The Baseball Playoffs 2012 - Teams From the Save City That Can Play Each Other in the World Series

The Baseball Playoffs 2012 - Teams From the Save City That Can Play Each Other in the World Series

National League Teams

St Louis Cardinals

Washington Nationals

San Francisco Giants

Cincinnati Reds

American League Teams

New York Yankees

Baltimore Orioles

Oakland Athletics

Detroit Tigers

Ok, here are the scenarios where teams from the same city could play each other:

1)  San Francisco Giants v. Oakland As.  This actually happened once already in 1989.  And an earthquake hit.

Tony Larussa was the manager of the 1989 World Champion Oakland Athletics who defeated the 1989 San Francisco Giants.  He later mangaged the St. Louis Cardinals to two World Championships.  He is one of the greatest Managers.

2)  Baltimore Orioles v. Washington Nationals.  Not exactly the same city, but only 30 miles apart.  The Orioles played the Phillies in the 1983 World Series, and it was referred to as the Amtrak or I-95 Series, and a lot of fans travelled from each city to the others' stadium.   This could also be characterized as a battle of government v. free enterprise.

The late HOF Ted Williams was the manager of the AL Washington Senators, who last appeared in the World Series in 1933 and last won the World Series in 1924 behind HOF Walter Johnson winning Game 7.  Washington--first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League was the old saying about the Washington Senators.

3) St Louis Cardinals v. Oakland Athletics.  Not so obvious, but the Oakland As used to be the Kansas City Athletics from 1954-1967, so this would be a kind of Missouri "Show Me" state reunion.  In 1985 the KC Royals played the Cards and beat them in 7 games.  Juaquin Andujar had some kind of meldown in one of those games that was kind of famous at the time.  Also, the Royals came back from 3-1 down and George Brett got his ring.  No one knew the Royals would never appear in post-season play again.  

Before they were the Oakland Athaltics, and after they were the Philadelphia As, from 1954-1967, they were the Kansas City Athletics.  This was legendary baseball writer Bill James' favorite team growing up, by the way.

4)  St. Louis Cardinals v. Baltimore Orioles.  Not so obvious, again, but the Baltimore Orioles used to be the St. Louis Browns from 1902-1953.  The Cards played the Browns in 1944 when Stan Musial and the Cards were one of the greatest teams on earth, while the Browns won their only AL pennant in 1944 behind Vern Stephens and a bunch of other wartime players.  Can you say "balata ball"?  The Cards won 4-2.  This would actually be a St. Louis Series rematch. 

The Greatest Pitcher of All Time, HOF Satchel Paige, pitched for the St. Louis Browns for two years in the early 1950s.  The Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 and became the Baltimore Orioles.  There were two prior Baltimore Orioles teams--a minor league team owned by Jack Dunn in the 1910s and 1920s which was very, very good, and a National League Baltimore Orioles team in the 1890s was supremely good and won many NL pennants and had HOF players.

5)  New York Yankees v. SF Giants.  Well, some of you might remember that the San Francisco Giants prior to 1958 used to be the New York Giants.  Yes, we all know the Mets s---k.  And that the Giants, under John McGraw and Leo Durocher and Willie Mays, not only ruled New York, but the known baseball universe, 

NY Giants Owner Horace Stonehom, Bobby Thomson and NY Giants Manager Leo "the Lip" Durocher celebrate Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard Round the World" that won the NY Giants Playoff v. the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951 and won the pennant for the NY Giants.  

until Horace Stoneham cruelly moved them to San Francisco and ripped out the heart of the Polo Grounds, NYC and Say Hey Willie Mays.  This World Series was actually played in 1962, when memories of the move were fresh, and it was a great, great Series--it went seven games, and though the Yanks won, everyone remembers McCovey's line drive in the 7th game being speared to save it for the Yanks.   We should have a rule in baseball that the Giants play the Yanks in the Series every ten years, minimum.  

Bobby Thomson, Larry Jansen & Sal "The Barber" Maglie celebrate the New York Giants winning the 1951 pennant after Bobby Thomson's HR beats the Brooklyn Dodgers in the playoff game.  "The Giants win the Pennant, the Giants win the Pennant!!!"  The greatest playoff game ever played, or will ever be played.  The Giants roared back from 13 games back to tie the Dodgers and force a playoff, then beat the Dodgers in the playoffs on Thomson's HR.

6)  Oakland As v. Philadelphia Phillies - As you all know, the As used to be in Philadelphia from 1901-1953, so this would be an All Philadelphia World Series of sorts.  What, you mean the Phillies missed the Playoffs????  After winning the NL East five straight times?  They didn't even make either of the wild cards?  Are you freakin kidding me????  Holy cheesesteaks, Batman!

As Sports Illustrated Magazine has noted, an unimpeachable impartial source, the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics were the single greatest baseball club ever assembled.  Not the 1927 Yankees or any other Yankees club.  They said it, not me. That is HOF Al Simmons, who used averaged .372, 35 HR and 150 RBIS from 1929-1931. He was also a Gold Glove in LF.  His teammate Jimmy "Beast" Foxx was even better, hitting 58 HR in 1932..  Oh, and they had Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove, the greatest Lefty in history.  And the rest of the staff and team was not shabby at all.  They won 107 games in 1931 and two world championships in three years, destroying the Cubs in 1929 and 1930 and losing to the Cards in 7 games in 1931 in a hard fought series.