New York Yankees TV: MLB 1990-7-17- Kansas City Royals @ New York Yankees: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat

What was once a great American League inter-divisional rivalry between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees in the 1970s and into the 1980s, was all but gone by the early 1990s. Why, because both clubs were barely winners, let alone contenders anymore and no longer had those great players that hated the other team and played their best against the other team. The only player that was still with the Royals in 1990, that played in their glory years of the 1970s and 80s, was George Brett who was in late thirties at this point and wrapping up a brilliant career for the Royals. The Yankees were down to Don Mattingly, who wasn’t a member of even the 1981 Yankees World Series team, or the 1980 AL East champion Yankees. So both of these great franchises were in transition. And having to rebuild to get back to where they were when they two of the best clubs in the American League

GI Bomber: MLB 1993- ESPN Wednesday Night Baseball- Texas Rangers @ Anaheim Angels: 9/17/1993

Source:GI Bomber- Texas Rangers pitcher Nolan Ryan, pitching against the Anaheim Angels in 1993 and being rewarded by the Angels fans for his great career.

Source:The New Democrat 

"The ESPN telecast started in the 3rd inning. I was there. It took me 20 years to find out this game broadcast. History at his best. 62.000 fans on a friday nigtht : we didn't know that was going to be the LAST strikeout of  Nolan Ryan's career (at min 30.40 of this video).  And how bout the nice move of Rangers manager Kevin Kennedy, who sends Ryan to the mound in the bottom of the 8th, only to take him out after the warm up tosses, for one of the greatest standing ovation I've ever seen (Around 1h.23min of this video)  Greatest memory I have in sports." 

From Gi Bomber 

Nolan Ryan, what forty-six years old and still a very effective starting pitcher at this point and pitching his last game ver. Capping off a great twenty-five year career. 

Not saying Nolan Ryan was the best pitcher, or the most dominant pitcher of all-time, but when he was on, he was those things, at least as far as what I’ve seen. He was generally very good, but not always great and have some games where he would become somewhat hittable and give up big hits and home runs. 

When Nolan Ryan was on, I believe he was the most dominant pitcher I’ve ever seen and the most dominant for the longest time. A twenty-five year, you know and how many bad seasons did he have.

I just wish his last game was against a better team and it had something to do with who was going to win the AL West in 1993. But the Rangers who did have a good season in 93, finished eight games out of first place behind the Chicago White Sox. 

And the Anaheim Angels, finished tied for fifth place in the AL West and only winning seventy-one games. And in the Rangers case 1993 is pre-wildcard, so you had to win your division to make the playoffs in the American League or National League. And the Rangers being this far out of first place at this point of the season, meant this was their last game.

Sports Channel New York: MLB 1987- 5-16- New York Yankees @ Seattle Mariners: Full Game

Source:Sports Channel New York- covering the Yankees & Mariners from 1987.

Source:The New Democrat

“It’s a SportsChannel feed with Spencer Ross and Ken Harrelson, May 16, 1987, between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners.”

From This is Where You Find Baseball

An interesting matchup with the Yankees of the late 1980s, who were still contenders, but like the Yankees of the mid-1980s, they just contended and didn’t manage to win the AL East back then and until 1994.

Pre-1995, the only way you make the MLB Playoffs is to win your division. So finishing second or third, even if you just finish a few games out of first, was not good enough to make the AL Playoffs or NL Playoffs. So the greatest franchise in MLB missed the playoffs for the final eight seasons of the 1980s, because they couldn’t win their division. But that is a topic for a future post as far as why they couldn’t win their division.

The Mariners on the other hand, we’re just starting to become fairly competitive at this point. They didn’t have their first winning season until the early 1990s, but could no longer be counted on to finish dead last in the AL West. Because they were good enough to now beat good teams.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that the Mariners actually became very good and making the AL Playoffs and winning the AL West. Because they finally put teams together that were built for the Kingdom. Which was a great hitters stadium, where the ball flied and where dimensions were fairly short. And where they had more ground ball pitchers, with very little foul territory.

NBC Sports: 1987 MLB All Star Game

Source:NBC Sports- Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Bret Saberhagen. When he was on and healthy, one of the top pitchers in all of MLB in the 1980s.

Source:The New Democrat 

"1987 MLB ASG Film" 

From Ian Ward 

What I remember about the 1987 MLB All Star Game as a 14 year old, was the Oakland Coliseum and a few other things. But when they only played baseball there, after the Raiders moved to Los Angeles in 1983, I think the Oakland Coliseum, even with the miles of foul territory, where relief pitchers would get a workout just walking from the bullpen, to the pitchers mound, or just back and forth from the mound to the dugout, or where someone of them would try to hail cabs, so they wouldn't have to walk as far from the bullpen and dugout to the mound, (ha, ha) I think this was a beautiful place for baseball. 

This ballpark looked good, there was alway plenty of sun, the grass beyond the outfield walls, 48,000 for baseball, so there should've been a lot of great seats for baseball (at least without the miles of foul territory) and the Athletics started winning again shortly after the Raiders left. 

Officially, the Oakland Coliseum was a multi-purpose stadium, but it was always a baseball first stadium. And with no football there, they could put in lower-deck box seats in the foul territory and it would be a great place just for baseball.