Oct. 8
1908 - The Chicago Cubs won the NL pennant when Mordecai Brown beat Christy Mathewson 4-2 in the playoff of the disputed game Sept. 23 when Fred Merkle failed to touch second base.
1929 - Howard Ehmke, a surprise starter for the Philadelphia Athletics, struck out 13 Chicago Cubs to win the opening game of the World Series 3-1.
1956 - Don Larsen of the New York Yankees pitched the only perfect game in World Series history for a 2-0 triumph over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Sal Maglie, the opposing pitcher, gave up five hits.
1961 - The Yankees’ Whitey Ford set a World Series record for consecutive scoreless innings by extending his streak to 32 innings in a 7-0 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 4.
1973 - Rusty Staub’s two home runs powered the New York Mets to a 9-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds and a 2-1 lead in the NLCS. Pete Rose of the Reds and Bud Harrelson of the Mets scuffled at second base in the fifth inning after Rose slid hard into the base.
1986 - Mike Scott equaled a playoff record with 14 strikeouts and threw a five-hitter as the Houston Astros defeated the New York Mets 1-0 in the first game of the NLCS. Glenn Davis opened the second inning with a home run off Dwight Gooden.
2000 - Bobby J. Jones pitched the sixth complete game one-hitter in postseason history as the Mets eliminated the Giants with a 4-0 win in Game 4 of their NL division series. It was the first one-hit shutout in the postseason since Boston’s Jim Lonborg beat St. Louis in the 1967 World Series.
2010 - Rick Ankiel splashed a tiebreaking home run into McCovey Cove in the 11th inning, and Atlanta rallied from a late four-run deficit to beat San Francisco 5-4 in the NL Division Series.
2011 - Chris Carpenter tossed a three-hitter to outpitch Roy Halladay in a duel for the ages and St. Louis edged the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 in the deciding Game 5 of their NL playoff series.
2013 - Max Scherzer escaped a major jam in relief and the Detroit Tigers - helped by two fans who reached out to reel in Victor Martinez’s disputed home run - rallied past the Oakland Athletics 8-6 to force a decisive fifth game in their AL division series.
2013 - Shane Victorino’s infield single snapped a seventh-inning tie and journeyman Craig Breslow gave Boston a huge boost out of the bullpen, sending the Red Sox into the AL championship series with a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
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