Typically, the World Series is a celebration of the game of baseball. However, on this day in 1989, the third game of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics was postponed due to a deadly earthquake that ripped through the Bay Area.
The 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics had plenty of intriguing storylines. It was the second consecutive all California World Series, following the A’s series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The series was a bit of redemption for the Giants, who had become an afterthought since the middle of the 1970’s, and were back playing for a championship for the first time in nearly three decades.
However, the A’s, who were playing with a sizable chip on their shoulders due to being swept by the Dodgers the year before, jumped out early. Dave Stewart and Mike Moore shut down the Giants offense, holding the team to one run over the first two games. However, with the series heading to San Francisco, the Giants were looking to take back momentum and make the series a real contest.
That attempt to take back the momentum of the series ended up being delayed. Just minutes before the first pitch, the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck. Centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park and just northeast of Santa Cruz, the earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter Scale, and was responsible for 63 deaths and 3,757 injuries, costing an estimated $5.6 to $6 Billion in damages.
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This was also the first major earthquake to be broadcast live on national television. As the game was minutes away from beginning, and the coverage of the pregame festivities was about to segue into the game itself, people around the country were able to briefly witness the beginning of the quake, until the signal was lost. Audio was restored via telephone, and coverage was switched to a rerun of Roseanne. However, the devastation was able to be witnessed firsthand, as the Goodyear blimp, ready to provide overhead footage of the game, was able to film the devastation from above, painting the perfect picture of the events as they unfolded.
Due to the devastation in the Bay Area, affecting both Oakland and San Francisco, the series was postponed for eleven days. When the games resumed, the A’s had little trouble with the Giants, sweeping the series and taking their first championship since 1974. Stewart was named the Series MVP, going 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA and a 0.750 WHiP.
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The World Series is a celebration of the great game of baseball. However, on this day in 1989, when the series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics was interrupted by the Loma Prieta Earthquake, we were reminded that there is a lot more to life than baseball.