What was the first World Series you remember watching?

[joelbc1]

Willie Mays over the shoulder catch of the Vic Wertz drive at the Polo Grounds. Giants sweep Chief Wahoo, 4-0…..1954.
1955…Yanks over Brooklyn
1956…Brooklyn over Yanks
1957….Milwaukee over Yanks
1958….Yanks over Milwaukee
1959…LA Dodgers if Chi Sox
1960…Pirates over Yanks
1961…Yanks over Cincinnati
1962…. Yanks over San Frabcisco Giants
1963…LA Digers over Yanks
1964…Cards over Yanks…
1965…LA over Twins…
1966…Baltimore over Dodgers…
1967…Bob Gibson over the Red Sox..

Pretty good for an old man..check my math but I think this is right…

 

[TheCainer]

Charlie Finley was not a free spender IIRC.

He wasn't by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, in the middle of the 1976 season, he tried to sell his stars Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to the Red Sox for $1 million apiece and Vida Blue to the Yankees for $1.5 million. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn stepped in to block the sale in "the best interests of baseball". Finley sued Kuhn and Kuhn eventually won in Federal Court. This all happened at the start of free agency and Finley realized he would be losing his star players and get nothing back for them. He had already lost Catfish Hunter to the Yankees in free agency the season before I believe. Finley saw the writing on the wall and tried to cut his losses.

 

[joelbc1]

Blue Moon Odom.

My first WS was 1965 between the Dodgers and the Twins. Dodgers won in 7. Sandy Koufax didn't pitch game 1 because it fell on Yom Kippur. But, he pitched 2 shutout in the series.

I first saw Odom pitch “live” in KC one night….he was BLACK! So black he looked blue, like rich prairie farmland…../but the
“Blue Moon” name had to do with when he was born I have been told. But damn, he was a black black man…….Nat King Cole was colored the same…almost so black they looked “blue”……..
Blue Moon would pick up the baseball and it just damn near disappeared in his hand…..LONG fingers….

 

[Mikefontenot27]

Loved baseball as a kid, big time card collector.

First I recall is 1989, mainly because of the earthquake. I also remember the Cubs winning the East.
Don’t recall 1990 at all for some reason.
Do recall the 2nd Twins title in 1991 and the two Blue Jays titles in 92 and 93. Those three were the first ones I remember because of the games.

Was devastated by the strike in 1994 and stopped caring about baseball as much after that until the home run chase and Cubs playoff push of 1998.

1989 for me as well. Mainly because of cubs losing in previous round. Kevin Mitchell was great for a few years
1990 was the reds, the bullpen I believe was the “nasty boys”. Rob dibble, norm Charleton and can’t remember the third

 

[Dr. Phil Seuss]

Earthquake series

That’s really the first and only I remember.

 

[joelbc1]

He wasn't by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, in the middle of the 1976 season, he tried to sell his stars Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to the Red Sox for $1 million apiece and Vida Blue to the Yankees for $1.5 million. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn stepped in to block the sale in "the best interests of baseball". Finley sued Kuhn and Kuhn eventually won in Federal Court. This all happened at the start of free agency and Finley realized he would be losing his star players and get nothing back for them. He had already lost Catfish Hunter to the Yankees in free agency the season before I believe. Finley saw the writing on the wall and tried to cut his losses.

Charley Finley once stated he didn’t mind paying for stars…but the price of mediocrity would kill baseball. The statement makes a lot of sense…….however, the actions of Charley often did not.

 

[Mayland]

Mine is the 1979 Orioles-Pirates. I was 6. I always asked Mom if I could stay up late and watch the game with Dad. Great memories!

This was mine. My 5 year old brain was cheering for the Orioles and I have no idea why.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

Willie Mays over the shoulder catch of the Vic Wertz drive at the Polo Grounds. Giants sweep Chief Wahoo, 4-0…..1954.
1955…Yanks over Brooklyn
1956…Brooklyn over Yanks
1957….Milwaukee over Yanks
1958….Yanks over Milwaukee
1959…LA Dodgers if Chi Sox
1960…Pirates over Yanks
1961…Yanks over Cincinnati
1962…. Yanks over San Frabcisco Giants
1963…LA Digers over Yanks
1964…Cards over Yanks…
1965…LA over Twins…
1966…Baltimore over Dodgers…
1967…Bob Gibson over the Red Sox..

Pretty good for an old man..check my math but I think this is right…

You have 55 and 56 turned around.

 

[joelbc1]

You have 55 and 56 turned around.

I may not be perfect….just old. But the teams are right, right? I was still in recovery from the ‘54 series! I was a huge Indian fan in my youth….I became a Red Sox fan in ‘56….I guess I was older then.

 

[billanole]

He wasn't by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, in the middle of the 1976 season, he tried to sell his stars Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to the Red Sox for $1 million apiece and Vida Blue to the Yankees for $1.5 million. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn stepped in to block the sale in "the best interests of baseball". Finley sued Kuhn and Kuhn eventually won in Federal Court. This all happened at the start of free agency and Finley realized he would be losing his star players and get nothing back for them. He had already lost Catfish Hunter to the Yankees in free agency the season before I believe. Finley saw the writing on the wall and tried to cut his losses.

Oakland was stacked talentwise in those years and also pretty zany. Reggie Jackson was pretty young, but coming of age. Free agency was a big part of their downfall.

 

[joelbc1]

Oakland was stacked talentwise in those years and also pretty zany. Reggie Jackson was pretty young, but coming of age. Free agency was a big part of their downfall.

Reggie, Sal Bando I can remember and a couple of more whose names I can’t recall …you could see the KC A’s had the talent coming up but you also knew Charley wasn’t going to get v able to keep it…A few years later, when the AAA franchise was in DSM, Vida Blue, Joe Rudi, Gene Tenace, Tony LaRussa and a few others kept the baseball fans here drooling knowing they were seeing MLB talent nightly fir $3/ game.

 

[DooBi]

Based on this thread, young people don’t like baseball. Which sucks, because baseball is great.

I do watch a lot of the old games when the MLB Network shows them. Graig Nettles was as a vacuum. Mantle would have been my favorite. Bob Gibson was the man.

I used to watch the Cubs all the time on wgn. Now even when they are on ESPN they are blacked out. Baseball doesn't want me as a fan so I oblige.

 

[uihawk82]

Mine is the 1979 Orioles-Pirates. I was 6. I always asked Mom if I could stay up late and watch the game with Dad. Great memories!

The first one where I watched a lot of it was the 1964 Cards vs Yanks. I had watched some of earlier years games like the Pirates vs Yanks. The 1964 series was great going 7 games but most people dont remember the Phillies having one of the biggest late season collapses in baseball history. Phillies had a 6 to 7 game lead with 12 games to go and lost 10 in a row.

I also remember Tim McCarver having a very good series and Bob Gibson. IIRC Clete Boyer of the yankees played against his brother Ken Boyer. A lot of stars in that series

 

[TheCainer]

I used to watch the Cubs all the time on wgn. Now even when they are on ESPN they are blacked out. Baseball doesn't want me as a fan so I oblige.

Do you have access to the Marquee Sports Network? That's where most of the Cubs games are aired these days.

 

[joelbc1]

The first one where I watched a lot of it was the 1964 Cards vs Yanks. I had watched some of earlier years games like the Pirates vs Yanks. The 1964 series was great going 7 games but most people dont remember the Phillies having one of the biggest late season collapses in baseball history. Phillies had a 6 to 7 game lead with 12 games to go and lost 10 in a row.

I also remember Tim McCarver having a very good series and Bob Gibson. IIRC Clete Boyer of the yankees played against his brother Ken Boyer. A lot of stars in that series

‘64 is when I became acquainted with Harry Carey and Jack Buck via radio. You are correct… it was an epic Phillies collapse that allowed the Cards to win the NL. A really competitive series, too. 60 years ago….wow.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

I may not be perfect….just old. But the teams are right, right? I was still in recovery from the ‘54 series! I was a huge Indian fan in my youth….I became a Red Sox fan in ‘56….I guess I was older then.

Yep the teams were correct. The Dodgers won their first WS in 55. No longer could they be the bums. I remember it well as we had just gotten a television set and I, my brothers, and two neighbors were watching the game. I won 10 cents from my brother, two weeks of allowance. I was a happy camper. I was a Dodger fan from then until 1993 when I soured on baseball.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

‘64 is when I became acquainted with Harry Carey and Jack Buck via radio. You are correct… it was an epic Phillies collapse that allowed the Cards to win the NL. A really competitive series, too. 60 years ago….wow.

Bet my entire weeks check with a Yankee fan on the outcome of the game. It was more of a case of the Cardinals taking it from the Phillies and than Phillies collapsing. The Cardinals beat the Phillies 13 out of 18 games in 64 including 10 of 12 down the stretch between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Cards swept the three game series the final three days of September at Philadelphia.

 

[soybean]

1959 - Mainly because the Yankees were not in it. Lots the other kids were White sox fans back then. The WS was a daytime thing back then. They let us watch it on a black & white TV during school hours - I think at least one of the games went longer than school did.

 

[joelbc1]

1959 - Mainly because the Yankees were not in it. Lots the other kids were White sox fans back then. The WS was a daytime thing back then. They let us watch it on a black & white TV during school hours - I think at least one of the games went longer than school did.

Yes… and it was the LA Dodgers (for the first time)…so a couple of those games were “west coast time” games…The “go-go Sox” featured Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox..Jungle Jim Rivera, Minnie Minoso…and some good pitchers…but no match for the Dodgers.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

Yes… and it was the LA Dodgers (for the first time)…so a couple of those games were “west coast time” games…The “go-go Sox” featured Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox..Jungle Jim Rivera, Minnie Minoso…and some good pitchers…but no match for the Dodgers.

Jim Landis, Ted Kluzewski, Billy Pierce, Early Wynn, Bubba Phillips, Dick Donavan, Sherm Lollar, Earl Battey.
Big Klu was not the power hitter he had been after he injured his back, but if I remember correctly, he had a couple of dingers in the series.

 

[joelbc1]

Jim Landis, Ted Kluzewski, Billy Pierce, Early Wynn, Bubba Phillips, Dick Donavan, Sherm Lollar, Earl Battey.
Big Klu was not the power hitter he had been after he injured his back, but if I remember correctly, he had a couple of dingers in the series.

But he did love to advertise those guns if his! Sherm Lollar was seemingly a consensus AL all star annually at catcher… he and Yogi.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

But he did love to advertise those guns if his! Sherm Lollar was seemingly a consensus AL all star annually at catcher… he and Yogi.

Those two and/or Jim Hegan.

 

[Igor Stravinsky10]

Jim Landis, Ted Kluzewski, Billy Pierce, Early Wynn, Bubba Phillips, Dick Donavan, Sherm Lollar, Earl Battey.
Big Klu was not the power hitter he had been after he injured his back, but if I remember correctly, he had a couple of dingers in the series.

This is good stuff. I could sit and read yours and Joel's baseball memories all day. Reminds me a lot of my Grandpa and my Dad. That is not a crack at your age, it's a compliment.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

This is good stuff. I could sit and read yours and Joel's baseball memories all day. Reminds me a lot of my Grandpa and my Dad. That is not a crack at your age, it's a compliment.

Unfortunately, I can remember some of this stuff more easily than I can remember what my wife sent me to the grocery store for. Thank goodness for cell phones and texting.

 

[An Iowa fan]

All Dodger fans should read the book. Praying for Gil Hodges. It is about the 1955 World Series and the 1955 season.

 

[Igor Stravinsky10]

Unfortunately, I can remember some of this stuff more easily than I can remember what my wife sent me to the grocery store for. Thank goodness for cell phones and texting.

My Mom passed away this past August due to Alzheimer's. She was a lifelong diehard Cubs fan. In her final days she still remembered so many things about the Cubs of the 60s, but couldn't remember what I had just fed her for dinner 5 minutes ago. Very sad. Even though the Cubs broke her heart in 1969, she would talk about how that team meant so much to her. Dad was in Vietnam and the Cubs really provided the daily distraction she needed to take her mind off the war.

 

[joelbc1]

My Mom passed away this past August due to Alzheimer's. She was a lifelong diehard Cubs fan. In her final days she still remembered so many things about the Cubs of the 60s, but couldn't remember what I had just fed her for dinner 5 minutes ago. Very sad. Even though the Cubs broke her heart in 1969, she would talk about how that team meant so much to her. Dad was in Vietnam and the Cubs really provided the daily distraction she needed to take her mind off the war.

I was in college that year… surrounded by Cubbies… and they absolutely died an epic death beginning in August that summer…the Mets were just destined I guess..Man walked on the moon and tge Cubbies blew the pennant!!

 

[TheCainer]

I was in college that year… surrounded by Cubbies… and they absolutely died an epic death beginning in August that summer…the Mets were just destined I guess..Man walked on the moon and tge Cubbies blew the pennant!!

The Cubs just ran out of gas that September. If they hadn't beaten the Mets the last game of the season they would have finished 10 games back. Some fans blamed Durocher for not giving the players enough days off during the season. Playing all day games at home, it was easy to accept that argument. Guys like Williams (LF), Santo (3B), Kessinger (SS), and Hundley, the catcher, played nearly every game. Hundley claims he lost over 15 pounds that summer. Pitchers Jenkins and Hands both had 40 starts and Holtzman had 37 starts IIRC. Phil Regan their closer pitched in relief in 71 games and 112 IP.