Five World Series overrun by controversy

Yuli Gurriel’s behavior is a big story in the 2017 World Series for the wrong reasons. Here are five other World Series that were dominated by action off the field.

We live in the age of communication. News breaks instantaneously; in fact two-thirds of adults have gotten news from social media in 2017.

Baseball is no exception. Nearly all sports reporters have active Twitter accounts, and they break news via Twitter long before their articles reach newsstands or even news websites. It’s just the way that the world works these days. In order to reach a larger audience, having a strong social media presence can be a huge boost to your overall numbers.

So when Yuli Gurriel made a racist gesture aimed at Yu Darvish during game 3 of the World Series, everyone found out immediately even if they weren’t watching the game. Since then, much of the discussion has been about his actions and the subsequent punishment.

This is certainly not the first time off-the-field action was the major story of the World Series. Baseball’s Fall Classic has a long history of sordid behavior dominating the headlines.

The following five World Series are remembered for much more than just baseball.

1934: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Detroit Tigers

The 1934 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers was a seven-game classic. Ten Hall of Famers participated for the two clubs. The raucous Cardinals, known as the Gas House Gang, featured brothers Dizzy (the NL MVP) and Paul Dean, who would pitch five of the seven games. The Tigers were led by player-manager and AL MVP Mickey Cochrane and a ferocious lineup including Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, and Goose Goslin.

In the fourth game, Dizzy Dean entered the game as a pinch runner. While sliding into second attempting to break up a double play, the relay throw beaned him in the head and knocked him completely unconscious. He was taken to the hospital and eventually given a clean bill of health. He started game five the next day and game seven two days later.

The doctors x-rayed my head and found nothing. -Dizzy Dean

The deciding seventh game was an 11-0 rout by the Cardinals, but it wasn’t without drama. In the top of the sixth, Joe Medwick slid hard into third base en route to an RBI triple. When he took his spot in left field in the bottom of the inning, the aggrieved Detroit faithful pelted him with rotten fruit and other foreign objects. Commissioner Landis ordered Medwick to be removed from the game. Medwick remains the only player in history to be ejected from the World Series by the commissioner.

1973: Oakland A’s vs New York Mets

The Oakland A’s of the early 70s were a true baseball dynasty, winning three consecutive championships from 1972-1974. Despite their success, they were prone to frequent arguments with management as well as each other, often resulting in fistfights in the clubhouse and on the field. Their one common bond was a mutual hatred for owner Charles Finley.

In game 2 of the 1973 World Series against the New York Mets, Oakland second baseman Mike Andrews made two consecutive errors in the 12th inning. The Mets scored four runs and won the game 10-7. After the game, Finley and team physician Dr. Harry Walker coerced Andrews into falsely signing a letter claiming he was injured. Armed with proof of the fabricated injury, Finley placed Andrews on the disabled list and removed him from the World Series roster.

Andrews’ teammates were furious. In a show of solidarity, they taped his number 17 on their jerseys during the off-day practice. The team nearly refused to play game three altogether unless Andrews was reinstated.

He kept beating me down, and finally I just signed it. -Mike Andrews

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered Andrews reinstated to the World Series roster before game four, and the A’s won the series in seven games. In the ensuing off-season, Finley followed through on his threats to blackball Andrews, who never played baseball again.

1981: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Yankees

In 1981, the New York Yankees met the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series for the third time in five years. The Yankees were victorious in both 1977 and 1978, and took a 2-0 series lead. However, the Dodgers answered back by winning the next three games in Los Angeles, each by a single run.

Following the third game, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner entered the elevator at the team hotel shortly after 8 PM with two allegedly drunk Dodger fans. What happened next is known only to the three men in the elevator, but all three emerged bruised and injured.

The owner recalled throwing three punches, two right-handed that cut his knuckles, and one left-handed, that apparently broke a bone in his hand. -Jane Gross, New York Times, October 26, 1981

According to Steinbrenner, well-known for embellishing details, he won the fight by single-handedly beating up two much younger men. The Dodgers got the last laugh when they won game six two days later in New York to claim a 4-2 series championship.

2000: New York Yankees vs. New York Mets

Modern World Series contestants often have previous history with each other that was never possible before inter-league play. When the New York Yankees and New York Mets played each other in July, 2000, they had no idea they would meet again in October. Regardless, Yankees ace Roger Clemens frightened the crowd by beaning Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza in the head on July 8, 2000.

So when Clemens faced Piazza again in game 2 of the World Series the atmosphere was especially tense. Clemens fired a 1-2 fastball up and in and Piazza’s bat shattered. The barrel happened to fly in Clemens’ direction. Clemens grabbed the splintered wood and threw it back towards Piazza. Immediately, both benches emptied.

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Perhaps Clemens thought Piazza intentionally flung the barrel at him? Maybe he wanted to reassert his machismo? Regardless of the reason, cooler heads prevailed and the game continued without ejections. The Yankees would win the Subway Series in five games.