Five greatest come-backs in American League Championship Series – Part 3
What is called greatest victory can easily be judged going through the history of the American League Championships Series, which came into birth after the organisers of Major League Baseball divided the sport into two divisions, the American League and
the National League in 1969.
Originally, the ALCS started with a five-game competition, but it was upgraded to a seven-game series in 1985. Whatever the numbers were, the ALCS produced some unforgettable battles and five of them were the greatest ever match-ups in the history of the
sport.
1976 Game 5 of ALCS: New York Yankees destroy Kansas City Royals
It was only the seventh year since the ALCS came into existence and the Series was originally for five games when Yankees and the Kansas City Royals squared off for 1976 ALCS.
The competition was evenly balanced as both clubs consisted of young players and rookies, but their everlasting selection of character that would be unacceptable inclusion as compared to the today’s standards.
The series swung both ways. The Yankees humiliated the Royals 4-1 in the opening, but the Royals evened taking a 7-3 crushing win in the second. Yankees advanced 2-1 with another win but the Royals were not ready to donate the master series very easily.
Royals levelled the series again and turned the ALCS Game 5 into a finale.
Both clubs landed at Yankees Stadium on Thursday, October 14 for Game 5. With three two-run innings the Yankees jumped to a 6-3 lead and it seemed like the Yankees would snatch the ALCS crown and move ahead for the World Series, but the opposition played
an unexpected eighth inning and posted three comeback scores. The Royals’ third baseman George Brett launched a three-run homer off the Yankees’ relief pitcher Grant Jackson to even the outing at 6-all in the top of the eighth inning.
Yankees passed the eighth as a helpless club but the ninth would prove the historic inning, as the new comer recorded a history. First baseman Chris Chambliss did provide the Royals’ reliever Mark Littell a single pitch to settle down. Chris launched a sky-high
hit off the Littell’s first pitch over right-centre for the solo walk off homer that took the Yankees into the victory stand.
It was the game that recorded many grainy, chaotic and spontaneous celebrations, which the baseball fans often see today. Chambliss tried to reach home after launching a record maker homer because of the expected celebrations from the Yankees fans, which
mobbed into the fields by the hundreds. Thousands or even more than thousands of Yankees’ fans stormed the park to express their celebrations after the Chambliss launched a game and the Series winner.
Chambliss could not reach home as the field boundaries were covered but by a sea of Yankees fans. The Bronx was celebrating and would continue to celebrate for several years. The New York Yankees then kept winning the AL Pennant for the next three years
and converted the 1977 AL and 1978 AL into the World Series title. They won another AL title in 1981 but had to wait 14 years to clinch another AL title.
Coming up next is the most highlighted event in the ALCS history.
Continued in Part 4
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: