On October 25, 1987 — In a World Series in which neither team lost a game in its home park, the Minnesota Twins win the World Championship behind starter Frank Viola and reliever Jeff Reardon, beating the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 – 2, in Game 7. The franchise’s last championship came in 1924 as the…
“If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.” – Vin Scully, describing the aftermath of the play after a long silence. One strike from defeat, the Mets tie the game on a wild pitch and then, thanks to Bill Buckner’s error, win Game 6, knotting the Fall Classic at three games apiece. This event was selected as one of baseball’s 30 most memorable moments.
1985 – The California Angels announce that they will not offer seven-time batting champion Rod Carew a new contract for the 1986 season, effectively ending his 19-year career. Carew finishes with 3,053 hits and a .328 career batting average.
1983 – Chicago White Sox pitcher LaMarr Hoyt, who led the American League with 24 wins but whose 3.66 ERA was not among the league’s 15 best, wins the Cy Young Award, beating out the Kansas City Royals’ Dan Quisenberry and the Detroit Tigers’ Jack Morris.
1981 – Steve Yeager and Pedro Guerrero hit consecutive home runs in the 7th inning, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2 – 1 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series.
1978 – Gaylord Perry of the San Diego Padres becomes the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues. Perry cops the National League honor with a 21-6 record and a 2.72 ERA.
On October 25, 1974, two future Hall of Famers are sent packing in major trades. The Chicago Cubs send 20-game winner Ferguson Jenkins to the Texas Rangers for infielders Bill Madlock and Vic Harris.
October 25, 1973 at the ripe old age of 47, Gene Mauch has won another National League Manager of the Year award. “That’s a long period, of time” Mauch said manager of the Montreal Expos, said at his suburban Hacienda Heights home, and he added with a chuckle: It’s just like my career…
1973 – The Chicago Cubs trade six-time 20-game winner Ferguson Jenkins to the Texas Rangers for third baseman Bill Madlock and utility man Vic Harris. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants trade three-time home run champion Willie McCovey, a Giant since 1959, together with minor leaguer Bernie Williams,to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Mike Caldwell.
The Cubs end their college of coaches experiment with the hiring of Leo Durocher, who signs a three-year deal and is given complete authority on the field. The Lip’s assessment that Chicago is “not an eighth-place ball club,” will prove to be correct when his team finishes tenth next season.
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