- 2008 World Series
-
▪ baseball championshipIntroductionWelcome to Britannica's special coverage of the 2008 World Series. Often referred to as the “Fall Classic,” the World Series is one of the most popular and historic sporting events in the United States and has been contested annually between the champions of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) since 1903, with the exceptions of 1904 (not held because the NL winner refused to play the AL winner) and 1994 (canceled because of a players' strike). Over the years the drama of the World Series has produced a plethora of unexpected heroes (such as Bill Mazeroski and Joe Carter, who hit Series-winning home runs in 1960 and 1993, respectively), outstanding individual feats (including Willie Mays (Mays, Willie)'s famed over-the-shoulder catch in 1954 and Reggie Jackson (Jackson, Reggie)'s three home runs in game six of the 1977 Series), and tragic figures (from the Series-throwing “Chicago Black Sox (Black Sox Scandal)” in 1917 to Bill Buckner and his infamous misplayed ground ball in 1986). While there are, of course, no guarantees that the 2008 iteration of the World Series will contain achievements as noteworthy as the those of past Fall Classics, the eventful 2008 baseball season bodes well for the possibility of an exciting postseason.The 2008 Major League Baseball season has already seen a large number of historic accomplishments. The Tampa Bay Rays not only finished a season with fewer than 90 losses for the first time in the franchise's 11 years of existence but also manufactured one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in baseball history by winning 97 games en route to their first AL East title and first postseason berth. On the other side of the country, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won 100 games for the first time in franchise history, and Francisco Rodriguez, the team's star relief pitcher, broke baseball's single-season saves record by successfully closing out 62 games. And in the Midwest, both Chicago-based teams (the Cubs and the White Sox) qualified for the play-offs in the same season for the first time since 1906. The success of the Cubs was one of the most prominent stories of the 2008 season—which marks the 100th anniversary of the Cubs' last World Series title—as the “Lovable Losers” won 97 games and made the postseason for the second year in a row, earning the team its first back-to-back play-off berths in a century.The 2008 season featured a number of close play-off races: the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their second consecutive NL East title on the penultimate day of the season; the NL wild card was decided on the last day of the season with a Milwaukee Brewers win and a New York Mets loss (which was particularly heartbreaking for their fans, as it was the second year in a row that the Mets were eliminated from the postseson with a loss at home on the final day of the regular season—the first back-to-back occurrence of this ignoble feat in major league history); and the AL Central was decided by a single-game sudden-death play-off between the White Sox and the Minnesota Twins, which was held two days after the scheduled close of the regular season. Baseball fans can only hope that the excitement of the final weeks of the 2008 season carries over into the postseason.2008 Play-off TeamsAmerican League● 2008 record: 95–67 (AL wild-card)● Manager: Terry Francona (5th season with team)● Last play-off appearance: 2007; won World Series over the Colorado Rockies, 4–0● Franchise World Series titles: 7 (1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007)● 2008 record: 89–74 (AL Central Champions)● Manager: Ozzie Guillen (5th season with team)● Last play-off appearance: 2005; won World Series over the Houston Astros, 4–0● Franchise World Series titles: 3 (1906, 1917, 2005)● 2008 record: 100–62 (AL West Champions)● Manager: Mike Scioscia (9th season with team)● Last play-off appearance: 2007; lost AL Division Series to the Boston Red Sox, 3–0● Franchise World Series titles: 1 (2002)● 2008 record: 97–65 (AL East Champions)● Manager: Joe Maddon (3rd season with team)● Last play-off appearance: none● Franchise World Series titles: 0National League● 2008 record: 97–64 (NL Central Champions)● Manager: Lou Piniella (2nd season with team)● Last play-off appearance: 2007; lost NL Division Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3–0● Franchise World Series titles: 2 (1907, 1908)● 2008 record: 84–78 (NL West Champions)● Manager: Joe Torre (1st season with team)● Last play-off appearance: 2006; lost NL Division Series to the New York Mets, 3–0● Franchise World Series titles: 6 (1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988)● 2008 record: 92–70 (NL wild card)● Manager: Dale Sveum (1st season with team)● Last play-off appearance: 1982; lost World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4–3● Franchise World Series titles: 0● 2008 record: 92–70 (NL East Champions)● Manager: Charlie Manuel (4th season with team)● Last play-off appearance: 2007; lost NL Division Series to the Colorado Rockies, 3–0● Franchise World Series titles: 1 (1980)Final 2008 Regular Season Standings2008 Major League Baseball Play-off ResultsAL Division Series: Boston Red Sox versus Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim● October 1: Red Sox 4, Angels 1● October 3: Red Sox 7, Angels 5● October 5: Angels 5, Red Sox 4 (12 innings)● October 6: Red Sox 3, Angels 2● Boston Red Sox win series, 3–1AL Division Series: Chicago White Sox versus Tampa Bay Rays● October 2: Rays 6, White Sox 4● October 3: Rays 6, White Sox 2● October 5: White Sox 5, Rays 3● October 6: Rays 6, White Sox 2● Tampa Bay Rays win series, 3–1NL Division Series: Chicago Cubs versus Los Angeles Dodgers● October 1: Dodgers 7, Cubs 2● October 2: Dodgers 10, Cubs 3● October 4: Dodgers 3, Cubs 1● Los Angeles Dodgers win series, 3–0NL Division Series: Milwaukee Brewers versus Philadelphia Phillies● October 1: Phillies 3, Brewers 1● October 2: Phillies 5, Brewers 2● October 4: Brewers 4, Phillies 1● October 5: Phillies 6, Brewers 2● Philadelphia Phillies win series, 3–1AL Championship Series: Boston Red Sox versus Tampa Bay Rays● October 10: Red Sox 2, Rays 0● October 11: Rays 9, Red Sox 8 (11 innings)● October 13: Rays 9, Red Sox 1● October 14: Rays 13, Red Sox 4● October 16: Red Sox 8, Rays 7● October 18: Red Sox 4, Rays 2● October 19: Rays 3, Red Sox 1● Tampa Bay Rays win series, 4–3NL Championship Series: Los Angeles Dodgers versus Philadelphia Phillies● October 9: Phillies 3, Dodgers 2● October 10: Phillies 8, Dodgers 5● October 12: Dodgers 7, Phillies 2● October 13: Phillies 7, Dodgers 5● October 15: Phillies 5, Dodgers 1● Philadelphia Phillies win series, 4–1World Series● October 22: Phillies 3, Rays 2● October 23: Rays 4, Phillies 2● October 25: Phillies 5, Rays 4● October 26: Phillies 10, Rays 2● October 27: play suspended in sixth inning due to rain● October 29: Phillies 4, Rays 3● Philadelphia Phillies win World Series, 4–1
* * *
Universalium. 2010.
