The Of Course Best Of 7 W.S. “Takes A 5th”

The Yankees forced a 5th, becoming just the fourth team in twenty-five possibilities, to win #4 of a World Series, when trailing 3 games to none.

None of the previous three won game 5.

Anthony Volpe’s grand slam home run B2 transformed a (2-1) L.A. lead into a (5-2) Yankees’ lead they held (5-4), (6-4) before a 5 run 8th yielded an (11-4) final score, in what I say admittedly, somewhat nervously, I am far from sure was an aberration game.

Why, Jack Coombs, pictured above.

Let me “E.B. (Elizabeth Barrett) Browning it,” and count/cite 2 “ways.”

I knew the ’37 Yankees (by the way the Yankees (8-3) vs the Dodgers in W.S. play and of course that will change one way or the other, have swept 8 W.S. while being swept three times — 8 and 3 and that remains) and ’70 O’s, in the appropriately named “Brooks Robinson Series” had lost #4, before gaining the title in #5) but needed just a tad of research to ascertain the other team to lose #4 up (3-0) was (were?) the 1910 Philadelphia A’s.

Jack Coombs had one of baseball’s greatest pitching seasons in 1910 going (31-10) with a microscopic 1.30 Earned Runs Average.

He capped, again arguably baseball’s greatest pitching season (remember Mr. Gibson (22-9) 1.12 E.R.A. and wins vs the Tigers in #’s 1 and 4 did lose to a third Mickey Lolich win in #7 in ’68), by winning 3 games in the 1910 World Series, #’s 2, 3 and 5, the latter two on respective one and two days rest.

Alas Coombs is not in the “Hall” and Lolich is not even on the Tigers’ (honorary) wall. Trust me, many nowhere near as good and surely not as impactful, are honored. Que lastima!!