They looked ready to fall behind other powers that seemed to be rising in the NL West. Instead, the 1985 Los Angeles Dodgers completely reversed course, had a comeback year and returned won Lasorda’s fifth division title.
…the Cardinals parted ways with closer Bruce Sutter, dealt a package of four players for power-hitting first baseman Jack Clark and traded key outfielder Lonnie Smith in May. Those moves, combined with a very big rookie outbreak and some good pitching put the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals back into the World Series
Two dramatic home runs punctuated the 1985 NLCS between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. The broadcast call of one is remembered in a lot of baseball montages to this day—and that wasn’t even the home run that won the pennant. Another dramatic shot was the final big blow of a competitive six-game series.
When Davey Johnson became the manager of the New York Mets they were a franchise at rock bottom. The Mets had finished fifth or sixth in the six-team NL East for seven straight years. Johnson took over in 1984 and immediately won 90 games, finishing in second place. The 1985 New York Mets inched even closer, contending to the season’s penultimate day.
The 1985 California Angels weren’t in a position to be thinking about next year. Their everyday lineup had six players 34-years-old or older. The franchise had come off two non-winning seasons, going 70-92 in 1983 and 81-81 in 1984. They decided to bring back an old hand to manage their older lineup. Gene Mauch, who led the Angels to the 1982 AL West title, returned in 1985 and the result was instant success.
The success came quickly for the Denver Broncos after they drafted John Elway in the spring of 1983. With Elway playing part-time as a rookie, the Broncos made the playoffs. With Elway as starter, they won the AFC West in 1984. They reached the Super Bowl in 1986 and 1987. After a brief step back to .500 in 1988, the 1989 Denver Broncos quickly returned to form—they went to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years, even if the Lombardi Trophy itself managed to elude them.
This post will focus on the game-by-game narrative of the battle between the A’s and Giants, both of whom stepped up and contributed to their communities in the aftermath of the devastation.
The 1989 Chicago Cubs entered the season coming off four years in the wilderness. After winning the NL East title and coming within one game of the National League pennant in 1984, the Cubs immediately regressed and posted four straight losing seasons. In 1989, the combination of a veteran manager and a cadre of talented young players, the Cubs returned to the top of the NL East.
The Oakland A’s were on a mission of redemption in 1989, trying to return to the World Series and atone for their 1988 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Toronto Blue Jays had survived a tough AL East fight against the Baltimore Orioles. The A’s were a solid favorite and that’s how the 1989 ALCS played out—the Blue Jays had their share of moments, and led at some point in most games, but Oakland had too much firepower and they took the pennant in five games.
The San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs met in the 1989 NLCS with each in pursuit of a long-sought pennant. The Cubs’ chase of their first National League pennant since 1945 is the stuff of legend, but the Giants had been out of the Fall Classic for a while themselves. Their last appearance was 1962. It was San Francisco who ended their drought with a five-game victory in 1989
The 1989 Florida State football team just took a bit too long to get started. By season’s end they were one of the best teams in the nation—in fact, a lot of observers felt they were the best. But a slow start meant that no one was arguing their case for a national championship.
Most college football dynasties are marked by a transcendent figure at head coach. The University of Miami was different. Their national championship of 1983 was won with Howard Schnellenberger at head coach. In 1987, Miami won with Jimmy Johnson at the helm. And the 1989 Miami Hurricanes reached the top of the polls in the first year of Dennis Erickson’s tenure. That’s three championship with three coaches in a seven-year period.