Greatest World Series Game in History

soggycrow

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October 10, 1920

It's not just the first grand slam home run in series history. It's not just the first home run by a pitcher in series history. Those things have been done since.

No, it's the only unassisted triple play in series history. Bill Wambsganss, Cleveland 2B. Game 5. Over the Brooklyn Robins. Location: Dunn Field (League Park) Cleveland. It's been restored.

Never repeated. Probably never will be.
 

ChrisM

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That one is certainly unique, but it is far in the distant past and none of use saw it. Personally - I'll take Game 6 1986 - Mets Cubs and that incredible tenth inning.

I will never forget that cool, anxious Saturday night in late October - and the ball that "Gets by Buckner!" Exhilarating - and I am hoping the Mets can duplicate or approach teh accomplishment next week.
 

Marty Ward

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October 10, 1920

It's not just the first grand slam home run in series history. It's not just the first home run by a pitcher in series history. Those things have been done since.

No, it's the only unassisted triple play in series history. Bill Wambsganss, Cleveland 2B. Game 5. Over the Brooklyn Robins. Location: Dunn Field (League Park) Cleveland. It's been restored.

Never repeated. Probably never will be.
Don Larsens game wasn't bad either.
 

sarfs

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That one is certainly unique, but it is far in the distant past and none of use saw it. Personally - I'll take Game 6 1986 - Mets Cubs and that incredible tenth inning.

I will never forget that cool, anxious Saturday night in late October - and the ball that "Gets by Buckner!" Exhilarating - and I am hoping the Mets can duplicate or approach teh accomplishment next week.
The Flubs haven't been to the world series in over 100 years . And "Back to the Future" was wrong. HA HA. Wait until next millennium.

Why do the trees in Chicago bend to the north?
Because the northside sux!
 

aiabx

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October 23, 1993.
Jays' Joe Carter hits a game winning come-from-behind 3 run homer to take the series over Philadelphia.

I will concede that I may be biased.
 

sarfs

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Game 3 2005. The game goes to extra innings and ace Mark Buehrle gets the save, his first because he normally a starter. He had just pitched in game 2. They then go on to win game 4 and sweep the series.

From wiki;

"Game 3
Tuesday, October 25, 2005, at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 R H E
Chicago 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 14 3
Houston 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 1
WP: Dámaso Marte (1–0) LP: Ezequiel Astacio (0–1) Sv: Mark Buehrle (1)
Home runs:
CWS: Joe Crede (2), Geoff Blum (1)
HOU: Jason Lane (1)
Game 3 was the first World Series game played in the state of Texas. Before the game, it was ruled by Commissioner Bud Selig that the retractable roof would be open at Minute Maid Park, weather permitting. The Astros objected, citing that their record in games with the roof closed was better than with the retractable roof open. Selig's office claimed that the ruling was based on the rules established by Houston and were consistent with how the Astros organization treated the situation all year long, as well as the weather forecasts for that period of time.

The game would become the longest World Series game in length of time (5 hours and 41 minutes) and tied for the longest in number of innings (14, tied with Game 2 of the 1916 World Series and Game 1 of the 2015 World Series). Houston struck early on a Lance Berkman single after a Craig Biggio lead-off double in the bottom of the first. The White Sox had a rally snuffed in the second inning; after Paul Konerko hit a lead-off double and A.J. Pierzynski walked, Aaron Rowand hit into a line-drive double play. Adam Everett caught the ball and then doubled Konerko off second by flipping the ball to Biggio, who stepped on the bag. Houston scored in the bottom of the third when Everett led off with a walk. Everett got caught in a rundown and got hit by the ball on a Juan Uribe throwing error that hit Everett. A Roy Oswalt sacrifice bunt and a Biggio single sent Everett home. Berkman singled again with two out, sending Biggio to third. Then Morgan Ensberg singled Biggio home for the third run of the game. Jason Lane led off the Astros' fourth with a home run to left-center field. It was later shown in replays that the ball should not have been ruled a home run, hitting the left side of the yellow line on the unusual wall in left-center field.

The White Sox rallied in the top of the fifth, true to their "Win Or Die Trying" mantra of 2005, starting with a Joe Crede lead-off homer. Uribe, on first after hitting a single, scored on a Tadahito Iguchi base hit with one out, followed by Scott Podsednik coming home on a single by Jermaine Dye. Pierzynski hit a two-out double to Tal's Hill, driving in two runs, scoring Iguchi and Dye giving the White Sox the lead. The Astros rallied in the last of the eighth with two outs when Lane's double scored Ensberg with the tying run after back-to-back walks by Ensberg and Mike Lamb, giving Dustin Hermanson a blown save. Houston tried to rally to win in the ninth, but stranded Chris Burke at third, after he had walked, reached second on an error and stolen third.

The Astros tried again in the 10th as well as in the 11th, but failed each time. In the top of the 14th, after the Sox hit into a spectacular double play started by Ensberg, Geoff Blum (a former Astro) homered to right with two outs off Ezequiel Astacio. After two infield singles by Rowand and Crede that went a total of 150 feet according to Tim McCarver, Uribe and Chris Widger walked thanks to Astacio's sudden wildness. The Astros then tried to rally with the tying runs on first and third and two outs after a Uribe error, but Game 2 starter Mark Buehrle earned the save for winning pitcher Dámaso Marte when Everett popped out, bringing the White Sox one game closer to their first championship in 88 years. Buehrle became the first pitcher to start a game in the Series and save the next one since Bob Turley of the Yankees in the 1958 World Series.

Many records were set or tied besides time and innings: The teams combined to use 17 pitchers (nine for the White Sox, eight for the Astros), throwing a total of 482 pitches, and walking 21 batters (a dozen by Chicago, nine by Houston); 43 players were used (the White Sox used 22 and the Astros used 21), and 30 men were left on base (15 for each team), all new high-water marks in Fall Classic history. Scott Podsednik set a new all-time record with eight official at-bats in this game. One tied record was total double plays, with six (four by the Astros, two by the White Sox)."
 
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soggycrow

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Game 3 2005. The game goes to extra innings and ace Mark Buehrle gets the save, his first because he normally a starter. He had just pitched in game 2. They then go on to win game 4 and sweep the series.

From wiki;

"Game 3
Tuesday, October 25, 2005, at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 R H E
Chicago 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 14 3
Houston 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 1
WP: Dámaso Marte (1–0) LP: Ezequiel Astacio (0–1) Sv: Mark Buehrle (1)
Home runs:
CWS: Joe Crede (2), Geoff Blum (1)
HOU: Jason Lane (1)
Game 3 was the first World Series game played in the state of Texas. Before the game, it was ruled by Commissioner Bud Selig that the retractable roof would be open at Minute Maid Park, weather permitting. The Astros objected, citing that their record in games with the roof closed was better than with the retractable roof open. Selig's office claimed that the ruling was based on the rules established by Houston and were consistent with how the Astros organization treated the situation all year long, as well as the weather forecasts for that period of time.

The game would become the longest World Series game in length of time (5 hours and 41 minutes) and tied for the longest in number of innings (14, tied with Game 2 of the 1916 World Series and Game 1 of the 2015 World Series). Houston struck early on a Lance Berkman single after a Craig Biggio lead-off double in the bottom of the first. The White Sox had a rally snuffed in the second inning; after Paul Konerko hit a lead-off double and A.J. Pierzynski walked, Aaron Rowand hit into a line-drive double play. Adam Everett caught the ball and then doubled Konerko off second by flipping the ball to Biggio, who stepped on the bag. Houston scored in the bottom of the third when Everett led off with a walk. Everett got caught in a rundown and got hit by the ball on a Juan Uribe throwing error that hit Everett. A Roy Oswalt sacrifice bunt and a Biggio single sent Everett home. Berkman singled again with two out, sending Biggio to third. Then Morgan Ensberg singled Biggio home for the third run of the game. Jason Lane led off the Astros' fourth with a home run to left-center field. It was later shown in replays that the ball should not have been ruled a home run, hitting the left side of the yellow line on the unusual wall in left-center field.

The White Sox rallied in the top of the fifth, true to their "Win Or Die Trying" mantra of 2005, starting with a Joe Crede lead-off homer. Uribe, on first after hitting a single, scored on a Tadahito Iguchi base hit with one out, followed by Scott Podsednik coming home on a single by Jermaine Dye. Pierzynski hit a two-out double to Tal's Hill, driving in two runs, scoring Iguchi and Dye giving the White Sox the lead. The Astros rallied in the last of the eighth with two outs when Lane's double scored Ensberg with the tying run after back-to-back walks by Ensberg and Mike Lamb, giving Dustin Hermanson a blown save. Houston tried to rally to win in the ninth, but stranded Chris Burke at third, after he had walked, reached second on an error and stolen third.

The Astros tried again in the 10th as well as in the 11th, but failed each time. In the top of the 14th, after the Sox hit into a spectacular double play started by Ensberg, Geoff Blum (a former Astro) homered to right with two outs off Ezequiel Astacio. After two infield singles by Rowand and Crede that went a total of 150 feet according to Tim McCarver, Uribe and Chris Widger walked thanks to Astacio's sudden wildness. The Astros then tried to rally with the tying runs on first and third and two outs after a Uribe error, but Game 2 starter Mark Buehrle earned the save for winning pitcher Dámaso Marte when Everett popped out, bringing the White Sox one game closer to their first championship in 88 years. Buehrle became the first pitcher to start a game in the Series and save the next one since Bob Turley of the Yankees in the 1958 World Series.

Many records were set or tied besides time and innings: The teams combined to use 17 pitchers (nine for the White Sox, eight for the Astros), throwing a total of 482 pitches, and walking 21 batters (a dozen by Chicago, nine by Houston); 43 players were used (the White Sox used 22 and the Astros used 21), and 30 men were left on base (15 for each team), all new high-water marks in Fall Classic history. Scott Podsednik set a new all-time record with eight official at-bats in this game. One tied record was total double plays, with six (four by the Astros, two by the White Sox)."
Not being a fan of either team I think I would have found the game just long. In fact I didn't watch any of that series. I suppose we're attached to our favorite teams. And that's fine. I do think that the unassisted triple play is really special. How many people who saw that happen are still alive today? You can't even watch a video. I have seen a photo. That's all.

But you can go there and walk the ground where Bill Wanbsganss did it. I have, and you can almost hear him say, "and you're three."
 
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