New York Nine: The Upsets

This is the first article in a new column here called “New York Nine.”  In this column, I will be counting down the top nine of something New York Sports related.  In today’s edition, I will be counting down the top nine upsets in New York Sports history.  If you feel there is anything I missed, please feel free to leave a comment.  We would love to hear your top nine. 

9)  2001 American League Championship Series

The greatest regular season team in baseball history against the defending World Champions.  In 2001, the Seattle Mariners won 116 games, 21 more than the Yankees won that season.   The 2001 ALCS was supposed to be the fall of the Yankees dynasty.  The fall would come later that postseason, but the Yankees won this series 4-1.

8 )  1979 Stanley Cup Semi-Finals

The New York Rangers beat a dominant New York Islanders team in six games to advance to the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals.  The Islanders were the two-time defending Clarence Campbell Conference Champions coming into the series.  After that series, the Islanders went on to win four straight Stanley Cups.  

7) 1973 National League Championship Series

Yogi Berra and the Mets beat the Cincinatti Reds in five games to go to their second World Series.  The Reds were 17 games better than the Mets coming into the series.  The most memorable moment in this series was the famous fight between Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson in Game 3.

6)  1996 World Series

The Yankees as underdogs?  Believe it or not, there was a World Series in which the Yankees were thought to have been lucky if they just won a game or two.  Especially after dropping the first two games at home. 

Up 2-0 in the series, the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves were looking to finish off the Yankees in the home park.  After all, they only had to take two games out of three to repeat as champions.  Even if they had won just one game at home, they would still have a 3-2 lead going back to Yankee Stadium.

Before Game 2 of the series, Joe Torre had a secret meeting with George Steinbrenner.   Torre told George that the Yankees would probably lose that night, but Atlanta was “Torre’s Town” and the Yanks would sweep Atlanta in Atlanta and finish things off at home and win the series 4-2. 

Steinbrenner laughed, but that is exactly what happened.  After a clutch Game 3 performance by David Cone, the Yankees were down in the series 2-1 entering Game 4.  In Game 4, the Yankees faced a 6-0 defecit coming into the 6th inning.  After cutting the lead to three, the Yankees sent Jim Leyritz up in the 8th with two runners on.  Leyritz pulled Mark Wohlers out of the park to tie the game.  This home run helped the Yankees get back into the series and would launch the recent Yankees dynasty.

The Yankees won that game in extra innings after a bases loaded walk by Wade Boggs.  In Game 5, Andy Pettite and John Wetteland shut out the Braves and a game-saving catch by Paul O’Neill sent the series back to New York.  We all know what happened in Game 6.  As Charlie Hayes squeezed the game-ending pop up into his glove, a new Yankees dynasty was born.

5)  1995 Stanley Cup Finals

This may be the most overlooked series in sports history.  Imagine existing for twenty years and winning absolutely nothing.  Now imagine your arch rivals winning the Stanley Cup the prior year.  Even worse, they beat you in the Eastern Conference Finals to get there.  In that series, they beat you in overtime in the seventh game of the series after you made a ridiculous comeback to even get that far.

How do you feel?  This is how the New Jersey Devils felt going into the 1995 season.  After advancing to their first Stanley Cup Finals ever, the Devils were widely predicted to get swept by the Detroit Red Wings.

There was a sweep alright.  Jacques Lemaire and the Devils neutral zone trapped the Red Wings right out of the series and picked up their first of three Stanley Cups.  It was truly a perfect moment in sports history that will always be overshadowed by the 1994 Finals.  Watch the final minutes and celebration here. 

4) 1955 World Series

The Dodgers don’t play in Brooklyn anymore, but there is sure a lot of history surrounding them when they were here.  After losing to the Yankees in the 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953 World Series, the Dodgers tried their luck in 1955.  Brooklyn shocked the world and won in 7 games.

It is interesting to note that the most remembered play in the series was Jackie Robinson’s steal of home in Game 1.  Ironically, it was a meaningless steal.  the Yankees actually won that game 6-5.  

3)  1969 World Series

The Miracle Mets weren’t even supposed to have a winning record, let alone make the World Series.  Winning the World Series?  Well that was just an insane idea.  Especially since they had to go against Earl Weaver’s powerhouse Baltimore Orioles.

1969 wasn’t friendly to Baltimore.  The Mets won in five games behind strong pitching performances from Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman.  After the series, Seaver said, ” God is living in New York, and he’s a Mets fan.”

2)  Super Bowl XLII

One team was undefeated.  One team barely snuck into the playoffs.  The undefeated team had already beaten the underdog in the regular season.  The game seemed over before it started. 

With the Giants 13 1/2 point underdogs, no one gave them a chance against the almighty Patriots.  Tom Brady couldn’t fight off the Giants’ overwhelming pass rush as the Patriots choked away their perfect season.  Oh yeah, this play didn’t hurt as well.  Eli Manning to David Tyree will be remembered for generations to come.  Plaxico Burress sealed the deal with the game winning touchdown.  Write that script. 

1)  Super Bowl III

You know the story.  The AFL’s New York Jets were 18 point underdogs to the NFL’s powerhouse Baltimore Colts.  Joe Namath led the Jets to a 17-6 upset over Johnny Unitas and the Colts.  41 years later, this is still the greatest upset in football history.