The Philadelphia Phillies batted their way to becoming the 2008 MLB World Series Champions. For the achievement, the City of Brotherly Love, a town that hadn’t welcomed a professional national championship sporting team in over two decades, rallied and cheered for days and weeks. After beating Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 21, 2009 , the Philadelphia Phillies are heading back to the big dance to represent the National League (NL).
Philadelphia Phillies and Major League Baseball History
The Philadelphia Phillies story is just one of many inspiring events that have happened throughout the history of Major League Baseball. As with the rest of professional baseball’s history, it is an unfinished story replete with twists and turns.
For starters, before the Phillies got to the World Series for the second time in two years, they had to deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Manny Ramirez. And of course, the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees with John Lackey and Derek Jeter have to vie for a competing spot to represent the American League (AL).
Major League Baseball World Series championship games have been played for 104 years. The New York Yankees have made it to the championship game more than any other professional baseball team. The Yankees have competed in the World Series a record 39 times; the team from New York City has won the World Series 26 times.
New York Yankees Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig
Despite the fact that he played with baseball’s legendary right fielder, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig was a key reason that the Yankees won several of their early World Series championships. Lou Gehrig was born in 1903, the year that the first MLB World Series game was played. Throughout the duration of his career, he played in six World Series championships.
Historic World Series games include the 1975 duel between the Cincinnati Reds, formerly the Cincinnati Red Stockings, and the Boston Red Sox. According to MLB’s official website, heavy rains postponed playing of game six of the series for several days. Then the rain let up and thanks to a homerun by the Boston Red Sox Carlton Fisk, the Red Sox ran away with the crown.
Nearly one century earlier in 1882 when professional baseball’s championship game was organized by the American Association, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, won the first championship title. During its ten year existence the American Association helped to pave the way for what would become Major League Baseball.
Memorable MLB World Series Championship Games and Players
There have been 13 tiebreaker games leading up to the World Series. The last tiebreaker occurred in 2008 when the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox in a remarkable three consecutive games then beat the Kansas City Royals to even with the White Sox in the win-loss columns.
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson, born Jack Roosevelt Robinson on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia became the first African American to play in an official American major league baseball game since the league became segregated in 1889. Jackie played with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Prior to joining the Dodgers, Robinson played in the Negro Leagues. The Negro Leagues honed the talent of baseball greats such as Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Ben Taylor. During his MLB career Jackie Robinson played in six World Series championships. The Dodgers took home the crown in 1955 after they defeated the New York Yankees.
Baseball’s Ongoing National Inspiration
Despite earlier gambling and current steroid scandals, at its best, baseball inspires greatness. From Babe Ruth’s first homerun on May 6, 1915 to Willie Mays first homerun on May 28, 1951 and Hank Aaron’s 715th career homerun on April 8, 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia, Major League Baseball has been entertaining fans, creating history and inspiring adults and youth to live their lives in pursuit of the proverbial homerun.
October 28, 2009 kicks off their 105th World Series Championship. Dreams are certain to be fulfilled, memories made and fans made to believe that a winning score was just what they needed to get over the top in a challenging area in their own personal lives.
Baseball fans can remember the 105th World Series Championship games by purchasing jackets, caps, calendars, mugs and jerseys of their favorite teams. The Major League Baseball store, Sports Memorabilia, Modell's and Dick's Sporting Goods are some of the companies that carry baseball sporting gear. Sports fans with a penchant for smart shopping might also catch deals on websites like Ebay or Amazon.com. Enjoy the summer!
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