by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, this Friday the 17th, which stopped the World Series for eleven days, we must remember what was going on in 1989 and during those years.

Just after the Oakland Athletics defeated the San Francisco Giants in that 1989 World Series, with two victories prior to the earthquake and two victories after the earthquake, KSTS CH 48 Telemundo would begin a schedule of weekend games live in Spanish of the four time World Champion Oakland A’s. The first and only time that a Spanish television station in the Bay Area broadcasted live baseball games in Spanish. This was years before the soccer furor and the US 1994 World Cup, which I also covered for Telemundo.

Then, General Manager, Joe Cruz, built a brand new set, colors Green and Gold, and authorized an expense of a few thousand dollars to build such a nice set. Yours truly was the Sports Director and Anchor those early years at Telemundo. The play by play of the games then were done from those studios, live, with a green screen in the background calling A’s games.

In this I Phone-Twitter-I Pad-Smart Phone and whatever else world we are living today, it is good to remember the many things that were done on radio and television. Like an old friend in the business tells me: “everything already has been done, at least once, although some people think they are re-discovering the world”.

But for me that faithful moment on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 PM is forever engraved in my memory. That morning it was a clear and perfect day in the Bay Area, temperatures around 70 degrees. One of those beautiful ‘Indian Summer’ days which we are accustomed here in the Bay Area, in September and October. I was doing the Spanish play by play for the Oakland Athletics on KNTA 1430AM radio, with main studios in San José.

My broadcast partner was Evelio Areas Mendoza, today retired and living in his native Nicaragua, Erwin Higueros (today broadcasting the Giants in Spanish)was our engineer. The A’s won games one and two at the Oakland Coliseum. Game three, four and five, were scheduled for San Francisco.

We were given a very small auxiliary broadcast booth next to the roof at Candlestick Park. The A’s dominated, winning at Oakland Saturday the 14th, by a score of 5-0 and then again on Sunday the 15th, by 5-1. The Loma Prieta Earthquake struck on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m. Game 3 was scheduled to start at 5:35 pm at Candlestick Park, and thousands of people were already in the stadium when the quake occurred. Because of the coincidence of timing, it was the first major earthquake in the United States ever to be broadcast by live television.

We were doing our pregame show when the earthquake struck and I remember Evelio doing commentary about the enthusiasm of the Giants fans at the park, saying that the park was rocking because of the Giants fans in the stands, when the quake struck and I remember saying, “Evelio this is more than the Giants fans, I think we are having an earthquake” Both teams players were standing on the field, in a state of disbelief, I remember some of the players’ wives of the A’s came down to the field to be with their husbands, legendary Giants star and Hall of Famer Willie Mays wondered around the field, the San Francisco Police Department and other emergency services came onto the field at Candlestick Park. Our broadcast lines went down, we were “off the air”.

After the quake, and while in the main Press Box at Candlestick, I was interviewed by various local Bay Area as well as Latin American media outlets to talk about the earthquake. We were inside a stadium that had no view to the outside, so we all didn’t know what was happening outside. While at the Press Box I remember seeing the first images on CH 5 with Anchor Ana Chávez and saw for the first time the part of the Bay Bridge that broke in two with some cars dangling on top of the water, and then the fire at the Marina. By the way, Olga and Joaquin (my parents) previously to living in the Mission District in San Francisco, also lived for a few years at #2 Cervantes in the Marina. That building was destroyed and fire burned it to the ground that afternoon.

It took me close to three hours to drive back to my home in Fremont, since the bridges were close I had to drive around the bay all the way south. First stopped to see my mother and father whom at that time- were living in a retirement building in the San Francisco Mission District, they were fine, although their apartment was a real mess. Then I dropped Evelio at his home in Daly City and later Erwin at his home in Oakland. My car water pump was leaking that morning, so I drove my wife’s car(who was in much better shape) to the game.

As for the Series itself Commissioner Fay Vincent decided to postpone Game three (although he didn’t tell anyone before doing so, resulting in an umpire protest) initially for five days, resulting in the longest delay in World Series history^{.. It was postponed for another five days (until October 27) because of delays in restoring transmission links. When action resumed for game three, the 27th of October the Athletics won 13-7 and then completed the four-game sweep by winning the next day, by a score of 9 to 6. The score was settled, the Athletics swept the Giants and now they have won four(4)World Series since they arrived in Oakland (from Kansas City)in 1968.}

At the time of this 1989 World Series, the Giants have not won a World Series in their history in San Francisco since 1958. They won it 21 years later in 2010, and then again in 2012,at their new ATT Park.

Just one of my many memories in the business, which I thought was appropriate to remember during this week, when we celebrate 25 years since the earthquake that stopped the World Series for eleven days.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s and on television on Fox Sports in Los Angeles with the LA Angels, and does News and Commentary each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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