The 1988 MLB season wasn’t filled with drama when it came to pennant races, but that didn’t stop the year from having an epic ending that was seemingly written in Hollywood and literally ended there.
The Oakland A’s had been off the radar since winning the AL West in 1981, with losing seasons each ensuing year through 1986. Midway through that ’86 campaign, the A’s hired Tony LaRussa as their manager. A year later they went .500. The big breakthrough came when the 1988 Oakland Athletics rolled to 104 wins and the American League pennant before a shocking World Series loss finally ended the run.
The results of the American League Championship Series were predictable—an Oakland sweep—but the Red Sox made each game competitive and the ALCS was filled with could’ve, should’ve moments that might have altered its course.
The bulk of the 1980s were good times for the New York Mets. They produced good, contending teams each year from 1984-88, won two NL East titles and the World Series in 1986. But if there’s any regret, it’s that these outstanding teams never produced a dynastic run. The 1988 New York Mets epitomized both sides of the equation, the excellence and the regret.
The two big markets of the National League battled in the 1988 NLCS, as the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The series had the best pitchers and best MVP candidates, and it went the full seven games, with several surprising plot twists, before the Dodgers finally prevailed
It took a little time for the Baltimore Orioles to find their footing—they were 51-50 at one point—but once they had their rhythm, there was no stopping them as they won 98 games, the American League pennant, and eventually the World Series as they captivated their home city under the auspices of “Oriole Magic.”
Tony LaRussa is most identified with the St. Louis Cardinals in his Hall of Fame managerial career. Some might remember him with the Oakland A’s. But it was the 1983 Chicago White Sox that was LaRussa’s first team to reach the postseason. The White Sox won 99 games and pulled away from the rest of the old AL West before dropping a tough ALCS.
The Philadelphia Phillies were already one of the most successful organizations in baseball in the early 1980s. Since 1976, they had gone to the postseason five times and won the World Series in 1980. They decided to turn back the clock even more, reuniting three key players of Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine that won the World Series in 1975 and 1976. Joe Morgan and Tony Perez joined Pete Rose, and the 1983 Philadelphia Phillies returned to the World Series.
The Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies were both nearing the end of the line when they met in the 1983 World Series. Both teams were filled with veterans. In the case of the Phillies, they were looking for one more ring. In the case of the Orioles, they were looking for a long-sought ring.
The two best teams in baseball met in the 1983 ALCS, as the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox squared off. The Orioles had 98 wins and the White Sox had 99. The series was competitive throughout, the finale was outstanding and Baltimore prevailed to bring home a pennant.
There was a renaissance in New York Yankees history that started in the mid-to-late 1970s. The proud franchise had last reached the World Series in 1964 and after the team was sold to CBS, a period of irrelevance and bad teams followed. Yankee Stadium itself underwent renovations and the team had to share Shea Stadium with the Mets while the work was being completed. 1976 was the year the renaissance arrived and it continued until 1981.
The Braves had known only brief moments of success since moving to Atlanta for the 1966 season. They won the old NL West in 1969, but then fell off the radar. 1974 was a bright spot—the team won 88 games and Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record. But that was the exception, rather than the rule, as losing season followed losing season. The 1982 Atlanta Braves got back to October—and they did with a then-unproven manager named Joe Torre.