A franchise that had been a post season monster was on the verge of losing the ALCS 4-1 in their home park.
A franchise that had never ever won a post season series had stunned the biggest and baddest team in baseball to take a 3-1 lead in the ALCS.
The proud recent champion sent their stud ace to the mound... and he held serve. The big bad recent champs won Game 5 convincingly and sent the series back to the road.
Which series am I talking about?
The 2010 ALCS?
The 1992 ALCS?
That year the A's, who seemed ready to reclaim the World Series run they went on from 1988 to 1990 faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays, who were always talented but couldn't get out of their own way in the post season.
When the A's, behind a 9th inning homer by Harold Baines took the opener in Toronto it looked like business as usual. But the Blue Jays won Game 2 in SkyDome and Game 3 in Oakland. And shockingly, Dennis Eckersley let up a 9th inning game tying homer to Robby Alomar and the Jays took a 3-1 lead with the extra inning win.
The A's were stunned that their October march was going to come crashing so soon.
So they handed the ball to Dave Stewart, the biggest bad ass in the post season (yes, even more than Jack Morris.)Stewart went the distance, getting the 6-2 complete game win and saying to the Jays "Not on MY watch!"
How did the Jays do after that in Game 6? They pounded Mike Moore and won the game 9-2... winning the first ever pennant for Toronto.
Does that bode well for the Rangers coming home to Arlington?
Well we DO know that they have a rested and ready ace for Game 7... if it goes that far.
And you KNOW he'll say not on MY watch.
