This Day in Playoff History: A's complete sweep in earthquake series
The baseball world is still shaken by the memories of the 1989 World Series.
On Oct. 27, 1989, play resumed in the Fall Classic after the Loma Prieta earthquake tore apart the Bay Area just prior to first pitch of Game 3 at Candlestick Park 10 days earlier. The earthquake registered at a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale and lasted 17 seconds. Tragically, 63 people lost their lives, and the quake caused more than $6 billion in damage.
Ten days is still the longest delay in World Series history.
One night later, Oakland completed a four-game sweep of San Francisco to earn its ninth championship in franchise history. Still, though, everyone was talking about the earthquake.
"It was definitely a big impact," current New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, who was then GM of the Athletics, said. "But at the same time, we thought about it: 'We had an earthquake, we had a terrible loss of life, but 25 years from now, 50 years from now, people in the East Bay area are going to care whether we won or lost and we still have an obligation to win.'"
"I can still see the light standards at the ballpark swaying side to side," Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart said about the event. Stewart was scheduled to start Game 3 on Oct. 17, but had to refocus when the teams reconvened 10 days later to resume play. He pitched seven strong innings in a 13-7 Athletics victory to improve to 4-0 during the postseason run, earning him MVP honors.
"We would have beaten the Giants regardless," Stewart said years later at a pregame ceremony honoring the title team. "If (the earthquake) wouldn't have happened, I still think we would have won in four games.
"We believed in putting our feet on the opponent's neck, and we were very creative in how we could beat you. We could beat you with pitching. We could beat a team by hitting the ball out of the park. And we were a defensive ballclub. I mean, we did a lot of things well."
The Athletics, managed by Hall of Famer Tony La Russa, fielded a talented roster that included Dennis Eckersley, Rickey Henderson, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Mike Moore, Bob Welch, and Stewart, among others.
"All the fans in the stands who think they can manage? They could have managed that team," La Russa joked. "What didn't it have. It's as close to perfect as you can find. And I'll put it up against any team ever."
The Athletics finished with the best record in baseball (99-63) for the second consecutive year, and advanced to the Fall Classic again in 1990, only to be swept by the Cincinnati Reds. The 1989 championship is still the most recent in club history.