THIS DATE IN BASEBALL
OCTOBER 5
1921: In the first one-city World Series since 1906, the Polo Grounds is the site for all nine games. Carl Mays (27-9) needs 86 pitches to set the Giants down on five hits:- four of them by Frank Frisch. Babe Ruth drives in the first run of the Series in the opening inning of the 3-0 Yankees win.
1928: Lou Gehrig unloads a three-run home run in the first inning of Game Two. Grover Cleveland Alexander, the hero of the 1926 Series between the Yankees and Cardinals, is driven from the game in the third inning as New York cruises, 9-3, to take a 2-1 Series lead.
1929: Mel Ott and Chuck Klein go into a headto-head doubleheader tied at 42 home runs apiece. In the opener, Klein homers for the Phillies off Carl Hubbell in his first at-bat to take the home run lead. In the nightcap, Phillies pitchers intentionally walk Ott five times rather than give him a chance to tie Klein. The last walk comes with the bases loaded. Lefty O'Doul of the Phillies has six hits on the day for an NL record of 254 hits.
1939: Yankees pitcher Monte Pearson does not allow a base hit until one out in the eighth as he shuts out the Reds, 4-0. Babe Dahlgren hits a home run and double as the Yanks take a 2-0 Series lead.
1941: With two outs in the ninth inning of Game Four, Dodgers catcher Mickey Owen drops a third strike on Tommy Henrich, which would have given Brooklyn a 4-3 victory over New York. The Yankees then rally for a 7-4 win to take a 3-1 World Series lead.
1942: Whitey Kurowski's two-run home run in the ninth inning of Game Five gives St. Louis a 4-2 win to capture the World Series over the Yankees.
1945: Claude Passeau of the Cubs pitches a one-hitter, beating the Detroit Tigers 3-0 in Game Three of the World Series.
1941: Brooklyn catcher Mickey Owen dropped a third strike on Tommy Henrich of what would have been the final out of a Dodgers victory against the New York Yankees. Given the second chance, the Yankees scored four runs for a 7-4 victory and a 3-1 lead in the World Series, which they ended up winning.
1947: Al Gionfriddo's catch in left field robbed Joe DiMaggio of a game-tying home run in Game 6 of the World Series. The Dodgers beat the Yankees, 8-6.
1952: Brooklyn wins 6-5 in 11 innings when Duke Snider doubles home Billy Cox. Carl Erskine goes all the way for the win to give the Dodgers a 3-2 Series lead heading back to Ebbets Field.
1953: The Yanks end the World Series in six games when Billy Martin's 12th Series hit, a single to center field in the bottom of the ninth, gives the Yankees their fifth world championship in a row. Carl Furillo had tied it up in the ninth with a two-run home run.
1960: In a portent of things to come, Bill Mazeroski's two-run fifth-inning home run off Jim Coates is the difference as Pittsburgh beats New York 6-4 in its first World Series win since 1925. 1966: With first-inning home runs by Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson and 11 strikeouts from relief pitcher Moe Drabowsky, the Orioles win their first World Series game, 5-2. 1967: Jim Lonborg of the Boston Red Sox pitched a one-hit, 5-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals to tie the World Series, 1-1. Carl Yastrzemski hit two home runs.
1968: Tim McCarver and Orlando Cepeda each hit three-run home runs to lead St. Louis to a 7-3 win over Detroit. The Cardinals take a 2-1 World Series lead.
1971: The Orioles overcome two Reggie Jackson home runs to complete a sweep of Oakland in the ALCS with a 5-3 victory.
1979: The Pirates complete a sweep of the NLCS, beating the Reds, 7-1. Willie Stargell, who homers, is named series MVP.
1980: Capping an improbable comeback, the Dodgers beat the Astros for the third day in a row to force a one-game playoff for the NL West title. Los Angeles trailed Houston by three games with three games left in the season, and won each game by a single run. 1984: Milt Wilcox and Willie Hernandez combine on a three-hitter to give the Tigers a 1-0 win and a sweep of the Royals in the ALCS. 1986: Pete Incaviglia of Texas hit his 30th home run of the season, against the California Angels, becoming the 16th rookie in major league history to reach that mark. The homer came off Don Sutton as the Rangers beat the Angels, 7-4.
1991: After 11 lead changes or ties in the closing weeks of the NL West race, the Braves finally clinch the division on the second-to-last day of the season.
1996: Bernie Williams homered from each side of the plate and Cecil Fielder broke a tie with a seventh-inning single as the New York Yankees beat Texas, 6-4, to win the AL division series, 3-1, and advance to the ALCS.
1997: Mike Mussina beats Seattle and Randy Johnson for the second time and gives the Orioles their second straight trip to the ALCS. Mussina pitches a two-hitter for seven innings to win the game, and the series, by a 3-1 margin.