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Oakland Athletics dominant 1989 World Series title

By David Hill

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 25: Former players stand on the field during a pregame ceremony honoring the Oakland Athletics 1989 World Series Championship team prior to the game between the Athletics and the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 25, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Giants defeated the Athletics 5-4. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 25: Former players stand on the field during a pregame ceremony honoring the Oakland Athletics 1989 World Series Championship team prior to the game between the Athletics and the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on August 25, 2019 in Oakland, California. The Giants defeated the Athletics 5-4. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /
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The Oakland Athletics not only swept the San Francisco Giants in the 1989 World Series, they dominated the Giants in every way possible.

When one thinks back to the 1989 World Series, there is one enduring image – the ground shaking before the start of Game Three. The World Series between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants will forever be defined by that earthquake, a tragedy that was captured live at the ballpark.

That earthquake overshadowed what was truly a dominant effort by the A’s. In fact, that series was considered by ESPN to be the second most lopsided series in the history of the World Series, eclipsed only by the 1919 contest, where the White Sox were paid to lose.

Had it not been for the earthquake, that may have been the lest noteworthy World Series in history, one that would be completely forgotten about outside of Oakland. It was a great premise – the Battle of the Bay, geographic rivals pitted against one another for baseball supremacy. Sadly, the series did not live up to expectations.

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It was not just that the A’s swept the Giants – it was far worse than that. San Francisco did not look as though they belonged on the same field as Oakland, being outscored 32 to 14 in the four game series. The Giants scored 13 of those runs in the final two games after the ten day hiatus due to the aftermath of the earthquake.

Even that score does not tell the full story. The Giants never led in the series, and only ended even two innings tied with the A’s. The Giants .595 OPS was barely more than the A’s .582 slugging percentage. Bill Bathe had the most RBI out of any player on the Giants in the series, and he had just two plate appearances, belting a pinch hit three run homer in Game Three. Interestingly, Bathe had a total of 33 plate appearances for the Giants in the regular season that year.

Oakland was able to ride the duo of Dave Stewart and Mike Moore for the series, and they delivered, allowing just six runs combined over their 29 innings. Stewart was the World Series MVP, allowing three runs in 16 innings, striking out 14 batters while allowing just 13 baserunners.

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The Oakland Athletics championship in 1989 does not get the attention it deserves. It was a dominant performance, albeit one overshadowed by tragedy.