1989 World Series

The 1989 World Series ended up being somewhat anticlimactic because of that. Oakland had already won two games at home before the big quake, with starters Dave Stewart pitching a shutout in Game 1 and Mike Moore and the Oakland relievers only allowing one run in Game 2. Game 3 was delayed for 12 days, which meant that when the series resumed both teams were able to go right back to their Game 1 starters. Before the quake pitching dominanted the series, while the hitters came back strong afterwards. In the next two games the Giants were able to score 13 runs, which was as many as the A's scored in Game 3 as they went on to sweep the series in four games. This commemorative video of the 1989 World Series contains all of the highlights from the games, as well as interviews at the time and afterwards dealing with both the Series and the aftermath of the quake (the sight of the ballplayers holding their crying kids on the field after the quake is probably the most memorable images from that series).

This series was known as both the Bay Area Series and the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Series. World Series MVP Stewart became the first pitcher in history to win two games in both the ALCS and the World Series. The games were never close, with the A's having 13-3 and 8-0 leads in the final pair of games played in San Francisco; the stadium had only minor damage that was repaired before the Series resumed. However, this proved to be the only World Championship for the A's during this period under manager Tony LaRussa, even though this was the second of three consecutive years they made the Fall Classic. Although Oakland dominated in 1989, they had lost in five games to the Dodgers the previous year and in 1990 they would be themselves be swept by the Cincinnati Reds. But in 1989, not even an earthquake could stop them from taking the title.