This Weekend in Baseball History

October 15th, 2008: Cole Hamels pitches a complete game for his second win of the series (to earn series MVP), while Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell deliver RBI singles. The Phillies take the NLCS with a 5-1 victory over the Dodgers for their first pennant in 15 years.

October 15th, 2001: The Yankees (over the A's) and Diamondbacks (beating the Cardinals) win their respective Division Series in five games and advance toward an eventual World Series pairing.

October 15th, 1997: Tony Fernandez's 11th inning homer gives the Indians a 1-0 win over the Orioles to take the ALCS in six games -- and send them to the World Series for the second time in three years.

October 15th, 1988: Kirk Gibson's World Series Moment. Unable to start due to knee and hamstring injuries, his pinch hit home run in the bottom of the 9th gives the Dodgers a 5-4 opening game win over the Oakland A's -- as L.A. goes on to win it all in five.

It was truly a night for the Gibsons, as pop star Debbie Gibson (no relation) sang the national anthem before the game. 

October 15th, 1986: In one of the longest and greatest post season games of all time, the Mets score three in the top of the 16th inning and then withstand an Astros comeback in the bottom half for a wild 7-6 win to take the NLCS four games to two. Daryl Strawberry doubled in Ray Knight with the go-ahead run for New York; a run later came home on a wild pitch before Lenny Dykstra singled in Wally Backman for what proved to be the deciding score. 

October 15th, 1964: Bob Gibson, working on two days' rest, secures his reputation as a big game pitcher, holding down the Yankees 7-5, despite home runs from Mickey Mantle, Clete Boyer and Phil Linz, as the Cardinals take the seventh and deciding game of  the World Series.

October 15th, 1946: Enos Slaughter races home from 1st base to score on Harry Walker's 8th inning hit -- actually credited as a double -- as the Cardinals edge the Red Sox 4-3 to win the seventh and deciding game of  the World Series.

October 15th, 1923: The Yankees win their first World Series championship. They rally for five runs in the top of the 8th -- Bob Meusel's bases loaded single put them ahead -- as they beat the Giants 6-4 at the Polo Grounds to take the series in six.

October 16th, 2014: Travis Ishikawa is the walk off hero: his three run homer ends the NLCS, giving his Giants a 6-3 pennant-clinching victory over Cardinals in Game 5. San Francisco will face the Royals in their third World Series in five seasons.

October 16th, 2005: The White Sox beat the Angels 6-3 to win the ALCS, ending a 46-year drought from the World Series. Joe Crede singles in Aaron Rowand in the top of the 8th for the go-ahead run. 

October 16th, 2003: Aaron Boone writes his name into Yankees lore. His 11th inning walk-off homer facing Tim Wakefield captures the seventh and deciding game of the ALCS and writes the Bronx Bombers' ticket to their 39th World Series with a 6-5 victory.

October 16th, 2000: Mike Hampton pitches a three-hit shutout, as the Mets close out the Cardinals 7-0 at Shea Stadium and take the NLCS four games to one. Hampton who held St. Louis scoreless for 16 innings over his two starts in the series, is named MVP as the Mets win their fourth pennant in franchise history.  

October 16th, 1988: Don Baylor becomes the first player to see action in three consecutive World Series for three different teams, when he pinch-hits in the 8th inning of the A's game-two 6-0 loss to the Dodgers. Baylor had appeared with the AL pennant-winning Red Sox in 1986 and the World Champion Twins in '87.

October 16th, 1983: Eddie Murray belts two home runs and Scott McGregor fires a complete game shutout as Orioles blank the "Wheeze Kids" Phillies 5-0 to win the World Series in five games.

October 16th, 1969: The New York Mets stun the baseball universe, with Ron Swoboda (an 8th inning RBI double) and Jerry Koosman (a complete-game five hitter) the heroes of a 5-3 victory over the Orioles, to capture the World Series in five games.

October 16th, 1962: Bobby Richardson snares Willie McCovey's sizzling line drive, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and two men out in the bottom of the 9th -- as the Yankees hang on for a 1-0 game-seven victory over the Giants and their 20th World Series title.  

October 16th, 1950: The Dodgers let Branch Rickey's contract expire as president of the club. He leaves for Pittsburgh, where he takes over the Pirates, while one-third owner and club legal counsel Walter O'Malley takes a more active role running the team.

October 17th, 1999: Announcer Bob Costas summed it up as a "five-hour 47-minute trip to Bedlam." In the longest game (timewise) in post-season history, the Mets stay come from behind in the bottom of the 15th inning for a 4-3 win over the Braves in game 5 of the NLCS. Leadoff batter Shawon Duston fouls off six pitches on a 3-2 count before singling. Todd Pratt walks with the bases loaded to tie the game. He's followed by Robin Ventura who electrifies the Shea Stadium crowd with what appears to be a grand-slam home run. While the Mets do win 4-3 -- Ventura is mobbed by teammates and never completes his run around the bases and his homer is ruled a single (the technically correct call) by the official scorer. Still the Mets victory keeps them alive and sends both teams back to Atlanta for game six.

October 17th, 1964: Yogi Berra is fired as Yankee manager, days after the team lost a dramatic seven-game World Series to the Cardinals. Johnny Keane, the manager who led St. Louis to its first title since the 1940s -- but who'd been on thin ice earlier in the year with upper management, resigns and soon is named as Berra's replacement.

Berra soon joins the Mets as one of Casey Stengel's coaches, while the Yankees never taste the post-season until Berra returns to the team in 1976.

October 17th, 1960: After losing the World Series to the Pirates, the Yankees fire manager Casey Stengel -- who'd won 10 pennants in 12 years and seven championships -- and replace him with longtime coach Ralph Houk. The witty Stengel tells reporters he'll never make the mistake of being age 70 again. But he's soon snapped up by the city's expansion team the Mets -- who, along with Houston are officially admitted to the National League that day -- to become their manager and double as  good will ambassador.