1989 World Series Champions
Oakland Athletics
Starting pitchers brought their A game to Oakland in 1989
The A’s had an amazing pitching staff lead by 21 game winner, Dave Stewart. One could argue however that Mike Moore had the “best” all around season going 19-11 with a 2.61 ERA and a team leading 3 shutouts and 172 strikeouts. Mike also held opposing hitters to a “low” .219 batting average. Meanwhile, “veteran” Bob Welch went 17-8 with a 3.00 ERA, and the “big righty” Storm Davis went 19-8 with a 4.36 ERA. To sum it up, they were a force to be reckoned with.
1989 Oakland Athletics: Brought a “rare” combination of “Speed” and “Power”
Did you know the 1989 A’s led the league in “stolen” bases? That’s right, those “swingin” A’s were a menace on the base paths as well, led by the "stolen base" king Rickey Henderson.
The A’s “stole” 157 bases in 1989 and had four players in double digits; Rickey Henderson 52, Carney Lansford, 37, Luis Polonia 13 and Stan Javier 12. Henderson had a total of 77 stolen bases that season, stealing a few bags when he was on the Yankees. "Rickey" started the season with the Yankees before getting traded to the A's on June 21, 1989 for Greg Cadaret, Eric Plunk and Luis Polonia.
The A’s hit 127 home runs in 1989, which was 6th in the league. However, if Jose Canseco hadn't missed 97 games Oakland would have “easily” led the league in home runs and stolen bases. To sum it up, the speed and power was a nuisance to opposing teams. Ask the Giants.
Who are the 1989 Oakland Athletics?
Do you remember the 1989 A’s with the Bash Brothers Dave Stewart and the “Eck"? This team also included the “base stealer” Rickey Henderson, as well as, “veterans” Dave Parker and “Hendu”. All managed by “our” favorite “animal lover” Tony Larussa.
The “Cast” of Characters
For the most part, when you think of the 1989 A”s, the name Jose Canseco pops up. While most people view Jose Canseco as a steroid using cheater, I view him as an intimidating ball player that put fear into the eye the pitcher. Watching him was like watching a bodybuilder play baseball. Canseco only played 65 games in 1989, due to a wrist injury he suffered during Spring Training. Nevertheless, Canseco managed to hit .357 and a home run in the ‘89 Series. This makes previous year, hitting .053 (1-19) versus the Dodgers, pale in comparison.
In 1988 Jose Canseco won the MVP award. He became the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. He was the a perfect example of “power and “speed”. In 1992, Canseco was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ruben Sierra, Jeff Russell, Bobby Witt and cash. The trade was considered a blockbuster and many A’s fans were crushed.
“Who is that dude with the huge forearms”? That’s what fans said when they first saw Mark McGwire. In 1989, he led the team with 33 home runs and also contributed 95 RBI’s. Couple him with Jose Canseco and you now have the "Bash Brothers", initiators of the baseball steroid era.
McGwire started his career with the A’s back In 1987. In fact, he was the “Rookie of the Year” hitting 49 home runs and 118 RBI’s. You could see the young McGwire driving around with a license plate that read 49 in 87.
Ownership and fans knew the McGwire era was coming to an end in 1997. This resulted in the trade to St. Louis to be reunited with Tony Larussa.
I’d like to start off by saying Rickey Henderson was the coolest player on the 1989 A’s. As a ball player, I would emulate his “toe tapping” walk, along with his “head first” slide. To this day I still have scars on my arms as a result.
Every time “Rickey” got on base you could feel the tension around the Coliseum; fans wondering "Is he going to steal a base?" Henderson led the league in stolen bases for 12 different seasons, this includes the 1998 season when he returned to the A’s for a 4th time at age 39. Rickey is the “stolen base king” and as a result, he said “Today I am the Greatest”.
In the ‘89 Series Henderson hit a “whopping” .474, with a home run, 3 stolen bases and 3 RBI’s. Combine that with hitting .400, 2 home runs, 5 RBI's and an incredible 7 walks and you can clearly see why “Rickey” won the MVP Award in the League Championship Series versus the Blue Jays. In brief, he was a “stud” in the 1989 postseason.
Then there was the “staredown” from Dave Stewart. Before each pitch Stewart would lower his hat and grill the batter, and of course you didn’t want to mess with Stewart being a black belt and all. Stewart won 21 games and had an ERA of 3.32 in 1989. He had four straight 20 win seasons from 1987 to 1990 for the A’s and still never won the Cy Young Award. Did I mention he started more games than any other pitcher in those four years? Talk about value. Before he came over from Philadelphia in 1986 he hadn’t won more than 10 games in a season. I guess that “home cooking” helps.
Starting Pitcher Bob Welch had a violent leg kick. Coupled with a 17-8 record and a 3.00 ERA you could say he was a huge part of the rotation for Oakland in 1989.
Welch was scheduled to pitch game 3 of the ‘89 Series. Unfortunately, that did not happen because of the Loma Prieta earthquake. For this reason, the World Series was delayed 10 days and he missed his start.
Welch came over from the Dodgers in 1988 and instantly made a big contribution to the A’s. Closer Dennis Eckersley said “There was something about him that just carried us, a special spirit.” In 1990 Bob Welch won the Cy Young Award winning an amazing 27 games.
It’s "shut down" time with Closer Dennis Eckersley. "Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Goodnight", seemingly, with the same pitch. The “Eck” had a cool mustache, long hair and a sidearm fastball that baffled hitters for many years. In 1989 Eckersley recorded 33 saves to go with his amazing 1.56 ERA. “Eck” joined the A’s in 1987 coming from the Chicago Cubs where he was a “starting” pitcher. In 1978 he won 20 games as a starter with the Boston Red Sox. Since “Eck” became a mediocre starter, the A’s decided to put him in the bullpen and the rest is history. In 1992 Eckersley won the MVP and the Cy Young Award and recorded a career high 51 saves while still playing for the A’s. The “Eck” was the most dominating closer I’ve seen. It’s still hard to believe the hobbling Kirk Gibson hit that home run when facing him in the ‘88 Series.
Who could forget “Hendu” (Dave Henderson) the way he stared down the pitcher while sweeping the batter’s box and twirling the bat. In 1989 Henderson had 643 plate appearances and hit a respectable 15 home runs. Then as if that wasn't enough, he went into the ‘89 Series smacking 2 jacks and batting .308. Henderson spent a total of six seasons with Oakland and hit a career high 25 home runs in 1991. “Hendu” was the first to make the space between his top teeth cool, sorry Michael Strahan.
Dave Parker, the “Big Lefty” walked to the plate slowly and with a slight limp. However in 1989, Parker’s bat was far from limping, smacking 22 home runs and a team high 98 RBI’s. The 38-year old Parker was on the downside of his career when he joined the A’s in 1988, with 16-seasons under his belt. Yet, that didn’t stop his “power” numbers, and it isn't surprising that the players and fans loved him. Dave was also a stud back in the day! He won three Golden Gloves, and in 1978 he was awarded MVP of the National League; hitting 30 home runs to go with 117 RBI’s and 20 stolen bases. He could beat you with speed and power!
Terry Steinbach was the A’s catcher for 11 season and the glue of this team. In 1989 Steinbach started 130 games behind the “dish” for Oakland and hit a respectable .273.
Do you remember the 1988 All-Star Game? Steinbach does. Possibly, his most memorable moment was hitting a home run off Dwight Gooden to give the American League a 2-1 victory. Steinbach was also named the MVP of the game.
Third baseman, Carney Lansford would wiggle his fingers, moving the bat around in a jittery manner before each pitch. I did not understand this unorthodox style, but it worked! Lansford had an incredible 1989 campaign hitting .336 and striking out only 25 times in 616 plate appearances. The “speedster” Lansford, yes I said speedster, tallied a career high 37 stolen bases.
Lansford hit .438 and a home run in the ‘89 Series. He started his career with the California Angels in 1978 and won a batting title playing for the Red Sox in 1981. The A's third baseman played 10 seasons in Oakland and retired an A.
There were many other contributors to this squad, like 1988 "Rookie of the Year" Walt Weiss and veteran Ron Hassey. In addition, Stan Javier, Walt Weiss, Lance Blankenship, Glenn Hubbard also had major roles. Then there was Luis Polonia, who even after getting traded to the Yankees midseason managed to lead the 1989 A's in triples. Let’s not forget the bullpen of Todd Burns, Greg Cadaret, Jim Corsi, Rick Honeycutt, Gene Nelson, Matt Young and Eric Plunk, who was best known for being on the Fleer Rookie Card with Jose Canseco.
After the A’s had clinched the Series, you may have noticed just a little celebration on the field and less in the locker room, at least when the cameras were on. This was done in respect to the Loma Prieta earthquake victims. A’s closer Dennis Eckersley said there was plenty of celebration later.
On a personal note the 1980s brought many memorable moments at the Oakland Coliseum. I could never forget the green ivy behind the wooden bleachers, where my step-dad caught a home run as he ran backwards up the stairs. This coincidently, was also the place where I caught my first home run off the bat of Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman.
To sum it up the 1989 As brought many professional and personal memories into the lives of many fans and spectators. They were a force to be reckoned with and a team that many people hold dear to their hearts.
Continue to 1989 Oakland A's Salaries
Continue to 1989 Oakland A's Opening Day Starters