70 Years Ago, Bobby Thomson became a legend with the Shot Heard Round the World. Mesa (AZ) author Evan Thompson, treasurer of the Hemond AZ SABR Chapter, is proud to announce the release of the first-ever game-by-game history of the Major League Baseball playoffs, which covers the Thomson blast and so much more.
Thompson, who is also the Senior Editor and the Arizona Diamondbacks writer for Last Word on Baseball, got the idea to write the book when he once searched for one just like it 10 year ago. “Beverly Cleary once said that if the book you want to read isn’t on the shelf, you must write it,” he said. “So that’s what I did.”
Volume I takes us from the five pre-divisional tiebreakers through the 1976 NLCS & ALCS. This features legendary moments over a 30-year span, all that helped decide who would play in the World Series.
- October 1, 1946: The First Tiebreaker Game
Brooklyn Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals - October 4, 1948: The Lou Boudreau Show
Cleveland Indians at Boston Red Sox - October 3, 1951: The Shot Heard Round the World
Brooklyn Dodgers at New York Giants - September 29, 1959: The Pebble
Milwaukee Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers - October 3, 1962: The Comeback
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers - October 4, 1969: The Perfect Bunt
Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles - October 5, 1969: The 11-Inning Shutout
Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles - October 6, 1969: The Miracle Mets Win the Pennant
Atlanta Braves at New York Mets - October 3, 1971: Bob Robertson’s Three Home Runs
Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco Giants - October 7, 1972: Gonzalo Marquez’s Walk-off Single
Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics - October 8, 1972: Campaneris Throws His Bat
Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics - October 10, 1972: Joe Coleman Breaks the ALCS Strikeout Record
Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers - October 11, 1972: The Tiger Miracle
Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers - October 11, 1972: The Johnny Bench Home Run,
The Wild Pitch, and Roberto Clemente’s Last Game
Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds - October 6, 1973: Johnny Bench’s Walk-off Home Run
New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds - October 7, 1973: Jon Matlack’s Two-hitter
New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds - October 8, 1973: The Pete Rose-Bud Harrelson Melee
Cincinnati Reds at New York Mets - October 9, 1973: The Bert Campaneris Walk-off Homer
Baltimore Orioles at Oakland Athletics - October 9, 1973: Pete Rose’s 12th-inning Home Run
Cincinnati Reds at New York Mets - October 10, 1973: The Five-Run Rally
Baltimore Orioles at Oakland Athletics - October 7, 1975: John Candelaria Breaks the NLCS Strikeout Record
Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates - October 12, 1976: The Double Comeback and Ken Griffey’s Pennant-winning Single
Philadelphia Phillies at Cincinnati Reds - October 14, 1976: Chris Chambliss’ Pennant-winning Home Run
Kansas City Royals at New York Yankees
Volume I of A Complete History of the Major League Baseball Playoffs is available now from the publisher. Get it here.
