THIS DATE IN BASEBALL
OCT. 21
1973 — Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson hit 2-run homers in the 3rd inning, powering the Oakland A’s past the New York Mets 5-2 in Game 7 of the World Series. It was the 2nd straight World Series Championship for the A’s.
1976 — The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in 4 games with a 7-2 victory over the New York Yankees. Johnny
Bench had 2 home runs for 5 RBIs. It was the Reds’ 2nd straight championship & marked the 1st time a team had swept the playoffs & World Series. New York’s Thuman Munson tied a World Series record with 6 straight singles.
1980 — The Philadelphia Phillies became World Series champions for the 1st time in their 98-year history with a 4-1 triumph over the Kansas City Royals in Game 6.
1986 — The New York Mets, after losing the first 2 World Series games at home, beat Boston 7-1 at Fenway Park.
1995 — Atlanta edged Cleveland 3-2 in Gm 1 of the World Series behind Greg Maddux’s 2-hitter, the 15th in Series history.
1996 — Atlanta’s Greg Maddux teamed with Mark Wohlers to pitch the 100th shutout in World Series history, a 4-0 win over the New York Yankees for a 2 games-to-none lead. Fred McGriff drove in 3 runs to set a record with 15 RBIs in a playoff.
2001 — Randy Johnson pitched 7 solid innings to beat Atlanta 3-2 & send Arizona to its 1st World Series. The Diamondbacks reached the World Series faster than any expansion team, doing it in only their 4th year.
2004 — MVP Albert Pujols hit a game-tying double, Scott Rolen followed with a home run & the St. Louis Cardinals struck suddenly against Roger Clemens & defeated the Houston Astros 5-2 in Game 7 of the NLCS.
2006 — The World Series had a pair of rookie starters for the 1st time. Anthony Reyes pitched brilliantly into the 9th inning to help St. Louis cruise past Detroit & Justin Verlander 7-2 in Game 1.
2009 — Jayson Werth homered twice, Shane Victorino & Pedro Feliz also connected as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 in Game 5 to win their 2nd straight NL pennant.
2017 — Charlie Morton & Lance McCullers combined on a 3-hitter, Jose Altuve & Evan Gattis homered & the Houston Astros reached the World Series, blanking the New York Yankees 4-0 in Game 7 of the ALCS.