FEARSOME FOES ON THE ROAD: HONORABLE MENTION

Orel Hersheiser deposes the Mets, October 12, 1988, Dodger Stadium

For most of his career, Orel Hershiser was a very good pitcher. But late in 1988, the Dodger ace became Walter Johnson, Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax, and Tom Seaver rolled into one, finishing the season with six straight shutouts and a new record of 59 straight scoreless innings.

Then the Mets punctured Hershiser’s bubble…almost. The Mets had won 100 games and, with the league’s best offense and pitching, seemed ready to fulfill the dynastic aspirations of 1986. They expected to destroy L.A. in the playoffs having beaten L.A. 10 of 11 times in the season.

In Game 1, Hershiser shut them out for 8 innings but they came back in the ninth; in Game 3, they managed three runs in seven innings off him before exploding against the bullpen to win again. But the series turned the next night when Kirk Gibson homered in the 12th inning to put L.A. up 5-4 and Hershiser trotted in from the bullpen to get Kevin McReynolds out with the bases loaded to even the series.

The teams split two games setting up Game 7 at Dodger Stadium. This time Hershiser would go it alone. Ron Darling and the Mets defense collapsed in an ugly five-run second as Hershiser slammed the door on the Mets’ season, pitching a complete game five-hit shutout.

Hershiser, who would never again equal this success, finished off his dream season allowing just one earned run in two complete game wins to help L.A. win the World Series too. It was a Series the Mets thought they would be playing in.

Tim Duncan dominates the Knicks, June 16th, 1999, Alamodome

       When the New York Knicks edged Miami and then Atlanta despite a hobbled Patrick Ewing in May, 1999, murmurs burbled around town about their new athletic look. When Ewing’s Achilles injury sidelined him but the Knicks still turned back Indiana the foolish talk grew louder about how the Knicks might be better off without their big man.

       Then, in the NBA Finals against San Antonio, they met Tim Duncan and realized how wrong they were.

The Spurs had won ten straight post-season games, starting the finals one victory shy of the record. Before Game 1, the Knicks seemed loose and relaxed while the Spurs locker was “about as festive as a funeral parlor,” The Sporting News noted. The Knicks came out fast too, playing aggressively on both ends of the floor and carrying a 35-31 lead late into the second quarter.

Then Duncan took over, making it all seem easy. In four minutes, he scored nine points on a 14-2 run, on a layup, a jumper and from the line. At the buzzer, he rejected the Knicks final shot. For emphasis, he scored the first three times he touched the ball in the third, building a 62-50 lead en route to a comfortable 89-77 win. Duncan finished with 33 points, 16 rebounds, two blocks, two steals and two assists.

       The undersized Knicks scrapped hard throughout the series but Duncan showed them how overmatched they were. “Every series we played we had won the first game of every series on the road,” Allan Houston said afterwards. “When we lost that first game, that really took a lot out of us.”

Enos Slaughter turns the tide, October 1, 1942, Sportsman Park

       The New York Yankees were invincible… or so it seemed.

       When they beat the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the 1942 World Series, it was business as usual. The Yankees had won five of the previous six World Series and the last eight Series they’d played dating back to 1927. They were 32-4 in those match-ups and out-of-towners had failed to win a single game—the Yankees had swept Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Chicago (twice) and Cincinnati. Only the Giants and Dodgers avoided the schneid.

       So when the Yankees rallied to tie Game 2 on October 1 at Sportsman Park with three runs in the eighth inning, everyone knew what was coming next. Everyone, that is, except Enos Slaughter, who was becoming legendary for his hard-charging, never-say-die attitude—he’d played the previous year with a broken collarbone.

       With two down in the home eighth, Slaughter smoked the ball down the right-field line and chugged into second with a double. When Phil Rizzuto misplayed the throw Slaughter made a mad dash for third; the ball rolled just a few feet away but the Yankees were so stunned they couldn’t make a play. Stan Musial then singled, a shallow hit that might not have scored the runner from second (although Slaughter certainly would have tried). 4-3, St. Louis.

       The Yankees threatened to tie it in the ninth when Buddy Hassett singled with speedy Tuck Stainback on first. But Hassett’s hit went to the wrong place—right field, where Slaughter patrolled. A superb outfielder, Slaughter killed the Yankee rally by scooping up the ball and firing on the fly to third base where a surprised Stainback was tagged out. The Cardinals won the game and Slaughter had changed the tone of the Series.

In the next game, all three Cardinal outfielders—Musial, Terry Moore, and Slaughter—made superb catches to preserve a 2-0 shutout. Two more games and the Cards were champions. The Yankees learned a valuable lesson, however, and years later when the aging Slaughter finally became available they snatched him up. In the 1956 World Series, Slaughter hit .350 and led everyone with six runs scored, but he did it for not to the Yankees that time.

Wilt beats the Knicks singlehandedly, May 7, 1972, L.A. Forum

       The Los Angeles Lakers had had it up to here with losing in NBA Finals and here was as high as the top of Wilt Chamberlain. They’d lost seven finals from 1962 to 1970, the last one at the hands of the New York Knicks.

       In 1972, they had their best shot—this team won 69 games, including a mind-blowing 33 straight. Again they reached the doorstep of the promised land and with the Knicks plagued by injuries, L.A. finally expected to cross the threshold. But in Game 4,

everything almost slipped away when Chamberlain sprained his wrist and the Knicks pushed the Lakers into overtime until Chamberlain—long accused of playing soft and disappearing at crunch time--played a phenomenal defensive game, grabbing 24 rebounds, clogging the middle and blocking or altering shot after shot in a 116-111 win.

       Still, if their big guy couldn’t play in Game 5 in the L.A. Forum, the Lakers’ advantage might evaporate. So Chamberlain got an anti-inflammatory shot and wrapped his wrist in padding. Then he went out and single-handedly demolished the Knicks, scoring 24 points and hauling in 29 rebounds to pace a 114-110 win.

At the end of the day there was no doubt who, at long last, was the NBA champion nor was there any question who was the Finals’ MVP.

Dave Roberts steals a base, October 17, 2004, Fenway Park

       Everyone knew he was going. Dave Roberts was in the game specifically to steal second base. Boston, the big, lumbering Red Sox offensive machine, had acquired him in mid-season seemingly just for this moment. If Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada could stop him the New York Yankees would likely complete their sweep of the hated Boston Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS and have the distinct pleasure of doing it in Fenway Park.

The Yankees had blown out Boston 19-8 the previous day and come back from 3-2 in Game 4. Heading into the ninth with a 4-3 lead and Rivera, the greatest closer ever, the Yankees were thinking World Series. They were that close.

Kevin Millar had worked out a lead-off walk. Manager Terry Francona lifted him for Roberts, who stole 38 bases in 41 tries but who had mostly sat down the stretch—he had not batted in either of the Red Sox two playoff series.

Rivera set. He threw to first. Roberts got back.

Rivera set. He threw to first. Roberts got back.

Rivera set. He threw to first. Roberts got back.

Rivera set. He came home with his first pitch to Bill Mueller. Roberts took off.

The pitch was high and away, perfect for Posada. He fired to second. The ball arrived a hair to the left and an itsy-bit late. Roberts slid head-first under Derek Jeter’s tag. Safe. A stolen base. When Mueller bounced a ball up the middle just out of Rivera’s reach, Roberts raced home with the tying run.

At that point, the idea of coming back to win a historic four straight against the Yankees was improbable to the point of ludicrousness. But Roberts, who was immediately replaced, had done his job—he had kept Red Sox Nation rooting when they needed it most. After Boston escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 11th and David Ortiz blasted a two-run walk-off homer in the 12th, the Red Sox knew they’d redeemed themselves and had at least one more shot at the ALCS

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