Compiled by PAUL MONTELLA
By The Associated Press
Oct. 8
1908 -- The Chicago Cubs won the NL pennant when Mordecai Brown beat Christy Mathewson 4-2 in the playoff of the disputed game Sept. 23 when Fred Merkle failed to touch second base.
1929 -- Howard Ehmke, a surprise starter for the Philadelphia Athletics, struck out 13 Chicago Cubs to win the opening game of the World Series 3-1.
1956 -- Don Larsen of the New York Yankees pitched the only perfect game in World Series history for a 2-0 triumph over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Sal Maglie, the opposing pitcher, gave up five hits.
1961 -- The Yankees' Whitey Ford set a World Series record for consecutive scoreless innings by extending his streak to 32 innings in a 7-0 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 4.
1973 -- Rusty Staub's two home runs powered the New York Mets to a 9-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds and a 2-1 lead in the NLCS. Pete Rose of the Reds and Bud Harrelson of the Mets scuffled at second base in the fifth inning after Rose slid hard.
1986 -- Mike Scott equaled a playoff record with 14 strikeouts and threw a five-hitter as the Houston Astros defeated the New York Mets 1-0 in the first game of the NLCS. Glenn Davis opened the second inning with a home run off Dwight Gooden.
2000 -- Bobby J. Jones pitched the sixth complete game one-hitter in postseason history, and the Mets eliminated the Giants with a 4-0 win in Game 4 of their NL division series. It was the first one-hit shutout in the postseason since Boston's Jim Lonborg beat St. Louis in the 1967 World Series.
2010 -- Rick Ankiel splashed a tiebreaking home run into McCovey Cove in the 11th inning, and Atlanta rallied from a late four-run deficit to beat San Francisco 5-4 in the NL Division Series.
2011 -- Chris Carpenter tossed a three-hitter to outpitch Roy Halladay, and St. Louis edged the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 in the deciding Game 5 of their NL playoff series. The wild-card Cardinals scored in the first inning when Rafael Furcal led off with a triple and Skip Schumaker followed with a double.
2013 -- Max Scherzer escaped a jam in relief and the Detroit Tigers -- helped by two fans who reached out to reel in Victor Martinez's disputed home run -- rallied past the Oakland Athletics 8-6 to force a decisive fifth game in their AL Division Series.
2013 -- Shane Victorino's infield single broke a seventh-inning tie and journeyman Craig Breslow gave Boston a boost out of the bullpen, sending the Red Sox into the AL Championship Series with a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Today's birthdays: Robbie Erlin, 24; Erik Davis, 28.