News
A's set to celebrate 1989 World Series
Club hosts San Francisco 20 years after 'Battle of the Bay'
By Amy Brittain / MLB.com
06/21/09 4:10 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden remembers his exact whereabouts at 5:04 p.m. on Oct. 17, 1989.As a 6-year-old Giants fan, he was home in Stockton, Calif., preparing to watch Game 3 of the World Series against the Oakland A's.
"My mom was in the living room. I could hear her yelling, 'Dallas, get out from behind the TV,'" Braden said. "She thought I was in the living room behind the TV screwing around because the plants started to move."
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Much to his mother's surprise, Braden walked in from another room and asked why she was yelling.
"She panicked, and we ran outside because the earthquake was going on," he said. "My most glaring memory is standing outside going, 'What the heck is going on?'"
A 7.1 earthquake had hit the Bay Area minutes before the starting pitch at Candlestick Park. World Series officials postponed Game 3 for 10 days, but the delay didn't stop the A's momentum. They swept the Giants in four games and outscored San Francisco, 32-14.
"I was probably over it 20 minutes later," Braden said of the Giants' loss. "But, nonetheless, it was very disappointing. It was a dismal day in my life."
The A's will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the "Battle of the Bay" starting Monday, as Oakland and San Francisco meet in a three-game Interleague series at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Current A's pitching coach Curt Young says the 20-year period hasn't faded any of his memories from the '89 World Series. Young was Oakland's starting pitcher for Game 3, given that scheduled starter Bob Welch injured his groin the day before.
"I was inside the clubhouse, and the stadium shook so hard that dust pouring out of the vents looked like smoke coming out," Young said. "Then the lights went out. The clubhouse guy hollered, 'Get out of here,' and we scattered out the back door."
But the 10-day break allowed the A's to reset their pitching rotation, and Young never got the nod.
"There was a lot of talk of cancelling it, which would have been understandable," he said of the World Series. "But after 10 days off, we all stayed into it. Once we played again, our guys were pretty good."
Those "guys" included Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, MVP Dave Stewart and Rickey Henderson.
"McGwire and Canceso were my guys," said Oakland third baseman Bobby Crosby, a Southern California native. "They were fun to watch with the long ball. And I had the Rickey Henderson [batting] gloves that were like neon green."
Oakland third-base coach Mike Gallego, who played second base during the A's championship run, said he attributes the sweep to Tony La Russa's managing skills. In the aftermath of the earthquake, La Russa relocated his club to Arizona for the 10-day hiatus.
"That was very difficult, but I think La Russa did a great job by getting us to our Spring Training site and having some intense workouts there," Gallego said. "That was a big part of it. It was a great move by our manager, and it kept us sharp and ready to go."
The championship tribute includes a pregame ceremony Tuesday featuring Stewart, Young, Gallego and additional members of the '89 team. The first 10,000 fans who attend the series opener Monday will receive a McGwire replica jersey with a 1989 World Series patch.
Braden said he's eager to face the Giants this week and relive his lingering childhood memories of the fierce rivalry.
"It's not often that you have two teams battling for a championship that are less than 15 minutes apart from each other," Braden said. "It was like a 'This is what we've been waiting for' type of rivalry.
"For it to come to the forefront nationally on such a grand stage ... I think was what kick-started it all and made it what is today."
Amy Brittain is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
