In this Oct. 27, 1991, file photo, Minnesota Twins’ Jack Morris throws against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of Game 7 of the baseball World Series in Minneapolis
Game 7 of the World Series.
It’s a chance to make history — whether you’re a star like Madison Bumgarner or a role player like Sandy Amoros.
The Dodgers and Astros will play today [Macau time] on the biggest stage baseball has to offer, and in a one-game, winner-take-all scenario, just about anything is possible. This series has featured both home run binges and pitching duels, blown leads and surprising saves.
“I don’t anybody here is shocked that it’s going to Game 7,” Houston ace Justin Verlander said after Tuesday night’s 3-1 loss at Dodger Stadium.
Here’s a look back at Game 7 of the World Series, through the years:
These games need no introduction. One name is often enough.
Bill Mazeroski. Jack Morris. Luis Gonzalez.
In 1960, Mazeroski led off the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 with a homer that gave Pittsburgh a 10-9 win over the New York Yankees. That slugfest was a wild one, with 10 runs scored in the final two innings.
The 1991 finale between Minnesota and Atlanta at the Metrodome was tense for different reasons. Morris pitched all 10 innings for the Twins, who finally won 1-0 on Gene Larkin’s bases-loaded single .
Gonzalez’s RBI single in 2001 capped a two-run, ninth-inning rally by Arizona against Mariano Rivera and the Yankees. The Diamondbacks won 3-2, denying New York a fourth straight championship.
Nearly a century ago, in 1924, Washington rallied from a two-run deficit in the eighth and eventually beat the New York Giants 4-3 in 12, with Walter Johnson pitching the final four innings in relief.
Amoros made his mark as a defensive sub in 1955, running down Yogi Berra’s drive in left field to halt a sixth-inning rally by the Yankees. Brooklyn held on for a 2-0 victory and finally won its first crown.
Cleveland hasn’t won a World Series since 1948 but came agonizingly close in 1997 and 2016, losing Game 7 in extra innings both years. Edgar Renteria’s 11th-inning hit won the ‘97 Series for Florida, and the Chicago Cubs outlasted the Indians last year, winning 8-7 in 10 to take their first title since 1908.
Sometimes, Game 7 turns into a blowout. Detroit fans threw things at Joe Medwick of the Cardinals in 1934, as St. Louis was on its way to an 11-0 win over the Tigers. In 1985, the Cardinals were on the other end of an 11-0 drubbing, and this time they were the ones venting their frustration against the Royals. A missed call had gone Kansas City’s way near the end of Game 6, and St. Louis fell apart in Game 7. Manager Whitey Herzog and pitcher Joaquin Andujar were ejected. Noah Trister, AP
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