- It's October eighth, 1995.
We're at the Kingdome, in Seattle Washington
and the decisive game five of an ALDS
between The New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners
is in extra innings.
Seattle is down a run,
which means this bottom of the 11th
is do or die,
and not just in the usual baseball way.
To understand how crucial this moment is,
we need to remember New York's
recent history of baseball failure
and Seattle's potential future without baseball.
And to appreciate what's about to happen,
we need to meet the characters inhabiting this moment.
We need to rewind.
(mysterious music)
The Yankees are up,
if they get out of this inning,
they will win a playoff series.
At nearly any other point in Yankees' history
that would be no big deal.
But here in 1995, it would be a godsend.
Just ask the man covering first base, Don Mattingly.
Since long before Mattingly's career began
the Yankee's had been one of the most
consistently excellent franchises
in all of pro sports.
Dating back to the 1920's The Yankee's
had experienced a playoff drought exactly once,
a little valley between 1965 and 1975.
New York's 33 World Series appearances
included four in the six seasons
preceding Mattingly's 1982 debut,
but that debut came at the tail end
of a losing season,
and in Mattingly's 1983 rookie season
The Yankees missed the playoffs again.
Mattingly became an all star
and batting champion in '84
but the Yankees missed the playoffs.
The Yankees missed the playoffs narrowly
even when Mattingly won MVP in 1985.
Yes, that's current Seattle manager
Lou Piniella along side him.
Piniella coached and managed the Yankees
through some of those dark years.
Mattingly remained elite throughout the 80s
but not once did New York make the playoffs
and as injuries slowed their star
the Yankees got even worse.
When current manager Buck Showalter took over,
gradually turned New York into a winner,
and eventually led them to the top
of the AL East in 1994
a strike aborted the season
and the playoffs were canceled.
In August of this season they looked dead
falling to 53 and 58 on the heels
of a shut out against Randy Johnson
and these very same Mariners,
but they rallied.
New York dominated September with
excellent pitching then snagged the recently
conceived Wild Card to finally end the drought.
And their momentum carried into the post season.
The Yankees won their home games to go up
2-0 in this best of 5 AL divisional series
which is also a recent invention.
And after a pretty rough individual season
the veteran Mattingly helped spark those wins.
His vintage performance includes
a homer during New York's 15 inning game two win
and a crucial two run double tonight.
So yeah, Don mattingly is 34 years old,
he's been a Yankee,
and mostly a very good one for 14 seasons.
But only now in Mattingly's twilight
does New York sit three outs away from
winning the first playoff series of his career.
If they don't, this first might also become a last.
Mattingly's contract is expiring
and its widely believed the declining,
somewhat disgruntled star,
will leave the Yankees or just retire.
But the Yankees are so close
to delaying that decision.
They just need strong pitching from a relative newcomer
which has been their M.O.
David Cone who was acquired in a July trade
with the rivaled BlueJays
got the game one win
and pitched seven strong innings tonight,
outlasting Seattle starter Andy Benes
before a shaky eighth tied the game.
(crowd roars)
- [Announcer] In the dirt, we're tied.
The walk to Strange forces in young Alex Rodriguez.
- Rookie reliever Mariano Rivera,
the game two winner got New York out of that inning.
In the ninth, Showalter and Seattle's Piniella
made their versions of the same move
when they faced late trouble.
Instead of closers both teams brought in their aces.
Both on one days rest after starting game three.
Different kinds of aces produce different results.
Seattle's Randy Johnson is the presumptive Cy Young winner
with the nightmarish fast ball.
He led Seattle out of the ninth
and struck out the side in the 10th
but Johnson faltered in the 11th,
surrendering an RBI single to Randy Velarde
that gave New York this lead.
New York's Jack McDowell is yet another newcomer
acquired in the off season to be their ace,
but his first year in pinstripes
has been rocky.
It will be most remembered for
the night in July when he gave
all of Yankee stadium the middle finger.
McDowell took the loss in game three
but got the short rest nod tonight,
just like Johnson did,
and survived the ninth and 10th
just like Johnson did,
but now just like Johnson, he faces a threat.
We'll explore this threat, Joey Cora
and Ken Griffey Jr. on the corners,
Edgar Martinez at bat.
But first we must understand how important
this is and how unlikely it all seemed
not that long ago.
We are in the Kingdome.
This stadium opened in 1976
and soon thereafter,
welcomed the NFL expansion Seahawks,
and the MLB expansion Mariners.
Two decades later the building is in peril.
In 1994, after years of repairing roof leaks,
massive ceiling tiles fell onto the field
right before fans were about to enter for a game.
The building was closed
and the Mariners had to play
almost a month straight of that shortened season
on the road.
Repairs on the roof cost
hundreds of millions of dollars
and tragically took the lives of two construction workers
who fell in a crane accident.
Its evident by now that the Mariners
are going to need a new home
and unless the team can justify its presence here,
that home might not be Seattle.
We've already mentioned
the Yankees breaking a rare playoff drought.
Well, this is the Mariners' first
post season appearance since 1977
which is to say, ever.
They have sucked, since inception,
and consistently ranked near the bottom
of the American League in attendance.
This season didn't look
like it would be any different.
Super star Ken Griffey Jr. smashed up his wrist
making an incredible catch in late May.
The best the team could do
in the months without him was stay afloat.
Edgar Martinez put up career best batting numbers,
Johnson pitched like his life depended on it
and the Mariners treaded water.
Meanwhile, their future in Seattle was sinking.
Knowing the Kingdome was doomed
the team and county proposed
a new baseball only stadium funded
mostly by the public.
In September, taxpayers shot it down.
Out of options, team owners set a deadline.
If they didn't see a stadium plan
by October 30th they'd put the team up for sale.
Seattle might very well lose its baseball team,
but on the field, something happened.
When Griffey returned in August
Seattle stood well behind the division
leading California Angels,
but in September they reeled off
a couple of rousing win streaks
and by month's end commanded
first place in the AL West.
Seattle fans had a new rallying cry,
"Refuse To Lose"
and they showed up
even selling out the decrepit Kingdome.
When season ending records necessitated
a single game tie breaker with the Angels
the Mariners indeed refused to lose.
They kicked the shit out of a team they'd once trailed
in the standings by 13 games.
Luis Sojo's bases clearing double
broke the game open in the seventh inning
and Johnson punctuated a brilliant
complete game with a strikeout
to send Seattle to the post season
for the first time ever.
Even getting to this point has generated momentum.
Playing Autumn baseball in front of a packed stadium.
This is proof that the Mariners
deserve an investment,
a source of hope that they can
secure a long term home in Seattle
before the 30th of the month.
Actually winning this thing
would dial that hope up to a near guarantee.
So yeah, no pressure guys,
you just might be playing for
the future of baseball in this city.
So, who exactly are we talking about here?
Lets meet the Mariners
participating in this moment.
Standing at third is Joey Cora.
The little 30 year old switch hitter
had an excellent first season with the Mariners
and kept it rolling here in the ALDS.
Cora played a quietly crucial role
in Seattle's scoring outburst
to come back and win game four,
bunting for a single to start the 3rd inning rally
then dodging Mattingly's tag to do it again
to help kick off a similarly huge eighth inning,
and Cora opened the scoring tonight
with an uncharacteristic homer to right field.
So when Cora led off to to open the bottom
of this 11th inning The Yankees defense
didn't know whether or not to
expect another tricky bunt.
He wasn't instructed to bunt
and took three straight pitches
without showing any intention to do so
leading Mattingly to back up a bit at first.
That was when Cora decided
on his own to go for it
and just like in game four he veered
to avoid the tag but not far enough outside his base path
to get called out.
Another bunt single for Joey Cora.
And now Cora's on third.
On first is a man we all know and love, Ken Griffey Jr.
He's a big deal, he's the guy in the video game.
He's the guy who at 25 years old
is already a six time All-Star and perhaps,
the most exciting outfielder on Earth.
Although, of course that last thing
nearly derailed this whole season.
Griffey's been typically amazing in this series.
He homered three times
in the two losses at Yankee stadium.
He homered last night to break 5-5 tie and
set Seattle on the path to victory.
- [Announcer] Griffey's got it out of here!
- He homered tonight to help
drive David Cone off the mound.
Those five home runs in a single series
tied the record set
by Yankee legend Reggie Jackson,
who's here watching tonight.
When Griffey came up
with a man in scoring position
in the bottom of the ninth, Rivera intentionally walked him,
but just now Griffey slapped the single
that got Cora all the way to third.
So those are the runners.
Before we address the man at the plate
I want to point out who's on deck.
It's Alex Rodriguez, a 20 year old short stop
who spent most of this season in AAA,
but just like New York's young short stop of the future,
Rodriguez hasn't really been part of the post season.
He came into tonight with zero at bats in the series,
but entered this game when a flummoxed,
and apparently very itchy Piniella,
couldn't find anyone else to pinch run in the eighth inning.
Rodriguez would score the tying run
on Cone's final pitch of the night,
a brutal bases loaded walk,
but A-Rod fumbled his chance
to break the tie with a walk off
and become an instant legend.
He grounded into an inning ending fielder's choice
with two on in the bottom of the ninth.
Down a run, Rodriguez will be
in an even higher pressure situation
should the man at the plate
be retired without driving in a run.
So, let's talk about
the man at the plate, Edgar Martinez.
Everyone in this crowd
would love to talk about him.
They've been screaming his name all night.
(crowd cheering)
In another league or at another time
Martinez might not be able to play baseball.
He entered the majors as a hard hitting third baseman,
but in a 1993 exhibition game
suffered a hamstring injury
severe enough to limit his fielding ability long term.
Thankfully the American League
permits a designated hitter
and Martinez has blossomed in that role.
He was Seattle's MVP
in this mostly Griffey-less season,
and frankly, if the Mariners got a bit more
attention he might be MVP of the whole league.
There's no questioning Edgar's MVP status in this series.
He was automatic during the games in New York
and in game four made history.
Down 5-0 in the third inning of that game
Martinez drove in Cora and Griffey
with a three run homer.
Tied 6-6 in the eighth,
Martinez blasted a grand slam
that had this old building shaking.
Seven runs batted in is the most ever in a playoff game,
but when it came time for a walk off tonight, Edgar whiffed.
Before the kid Rodriguez left men on base
to end the ninth inning,
Martinez had his chance to play hero
and struck out swinging against McDowell.
Here is another opportunity.
A single would drive in Cora and tie the game.
Yet another homer would end the series,
something in between,
well, Griffey is fast as hell
and this turf can carry hard hit balls pretty far,
so you never know.
Maybe, Edgar could walk off the whole series with
an extra base hit inside the park.
If he does, it's heart break for The Yankees.
From a 2-0 lead to defeat
in their first playoff series since the early 80's.
It's a rough ending to a rough season
for McDowell, it could be
an even rougher ending to what is,
despite his individual excellence,
Don Mattingly's first playoff series
in 14 years as a pro.
And somehow the stakes for Seattle are even higher.
They're fighting to keep the team
in this city, if not in this decrepit stadium
then somewhere else to be determined
by politicians and bazillionaires
who've gotten plenty of proof
that Seattle is a viable baseball town but might need more.
An unsung hero represents the tying run on third.
A young superstar who missed most of the season
represents the winning run.
A slugger who's continued an unbelievable year
with historically clutch play
has the chance to drive the men
after failing in a similar opportunity
two innings ago.
If he fails, then an unproven youngster
who also wasted a walk off chance before
has to navigate a situation
just loaded with pressure.
Let's see if the Mariners will
refuse to lose one more time.
Let's see if Edgar Martinez can rescue
a series, a season, and a whole franchise
that have all threatened to slip away.
Welcome, to a moment in history.
(crowd cheering)
- [Announcer] Line drive, we are tied.
Griffey is coming around.
And the corner's burning.
He's gonna try to score.
There's the division championship.
Mariners win it!