there

was no way this game could go on

[Applause]

what followed was the strange side of

baseball players in the midst of a World

Series reduced to everyman status

quietly and in orderly fashion

Candlestick began to empty it had taken

just 15 seconds for baseball to become

the furthest thing from everybody's mind

for now there was real fear for family

and for friends our issue is really a

modest one in light of the great tragedy

that's hit this area it turned out to be

a full 10 days before the series was

resumed allowing time for the trauma to

ease helping to heal the wounds left by

the earthquake was uppermost in the

minds of baseball officials and through

tragedy the World Series

helped inspire a newfound bond of

goodwill and upon resumption baseball

took the opportunity to thank the

thousands of selfless men and women who

gave of themselves in helping others in

the aftermath of the quake

[Applause]

then it was back to baseball and Dave

Henderson helped put the A's in what was

by now a familiar position

[Music]

Henderson's tightrope double gave the a

is a to nothing first inning lead but in

the third the giants Matt Williams

stepped to the plate and cut that margin

in half

home run for Matt Williams but back to

the plate just one inning later the

red-hot Henderson's swing and a drive to

deep right-center field that ball is

kept way back way back goodbye

Dave Henderson going into right-center

and drives that one over the

right-center field fence his third run

batted out of the game Henderson had two

homers on the night and came within

inches of a third helping the A's to a

4-1 lead but in the fourth the Giants

came back there was new life in

Candlestick but the A's hadn't gotten

here on offense alone and both Stewart

and his defense shut the door

[Applause]

tortoise

[Applause]

having stopped the Giants momentum TAS

reported on and 1:13 to 7 taking a three

games to non advantage in the series no

team in history had ever come back from

that far down

the grim reality of the past was really

driven home in the second inning of Game

four when Don Robinson faced his

pitching counterpart Mike Moore a man

with one lifetime at bat swinging at a

line drive hit to center field deep

Butler going back

getting hits up and down their lineup

das proved awesome mounting an eight

nothing lead by vi before the Giants

staged a last-gasp rally

[Applause]

Henderson goodbye see you later before

game he's going to score better obvio

the Giants got an A for effort but the

A's got a giant to come up short

[Applause]

Kevin Michels flyball to the track all

but extinguished the candlestick flame

the A's would increase their lead to

nine six and then earn matters over to

Eckersley swung on bounced off the

Flyers Bluff so has it

and

World Series in a sweep with a national

league champion Giants sadness and some

reflection for the world champion

Oakland A's redemption as they secured

what they had missed out on just a year

prior

[Music]

in baseball annals Oakland will be

listed as the 1989 champions by the bay

but for everyone who was touched by the

earthquake that gave this World Series

its historic context it goes much deeper

than that it's everything in perspective

in that baseball is only a game and it

has pretty much nothing to do with life

and when sometime in the future this

World Series is recalled it will be as a

time when the crowning moment of our

most treasured game was inter woven with

the heartache of the real world in which

we live when both fans and players alike

put their game aside in the spirit of

sacrifice and rebirth what they truly

are the champions by the bay

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]