The Giants entered the series as slight favorites due to the MVP season of Kevin Mitchell, the solid play of Will Clark, and the best ERA in baseball by pitcher Scott Garrelts. The Cubs had won their second NL East title in six seasons behind the excellent rookie performances of Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith, who finished one-two in the 1989 NL Rookie of the Year balloting. The Cubs also had three pitchers with 16 or more victories, Rick Sutcliffe, Mike Bielecki, and Greg Maddux, coming off his third full season in the majors. The opener pitted Maddux against Garrelts.
By the time the Cubs came to bat, the Giants had a 3–0 lead. Brett Butler led off with a single and moved to third on Rick Wrona's passed ball. Clark drove in his first run of the series with a double. Clark moved to third on Mitchell's single and scored along with Mitchell on Matt Williams' double. Maddux had given up three runs and recorded only one out, but he retired Terry Kennedy and Pat Sheridan to end the first. The Cubs came right back in the bottom of the first. Ryne Sandberg doubled and Mark Grace drilled a two-out, two-run homer to cut the Giants lead to 3–2. Clark got a run back when he homered in the third, but Sandberg's solo homer cut the Giants lead back to one. With the score 4–3, the Giants came to bat against Maddux in the fourth.
Pat Sheridan and José Uribe singled, and Uribe's steal put runners at second and third. Garrelts struck out, and the Cubs walked Butler intentionally hoping for a double play. Robby Thompson popped to shortstop, and the infield fly rule resulted in an automatic out. This set the stage for Clark with the bases loaded and two out. Having already driven in two runs, Clark tied the NLCS record for RBIs for an entire series in less than four innings when he drilled a grand slam to right that finished Maddux and the Cubs. The 8–3 lead ended in an 11–3 Giants victory when Mitchell nailed a three-run homer to close the scoring in the eighth. The Giants had drawn first blood and taken back home-field advantage.
Legend has it that Clark read Greg Maddux's lips during the mound visit before the grand slam, and that helped Clark pound a high fastball over the wall for a grand slam that helped the Giants steal Game 1 in Wrigley. Although, Clark's teammate, Bob Brenly, expressed doubts about the truth of that story.[6] Postgame, Cubs' manager Don Zimmer summed up Clark's brilliant outing by saying "He [Clark] had a helluva week tonight."[7]
Giving the Giants a dose of their own Game 1 medicine, the Cubs ended Game 2 early with a six-run first inning, five of the runs coming against Giants starter and loser Rick Reuschel. After Mike Bielecki picked Butler off first and retired the side, the Cubs went to work. Jerome Walton singled and scored on Ryne Sandberg's triple. After Dwight Smith lined out to first, Mark Grace doubled Sandberg home. Reuschel struck out Andre Dawson, but Luis Salazar singled to score Grace and moved to second on a single by Shawon Dunston. The Giants walked Joe Girardi to get to the pitcher's spot, and Bielecki responded with a single that scored Salazar and Dunston to make it 5–0. Walton again singled, scoring Girardi, and when Kelly Downs retired Sandberg on a pop-up, the Cubs went back into the field with a 6–0 lead.
The game was essentially over after the first inning. The Giants cut the lead to 6–2 in the fourth when Will Clark singled and Kevin Mitchell homered for the second time in the series. But the Cubs got those runs plus another back in the sixth when Grace doubled with the bases loaded, scoring all three runners and giving the Cubs a 9–2 lead. The Giants got three cosmetic runs when Williams homered in the eighth and Robby Thompson homered in the ninth. But the Cubs' early scoring made it one game apiece as the series headed to San Francisco for Game 3. Les Lancaster got the win for the Cubs.
Tied at one apiece, the series converged on Candlestick Park for Game 3. The pitching match-up featured 16-game winner Rick Sutcliffe against Mike LaCoss. Neither pitcher would be involved in the decision.
Following the trend of the first two games—five runs by the two teams combined in the first inning of Game 1 and six in the first inning of Game 2—the Cubs roared out of the gate with two first-inning runs courtesy of back-to-back singles by Walton and Smith, a wild pitch by LaCoss that put them on second and third, and a single by Andre Dawson that scored both and put the Cubs in the lead, 2–0. The Giants answered with three in their half of the first. Butler and Thompson singled, and Will Clark's fielder's choice ground out moved the runners to second and third. Kevin Mitchell was given an intentional pass, and Matt Williams grounded out to the pitcher to score Butler. Two more walks gave the Giants a second run when Thompson scored, and Jose Uribe's infield single scored Mitchell. The Giants now led, 3–2, but Sutcliffe avoided further damage by getting LaCoss to pop up.
The Cubs tied it in the fourth, but they settled for one run with a chance to open up the game. They loaded the bases against LaCoss with nobody out, and Roger Craig summoned reliever Jeff Brantley. Brantley got Sutcliffe to hit into a double play, including a force on Salazar at the plate. With runners at second and third and two out, the Giants nearly escaped, but a wild pitch from Brantley scored Dunston and tied the game. Walton flied out to end the inning.
The Cubs regained the lead in the seventh when Sutcliffe doubled and went to third on Walton's bunt. Greg Maddux was sent in to pinch-run for Sutcliffe, and he scored on Ryne Sandberg's fly to center. Dwight Smith popped out, but the Cubs led, 4–3.
The Giants, however, came back to put the game away in the bottom of the seventh. Les Lancaster took the mound to face the Giants. He was the winning pitcher in Game 2, but he gave up a home run to Robby Thompson. Lancaster inherited Brett Butler at first and his first hitter was Thompson. Moments later, Thompson had his second home run in his last two at-bats against Lancaster, and the Giants had a 5–4 lead. Don Robinson got the win in relief, Steve Bedrosian got the save, and the Giants had a 2–1 series lead.
In keeping with the first three games, the scoring began early in Game 4 as the Cubs sought to tie the series and the Giants hoped to take a 3–1 lead in the series. The pitching match-up featured a rematch of first-game pitchers Scott Garrelts and Greg Maddux. Garrelts had triumphed in round one, but neither pitcher would be involved in the decision in the rematch.
The Cubs opened the first playing small ball. A double by Sandberg followed by a short single by Smith and a line out to right by Mark Grace scored Sandberg to give the Cubs a 1–0 lead. The Giants mimicked the Cubs in the bottom of the first when Thompson walked, went to third on a Clark single, and scored on a Kevin Mitchell ground out. Luis Salazar then stunned the Giants faithful with a homer to give the Cubs a 2–1 lead in the second. But a bases-loaded single by Matt Williams in the bottom of the third scored two runs and put the Giants back in front. José Uribe doubled in the fourth. Maddux seemingly had him picked off, but a throwing error put Uribe at third, and he scored on Maddux's wild pitch to make it 4–2 Giants. In the top of the fifth, Walton singled and scored on Grace's triple. Grace then scored on Dawson's double and the score was tied at four. But in the bottom of the fifth, Clark doubled and Matt Williams (after fouling off seven pitches in a 12-pitch at-bat) hit his second homer of the series to give the Giants a 6–4 lead that was the final score.
The Giants' win gave them a three games to one edge and a chance to finish the series the next day at home. Kelly Downs was the winning pitcher, and Steve Wilson was the loser. Steve Bedrosian got his second save in as many days.
The Giants made it to their first World Series since 1962 with a 3–2 win over the Cubs to win the 1989 National League pennant, four games to one. The final game pitted Mike Bielecki against a well-rested (due to his quick exit from Game 2) Rick Reuschel. Reuschel made amends for his poor start in Game 2 by giving up only one run over eight innings. The one run Reuschel gave up was an unearned run the Cubs scored when Walton reached on an error by Mitchell and then scored on Sandberg's double. The Cubs held the 1–0 lead until the seventh inning when Will Clark tripled and scored on Mitchell's sacrifice fly.
With two outs in the eighth, the Cubs appeared ready to perhaps send the series back to Chicago, but Candy Maldonado pinch-hit for Reuschel and walked. Bielecki then proceeded to load the bases by walking both Butler and Thompson. Don Zimmer sent for Mitch Williams to end the jam, but Clark drove home the pennant-winning runs with a single to center that gave the Giants a 3–1 lead. Les Lancaster got Matt Williams out to end the inning but the Cubs were finished.
They did rally, however, in the ninth with three straight singles that made it 3–2. But Sandberg grounded out and the Giants were in their first World Series since 1962. Clark's stellar performance earned him Most Valuable Player honors for the Giants. Clark hit .650 with eight RBIs.
NBC play-by-play man Vin Scully was unable to call Game 2 because he had come down with laryngitis. Thus, number two play-by-play man, Bob Costas filled-in for him. Around the same time, Costas was assigned to call the American League Championship Series between Oakland and Toronto. Game 2 of the NLCS occurred on Thursday, October 5, which was an off day for the ALCS. NBC then decided to fly Costas from Toronto to Chicago to substitute for Scully on Thursday night. Afterwards, Costas flew back to Toronto, where he resumed work on the ALCS the next night.
Game 5 of the 1989 NLCS (October 9, 1989) was the last Major League Baseball game that NBC, which had broadcast MLB in some shape or form since 1947, would televise for five years (CBS would become the exclusive broadcast television network home for Major League Baseball in the meantime); the ensuing World Series was broadcast on ABC, with those four games being that network's last in the same timeframe. NBC would next televise a Major League Baseball game on July 12, 1994 (the All-Star Game from Pittsburgh); that same year, ABC began to broadcast Saturday night games via The Baseball Network. During the 1995 season, NBC began broadcasting Friday night games, with ABC still continuing Saturday night games, and the two networks would rotate postseason series, as well as games in the World Series, in which the Atlanta Braves defeated the Cleveland Indians, 4 games to 2.
Game 5 also turned out to be Vin Scully's last televised postseason appearance for a network. He would return to CBS from 1990 to 1997 to become the lead announcer for CBS Radio Sports' World Series coverage. Between television and radio, he has called all or part of 28 World Series — more than any other announcer. He retired in 2016.
After The Baseball Network was dissolved, Fox took over the exclusive broadcast rights for MLB regular season games, although NBC would still broadcast select postseason games and alternate with Fox for World Series coverage. By 2001, Fox became the exclusive broadcast home for the MLB postseason as well, a position it held through 2006. Beginning in 2007, TBS and Fox would alternate televising the LCS, with Fox taking the ALCS in odd years, and the NLCS in even years. TBS would do the reverse, televising the NLCS in odd years and the ALCS in even years.
Aftermath
Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky, who would ultimately have his pitching arm amputated due to cancer, broke his arm during the Giants' on-field celebration following Game 5.
The Giants were swept by the Athletics in the 1989 World Series. The ‘89 World Series was most known for the Loma Prieta earthquake, which hit minutes before Game 3 causing significant damage to both Oakland and San Francisco. The game was postponed out of concerns for the safety of everyone in the ballpark as well as the loss of power, with commissionerFay Vincent later saying that he did not know when play would resume. The series resumed ten days later on October 27 and finished the next day. Until that point, it was the latest a World Series had ever been played.
Mark Grace (waving cap) and Matt Williams (farthest right in the red jersey), among others, during the Diamondbacks alumni game in 2018.
Long-time Giants catcher Bob Brenly would later serve as a color analyst for televised Chicago Cubs games from 2005-2012. In between the end of his playing career and his announcing career, Brenly would win a World Series managing the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. On that 2001 Diamondbacks team were a 35-year old Matt Williams and a 37-year old Mark Grace, who also both played in the '89 NLCS for Giants and Cubs, respectively.
Known for their title droughts — the Giants had never won a World Series in San Francisco, while the Cubs had not won in 81 years at the time of this series in 1989 — both teams would have to wait until the 2010s to win a World Series. In 2010, the Giants defeated the Texas Rangers in five games to win the World Series for the first time since moving to San Francisco in 1958, thus ending the 52-year "Curse of Coogan's Bluff". The Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series in seven games after trailing in the series 3 games to 1. They won Game 7 by a score of 8–7 in 10 innings at Cleveland's Progressive Field, ending their 108-year drought.
The Cubs and Giants met in a Wild Card tiebreaker in 1998 where the Cubs advanced, beating the Giants 5–3. On their way to a 2016 World Series, the Cubs also beat the Giants in the 2016 NLDS, 3 games to 1. The Cubs series clinching win in Game 4 was their first postseason win in a game played on the West coast. They had previously lost their first 10 games as the visiting team on the West Coast in the postseason.
The 1998 National League Championship Series (NLCS), to determine the champion of Major League Baseball's National League, was played from October 7 to 14 between the East Division champion Atlanta Braves and the West Division champion San Diego Padres.
The 1989 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1989 season. The 86th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants. The Series ran from October 14 through October 28, with the Athletics sweeping the Giants in four games. It was the first World Series sweep since 1976, when the Cincinnati Reds swept the New York Yankees.
Ricky Eugene Reuschel is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1972 to 1991, winning 214 games with a career 3.37 ERA. His nickname was "Big Daddy" because his speed belied his portly physique. He was known for his deceptive style of pitching, which kept hitters off balance by constantly varying the speeds of his pitches.
The 1987 National League Championship Series took place between October 6 and 14 at Busch Memorial Stadium and Candlestick Park. It matched the East division champion St. Louis Cardinals (95–67) against the West division champion San Francisco Giants (90–72), with the Cardinals winning in seven games. The Cardinals would go on to lose the 1987 World Series to the Minnesota Twins, also in seven games.
The 2003 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to 15 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the wild-card qualifying Florida Marlins. The Cubs, by virtue of being a division winner, had the home field advantage. The Marlins came back from a three games to one deficit and won the series in seven games, advancing to the World Series against the New York Yankees, whom they defeated in six games.
The 2002 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 9 to 14 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion St. Louis Cardinals and the wild-card qualifying San Francisco Giants. It was a rematch of the 1987 NLCS, in which the Cardinals defeated the Giants in seven games. The Cardinals, by virtue of being a division winner, had the home field advantage.
The 2000 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2000 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Sunday, October 8, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were:
The 2003 National League Division Series (NLDS), the first round of the 2003 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, September 30, and ended on Sunday, October 5, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. The teams were:
The 1984 National League Championship Series was played between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs from October 2 to 7. San Diego won the series three games to two to advance to the World Series. It was the first postseason series ever for the Padres since the franchise's beginning in 1969, and the first appearance by the Cubs in postseason play since the 1945 World Series. Chicago took a 2–0 lead in the series, but San Diego prevailed after rebounding to win three straight, which contributed to the popular mythology of the "Curse of the Billy Goat" on the Cubs. The series was the 16th NLCS in all -- in 1985 the League Championship Series changed to a best-of-seven format -- and one of only four League Championship Series in which the home team won every game.
The 1998 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 1998 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, September 29, and ended on Sunday, October 4, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. The teams were:
The 1989 Chicago Cubs season was the 118th season of the franchise, the 114th in the National League and 74th season at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were managed by Don Zimmer in his second season as manager and played their home games at Wrigley Field as members of Major League Baseball's National League East Division.
The 1989 San Francisco Giants season was the Giants' 107th season in Major League Baseball, their 32nd season in San Francisco since their move from New York following the 1957 season, and their 30th at Candlestick Park. The Giants finished in first place in the National League West with a record of 92 wins and 70 losses. It was their second division title in three years. The Giants defeated the Chicago Cubs in five games in the National League Championship Series. However, they were swept by their cross-Bay rivals, the Oakland Athletics, in an earthquake-marred World Series.
The 2010 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a best-of-seven game Major League Baseball playoff series that pitted the winners of the 2010 National League Division Series—the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants—against each other for the National League Championship. The Giants would defeat the Phillies, four games to two, to advance to their first World Series since 2002. The series, the 41st NLCS in league history, began on October 16 and ended on October 23. The Phillies had home field advantage as a result of their better regular-season record. The Phillies hosted Games 1, 2 and 6, while the Giants were at home for Games 3, 4 and 5.
The 2012 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2012 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—the winner of a one-game Wild Card playoff—played in two separate series.
The 2012 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the San Francisco Giants against the St. Louis Cardinals for the National League pennant and the right to play in the 2012 World Series. The series, the 43rd NLCS in league history, began Sunday, October 14, and ended Monday, October 22, with Fox airing all games in the United States. In shades of the 1996 NLCS, a series where the Cardinals blew a 3–1 series lead where they were outscored 32–1 over the final three games, the Giants came back from a 3–1 deficit and outscored the Cardinals, 20–1, over the final three games to win the series, 4–3.
The 2016 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2016 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—the winner of a one-game Wild Card playoff— played in two series. FS1 and MLB Network carried all the games in the United States.
The Big Three was a trio of Major League Baseball starting pitchers for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2002 which consisted of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. The Big Three combined to win seven National League Cy Young Awards in the 1990s and helped lead the Atlanta Braves to a 1995 World Series win. Each member of the Big Three has had their jersey retired by the Atlanta Braves and were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
On June 23, 1984, the Chicago Cubs took on the St. Louis Cardinals in a Major League Baseball contest that saw Willie McGee hit for the cycle, but Ryne Sandberg hit two home runs—in the ninth and tenth innings—to propel the Cubs to a 12–11 victory. The Cubs overcame deficits of 7–1, 9–3, and 11–9 as Sandberg hit a pair of game-tying home runs in late-inning action, both off ex-Cubs ace Bruce Sutter. NBC play-by-play announcer Bob Costas, who called the game with Tony Kubek, is remembered for saying "Do you believe it?!" when Sandberg hit the second home run. The game is known as The Sandberg Game.
The 1989 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 1989 season. The winners of each division advance to the postseason and face each other in a League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series.
The 2003 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2003 season. The winners of the League Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. This was the first edition of the postseason where home-field advantage in the World Series was awarded to the league who won the MLB All-Star Game, a rule which lasted until 2016.
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