With the presidential election just two weeks away Biden may not have much time to dedicate to the World Series, but the upcoming contest between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays holds an element of intrigue for the former Delaware Senator.
The Dodgers make a third trip to the Fall Classic in four seasons as they seek to end a title drought that stretches all the way back to 1988, a year which also marked the last time a former veep was elected president.
The Dodgers pulled off a major upset, defeating the heavily-favored Oakland Athletics in five games to become the only MLB team to win multiple World Series during the decade.
The series has gone down in baseball folklore thanks to the pinch-hit walk-off home run Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson hit in the series opener, despite being barely able to walk.
Gibson had injured both of his legs during the National League Championship Series, damaging his left left hamstring while stealing second base in Game 5 and his right knee while sliding into second base in Game 7.
With his team down 4-3 at the bottom of the ninth, however, Gibson emerged to bat for his team.
Facing Dennis Eckersley, who led the American League in saves with 45 that year, Gibson flailed at a couple of pitches and reached a full count. Eventually, however, he got the pitch he was looking for and hammered it for a walk-off homer as the Dodgers took Game 1.
Less than a month after the Dodgers wrapped up the series in Game 5, incumbent Republican Vice President George H. W. Bush won both the Electoral College and the popular vote to defeat Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis.
Bush carried 40 states, secured 426 electoral votes and won 53.4 percent of the popular vote.
Four years later, Bush ran again for president but lost to Bill Clinton, becoming only the third incumbent since World War II, along with Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, to be defeated at the polls.
In the World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Atlanta Braves in six games to win the first of two consecutive titles. Eight years later, Al Gore followed in the steps of Bush Sr. attempting to become president after serving as VP but, ironically, lost out to Bush’s son.
A few weeks earlier, the New York Yankees had clinched a third consecutive title after defeating the New York Mets in five games.
The Dodgers’ triumph in 1988 came less than six months after the Los Angeles Lakers became the first team in 19 years to successfully defend an NBA title as they defeated the Detroit Pistons in seven games to win their fifth crown over nine seasons.
Of the 17 titles the Lakers have won, five of them arrived in presidential election years, with a Republican candidate being elected on each occasion.
