The American League East race would come down to a winner-take-all game against the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles.
Baltimore fans even brought brooms to Memorial Stadium, anticipating the final scene of one the greatest comebacks in MLB history.
Instead, left fielder Ben Oglivie went sliding feet first and made the catch, as his legs rolled up the wall that was on the right on top of the foul line.
[3] Awaiting the Brewers in the ALCS was the California Angels, who were built on Gene Autry's plan to acquire veterans with winning pedigrees.
Milwaukee came back to take a 3–1 lead with a two-run homer by Gorman Thomas in the second and a run scored by Paul Molitor on a groundout in the third.
Baylor capped off a five-RBI game with a two-run single in the fourth, and the Angels got another run in the fifth when eventual series MVP Fred Lynn homered.
California starter Tommy John, who lent his name to the famous surgical procedure, settled down after the third and gave the Brewers little over the final six innings on his way to a complete-game victory.
The Brewers made a game of it in the fifth on Paul Molitor's two-run inside-the-park homer, but could get no closer the rest of the way against the strong pitching of Bruce Kison.
Milwaukee opened the scoring in the fourth with three runs on an RBI double by Cecil Cooper, who would eventually get the series-winning hit, and sacrifice flies by Gorman Thomas and Don Money.
Saturday, October 9, 1982, at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin The Brewers again staved off elimination and evened the series in a rather sloppy but high-scoring Game 4.
The Brewers got a lot of help from two California errors and three wild pitches by Angels starter Tommy John, who took the loss.
But the Brewers bounced back with a two-run homer by Brouhard in the bottom of the inning to put the game away and level the series 2–2.
But Milwaukee tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Paul Molitor doubled and eventually came home on a sacrifice fly by Ted Simmons.
The Milwaukee bullpen kept the Angels off the board in the final two innings, helped by a spectacular catch by reserve outfielder Marshall Edwards, robbing Don Baylor of extra bases.
Pete Ladd got Carew to ground out to Robin Yount, and the Brewers took home the franchise's first American League pennant.