Game 3, 1989 World Series October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m. local time, San Francisco, CA
The 1989 World Series was billed as the "Battle of the Bay" between the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants. Never did anyone think that the geographical features of the region would be so prominently displayed. Shortly before Game 3 began at Candlestick Park, the 6.9 magnitude Lorna Prieta earthquake struck. It was the first major earthquake in America to be broadcast on live television. At the time the quake struck, Tim McCarver was narrating highlights and Al Michaels cut in to say "I'll tell you what -- we're having an earth--," and at that point the feed from San Francisco was lost. Fans in the stadium were heard cheering "Let's play ball," shortly afterwards, as the damage at the stadium itself was minimal. A power outage forced the game to be postponed, however, and the damage to the rest of the bay area was far greater than a mere power outage.
In total, the quake killed 63 people throughout northern California, injured 3,757 more and left some 8,000-12,000 people homeless. The Series would not resume for 10 days, the longest delay in World Series history, after which the Oakland A's won in a sweep. At the conclusion of the series, out of respect for the earthquake victims, the Athletics weren't allowed to celebrate the victory with champagne. Years later, Al Michaels admitted that if the earthquake had lasted much longer than 15 seconds, he would have been killed.
