The White Stockings Play On

The White Stockings Play On (1871)

On the night of October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire broke out. By the time it burned out, much of the city was gone, including the White Stockings' ballpark and every uniform the club owned. The team finished the National Association's first season on the road, each man in borrowed, mismatched gear. They lost the pennant to the Philadelphia Athletics in their final game, then sat out the next two seasons. Some years the standings are the least of it.

Babe Adams Gets the Ball (1909)

When the World Series opened at Forbes Field, Fred Clarke passed over his established starters and handed Game 1 to Babe Adams, a 27-year-old rookie who'd gone 12-3 with a 1.11 ERA. Accounts still differ on why. Adams gave up a run in the first and nothing after, six-hitting Detroit for a 4-1 win. He won Games 5 and 7 too, the last an 8-0 shutout, and Pittsburgh took the Series. Not bad for a guy nobody saw coming.

Larsen's Perfect Afternoon (1956)

Three days earlier, Don Larsen couldn't get out of the second inning against Brooklyn. Casey Stengel gave him the ball for Game 5 anyway. Pitching without a windup, Larsen retired all 27 Dodgers he faced. The last out was a third strike to pinch hitter Dale Mitchell, and Yogi Berra sprinted out from behind the plate and leaped into his arms. Seventy years later, it is still the only perfect game in World Series history.

Brock Holt Finishes the Job (2018)

Brock Holt didn't start either of Boston's first two ALDS games against the Yankees. In Game 3 he singled and tripled in a seven-run fourth, then doubled in the eighth. By the ninth it was 14-1, and the Yankees sent backup catcher Austin Romine to pitch. Holt told teammates he needed a homer for the cycle, swung at the first pitch, and hooked it into the right-field seats. Red Sox 16, Yankees 1, and the first cycle in postseason history.