Baseball Best Of 5 LCS/World Series Home Records Notes

1971’s eventual World Series winning, Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1978 repeat title, winning New York Yankees each went (5-0) at home, first in best of 5 LCS and then World Series for the top, “undefeated at home mark,” in the sixteen years of best of five League Championship Series (’69-’84). Each of those eventual champions were (2-0) in home LCS and (3-0) in such World Series tilts.

The so called “Miracle Mets, ” an excellent, 100 wins, “platoon players” team with superb pitching, are one of three other teams to go unbeaten at home, in both a best of 5 LCS and World Series, going (4-0) (1-0) in the LCS and (3-0) in the World Series).

In 1984, the Tigers “Orwell’d,” (“The Cheese” read another great George Orwell book, “Down And Out In London” recently, I will try, regarding Lauren Bacall’s autobiography, on yet another brutally hot day) to a (35-5) start and went (4-0) at home, (7-1) overall in ‘offs play, as did the ’69 Mets, and copped their fourth and most recent title, all within 50 seasons (1935-1984).

Perhaps the greatest of all baseball teams, certainly one of them, the 1976 repeat title winning Cincinnati Reds are the only baseball or basketball team to go unbeaten in the ‘offs (a number of NHL teams have done so and of course 1 loss in the football ‘offs means elimination, ergo all the title winning teams whether (1-0), (2-0), (3-0) or (4-0) had to go unbeaten in the playoffs), compiling a (7-0) record, (3-0) at home.

Somehow, I reached Bob Costas in the L.A. hotel in which he was staying, late Sunday morning of game 2/’88 W.S. to impart that the even more dramatic, discernibly so, (however, the homer shown above with the great radio call by Ernie Harwell, was/is not “chopped liver” (that food item happens to be very good) as it all but clinched the ’84 Tigers title), Gibson pinch homer in game 1 the night before, was his second straight World Series at bat, with a home run, the first in #5/’84 W.S. shown above.

Bob recalled the ’84 homer, another example of his excellence.