Top 30 most memorable baseball moments: #9-7
By
Moment 9: Oakland’s Rickey Henderson steals third base in a game against the Yankees in Oakland on May 1, 1991, for career stolen base 939, eclipsing Lou Brock’s previous record.
Henderson made his major league debut with Oakland on June 24, 1979, getting two hits in four at bats, along with a stolen base. He batted .274 with 33 stolen bases in 89 games. In 1980, Henderson became the 3rd modern-era player to steal 100 bases in a season.
On August 22, 1989, he became Nolan Ryan’s 5,000th strikeout victim, but Henderson took an odd delight in the occurrence, saying, “If you haven’t been struck out by Nolan Ryan, you’re nobody.” A year later, Henderson finished second in the league in batting average with a mark of .325, losing out to the Kansas City Royals’ George Brett on the final day of the season. Henderson had a remarkably consistent season, with his batting average falling below .320 for only one game, the third of the year.
On May 1, 1991, Henderson broke one of baseball’s most noted records when he stole the 939th base of his career, one more than Lou Brock’s total compiled from 1963 to 1979, mainly with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Moment 8: Nolan Ryan pitches his seventh career no-hitter, extending his Major League record. The Rangers defeated the Blue Jays 3-0 in Arlington on May 1, 1991.
During a Major League record 27-year baseball career, Ryan pitched in 1966 and from 1968–1993 for four different teams: the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers.
Ryan is the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven, three more than any other pitcher. Despite the seven no-hitters, he never threw a perfect game, nor did he ever win a Cy Young Award.
In 1990, Ryan threw his sixth no-hitter (on June 11 against the Athletics), and earned his 300th win (on July 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers). On May 1, 1991, Henderson broke Brock’s career stolen base record by stealing his 939th career base. However, Henderson’s achievement was somewhat overshadowed because Ryan, at age 44, set a record that same night by throwing the seventh no-hitter of his career, striking out Roberto Alomar of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final out. Coincidentally, Ryan’s second baseman in his first two no-hitters had been Alomar’s father, Sandy Alomar Sr.
Moment 7: Jack Morris pitches 10 shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves and leads the Minnesota Twins to a victory in Game 7 of the World Series on Oct. 27, 1991.
Morris played in 18 Major League seasons between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers, and won 254 games throughout his career.
In 1991, Morris signed a one-year contract with his hometown Minnesota Twins. He enjoyed another great season, posting 18 wins as Minnesota faced the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. Morris started for the Twins three times, with his final outing being Game 7. In a postseason performance for the ages, the 36-year-old hurler, known throughout his career as a clutch “big game” pitcher, lived up to his billing by throwing 10 innings of shutout baseball against the Braves as the Twins won the World title on a 10th inning single by Gene Larkin that scored Dan Gladden. Morris was named the World Series MVP for his fantastic performance and joined fellow pitcher Sandy Koufax as the only players to win the Babe Ruth Award twice. He holds the record for most wins by a Twin in a single postseason, with 4 acquired in 1991.
