The Earthquake That Stopped the World Series

On October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. Pacific time, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area with a magnitude of 6.9. Sixty-three people died. Thousands were injured. A section of the Bay Bridge collapsed, and the Cypress Street Viaduct on the Nimitz Freeway pancaked, killing 42 motorists trapped in their cars.

Game 3 of the World Series between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants was scheduled to begin at 5:35 p.m. at Candlestick Park. Sixty-two thousand fans were already in their seats. Broadcasters Al Michaels and Tim McCarver were on the air for ABC when the stadium began to shake. Michaels said, "I'll tell you what, we're having an earth..." before the feed cut out. It was the first major earthquake broadcast on live national television.

The Series had been billed as the "Bay Bridge Series" or the "Battle of the Bay," a celebration of Bay Area baseball. The Oakland A's, led by Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, and Rickey Henderson, had won the first two games at the Oakland Coliseum. After the earthquake, baseball became an afterthought.

Commissioner Fay Vincent postponed the Series for ten days, the longest delay in World Series history. When play resumed on October 27, the A's completed a four-game sweep. But the scores barely registered. The 1989 World Series is remembered not for any play on the field but for the moment the ground moved and reminded everyone that a game is only a game.

The earthquake also accelerated the end of Candlestick Park's tenure as the Giants' home. Plans for a new ballpark downtown gained momentum in the years that followed.