The 1984 NLCS pitted 2 teams against each other who had not experienced success in a while. Neither team had appeared in an NLCS since the inception of this round of the playoffs in 1969. However, the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres teamed up to give fans a legendary series to remember. The Cubs won the first 2 games in Chicago while the Padres countered and won the next 2 in San Diego. It all set the stage for game 5 of the best-of-5 series in San Diego, with a spot in the World Series on the line.
The ABC broadcast booth featured baseball legends Earl Weaver, Reggie Jackson (who hadn’t retired yet) and Don Drysdale. Tim McCarver was providing the roving on-field updates. It was a beautiful, sunny California afternoon and an amazing day for baseball.
Chicago fed off this energy and jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. Leon Durham slammed a 2-run home run to right field against Padres starter Eric Show. Show laboured through the first inning to the point that San Diego had some action in the bullpen. Manager Dick Williams definitely wasn’t afraid to keep his pitcher on a short leash in an elimination game. Show survived the inning, and the ball then went to Cubs ace Rick Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe started the opening game of the series, which the Cubs won in a 13-0 beat down. He pitched a 3-up-3-down inning to keep the Cubs on top 2-0.
Jody Davis then led off the Cubs second inning with a solo blast just over the left field wall. Show would last just one more batter as he gave up a hit to the pitcher Sutcliffe. Williams jumped out of the dugout with the hook and brought in Andy Hawkins, who escaped the inning without allowing further damage. San Diego went quietly in their half of the inning and it was 3-0 Cubs after 2.
I would be remiss if I covered an 80s ballgame and did not mention the uniforms. San Diego was in their epic brown, orange and yellow home unis with brown and yellow hats. The Cubs sported blue tops and white pants, even though they were on the road. Aerodynamics also seemed to play a role in baseball back then, with each team’s uniforms fitting much tighter than today’s fans would be used to.
Let’s fast forward to the bottom of the fifth. After a few uneventful innings, and Sutcliffe looking in charge on the mound, Gary Templeton gets on base with an infield hit. Although Cubs first baseman Leon Durham did misplay the ball as he ranged to his right, it was scored a hit. It ended up being harmless and the next batter flied out to end the inning. But it was a harbinger of bad fortune for Durham and the Cubs.
At about the same time as this happened, Don Drysdale asked the viewers to stay tuned after the game. At 9 pm eastern time, Ronal Reagan was going to have his first debate against Walter Mondale in the 1984 U.S. Presidential Election. ABC’s own Barbara Walters was to be the moderator. It was one of those timestamps that are so cool, and that pop up in these old games. To further place this game into the context of the times, Walter Mondale used the “where’s the beef” line earlier that year in a Democratic primary debate. Yes, 1984 was also the year of those iconic Wendy’s commercials.
In the next Padres at bat, speedy Alan Wiggins got on with a lead off bunt that was once again mishandled by Leon Durham at first. This opened the door for Tony Gwynn, who dropped a single in to left field. The quiet Padres fans were now stirring, as Steve Garvey stepped up with two men on base. This got Cubs manager Jim Frey out to chat with Sutcliffe, who had been rolling along to this point. Sutcliffe walked Garvey to load the bases with nobody out. However, Frey had no ptichers warming in the bullpen, in a show of confidence in his ace. Craig Nettles pounded a fly to deep centre field, and Wiggins scored on the play. Gwynn also advanced, and it was first and third with still only one out. The Cubs bullpen was now stirring, as Frey had two starters warming up in this no holds barred game. Terry Kennedy then pounded a drive to left field, and Gary Matthews made a beautiful diving catch. However, Tony Gwynn scored to make it a 3-2 game. The inning ended with no other runs, but the Padres were on the board and the fans were in the game.
Meanwhile, the Padres bullpen had been doing a great job of silencing the Cubs bats. Andy Hawkins, Dave Dravecky, and Craig Lefferts teamed up to keep the Padres in the game, as late afternoon shadows began to creep over home plate at Jack Murphy Stadium. Fans started to do the wave as Lefferts retired the Cubs in the top of the seventh.
Sutcliffe returned to the mound for the bottom half of the inning and walked the lead-off batter Carmelo Martinez in four pitches. Gary Templeton then sacrifice bunted and the Padres had a man in scoring position with one out. One of the more infamous plays in Cubs history then took place, as Tim Flannery, who was pinch-hitting for the pitcher, rolled one through the legs of Leon Durham and Martinez scampered home to tie the game.
But that wasn’t the end of the inning. With Sutcliffe still on the mound, Gwynn pounds a ball that hops over second baseman Ryne Sandberg’s head. It scores Flannery and Wiggins, who had flared a single just before Gwynn was up. Intent on leaving Sutcliffe in until his arm fell off, Frey allowed him to face another batter, and Steve Garvey punished him by drilling one up the middle to score Gwynn. As the dust settled, it was now 6-3 at the end of 7 innings and the Padres had a commanding lead.
I have picked on Leon Durham a lot so far but he did have a stellar season with 23 home runs (that was a lot then) and 96 RBI. He also handled a lot of balls cleanly that day, and let’s not forget his 2-run home run in the first. We’ll say it was a high event day for Durham.
Goose Gossage took to the mound in the top of the eighth to attempt one of those 1980s multiple inning saves. With his bushy handle bar mustache and closer’s persona, the Cubs didn’t stand a chance. The exclamation point on the Padres win came in the bottom of the ninth as Tony Gwynn made a running hospital catch. He ran full speed into the open Cubs bullpen, featuring mounds and benches on the right field line, to make a beautiful snag. A few batters after that, the Cubs season was over, and the Padres rejoiced.
Did Durham’s defense cost the Cubs the game? Did Frey leave Sutcliffe in too long? Would Mondale have won the election had he saved the “where’s the beef” line for Reagan? These are questions from 1984 that we’ll never be able to answer. But what we do know is that even though the Padres would go on to lose the World Series to the powerful Detroit Tigers, October 7, 1984 remains one of the most magical days in San Diego sports history.
Not-so-instant-replay 