Carpenter’s Defensive Play Already Among Most Memorable

Graig Nettles Does His Best Brooks Robinson Imitation

What’s The Situation: Coming off a strike-shortened 1981 season, the Yankees and Dodgers continued an incredibly intense rivalry that spanned decades. Having originally met forty years earlier in 1941, the two franchises battled in October at least once in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and now the 80’s. Many of the same players from the 1977 and 1978 bouts between the two were still on the respective rosters.

What Happened: See Brooks Robinson, 1970. Substitute Yankee third baseman Graig Nettles.

What It Meant: The Yankees would lose the series to Los Angeles in six games, but Nettles finally became a household name while putting a stamp on what had been and continues to be a vastly underrated career. Thirty years later, the Yankees and Dodgers have not met in the World Series since.