1990 World Series

The 1990 World Series matched the defending champions and heavily-favored Oakland Athletics against the Cincinnati Reds, with the Reds sweeping the Series in four games. It was the most recent National League sweep of the American League. It is remembered for Billy Hatcher's seven consecutive hits. This also was the second World Series meeting between the two clubs (Oakland won four games to three in 1972).

Athletics manager Tony La Russa and Reds manager Lou Piniella were old friends and teammates from their Tampa American Legion Post 248 team.

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds won the National League West division by five games over the Los Angeles Dodgers and set an NL record by staying in first place in the division for the entire season or "wire-to-wire", which had been done only one other time (1984 Detroit Tigers) and then defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, four games to two, in the National League Championship Series.

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics won the American League West division by nine games over the Chicago White Sox then defeated the Boston Red Sox, four games to none, in the American League Championship Series.

The Oakland Athletics were the defending World Series champions, two-time defending American League champions, and favorites against the Reds. The Oakland Athletics became the first franchise to appear in three consecutive World Series since the 1976–1978 New York Yankees. Their lineup consisted of three former AL Rookies-of-the-Year: José Canseco, (1986); Mark McGwire, (1987); and Walt Weiss, (1988). A's outfielder Willie McGee won a batting title that year, but it wasn't the AL batting title. He batted .335 for the NL's St Louis Cardinals before he was traded in late August to Oakland.

Behind starter Dave Stewart and reliever Dennis Eckersley, the Athletics had won 306 games over the prior three seasons

Once again, the defending champion Oakland Athletics returned for their third consecutive Fall Classic determined to start the new decade as they had ended the last. Throughout the late '80s, the A's had maintained dominant play (on both sides of the ball) and many felt the title was a foregone conclusion as the perennial champions had just completed a ten game winning streak thanks to one of the most well balanced rosters in all of baseball. On the mound, Oakland boasted Bob Welch (with twenty-seven wins), Dave Stewart (twenty) and ace reliever Dennis Eckersley who recorded forty-eight saves and a 0.61 ERA. At the plate, the "Dynamic Duo" of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco combined for seventy-six home runs and Rickey Henderson led the American League with sixty-five stolen bases and finished as runner-up for the American League batting title with a .325 average and twenty-eight bombs. Adding to the team's aura of invincibility was the late-August acquisitions of Willie McGee (1990 National League batting champ) from the St. Louis Cardinals and Harold Baines from the Texas Rangers. Their opponents, the Cincinnati Reds were no strangers to postseason play either, but this Reds roster was not the familiar blueprint of the Big Red Machine that had ruled the National League during the 1970's. No player in the line-up had over twenty-five home runs or more than eighty-six runs batted in and their top pitcher finished with only fifteen wins.

It was "David vs. Goliath" for Game 1 as the home team mortals knocked down the visiting giant with a two run blast in the first courtesy of Eric Davis. The Reds added more two runs in the third inning and, with Chris Sabo slashing a two run single, tacked on three additional in the fifth. Cincinnati's Jose Rijo managed things on the other side of the ball and shutout the American League's top line-up with seven hits and five strikeouts. Relievers Rob Dibble and Randy Myers both worked an inning to close out the National Leaguers...