1995 Atlanta Braves Retrospective
- Thread starter selmaborntidefan
- Start date
October 19, 1995
MASCOT CONTROVERSY TO THE FOREFRONT
(The following is a commentary as it would have been in 1995 from my younger self. No offense is intended. It is not my intent to flirt with NS territory, but this is a re-creation of history and this DID happen).
The Atlanta Braves are in the World Series again and - like clockwork - here comes Vernon Bellecourt, brother of Clyde, founder of the American Indian Movement (and convicted in 1985 of selling LSD to an undercover officer for what that's worth), getting the attention activists seek for their "cause," which in Bellecourt's case is the demand that sports teams named after American Indians change their names because use of such symbols as Chief Wahoo or the Tomahawk Chop as well as "racist team names" like, well, the Braves and Indians, who are playing each other. And before the temperature is raised, it seems to me what nobody is looking at here is we have overlapping issues that are being treated as a singular issue through the demand of the activist. Please note that what follows is in no way to be considered intended to offend Mr. Bellecourt or the AIM, nor to be insensitive. Indeed, more sensitivity all around is what is needed here, and the politics and pressures of this issue are nowhere nearly as easy as most commentators pretend they are. It seems to me that the names as opposed to the dressing up like Indians and chanting are two separate issues being treated as the same, but let's look at the issue from a more reasonable perspective.
The very first instinctive thought I have is this: "If the name Indians is offensive for a sports team then why in the world is your group called the American Indian Movement?" And then we have the reality that at what point do we devolve from sensitivity to ridiculousness? I mean, let's look at other places to begin with. Is the name Fighting Irish for Notre Dame to be considered offensive? Does that not portray Irish people - the ones about whom signs "No Irish Need Apply" were held forth a century ago - as a bunch of drunks? Is Celtics offensive or honorable to Boston? What about the "Fighting Scots" of the College of Wooster in Ohio? Bunch of stereotypical drunks, right? Is Dutchmen okay at Hofstra? Better yet, is Vikings offensive to all those Scandinavians in Minnesota (we'll touch on that frozen wasteland in a moment). And let's not even get started on the anti-Catholic "prejudice" emblematic in Padre or Cardinals. Or is it? And maybe that's the rub. But before commenting further, let me share a brief history of the subject.
The modern protest against Indian mascot nicknames appears to have its genesis in the convergence of the successes of the Civil Rights movement, the reality of ignorance among Americans regarding the plight of the Indians, and the students bored with protesting the Vietnam War picking an easier target for success on the college campus. This last came to fruition in 1971, when complaints by Native American students led Stanford University to change their name from the Indians to the Cardinal, which again, is probably offensive to Catholics but who cares, right? The more important issue where it concerned Stanford was that the complaints were made SPECIFICALLY by Native American students who said the name was offensive and acted in unity. But as is often the case, the success of one activist (or group) inspires another to go full idiot and, of course, that's exactly what happened.
Mere days after the students prevailed at Stanford, the American Indian Center of (wait for it) Cleveland, Ohio, filed a $9 million lawsuit for damages (nearly $33 million in 1995 dollars) against (wait for it again) the Indians for using Chief Wahoo as a symbol and the Braves for the audacity of having a live human being they called "Chief Noc-A-Homa" ("knock a homer", get it?) and targeted the Chicago Black Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Buffalo Braves (now offending all fans of genuine basketball everywhere as the Los Angeles Clippers), and the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins as well, demanding a change of team nickname. Warriors is kind of interesting for no other reason than they have zero association with Indians and no such memorabilia and sound more like a grasping for straws than anything else.
Given that 23 years later all those teams except the relocated Buffalo NBA franchise have those names, you can probably guess how this one turned out. Then again, the AIC managed to overplay their hand and make the worst of it, the most ludicrous when Russell Means, the executive director of AIC as well as a Sioux, made a complete and utter fool of himself in regards to Atlanta's mascot. He unloaded first on Chief Wahoo, the grinning caricature that has been a symbol of the Indians' franchise since 1951, saying, "It's degrading, demeaning, and racist." But then Means turned his fire on Chief Noc-A-Homa, using the pretty much always flawed comparison of the Nazis: "What if it was the Atlanta Germans, and after every home run a German dressed in a military uniform began hitting a Jew on the head with a baseball bat?" One could argue, of course, the mere fact that fans WOULD NEVER name their teams after the Nazis but DID, in fact, have an Indian name would actually be more of an honor than a shame, but the comparison is also flawed since Noc-A-Homa did a dance, he didn't hit anyone with anything. But Means then lived down to his "American name" when it emerged he didn't know Noc-A-Homa was being portrayed by a full blooded Indian (half Ottawa, half Chippewa) named Levi Walker, Jr. Upon learning Walker was part Chippewa, we got this incredible observation from Mr "Everyone Who Disagrees With Me Is A Racist" - "It figures. All the Chippewas used to do was hang around the fort anyway." He then doubled down on racist with, "That damn sellout? What kind of Indian is he?" (Pardon me for wondering how "Indians" can be racist given Means's coments). One can - as Mr. Means liked to do - substitute the word "black" for "Chippewa" and it could have come out of the mouth of 90% of white Americans less than 50 years ago. And it would have been a racist comment (and still is). No reporter bothered to ask the University of Central Michigan Chippewas for their opinion on Means's mean comment.
Walker, however, had an interesting perspective on the subject. Showing a fighting spirit (I never said he was on the warpath....sorry), Walker declared, "I think Indians should be proud the Braves use an Indian mascot. They surely wouldn't use one they didn't respect. Little boys grow up with the Indian as a symbol of the heroic." And herein within the Indian community was - and still is - the brutal truth central to the entire controversy: not every Indian agrees with the AIC or AIM, either in 1972 or today in 1995. The attepted lawsuit fizzled out when they couldn't raise the money for good lawyers. But then came 1991, when what seemed to be largely a back bench controversy came to the fore when the Atlanta Braves made their first World Series since leaving Milwaukee and had to face the Minnesota Twins, home to over 50,000 Indians...in the city where the Bellecourt's lived and (wouldn't you know it?) rooted for the Twins. Here was a chance for attention, and they seized it.
In 1991, thanks largely to the addition of former Florida State defensive back Deion Sanders to the Atlanta roster, the fans began waving foam tomahawks and - more to the point - adopted a hypnotic chant performed for years by the Florida State Seminole fans called "the tomahawk chop." "The Chop" as it is called, involves holding the palm facing inward and waving the arm back and forth while chanting a rhythmic chant that starts high and goes low on the music scale. Inside the circular baseball stadium - as opposed to the wide open football field - the chant built louder and louder and seemed to inspire the Braves to win a pennant that seemed so out of reach. Then the Braves reached the World Series - and in their hour of greatest triumph to now, all hell broke loose. Vernon Bettencourt showed up and began castigating the Braves at every turn. CBS (Covers Baseball Sporadically, which is why they no longer have it), looking for something to fill time, had South Dakota native Pat O'Brien as the lead-in commentator, so naturally he brought it up before Game One of the Series and tried to get Braves President Stan Kasten to commit to, well, something, Kasten basically told O'Brien a version of "wait in the truck" by saying that they'd address it after the series. But Bettencourt was just beginning and probably couldn't believe his luck when the Seminoles were the #1 team in college football from the start of the season until mid-November and, wonder of wonders, the Washington Redskins were the best team in the NFL while the Chiefs were on a playoff run. He and his AIM were at nearly every sporting event protesting. I recall musing at the time, "You know, it would serve this guy right if the Braves and Indians were to meet in a World Series," and, well, here we are. Naturally, much of the ire is directed towards Atlanta because, after all, they're in the South, and well know what racist people live in the South, right?
MASCOT CONTROVERSY TO THE FOREFRONT
(The following is a commentary as it would have been in 1995 from my younger self. No offense is intended. It is not my intent to flirt with NS territory, but this is a re-creation of history and this DID happen).
The Atlanta Braves are in the World Series again and - like clockwork - here comes Vernon Bellecourt, brother of Clyde, founder of the American Indian Movement (and convicted in 1985 of selling LSD to an undercover officer for what that's worth), getting the attention activists seek for their "cause," which in Bellecourt's case is the demand that sports teams named after American Indians change their names because use of such symbols as Chief Wahoo or the Tomahawk Chop as well as "racist team names" like, well, the Braves and Indians, who are playing each other. And before the temperature is raised, it seems to me what nobody is looking at here is we have overlapping issues that are being treated as a singular issue through the demand of the activist. Please note that what follows is in no way to be considered intended to offend Mr. Bellecourt or the AIM, nor to be insensitive. Indeed, more sensitivity all around is what is needed here, and the politics and pressures of this issue are nowhere nearly as easy as most commentators pretend they are. It seems to me that the names as opposed to the dressing up like Indians and chanting are two separate issues being treated as the same, but let's look at the issue from a more reasonable perspective.
The very first instinctive thought I have is this: "If the name Indians is offensive for a sports team then why in the world is your group called the American Indian Movement?" And then we have the reality that at what point do we devolve from sensitivity to ridiculousness? I mean, let's look at other places to begin with. Is the name Fighting Irish for Notre Dame to be considered offensive? Does that not portray Irish people - the ones about whom signs "No Irish Need Apply" were held forth a century ago - as a bunch of drunks? Is Celtics offensive or honorable to Boston? What about the "Fighting Scots" of the College of Wooster in Ohio? Bunch of stereotypical drunks, right? Is Dutchmen okay at Hofstra? Better yet, is Vikings offensive to all those Scandinavians in Minnesota (we'll touch on that frozen wasteland in a moment). And let's not even get started on the anti-Catholic "prejudice" emblematic in Padre or Cardinals. Or is it? And maybe that's the rub. But before commenting further, let me share a brief history of the subject.
The modern protest against Indian mascot nicknames appears to have its genesis in the convergence of the successes of the Civil Rights movement, the reality of ignorance among Americans regarding the plight of the Indians, and the students bored with protesting the Vietnam War picking an easier target for success on the college campus. This last came to fruition in 1971, when complaints by Native American students led Stanford University to change their name from the Indians to the Cardinal, which again, is probably offensive to Catholics but who cares, right? The more important issue where it concerned Stanford was that the complaints were made SPECIFICALLY by Native American students who said the name was offensive and acted in unity. But as is often the case, the success of one activist (or group) inspires another to go full idiot and, of course, that's exactly what happened.
Mere days after the students prevailed at Stanford, the American Indian Center of (wait for it) Cleveland, Ohio, filed a $9 million lawsuit for damages (nearly $33 million in 1995 dollars) against (wait for it again) the Indians for using Chief Wahoo as a symbol and the Braves for the audacity of having a live human being they called "Chief Noc-A-Homa" ("knock a homer", get it?) and targeted the Chicago Black Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Buffalo Braves (now offending all fans of genuine basketball everywhere as the Los Angeles Clippers), and the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins as well, demanding a change of team nickname. Warriors is kind of interesting for no other reason than they have zero association with Indians and no such memorabilia and sound more like a grasping for straws than anything else.
Given that 23 years later all those teams except the relocated Buffalo NBA franchise have those names, you can probably guess how this one turned out. Then again, the AIC managed to overplay their hand and make the worst of it, the most ludicrous when Russell Means, the executive director of AIC as well as a Sioux, made a complete and utter fool of himself in regards to Atlanta's mascot. He unloaded first on Chief Wahoo, the grinning caricature that has been a symbol of the Indians' franchise since 1951, saying, "It's degrading, demeaning, and racist." But then Means turned his fire on Chief Noc-A-Homa, using the pretty much always flawed comparison of the Nazis: "What if it was the Atlanta Germans, and after every home run a German dressed in a military uniform began hitting a Jew on the head with a baseball bat?" One could argue, of course, the mere fact that fans WOULD NEVER name their teams after the Nazis but DID, in fact, have an Indian name would actually be more of an honor than a shame, but the comparison is also flawed since Noc-A-Homa did a dance, he didn't hit anyone with anything. But Means then lived down to his "American name" when it emerged he didn't know Noc-A-Homa was being portrayed by a full blooded Indian (half Ottawa, half Chippewa) named Levi Walker, Jr. Upon learning Walker was part Chippewa, we got this incredible observation from Mr "Everyone Who Disagrees With Me Is A Racist" - "It figures. All the Chippewas used to do was hang around the fort anyway." He then doubled down on racist with, "That damn sellout? What kind of Indian is he?" (Pardon me for wondering how "Indians" can be racist given Means's coments). One can - as Mr. Means liked to do - substitute the word "black" for "Chippewa" and it could have come out of the mouth of 90% of white Americans less than 50 years ago. And it would have been a racist comment (and still is). No reporter bothered to ask the University of Central Michigan Chippewas for their opinion on Means's mean comment.
Walker, however, had an interesting perspective on the subject. Showing a fighting spirit (I never said he was on the warpath....sorry), Walker declared, "I think Indians should be proud the Braves use an Indian mascot. They surely wouldn't use one they didn't respect. Little boys grow up with the Indian as a symbol of the heroic." And herein within the Indian community was - and still is - the brutal truth central to the entire controversy: not every Indian agrees with the AIC or AIM, either in 1972 or today in 1995. The attepted lawsuit fizzled out when they couldn't raise the money for good lawyers. But then came 1991, when what seemed to be largely a back bench controversy came to the fore when the Atlanta Braves made their first World Series since leaving Milwaukee and had to face the Minnesota Twins, home to over 50,000 Indians...in the city where the Bellecourt's lived and (wouldn't you know it?) rooted for the Twins. Here was a chance for attention, and they seized it.
In 1991, thanks largely to the addition of former Florida State defensive back Deion Sanders to the Atlanta roster, the fans began waving foam tomahawks and - more to the point - adopted a hypnotic chant performed for years by the Florida State Seminole fans called "the tomahawk chop." "The Chop" as it is called, involves holding the palm facing inward and waving the arm back and forth while chanting a rhythmic chant that starts high and goes low on the music scale. Inside the circular baseball stadium - as opposed to the wide open football field - the chant built louder and louder and seemed to inspire the Braves to win a pennant that seemed so out of reach. Then the Braves reached the World Series - and in their hour of greatest triumph to now, all hell broke loose. Vernon Bettencourt showed up and began castigating the Braves at every turn. CBS (Covers Baseball Sporadically, which is why they no longer have it), looking for something to fill time, had South Dakota native Pat O'Brien as the lead-in commentator, so naturally he brought it up before Game One of the Series and tried to get Braves President Stan Kasten to commit to, well, something, Kasten basically told O'Brien a version of "wait in the truck" by saying that they'd address it after the series. But Bettencourt was just beginning and probably couldn't believe his luck when the Seminoles were the #1 team in college football from the start of the season until mid-November and, wonder of wonders, the Washington Redskins were the best team in the NFL while the Chiefs were on a playoff run. He and his AIM were at nearly every sporting event protesting. I recall musing at the time, "You know, it would serve this guy right if the Braves and Indians were to meet in a World Series," and, well, here we are. Naturally, much of the ire is directed towards Atlanta because, after all, they're in the South, and well know what racist people live in the South, right?
Continued
But that leaves us where we are today, and the picture is murky at best. Why? Largely because as Levi Walker shows, there is nothing close to unanimity even among Indians regarding this issue. Polling limited to American Indians shows that they are as divided as the nation is over its politics, but most actually show a majority are not necessarily offended by the names. Of course, it depends on the name, too. The University of Utah Redskins changed their name several years back to the Utes, a tribe that resided in what is now Utah, which was probably a step forward. The coverage of this largely manufactured controversy - surprise, surprise - shows the expected regional biases. In New England and on the West Coast, the fire is concentrated mostly on the Southern team, Midwesterners either see nothing wrong with it (especially if they live in Ohio) or are against it, and Southerners take umbrage at something about "erasing history" and "honoring the Native Americans."
And then there's the peculiar problem of how both teams in this series got their names. The Cleveland Indians got their name way back in 1915 in a newspaper sponsored "name the team" contest where the name was suggested because was the very first American Indian (Penboscot) to play Major League Baseball, and he played for the then Cleveland Spiders. Yes, it was actually chosen as an honor, although honoring a guy who ruined his big league career by injuring his ankle when, drunk, he jumped out of the second story window of a house of ill repute might be even more politically incorrect nowadays. The Braves were owned by a pair of New Yorkers who were called "chiefs" a few years earlier, the employees of the "chiefs" being called "braves."
But how can we approach this and attempt to do so without either being insensitive or God forbid accused of capitulating in the name of political correctness. Well, I don't have a surefire solution, but I do have a few suggestions. After these, I will simply revert to covering the World Series.
As I see it, there are several overlapping problems that are being treated as one.
1) Not all words associated with Indians are necessarily offensive.
The brutal reality is that words like "brave" and "chief" had and have more than one usage, and some of the words go back to the Stone Age. "Brave," for example, is a European word of uncertain origin that may have actually developed from the Latin "barbarus." That will not answer the question of the MASCOTS which I think is a separate issue, but it would answer the problem regarding names.
2) Intent should matter - but so should sensitivity.
Let's face it, most of these team names were not a bunch of white guys sitting around and saying to themselves, "How can we tick off the Indians? I know, we'll name our team after them." Indeed, it tended to be because of admiration of the fighting spirit of Indians, often against insurmountable odds. (A clever lawyer - or Johnnie Cochran if one is not available - could very easily argue that racism is why no team has been named after African-Americans, although I suspect one day there will, in fact, be a black owned sports franchise named the Homies or some other form of that particular culture). Let's face it, most if not all white folks today that know the story pull for the Indians over Custer. However, it is also possible that names never intended to be offensive CAN, in fact, be offensive to a large group of people, too. When objections are made, listen before reacting and, well, number three
3) Coordination, not confrontation, should be the rule
As noted, there is disagreement among Indians themselves on this issue, and this is where local involvement is essential. If your team has an Indian name and particularly if you are located near where there is a local chapter of AIM or another organization, seek out what their membership thinks. In some areas, you may find endorsement and those willing to work with you. In others, it may be best to change your name.
4) Not everyone agrees on this issue
I'm limiting this solely to Indians, a term I use here only because it is used in the names of the groups AIC and AIM. This ties together with #3 and should not be a form of political "I win/you lose" but a concentrated effort to find common ground if it can be so.
5) At issue are both symbols and names
These are treated as one and the same but are not. Maybe it is not the name "Atlanta Braves" that is offensive (since a brave doesn't have to be an Indian) but rather the use of Indian symbols. One subdued American Indian activist (in 1991) took up for the name of the Braves and even to a point the chop but was repelled by the war chant because "many of our chants have religious significance." In other words, it might be necessary to remove the Chief Wahoo caricature but keep the name. But then we have a unique problem concerning the Braves: human nature, when told not to do something, tends to rebel quickly. Sure, you can tell the organist not the play it, you can "ban" the chop but guess what's going to happen if you do? You're going to have the same 45,000 people who can start their own "Wave" crank up the chant and the chop. What are you going to do, remove all of them from the stadium - and lose all those concessions from that night not to mention what you lose in the future?
I don't know the answer, but I know two things:
1) if the American Indian Movement is ever in position to force economic hardship on a team, the name will change quickly, as in almost overnight
2) too much of this is all posturing and not enough listening.
I close with this. I don't know what the future brings for these teams or any teams, but I do propose immediately that the name Washington Redskins be changed for two reasons: 1) the name Redskins simply sounds offensive to the ears and you'd never call anyone that; 2) I'm offended by the name Washington, the town where promises go to die. Change their name.
Tomorrow? A full breakdown of the World Series and who will win and why.
But that leaves us where we are today, and the picture is murky at best. Why? Largely because as Levi Walker shows, there is nothing close to unanimity even among Indians regarding this issue. Polling limited to American Indians shows that they are as divided as the nation is over its politics, but most actually show a majority are not necessarily offended by the names. Of course, it depends on the name, too. The University of Utah Redskins changed their name several years back to the Utes, a tribe that resided in what is now Utah, which was probably a step forward. The coverage of this largely manufactured controversy - surprise, surprise - shows the expected regional biases. In New England and on the West Coast, the fire is concentrated mostly on the Southern team, Midwesterners either see nothing wrong with it (especially if they live in Ohio) or are against it, and Southerners take umbrage at something about "erasing history" and "honoring the Native Americans."
And then there's the peculiar problem of how both teams in this series got their names. The Cleveland Indians got their name way back in 1915 in a newspaper sponsored "name the team" contest where the name was suggested because was the very first American Indian (Penboscot) to play Major League Baseball, and he played for the then Cleveland Spiders. Yes, it was actually chosen as an honor, although honoring a guy who ruined his big league career by injuring his ankle when, drunk, he jumped out of the second story window of a house of ill repute might be even more politically incorrect nowadays. The Braves were owned by a pair of New Yorkers who were called "chiefs" a few years earlier, the employees of the "chiefs" being called "braves."
But how can we approach this and attempt to do so without either being insensitive or God forbid accused of capitulating in the name of political correctness. Well, I don't have a surefire solution, but I do have a few suggestions. After these, I will simply revert to covering the World Series.
As I see it, there are several overlapping problems that are being treated as one.
1) Not all words associated with Indians are necessarily offensive.
The brutal reality is that words like "brave" and "chief" had and have more than one usage, and some of the words go back to the Stone Age. "Brave," for example, is a European word of uncertain origin that may have actually developed from the Latin "barbarus." That will not answer the question of the MASCOTS which I think is a separate issue, but it would answer the problem regarding names.
2) Intent should matter - but so should sensitivity.
Let's face it, most of these team names were not a bunch of white guys sitting around and saying to themselves, "How can we tick off the Indians? I know, we'll name our team after them." Indeed, it tended to be because of admiration of the fighting spirit of Indians, often against insurmountable odds. (A clever lawyer - or Johnnie Cochran if one is not available - could very easily argue that racism is why no team has been named after African-Americans, although I suspect one day there will, in fact, be a black owned sports franchise named the Homies or some other form of that particular culture). Let's face it, most if not all white folks today that know the story pull for the Indians over Custer. However, it is also possible that names never intended to be offensive CAN, in fact, be offensive to a large group of people, too. When objections are made, listen before reacting and, well, number three
3) Coordination, not confrontation, should be the rule
As noted, there is disagreement among Indians themselves on this issue, and this is where local involvement is essential. If your team has an Indian name and particularly if you are located near where there is a local chapter of AIM or another organization, seek out what their membership thinks. In some areas, you may find endorsement and those willing to work with you. In others, it may be best to change your name.
4) Not everyone agrees on this issue
I'm limiting this solely to Indians, a term I use here only because it is used in the names of the groups AIC and AIM. This ties together with #3 and should not be a form of political "I win/you lose" but a concentrated effort to find common ground if it can be so.
5) At issue are both symbols and names
These are treated as one and the same but are not. Maybe it is not the name "Atlanta Braves" that is offensive (since a brave doesn't have to be an Indian) but rather the use of Indian symbols. One subdued American Indian activist (in 1991) took up for the name of the Braves and even to a point the chop but was repelled by the war chant because "many of our chants have religious significance." In other words, it might be necessary to remove the Chief Wahoo caricature but keep the name. But then we have a unique problem concerning the Braves: human nature, when told not to do something, tends to rebel quickly. Sure, you can tell the organist not the play it, you can "ban" the chop but guess what's going to happen if you do? You're going to have the same 45,000 people who can start their own "Wave" crank up the chant and the chop. What are you going to do, remove all of them from the stadium - and lose all those concessions from that night not to mention what you lose in the future?
I don't know the answer, but I know two things:
1) if the American Indian Movement is ever in position to force economic hardship on a team, the name will change quickly, as in almost overnight
2) too much of this is all posturing and not enough listening.
I close with this. I don't know what the future brings for these teams or any teams, but I do propose immediately that the name Washington Redskins be changed for two reasons: 1) the name Redskins simply sounds offensive to the ears and you'd never call anyone that; 2) I'm offended by the name Washington, the town where promises go to die. Change their name.
Tomorrow? A full breakdown of the World Series and who will win and why.
91st WORLD SERIES PREVIEW
ATLANTA BRAVES VS CLEVELAND INDIANS
October 21-29, 1995
And then there was that time when the two best teams in baseball squared off to determine the champion for the year.
It used to happen almost all the time back when baseball was an East Coast-Midwest only based sport of sixteen teams in two leagues. The advent of the LCS led to such matchups as the 1973 World Series, where a team that won ONE more game than half of their season actually pushed the defending champions to seven games, and the 1987 matchup between 85-win eventual champion Minnesota and "best record in baseball" St Louis. Baseball's playoff expansion severely threatens the matchups of the teams with the two best records but that isn't to say that the matchups will themselves not make compelling and dramatic contests. After all, the 1975 Fall Classic had the team with the best record in all of baseball (the 108-win Big Red Machine) against a 95-win Red Sox team that had the second-best record in the AL, and it ranks among the greatest series' of all-time.
Maybe another great series is in the offing. Maybe the Braves finally wear the ring. Or maybe Cleveland ends their long curse that goes back to...when they beat the Braves in the World Series the last time they won one.
Overview: This series matches up one of baseball's all-time great pitching staffs, the Atlanta Braves, against one of the best one-season hitting squads, the Cleveland Indians. Given that Greg Maddux will indisputably win this year's NL Cy Young, the Braves have five total Cy Young Awards at the pitcher's spot (four for Maddux, one for Tom Glavine), tying the record set by the 1983 Philadelphia Phillies, although it should be noted that the 1979 Baltimore Orioles also had five if you include Steve Stone's that he won in 1980).
The Atlanta Braves are the most consistent team in baseball over the last five seasons, with four first-place finishes and a second place record in a season that failed to conclude in 1994 due to the strike. They have compiled a record of 454-290 (.610) while winning an MVP award (Terry Pendleton in 1991), three Cy Youngs (Glavine in 1991, Maddux the last two years; Maddux beat out Glavine for the award in 1992 when he was with the Cubs), and playing some of the most exciting post-season baseball ever seen. The Braves' overall games record in the post-season is 22-19, and 13 of those 19 losses have been by one run, eight in extra innings. They have been the odds-on favorite to win the World Series each of the last three seasons. Their strength is stellar starting pitching - The Big Three of Maddux, Glavine, and John Smoltz got the winning decision in 45 of Atlanta's 90 wins - and allow only 3.75 runs per nine innings and are tenth in the league with 100 errors in 144 games. Their hitting isn't exactly anything to write home about, with a .250 overall average that ranks among the worst in baseball. Most of Atlanta's games are low-scoring affairs where neither the Braves nor the opponent either gets a lot of baserunners or long balls. The bullpen tends to be adequate, perhaps because the middle relievers don't accumulate innings thanks to the deep inning performances of the starters. Braves games tend to go quickly most of the time, and they're rarely out of the game even if trailing by multiple runs in the ninth. Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox has now built his third big league team, twice with Atlanta and the Toronto dynasty that has won the last two World Series.
The Cleveland Indians are the latest refreshing story in baseball about overcoming long odds. Though the city has long been the butt of environmental jokes ever since the Cuyahoga River caught fire years ago, there's a blue collar spirit to the city, and much needed improvements in attempting to turn the waterfront into a better tourist area have paid off. Cleveland began their ascent in the standings after a 30-year hiatus in 1992, when they finished fourth with a 76-86 record but were showing signs of progress. For years the Indians played in the cavernous Municipal Stadium that wasn't fun for either them or the visitors, but they moved to Jacobs Field in 1994, which signaled their continuing revival. The rise may have been delayed by the boating tragedy in March 1993 that killed closer Steve Olin and middle reliever Tim Crews and serious injured Bob Ojeda, who has come back from the trauma. Indians Manager Mike Hargrove said that he felt part of their problem maturing was the fact that during the entire 1993 season, every city they visited wanted to pay tribute to the fallen Indians and while he appreciated it, they were also forced to cope with it over and over again. Cleveland has one of the most powerhouse lineups ever assembled, compiling a blistering .291 team batting average through a lineup with no less than six .300 hitters (all, in fact, hit .308 or better). And they get big hits, as the Indians lead all of baseball in home runs, hits, RBIs, and slugging percentage - while striking out the fewest times of any MLB team. They make contact, and they make opponents pay. Their fielding stats are about the same as the Braves except Cleveland has turned a lot more double plays thanks to the slick fielding of shortstop Omar Vizquel. Cleveland's pitching is better than outsiders may realize, as they lead the AL in ERA (3.83) and have the most saves in the league (50) with the league's leading closer, Jose Mesa, getting 46 of those. The Indians had a perfect 15-0 record in extra innings until the ALCS as well.
ATLANTA BRAVES VS CLEVELAND INDIANS
October 21-29, 1995
And then there was that time when the two best teams in baseball squared off to determine the champion for the year.
It used to happen almost all the time back when baseball was an East Coast-Midwest only based sport of sixteen teams in two leagues. The advent of the LCS led to such matchups as the 1973 World Series, where a team that won ONE more game than half of their season actually pushed the defending champions to seven games, and the 1987 matchup between 85-win eventual champion Minnesota and "best record in baseball" St Louis. Baseball's playoff expansion severely threatens the matchups of the teams with the two best records but that isn't to say that the matchups will themselves not make compelling and dramatic contests. After all, the 1975 Fall Classic had the team with the best record in all of baseball (the 108-win Big Red Machine) against a 95-win Red Sox team that had the second-best record in the AL, and it ranks among the greatest series' of all-time.
Maybe another great series is in the offing. Maybe the Braves finally wear the ring. Or maybe Cleveland ends their long curse that goes back to...when they beat the Braves in the World Series the last time they won one.
Overview: This series matches up one of baseball's all-time great pitching staffs, the Atlanta Braves, against one of the best one-season hitting squads, the Cleveland Indians. Given that Greg Maddux will indisputably win this year's NL Cy Young, the Braves have five total Cy Young Awards at the pitcher's spot (four for Maddux, one for Tom Glavine), tying the record set by the 1983 Philadelphia Phillies, although it should be noted that the 1979 Baltimore Orioles also had five if you include Steve Stone's that he won in 1980).
The Atlanta Braves are the most consistent team in baseball over the last five seasons, with four first-place finishes and a second place record in a season that failed to conclude in 1994 due to the strike. They have compiled a record of 454-290 (.610) while winning an MVP award (Terry Pendleton in 1991), three Cy Youngs (Glavine in 1991, Maddux the last two years; Maddux beat out Glavine for the award in 1992 when he was with the Cubs), and playing some of the most exciting post-season baseball ever seen. The Braves' overall games record in the post-season is 22-19, and 13 of those 19 losses have been by one run, eight in extra innings. They have been the odds-on favorite to win the World Series each of the last three seasons. Their strength is stellar starting pitching - The Big Three of Maddux, Glavine, and John Smoltz got the winning decision in 45 of Atlanta's 90 wins - and allow only 3.75 runs per nine innings and are tenth in the league with 100 errors in 144 games. Their hitting isn't exactly anything to write home about, with a .250 overall average that ranks among the worst in baseball. Most of Atlanta's games are low-scoring affairs where neither the Braves nor the opponent either gets a lot of baserunners or long balls. The bullpen tends to be adequate, perhaps because the middle relievers don't accumulate innings thanks to the deep inning performances of the starters. Braves games tend to go quickly most of the time, and they're rarely out of the game even if trailing by multiple runs in the ninth. Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox has now built his third big league team, twice with Atlanta and the Toronto dynasty that has won the last two World Series.
The Cleveland Indians are the latest refreshing story in baseball about overcoming long odds. Though the city has long been the butt of environmental jokes ever since the Cuyahoga River caught fire years ago, there's a blue collar spirit to the city, and much needed improvements in attempting to turn the waterfront into a better tourist area have paid off. Cleveland began their ascent in the standings after a 30-year hiatus in 1992, when they finished fourth with a 76-86 record but were showing signs of progress. For years the Indians played in the cavernous Municipal Stadium that wasn't fun for either them or the visitors, but they moved to Jacobs Field in 1994, which signaled their continuing revival. The rise may have been delayed by the boating tragedy in March 1993 that killed closer Steve Olin and middle reliever Tim Crews and serious injured Bob Ojeda, who has come back from the trauma. Indians Manager Mike Hargrove said that he felt part of their problem maturing was the fact that during the entire 1993 season, every city they visited wanted to pay tribute to the fallen Indians and while he appreciated it, they were also forced to cope with it over and over again. Cleveland has one of the most powerhouse lineups ever assembled, compiling a blistering .291 team batting average through a lineup with no less than six .300 hitters (all, in fact, hit .308 or better). And they get big hits, as the Indians lead all of baseball in home runs, hits, RBIs, and slugging percentage - while striking out the fewest times of any MLB team. They make contact, and they make opponents pay. Their fielding stats are about the same as the Braves except Cleveland has turned a lot more double plays thanks to the slick fielding of shortstop Omar Vizquel. Cleveland's pitching is better than outsiders may realize, as they lead the AL in ERA (3.83) and have the most saves in the league (50) with the league's leading closer, Jose Mesa, getting 46 of those. The Indians had a perfect 15-0 record in extra innings until the ALCS as well.
Attachments
POSITION BY POSITION ANALYSIS (Braves player listed first)
Catcher - Javy Lopez/Charlie O'Brien vs Sandy Alomar Jr/Tony Pena
Alomar missed two games with Seattle but is a three-time All-Star. Pena, 38, is long past his best years, but he can provide relief and experience as needed. O'Brien is Maddux's personal catcher and plays the key role in framing pitches when the Mad Dog lives on the corner. Lopez has developed some pop in his bat and is probably the best of the four currently playing, particularly since Alomar is injured.
Edge: Atlanta
First Base - Fred McGriff vs Eddie Murray/Paul Sorrento/Herbert Perry
Murray would take this category by himself ten years ago, but he's 39 years old now and will only play first in the games in Atlanta. McGriff is the only player in history to lead both leagues in home runs and has hit .382 with six extra base hits in the post-season. His bat has some pop, and he's acceptable though not stellar defensively.
Edge: Atlanta
Second Base - Mark Lemke vs Carlos Baerga
A switch-hitter who has topped .310 each of the past three seasons, Baerga's hitting and strong arm make up for the fact he isn't much of a fielder. Lemke's low total of five errors on the season make up for the fact he isn't much of a hitter.
Edge: Cleveland
Shortstop - Rafael Belliard/Jeff Blauser vs Omar Vizquel
The Jeff Blauser of 1992-93 would have made this an interesting contest, but he hit .211 this year and may not even be on the series roster. Belliard has one career home run, and while he is a very good fielder, he's basically a .211 hitter with no pop in his bat (one career HR) while Vizquel is better at the plate, in the field, and on the basepaths (29 steals).
Edge: Cleveland
Third Base - Chipper Jones vs Jim Thome
Maybe Upper Deck knew what they were doing when they put these two guys on a baseball card together in 1992. Jones is one of the brightest and most hopeful prospects to come out of any organization in maybe 15 years. Drafted as a shortstop out of a Florida high school, he moved to the outfield to get his bat in the lineup only to go down with an injury in spring training last year. This year, the Braves jettisoned Terry Pendleton and put Jones in his place, and he responded like a champion, who may be Rookie of the Year with his 23 homers and a .265 batting average. Thome is a hitter, not a fielder, and as a lefty, he did not play when Randy Johnson was pitching in the ALCS. He did, however, sock two home runs in that series as a part-time player. Jones has hit three this post-season with a .438 average and is a switch hitter.
Edge: Atlanta
Left Field - Ryan Klesko/Mike Devereaux vs Albert Belle
Klesko can clobber righties, but he was 0-for-7 in the NLCS against Cincy's southpaw starters. He hit 20 of his 23 bombs off right-handed pitchers, and his fielding is not quite as bad as Greg Luzinski or Dave Kingman, but it isn't anything to write home about. Devereaux has lone been a solid defensive outfielder and especially after his LCS MVP performance, he is likely to get the start in the games in Cleveland. Belle, meanwhile, hit 50 homers and 50 doubles, and looks like the weight lifting champion of his own prison. His fielding isn't great, but it's better than Klesko's.
Edge: Cleveland
Center Field - Marquis Grissom vs Kenny Lofton
Lofton went to the plate 30 times in six games against the Mariners; he reached base 17, and wreaked havoc with Seattle, including scoring the back-breaking run on a daring dash from second on a passed ball. He's a Gold Glove centerfielder who can turn doubles into singles and prevent gap extra base hits from inflicting too much damage. Grissom is perhaps the game's best overall centerfielder (Tim McCarver), he can hit, run, and throw. And though Atlanta doesn't run like Lofton does, Grissom is actually a better base stealer than Lofton is, which should be kept in mind if Bobby Cox opts to shake up a game with speed.
Edge: Slight edge to Atlanta
Right Field - David Justice vs Manny Ramirez
If Justice could just stay healthy, he'd be well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Though his swing doesn't quite have the smooth follow-through that made it the game's best a few years ago, he's still a long ball threat. A bit of an elephant on roller skates if he has to pursue a bouncing ball, Justice has a rocket arm that cuts down runners at home from time to time. Ramirez had a great first half, slumped in the second half, and then recovered against Seattle. He's also got a good arm - if he catches the ball, which is sometimes the drama
Edge: Atlanta
Designated Hitter - Ryan Klesko vs Eddie Murray
Klesko is one of those roundhouse swingers who cools stadiums when he strikes out; Murray is a future Hall of Famer who can still play decent defense if he's not a DH.
Edge: Cleveland
Starting Pitching
Atlanta's staff's exploits are well-known, and they extend beyond Greg Maddux. If Cox goes with Avery for Game Four, it enables the Braves to throw Cleveland's entire scheme out of whack with alternating righty-lefty each game. Cleveland has seen a career revival for both Orel Hershiser and Dennis Martinez. Charles Nagy is a decent young pitcher, but he wouldn't even make Atlanta's starting rotation.
Edge: Atlanta
Relief Pitching
Atlanta's bullpen began the year as a question mark and gradually evolved into Mark Wohlers. Not as wild as Mitch Williams, the tall fireballer came into his own this year and finally got the closer's job Atlanta wanted him to fill five years ago. The middle relief consists of two inconsistent question marks in Clontz and Pena, and a decent setup man with a wicked changeup in McMichael. Cleveland has a much better closer situation with Mesa than does Atlanta, and their middle relief is about the same as the Braves
Edge: Cleveland
Bench
Atlanta picked up Mike Devereaux and Luis Polonia for the run, and they have the talented Dwight Smith and scrappy Mike Mordecai as well. Cleveland's bench tends to start more games because they platoon more than Atlanta does.
Edge: Even
Manager - Bobby Cox vs Mike Hargrove
Hargove is a good young manager in his first post-season. Cox is a skilled veteran who has been to the post-season as a Yankees coach, a Toronto manager, and now the third time as an Atlanta manager. Even when things look bleak, Cox will largely look the same. Neither guy is Whitey Herzog as both end to play virtually every situation by the book.
Edge: Atlanta
How the Braves Win - Atlanta's hopes for victory lie largely with their pitching staff's ability to keep Cleveland off the scoreboard. The Braves must find some offense in the early innings, build a lead of 2-3 runs, ride the starter through the seventh and then entrust a setup man before turning to Wohlers to close out the game. The Braves cannot afford to get into extra innings with Cleveland's closer and power bomb hitters who can end the game with one swing. In all honesty, all Atlanta really has to do is play the game they've been playing all year, the old American League-style of setting up for the three-run homer. Cleveland's starting staff and closer are all righties, which sets up well for the lefty dominant Atlanta hitters. The Braves will have to be leading prior to the ninth or they are likely done.
How the Indians Win - Kenny Lofton is the key to any Tribe victory. When he gets on base, he's able to disrupt pitchers, managers, and entire teams. Get him aboard, have Vizquel bunt him over and then let Belle, Thome, and Murray swing for the fences. Cleveland's offensive firepower gives them more options if they fall behind by a large score; the Braves, who have made a reputation of coming back, do not have the same capability as Cleveland because they don't connect as often. Cleveland won 27 games in their last at-bat. Of course, it should also be acknowledged Atlanta won 25. They didn't face a closer like Mesa, however.
Favorite - the Braves are a 7 1/2-8/12 favorite to win the series
Four games: Braves 10-1, Indians 15-1
Five games: Braves 9-2, Indians 10-1
Six games: Braves 7-2, Indians 6-1
Seven games: Braves 5-2, Indians 5-1
Predictions
Steve Herrick - Indians in 7
Ben Walker (AP) - Indians in 7
Gil LeBreton (AP - Dallas) - Indians in 7
Catcher - Javy Lopez/Charlie O'Brien vs Sandy Alomar Jr/Tony Pena
Alomar missed two games with Seattle but is a three-time All-Star. Pena, 38, is long past his best years, but he can provide relief and experience as needed. O'Brien is Maddux's personal catcher and plays the key role in framing pitches when the Mad Dog lives on the corner. Lopez has developed some pop in his bat and is probably the best of the four currently playing, particularly since Alomar is injured.
Edge: Atlanta
First Base - Fred McGriff vs Eddie Murray/Paul Sorrento/Herbert Perry
Murray would take this category by himself ten years ago, but he's 39 years old now and will only play first in the games in Atlanta. McGriff is the only player in history to lead both leagues in home runs and has hit .382 with six extra base hits in the post-season. His bat has some pop, and he's acceptable though not stellar defensively.
Edge: Atlanta
Second Base - Mark Lemke vs Carlos Baerga
A switch-hitter who has topped .310 each of the past three seasons, Baerga's hitting and strong arm make up for the fact he isn't much of a fielder. Lemke's low total of five errors on the season make up for the fact he isn't much of a hitter.
Edge: Cleveland
Shortstop - Rafael Belliard/Jeff Blauser vs Omar Vizquel
The Jeff Blauser of 1992-93 would have made this an interesting contest, but he hit .211 this year and may not even be on the series roster. Belliard has one career home run, and while he is a very good fielder, he's basically a .211 hitter with no pop in his bat (one career HR) while Vizquel is better at the plate, in the field, and on the basepaths (29 steals).
Edge: Cleveland
Third Base - Chipper Jones vs Jim Thome
Maybe Upper Deck knew what they were doing when they put these two guys on a baseball card together in 1992. Jones is one of the brightest and most hopeful prospects to come out of any organization in maybe 15 years. Drafted as a shortstop out of a Florida high school, he moved to the outfield to get his bat in the lineup only to go down with an injury in spring training last year. This year, the Braves jettisoned Terry Pendleton and put Jones in his place, and he responded like a champion, who may be Rookie of the Year with his 23 homers and a .265 batting average. Thome is a hitter, not a fielder, and as a lefty, he did not play when Randy Johnson was pitching in the ALCS. He did, however, sock two home runs in that series as a part-time player. Jones has hit three this post-season with a .438 average and is a switch hitter.
Edge: Atlanta
Left Field - Ryan Klesko/Mike Devereaux vs Albert Belle
Klesko can clobber righties, but he was 0-for-7 in the NLCS against Cincy's southpaw starters. He hit 20 of his 23 bombs off right-handed pitchers, and his fielding is not quite as bad as Greg Luzinski or Dave Kingman, but it isn't anything to write home about. Devereaux has lone been a solid defensive outfielder and especially after his LCS MVP performance, he is likely to get the start in the games in Cleveland. Belle, meanwhile, hit 50 homers and 50 doubles, and looks like the weight lifting champion of his own prison. His fielding isn't great, but it's better than Klesko's.
Edge: Cleveland
Center Field - Marquis Grissom vs Kenny Lofton
Lofton went to the plate 30 times in six games against the Mariners; he reached base 17, and wreaked havoc with Seattle, including scoring the back-breaking run on a daring dash from second on a passed ball. He's a Gold Glove centerfielder who can turn doubles into singles and prevent gap extra base hits from inflicting too much damage. Grissom is perhaps the game's best overall centerfielder (Tim McCarver), he can hit, run, and throw. And though Atlanta doesn't run like Lofton does, Grissom is actually a better base stealer than Lofton is, which should be kept in mind if Bobby Cox opts to shake up a game with speed.
Edge: Slight edge to Atlanta
Right Field - David Justice vs Manny Ramirez
If Justice could just stay healthy, he'd be well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Though his swing doesn't quite have the smooth follow-through that made it the game's best a few years ago, he's still a long ball threat. A bit of an elephant on roller skates if he has to pursue a bouncing ball, Justice has a rocket arm that cuts down runners at home from time to time. Ramirez had a great first half, slumped in the second half, and then recovered against Seattle. He's also got a good arm - if he catches the ball, which is sometimes the drama
Edge: Atlanta
Designated Hitter - Ryan Klesko vs Eddie Murray
Klesko is one of those roundhouse swingers who cools stadiums when he strikes out; Murray is a future Hall of Famer who can still play decent defense if he's not a DH.
Edge: Cleveland
Starting Pitching
Atlanta's staff's exploits are well-known, and they extend beyond Greg Maddux. If Cox goes with Avery for Game Four, it enables the Braves to throw Cleveland's entire scheme out of whack with alternating righty-lefty each game. Cleveland has seen a career revival for both Orel Hershiser and Dennis Martinez. Charles Nagy is a decent young pitcher, but he wouldn't even make Atlanta's starting rotation.
Edge: Atlanta
Relief Pitching
Atlanta's bullpen began the year as a question mark and gradually evolved into Mark Wohlers. Not as wild as Mitch Williams, the tall fireballer came into his own this year and finally got the closer's job Atlanta wanted him to fill five years ago. The middle relief consists of two inconsistent question marks in Clontz and Pena, and a decent setup man with a wicked changeup in McMichael. Cleveland has a much better closer situation with Mesa than does Atlanta, and their middle relief is about the same as the Braves
Edge: Cleveland
Bench
Atlanta picked up Mike Devereaux and Luis Polonia for the run, and they have the talented Dwight Smith and scrappy Mike Mordecai as well. Cleveland's bench tends to start more games because they platoon more than Atlanta does.
Edge: Even
Manager - Bobby Cox vs Mike Hargrove
Hargove is a good young manager in his first post-season. Cox is a skilled veteran who has been to the post-season as a Yankees coach, a Toronto manager, and now the third time as an Atlanta manager. Even when things look bleak, Cox will largely look the same. Neither guy is Whitey Herzog as both end to play virtually every situation by the book.
Edge: Atlanta
How the Braves Win - Atlanta's hopes for victory lie largely with their pitching staff's ability to keep Cleveland off the scoreboard. The Braves must find some offense in the early innings, build a lead of 2-3 runs, ride the starter through the seventh and then entrust a setup man before turning to Wohlers to close out the game. The Braves cannot afford to get into extra innings with Cleveland's closer and power bomb hitters who can end the game with one swing. In all honesty, all Atlanta really has to do is play the game they've been playing all year, the old American League-style of setting up for the three-run homer. Cleveland's starting staff and closer are all righties, which sets up well for the lefty dominant Atlanta hitters. The Braves will have to be leading prior to the ninth or they are likely done.
How the Indians Win - Kenny Lofton is the key to any Tribe victory. When he gets on base, he's able to disrupt pitchers, managers, and entire teams. Get him aboard, have Vizquel bunt him over and then let Belle, Thome, and Murray swing for the fences. Cleveland's offensive firepower gives them more options if they fall behind by a large score; the Braves, who have made a reputation of coming back, do not have the same capability as Cleveland because they don't connect as often. Cleveland won 27 games in their last at-bat. Of course, it should also be acknowledged Atlanta won 25. They didn't face a closer like Mesa, however.
Favorite - the Braves are a 7 1/2-8/12 favorite to win the series
Four games: Braves 10-1, Indians 15-1
Five games: Braves 9-2, Indians 10-1
Six games: Braves 7-2, Indians 6-1
Seven games: Braves 5-2, Indians 5-1
Predictions
Steve Herrick - Indians in 7
Ben Walker (AP) - Indians in 7
Gil LeBreton (AP - Dallas) - Indians in 7
Thanks for that. I really enjoyed the read. I kinda disagree with your choice of Grissom ove Lofton at CF. Grissom was better defensively, but not by a lot. And Lofton was a better hitter and a threat to score from any base. Heck, back then when he was on 1st, he could easily steal his way around to 3rd on anyone other than Glavine.
that was hard just like Eddie Mathews vs Chipper Jones.
Ask me tomorrow, and I might give a different answer tbh with you.
Yeah, I was also torn between Chipper and Eddie. That year I probably give the nod to Eddie, but Chipper was just getting started
WORLD SERIES GAME ONE
October 21, 1995
Atlanta Braves 3 (W: Maddux, 1-0)
Cleveland Indians 2 (L: Hershiser, 0-1)
Braves lead series, 1-0
MADDUX, MCGRIFF MAKE MOST OF SERIES DEBUT TO GIVE BRAVES 1-0 LEAD
And so finally, 728 days after the last World Series pitch landed over the left field wall off the bat of Joe Carter to give the Blue Jays a repeat championship, the Fall Classic returns with a classic matchup between two Cy Young winners who have had various degrees of success in the fall. And what unfolded was a classic pitcher's duel between today's great, Greg Maddux, and the great of 1988, Orel Hershiser. For six innings tonight, the Mad Dog (Maddux) and Bulldog (Hershiser) went toe-to-toe in a ballet of pitching interrupted only by a slashing home run off the bat of the Crime Dog (Fred McGriff) who finally got to swing a bat in the World Series and connected on the first pitch he saw leading off the second. The final result was a 3-2 Atlanta win, yet another one-run contest that ties Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox with former Reds and Tigers skipper Sparky Anderson with 24 one-run games in the post-season. The win tonight lifted Atlanta's record in those games to 8-13 (Cox had three of those games with 1985 Toronto Blue Jays) as they took a 1-0 lead in the World Series over Cleveland.
Cal Ripken Jr provided the highest moment of the season on September 6th when he broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak, and he was invited to throw out the first pitch. As successful as he has been as a pitcher, Maddux threw the next pitch of the night, which was his first-ever World Series pitch, ball one inside to Kenny Lofton. His next pitch was bounced to Rafael Belliard at short, who bobbled the ball and was charged with an error as the speedy Lofton beat the throw, giving the Indians an immediate opportunity for a quick lead. Lofton stole second on the pitch where Maddux struck out Omar Vizquel and then in his efforts to wreak havoc, Lofton dashed to third. The throw by catcher Charlie O'Brien was perfect, the positioning of Chipper Jones at third was perfect - and Lofton still slid in under the throw with his second steal in as many attempts. When Carlos Baerga bounced out, Lofton scored to give Cleveland a lightning quick 1-0 lead and, it seemed, continue Maddux's post-season woes that, to be clear, are overstated. Television has become fond of using graphics to show Maddux is a sub-mortal pitcher in the post-season, but the stats are incredibly misleading. In the 1989 NLCS, Maddux got shelled for 11 runs in 7.1 innings - six of those off the bat of one slugger, Will Clark, who drilled both home runs Maddux surrendered. His 13.50 ERA in that series has, of course, driven up his career numbers, but it is ludicrous to say he has pitched poorly. He was very good in his first start in the 1993 NLCS, with a win, and lost the clincher when he did pitch below standard, but he also held the powerful Reds to one run in eight innings, and his performance tonight was one of the best in the history of the World Series. Be that as it may, Maddux got out of the inning without further damage and pitched well. How well? Yes, the Tribe had a run, but they didn't get a hit until Jim Thome singled to left with one out in the fifth. They didn't get their second hit until the ninth inning, by which time the game was virtually over. Virtually, I said.
Of course the opposing pitcher, Hershiser, ranks among the all-time greats in the post-season. He entered tonight's World Series game with a record of 7-0 plus one save. In the first six innings, Hershiser matched Maddux pitch for pitch, making only one bad one that McGriff launched into the bleachers with a roundhouse swing in his first post-season at-bat that tied the game at one. Through the sixth, only Marquis Grissom and Mark Lemke had singled in addition to the McGriff bomb. The momentum of the game was on the verge of swinging to the Indians when Hershiser suddenly weakened.
He began to miss the strike zone and walked both McGriff and David Justice leading off the seventh. Telling Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove, "I'm done," Hershiser went to the bench and former Brave Paul Assenmacher came to the hill. He walked Mike Devereaux to load the bases and possibly set the Braves up for the big inning. Luis Polonia, Atlanta's other well-known late season acquisition came to the plate in an obvious bunting situation. Hargove inserted Julian Tavarez to counter Polonia, willing to trade a double play for a single run that could be made up with one swing from a powerful Cleveland bat. Polonia grounded to the normally sure-handed Vizquel as McGriff raced home with the go-ahead run. Vizquel, however, juggled the ball and never made the throw putting runners at the corners with one out.
As it turns out, he didn't even actually get that one out.
In the process of bobbling the ball, Vizquel opted to take the sure out at second. But he was not in possession of the ball when Devereaux arrived, but umpire Bruce Froemming failed to see that important factor and called Devereaux out at the bag. Cox raced out to argue and appealed for help, but the Braves were robbed in this case. Belliard came to the plate with runners at the corners and one out in the most obvious bunt situation imaginable. Belliard, with one career home run, is the series starter because Jeff Blauser was determined to be too injured to play in the series, suffering both a bruised thigh and a twisted ankle.
Mike Devereaux was called out on this play despite the fact the ball is clearly on Omar Vizquel's forearm and not in his possession.
Belliard executed a textbook bunt that scored Justice and gave Atlanta a 3-1 lead. Maddux grounded out, and the Braves were only six outs away from taking the game.
But Cleveland had 27 last at-bat wins this year, so even with a pitcher as good as Maddux, the game was hardly over at this point. Maddux made sure, though, as he got the first four outs of the six needed before giving up a single to Lofton, which brought Vizquel to the plate as the potential tying run. Vizquel grounded out 4-3 as Lofton raced to second, but when McGriff looked up, Lofton was halfway to third. McGriff's throw, that would have ended the game had it been perfect, sailed away from Chipper Jones, and Lofton scored to cut the lead to 3-2. Maddux didn't even care. He retired Baerga on a foul out to Chipper at third, and the Braves had drawn first blood in the series.
Maddux set a World Series record by recording only two "outfield outs," his sinker working and leading to 19 Cleveland infield ground outs. He gave up only two hits on 95 pitches, three fewer than Don Larsen threw when he tossed the only perfect game in World Series history in 1956. Maddux stifled the Indians, who hit .291 with 207 homers in the regular season, but who failed to record an earned run in this game against him. And his pinpoint control meant he again walked nobody. The powerhouse 3-4-5 hitters for Cleveland went 0-for-10, and Cleveland catcher Sandy Alomar Jr sounded high praise for Maddux, saying, "You swing at the ball and it moves at the last second.It just moves at the perfect time."
Former Reds All-Star Pinson Dies From Stroke At 57
Former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Vada Pinson, who later became an original member of the Marlins' coaching staff and one of the team's most active participants in community relations, died Saturday night in an Oakland, Calif., hospital. He was 57. Pinson, who was the team's first-base coach in 1993 and 1994, had been in a coma for more than a week after suffering a stroke. A family member said Saturday that Pinson had recently regained consciousness and was out of intensive care.
The hospital spokesperson said funeral arrangements were pending. Pinson is survived by four children: Valerie, Rene, Kimberly and Vada III.
"There wasn't a classier person as a player or a coach," Marlins manager Rene Lachemann said. "I don't think there's anyone who publicly can say a bad word about the way they were treated by Vada Pinson. He was still young. He loved life."
Pinson, who played for five teams from 1958 to 1975, was one of just three players to accumulate at least 2,500 hits, 250 home runs and 250 steals over the course of his 18-year career. The other two, Willie Mays and Joe Morgan, are in the Hall of Fame.
October 21, 1995
Atlanta Braves 3 (W: Maddux, 1-0)
Cleveland Indians 2 (L: Hershiser, 0-1)
Braves lead series, 1-0
MADDUX, MCGRIFF MAKE MOST OF SERIES DEBUT TO GIVE BRAVES 1-0 LEAD
And so finally, 728 days after the last World Series pitch landed over the left field wall off the bat of Joe Carter to give the Blue Jays a repeat championship, the Fall Classic returns with a classic matchup between two Cy Young winners who have had various degrees of success in the fall. And what unfolded was a classic pitcher's duel between today's great, Greg Maddux, and the great of 1988, Orel Hershiser. For six innings tonight, the Mad Dog (Maddux) and Bulldog (Hershiser) went toe-to-toe in a ballet of pitching interrupted only by a slashing home run off the bat of the Crime Dog (Fred McGriff) who finally got to swing a bat in the World Series and connected on the first pitch he saw leading off the second. The final result was a 3-2 Atlanta win, yet another one-run contest that ties Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox with former Reds and Tigers skipper Sparky Anderson with 24 one-run games in the post-season. The win tonight lifted Atlanta's record in those games to 8-13 (Cox had three of those games with 1985 Toronto Blue Jays) as they took a 1-0 lead in the World Series over Cleveland.
Cal Ripken Jr provided the highest moment of the season on September 6th when he broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak, and he was invited to throw out the first pitch. As successful as he has been as a pitcher, Maddux threw the next pitch of the night, which was his first-ever World Series pitch, ball one inside to Kenny Lofton. His next pitch was bounced to Rafael Belliard at short, who bobbled the ball and was charged with an error as the speedy Lofton beat the throw, giving the Indians an immediate opportunity for a quick lead. Lofton stole second on the pitch where Maddux struck out Omar Vizquel and then in his efforts to wreak havoc, Lofton dashed to third. The throw by catcher Charlie O'Brien was perfect, the positioning of Chipper Jones at third was perfect - and Lofton still slid in under the throw with his second steal in as many attempts. When Carlos Baerga bounced out, Lofton scored to give Cleveland a lightning quick 1-0 lead and, it seemed, continue Maddux's post-season woes that, to be clear, are overstated. Television has become fond of using graphics to show Maddux is a sub-mortal pitcher in the post-season, but the stats are incredibly misleading. In the 1989 NLCS, Maddux got shelled for 11 runs in 7.1 innings - six of those off the bat of one slugger, Will Clark, who drilled both home runs Maddux surrendered. His 13.50 ERA in that series has, of course, driven up his career numbers, but it is ludicrous to say he has pitched poorly. He was very good in his first start in the 1993 NLCS, with a win, and lost the clincher when he did pitch below standard, but he also held the powerful Reds to one run in eight innings, and his performance tonight was one of the best in the history of the World Series. Be that as it may, Maddux got out of the inning without further damage and pitched well. How well? Yes, the Tribe had a run, but they didn't get a hit until Jim Thome singled to left with one out in the fifth. They didn't get their second hit until the ninth inning, by which time the game was virtually over. Virtually, I said.
Of course the opposing pitcher, Hershiser, ranks among the all-time greats in the post-season. He entered tonight's World Series game with a record of 7-0 plus one save. In the first six innings, Hershiser matched Maddux pitch for pitch, making only one bad one that McGriff launched into the bleachers with a roundhouse swing in his first post-season at-bat that tied the game at one. Through the sixth, only Marquis Grissom and Mark Lemke had singled in addition to the McGriff bomb. The momentum of the game was on the verge of swinging to the Indians when Hershiser suddenly weakened.
He began to miss the strike zone and walked both McGriff and David Justice leading off the seventh. Telling Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove, "I'm done," Hershiser went to the bench and former Brave Paul Assenmacher came to the hill. He walked Mike Devereaux to load the bases and possibly set the Braves up for the big inning. Luis Polonia, Atlanta's other well-known late season acquisition came to the plate in an obvious bunting situation. Hargove inserted Julian Tavarez to counter Polonia, willing to trade a double play for a single run that could be made up with one swing from a powerful Cleveland bat. Polonia grounded to the normally sure-handed Vizquel as McGriff raced home with the go-ahead run. Vizquel, however, juggled the ball and never made the throw putting runners at the corners with one out.
As it turns out, he didn't even actually get that one out.
In the process of bobbling the ball, Vizquel opted to take the sure out at second. But he was not in possession of the ball when Devereaux arrived, but umpire Bruce Froemming failed to see that important factor and called Devereaux out at the bag. Cox raced out to argue and appealed for help, but the Braves were robbed in this case. Belliard came to the plate with runners at the corners and one out in the most obvious bunt situation imaginable. Belliard, with one career home run, is the series starter because Jeff Blauser was determined to be too injured to play in the series, suffering both a bruised thigh and a twisted ankle.
Mike Devereaux was called out on this play despite the fact the ball is clearly on Omar Vizquel's forearm and not in his possession.
Belliard executed a textbook bunt that scored Justice and gave Atlanta a 3-1 lead. Maddux grounded out, and the Braves were only six outs away from taking the game.
But Cleveland had 27 last at-bat wins this year, so even with a pitcher as good as Maddux, the game was hardly over at this point. Maddux made sure, though, as he got the first four outs of the six needed before giving up a single to Lofton, which brought Vizquel to the plate as the potential tying run. Vizquel grounded out 4-3 as Lofton raced to second, but when McGriff looked up, Lofton was halfway to third. McGriff's throw, that would have ended the game had it been perfect, sailed away from Chipper Jones, and Lofton scored to cut the lead to 3-2. Maddux didn't even care. He retired Baerga on a foul out to Chipper at third, and the Braves had drawn first blood in the series.
Maddux set a World Series record by recording only two "outfield outs," his sinker working and leading to 19 Cleveland infield ground outs. He gave up only two hits on 95 pitches, three fewer than Don Larsen threw when he tossed the only perfect game in World Series history in 1956. Maddux stifled the Indians, who hit .291 with 207 homers in the regular season, but who failed to record an earned run in this game against him. And his pinpoint control meant he again walked nobody. The powerhouse 3-4-5 hitters for Cleveland went 0-for-10, and Cleveland catcher Sandy Alomar Jr sounded high praise for Maddux, saying, "You swing at the ball and it moves at the last second.It just moves at the perfect time."
Former Reds All-Star Pinson Dies From Stroke At 57
Former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Vada Pinson, who later became an original member of the Marlins' coaching staff and one of the team's most active participants in community relations, died Saturday night in an Oakland, Calif., hospital. He was 57. Pinson, who was the team's first-base coach in 1993 and 1994, had been in a coma for more than a week after suffering a stroke. A family member said Saturday that Pinson had recently regained consciousness and was out of intensive care.
The hospital spokesperson said funeral arrangements were pending. Pinson is survived by four children: Valerie, Rene, Kimberly and Vada III.
"There wasn't a classier person as a player or a coach," Marlins manager Rene Lachemann said. "I don't think there's anyone who publicly can say a bad word about the way they were treated by Vada Pinson. He was still young. He loved life."
Pinson, who played for five teams from 1958 to 1975, was one of just three players to accumulate at least 2,500 hits, 250 home runs and 250 steals over the course of his 18-year career. The other two, Willie Mays and Joe Morgan, are in the Hall of Fame.
WORLD SERIES GAME TWO
October 22, 1995
Atlanta Braves 4 (W: Glavine, 1-0; SV: Wohlers, 1)
Cleveland Indians 3 (L: Martinez, 0-1)
Braves lead series, 2-0
LOPEZ HOMER AND PICKOFF LIFT BRAVES TO 2-0 SERIES LEAD
If the Atlanta Braves finally conquer their post-season demons this year and cross the threshold into that forever domain known as "World Series Champions," one indelible image is likely to endure when all else is forgotten: the image of Javy Lopez rising up from his catcher's crouch in lightning quick fashion and rifling a throw behind Cleveland slugger Jim Thome perfectly into the glove of Fred McGriff, whose swipe tag nailed 23-year old Manny Ramirez off of first base where he represented the tying run. Years from now, when everything else is forgotten, Lopez's defensive gem will be the image that endures - if the Braves win.
Tom Glavine went six innings that saw him weave into and out of trouble as he walked three and gave up three hits. The key blow among those hits was a two-run bomb by Eddie Murray right after an Albert Belle single that suggested maybe the Indians would find Glavine's pitching more to their liking than that of Greg Maddux, who limited them to two hits last night. Murray had never homered in 54 career at-bats against Glavine, but he connected in the top of the second after the Braves blew a golden opportunity to blow the series open, and Indians starter Dennis Martinez wriggled free early. After Martinez retired Marquis Grissom, he walked Mark Lemke and then Chipper Jones doubled, putting runners at second and third with one out and the heart of the lineup due. But McGriff grounded to the pitcher, Justice walked, and with the bases loaded and a chance to blow the game open early, Ryan Klesko popped to third, leaving the Braves scoreless after one. Cleveland then took the immediate 2-0 lead on Murray's bomb, but Glavine settled down and retired the next eight batters before Murray ended the streak with a walk. By that time, the Braves had tied the game.
Grissom was hit by a pitch and moved to second when Mark Lemke singled. Martinez attempted to pick the speedy Grissom off second and threw wildly into the outfield, enabling Grissom to advance to third. He scored on Chipper Jones's sacrifice fly to left to make it 2-1. McGriff then swung through Martinez's first pitch and hit it hard right back to him, and it bounded off of his glove to Carlos Baerga at second, who threw McGriff out. But the deflection of the ball enabled Lemke to race to second, which became important moments later when he scored on an RBI single by Justice to tie the game at two. Both pitchers were flirting with disaster at different times, Martinez more so than Glavine, but the game was still tied at 2 when the Braves took their cuts in the bottom of the sixth.
Justice led off the inning with a single in front of Belle that the outfielder misplayed into an error that put Justice at second with nobody out. It was Belle's fourth error of the post-season. Klesko then grounded out to the right side of the infield, and the ball took a funny hop on Baerga. He made the play and Klesko was out, but it was also a closer call than the one Don Denkinger missed in 1985. The near hit for Klesko moved Justice to third with one out and brought Lopez to the plate, another Brave making his first World Series start (he relieved Charlie O'Brien late in Game One but didn't bat). Cleveland pitching coach Mark Wiley made a trip to the mound to determine Martinez's fitness to remain in the game. Cleveland had both Eric Plunk (righty) and Alan Embree (lefty) loose in the bullpen, but the Indians opted to stay with Martinez. Lopez had taken him to the base of the wall in his previous at bat, and the Indians moved their infield in for the play at the plate as NBC/Baseball Network announcer and MLB Hall of Famer Joe Morgan intoned, "I love this young hitter, I think he'll get the job done." And Morgan had sufficient evidence of Lopez's ability as the youngster hit .359 with 3 HR and 37 RBIs during the season with runners in scoring position. Martinez threw two sinkers, the first that Lopez took for a strike, the second that he fouled off for strike two. He then went outside and off the plate for a ball that required Tony Pena to move and prevent a wild pitch that would have scored Justice. Martinez then went with a sidearm delivery that Lopez fouled off again. Martinez went sidearm again, and the ball curved outside and moved back to catch the corner of the plate. It would have been a crucial strike three except Lopez caught every bit of the ball and drove it over the center field wall just to the left of the 402 mark for a two-run shot that gave the Braves their first lead of the game and persuaded Cleveland they'd left Martinez in five pitches too long. But with the light-hitting Rafael Belliard and the pitcher's spot due, Indians Manager Mike Hargrove figured he'd let Martinez finish the inning. Belliard complied by striking out while attempting to bunt for a hit, but then Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox somewhat surprisingly pulled Glavine and sent pinch-hitter Dwight Smith to the plate. Hargove still left Martinez in the game, and he gave up singles to Smith and Grissom that put runners at the corners, and the Braves on the verge of putting it away in the sixth. He then went with Embree, which was also not the smartest move because Lemke hits lefties better than he hits righties, the next batter, Jones, is a switch-hitter. But Embree retired Lemke, leaving Cleveland nine outs to get three runs. Greg McMichael came on for Atlanta, and Cleveland began to rally. He retired the first two batters but then had to face the dangerous Kenny Lofton.
Lofton singled, quickly stole second, and scored when Omar Vizquel's single and an error by defensive replacement Mike Devereaux ensured not only that Lofton would score to cut the lead to 4-3 but also put Vizquel to second. The fiery shortstop moved to third when Baerga walked, and the fourth ball was a wild pitch. All of a sudden, Atlanta's nightmare was staring them squarely in the face: runners at the corners, and 50-homer/50-double slugger Albert Belle standing at the plate with a chance to give Cleveland the lead. Cox sensed the same, but it was only the seventh, so he opted for Alejandro Pena over the closer Mark Wohlers. With the game on the line, Pena sent an 0-2 delivery that Belle hit, but the ball went straight up and back and remained in play for Lopez to catch it in front of the netting for the third out. Atlanta breathed a sigh of relief while Cleveland seemed to accept their fate. Then came the drama of the eighth inning.
Pena remained in the game to face Murray, whose homer had accounted for all of the Cleveland runs. He got Murray to fly out to Grissom in center but then gave up a one-out single to Manny Ramirez, putting the tying run on first and Jim Thome at the plate. And despite Ramirez having stolen only ten bases in his three-year career, Pena was intent on keeping him close to the bag while Ramirez was taking a lead. Too large a lead it turned out. Pena continued to be distracted by the Ramirez lead as the count to Thome moved to 2-2, throwing three tosses to McGriff to keep Ramirez close. Lopez then signaled for a pitch high and inside and then shook a fist that confused announcer Bob Uecker, who was trying to tell the audience what pitch was coming. The reason for the confusion became crystal clear seconds later when Pena allowed Ramirez to keep his big lead and delivered a pitch up near Thome's face. The hitter backed off, but Lopez didn't, as he snagged the delivery and fired a perfect toss to McGriff, whose swipe tag caught Ramirez dead to rights and brought the tense crowd to life in cheers. With two outs, Atlanta opted to not let Thome tie the game with one swing and walked him - and here came Wohlers.
With visions of past bullpen collapses dancing in their heads, Braves fans watched as Cox began a series of moves that pulled Justice from the game, moved Devereaux to right, and send Luis Polonia out to left while Wohlers took the mound. The announcement was clear: Wohlers is in here for the rest of the game. He retired pinch-hitter Paul Sorrento on a fly to center, got two outs in the ninth before giving up a single to Vizquel, who stole second, and for the second straight night the game ended on a pop out to third by Baerga. The Braves had won a thriller, 4-3, and taken a 2-0 lead in the series. And they'd held Cleveland's lineup to a .125 average (8 hits in 64 at bats) and only two earned runs; the Tribe has gotten three runs due to Atlanta errors. Asked his assessment after two games, Hargrove was unflinching: "They've got better pitchers than we've seen all season."
Cleveland will welcome their first World Series game since 1954 on Tuesday night. And they'd better win or else their venture into post-season will continue the bad memories of post-seasons past. The Indians will rise or fall with Charles Nagy while the Braves will counter with perhaps their best post-season pitcher, John Smoltz. It will indeed be a wild crowd, but will it be a happy one? Time will tell.
Javy Lopez leaps from his catching position and guns down Manny Ramirez at first base - Fred McGriff already has the ball in the lower photo. Lopez's dazzling play bailed the Braves out in the eighth inning of a 4-3 win that gives them a 2-0 series lead as the World Series moves to Cleveland.
October 22, 1995
Atlanta Braves 4 (W: Glavine, 1-0; SV: Wohlers, 1)
Cleveland Indians 3 (L: Martinez, 0-1)
Braves lead series, 2-0
LOPEZ HOMER AND PICKOFF LIFT BRAVES TO 2-0 SERIES LEAD
If the Atlanta Braves finally conquer their post-season demons this year and cross the threshold into that forever domain known as "World Series Champions," one indelible image is likely to endure when all else is forgotten: the image of Javy Lopez rising up from his catcher's crouch in lightning quick fashion and rifling a throw behind Cleveland slugger Jim Thome perfectly into the glove of Fred McGriff, whose swipe tag nailed 23-year old Manny Ramirez off of first base where he represented the tying run. Years from now, when everything else is forgotten, Lopez's defensive gem will be the image that endures - if the Braves win.
Tom Glavine went six innings that saw him weave into and out of trouble as he walked three and gave up three hits. The key blow among those hits was a two-run bomb by Eddie Murray right after an Albert Belle single that suggested maybe the Indians would find Glavine's pitching more to their liking than that of Greg Maddux, who limited them to two hits last night. Murray had never homered in 54 career at-bats against Glavine, but he connected in the top of the second after the Braves blew a golden opportunity to blow the series open, and Indians starter Dennis Martinez wriggled free early. After Martinez retired Marquis Grissom, he walked Mark Lemke and then Chipper Jones doubled, putting runners at second and third with one out and the heart of the lineup due. But McGriff grounded to the pitcher, Justice walked, and with the bases loaded and a chance to blow the game open early, Ryan Klesko popped to third, leaving the Braves scoreless after one. Cleveland then took the immediate 2-0 lead on Murray's bomb, but Glavine settled down and retired the next eight batters before Murray ended the streak with a walk. By that time, the Braves had tied the game.
Grissom was hit by a pitch and moved to second when Mark Lemke singled. Martinez attempted to pick the speedy Grissom off second and threw wildly into the outfield, enabling Grissom to advance to third. He scored on Chipper Jones's sacrifice fly to left to make it 2-1. McGriff then swung through Martinez's first pitch and hit it hard right back to him, and it bounded off of his glove to Carlos Baerga at second, who threw McGriff out. But the deflection of the ball enabled Lemke to race to second, which became important moments later when he scored on an RBI single by Justice to tie the game at two. Both pitchers were flirting with disaster at different times, Martinez more so than Glavine, but the game was still tied at 2 when the Braves took their cuts in the bottom of the sixth.
Justice led off the inning with a single in front of Belle that the outfielder misplayed into an error that put Justice at second with nobody out. It was Belle's fourth error of the post-season. Klesko then grounded out to the right side of the infield, and the ball took a funny hop on Baerga. He made the play and Klesko was out, but it was also a closer call than the one Don Denkinger missed in 1985. The near hit for Klesko moved Justice to third with one out and brought Lopez to the plate, another Brave making his first World Series start (he relieved Charlie O'Brien late in Game One but didn't bat). Cleveland pitching coach Mark Wiley made a trip to the mound to determine Martinez's fitness to remain in the game. Cleveland had both Eric Plunk (righty) and Alan Embree (lefty) loose in the bullpen, but the Indians opted to stay with Martinez. Lopez had taken him to the base of the wall in his previous at bat, and the Indians moved their infield in for the play at the plate as NBC/Baseball Network announcer and MLB Hall of Famer Joe Morgan intoned, "I love this young hitter, I think he'll get the job done." And Morgan had sufficient evidence of Lopez's ability as the youngster hit .359 with 3 HR and 37 RBIs during the season with runners in scoring position. Martinez threw two sinkers, the first that Lopez took for a strike, the second that he fouled off for strike two. He then went outside and off the plate for a ball that required Tony Pena to move and prevent a wild pitch that would have scored Justice. Martinez then went with a sidearm delivery that Lopez fouled off again. Martinez went sidearm again, and the ball curved outside and moved back to catch the corner of the plate. It would have been a crucial strike three except Lopez caught every bit of the ball and drove it over the center field wall just to the left of the 402 mark for a two-run shot that gave the Braves their first lead of the game and persuaded Cleveland they'd left Martinez in five pitches too long. But with the light-hitting Rafael Belliard and the pitcher's spot due, Indians Manager Mike Hargrove figured he'd let Martinez finish the inning. Belliard complied by striking out while attempting to bunt for a hit, but then Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox somewhat surprisingly pulled Glavine and sent pinch-hitter Dwight Smith to the plate. Hargove still left Martinez in the game, and he gave up singles to Smith and Grissom that put runners at the corners, and the Braves on the verge of putting it away in the sixth. He then went with Embree, which was also not the smartest move because Lemke hits lefties better than he hits righties, the next batter, Jones, is a switch-hitter. But Embree retired Lemke, leaving Cleveland nine outs to get three runs. Greg McMichael came on for Atlanta, and Cleveland began to rally. He retired the first two batters but then had to face the dangerous Kenny Lofton.
Lofton singled, quickly stole second, and scored when Omar Vizquel's single and an error by defensive replacement Mike Devereaux ensured not only that Lofton would score to cut the lead to 4-3 but also put Vizquel to second. The fiery shortstop moved to third when Baerga walked, and the fourth ball was a wild pitch. All of a sudden, Atlanta's nightmare was staring them squarely in the face: runners at the corners, and 50-homer/50-double slugger Albert Belle standing at the plate with a chance to give Cleveland the lead. Cox sensed the same, but it was only the seventh, so he opted for Alejandro Pena over the closer Mark Wohlers. With the game on the line, Pena sent an 0-2 delivery that Belle hit, but the ball went straight up and back and remained in play for Lopez to catch it in front of the netting for the third out. Atlanta breathed a sigh of relief while Cleveland seemed to accept their fate. Then came the drama of the eighth inning.
Pena remained in the game to face Murray, whose homer had accounted for all of the Cleveland runs. He got Murray to fly out to Grissom in center but then gave up a one-out single to Manny Ramirez, putting the tying run on first and Jim Thome at the plate. And despite Ramirez having stolen only ten bases in his three-year career, Pena was intent on keeping him close to the bag while Ramirez was taking a lead. Too large a lead it turned out. Pena continued to be distracted by the Ramirez lead as the count to Thome moved to 2-2, throwing three tosses to McGriff to keep Ramirez close. Lopez then signaled for a pitch high and inside and then shook a fist that confused announcer Bob Uecker, who was trying to tell the audience what pitch was coming. The reason for the confusion became crystal clear seconds later when Pena allowed Ramirez to keep his big lead and delivered a pitch up near Thome's face. The hitter backed off, but Lopez didn't, as he snagged the delivery and fired a perfect toss to McGriff, whose swipe tag caught Ramirez dead to rights and brought the tense crowd to life in cheers. With two outs, Atlanta opted to not let Thome tie the game with one swing and walked him - and here came Wohlers.
With visions of past bullpen collapses dancing in their heads, Braves fans watched as Cox began a series of moves that pulled Justice from the game, moved Devereaux to right, and send Luis Polonia out to left while Wohlers took the mound. The announcement was clear: Wohlers is in here for the rest of the game. He retired pinch-hitter Paul Sorrento on a fly to center, got two outs in the ninth before giving up a single to Vizquel, who stole second, and for the second straight night the game ended on a pop out to third by Baerga. The Braves had won a thriller, 4-3, and taken a 2-0 lead in the series. And they'd held Cleveland's lineup to a .125 average (8 hits in 64 at bats) and only two earned runs; the Tribe has gotten three runs due to Atlanta errors. Asked his assessment after two games, Hargrove was unflinching: "They've got better pitchers than we've seen all season."
Cleveland will welcome their first World Series game since 1954 on Tuesday night. And they'd better win or else their venture into post-season will continue the bad memories of post-seasons past. The Indians will rise or fall with Charles Nagy while the Braves will counter with perhaps their best post-season pitcher, John Smoltz. It will indeed be a wild crowd, but will it be a happy one? Time will tell.
Javy Lopez leaps from his catching position and guns down Manny Ramirez at first base - Fred McGriff already has the ball in the lower photo. Lopez's dazzling play bailed the Braves out in the eighth inning of a 4-3 win that gives them a 2-0 series lead as the World Series moves to Cleveland.
October 23, 1995
Off day
Braves lead series 2-0
NERVES AND EXCITEMENT AS CLEVELAND PREPARES FOR FIRST SERIES GAME SINCE '54;
AVERY GETS THE CALL FOR GAME 4;
LARUSSA HEADED TO ST LOUIS
There are the Cleveland Indians, representing a reviving city hosting their first World Series game since 1954, and things feel eerily the same. Forty-one years ago, the Indians set the AL record by playing at a .721 clip (111-43-2), scored in the top of the first inning of the series, fell victim to a stellar defensive play, and returned to Cleveland down 2-0 in a series in which they were swept. This year, the Indians lapped the field at a .694 clip (100-44), scored in the top of the first inning of the series, fell victim to a stellar defensive play by Javier Lopez - and have returned to Cleveland down 2-0. To say the fans who were so excited just days ago are nervous is an understatement.
There are also the Atlanta Braves, representing a city rebuilt after being burned to the ground at the end of the Civil War, and things are unlike they've been for the Braves: in their recent run that began in 1991, the Braves have played seven previous post-season series, and in the three where they captured a 2-0 lead (two of them this year), the Braves have gone on to win that series. Their owner, the eccentric Ted Turner, is the only one sort of celebrating as he chanted, "On to Ohio!" at the conclusion of Game Two. To be fair, it is worth remembering Turner, while associated inextricably with Atlanta, was born in Cincinnati in 1938. When he bought the Braves in 1976, he promised a World Series winner "within five years," and while that goal has long since past, the ultimate goal of a champion is closer to Atlanta now than it has ever seemed.
Cleveland is faced with the problem of how to get going against a pitching staff clicking on all cylinders. The Tribe are 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Of their five runs so far, troublemaker (for the opposition) Kenny Lofton has scored three of them, all due to Atlanta errors. With the solitary exception of Eddie Murray's two-run shot in Game Two, the Indians haven't even been able to connect solidly with a single pitch. This success led to today's announcement that is the biggest so far of the series: Steve Avery has been tapped by Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox as the Game Four starter. This announcement by the notoriously conservative Cox can easily be interpreted as, "You can't hit our pitching, and you're not going to beat us." Not that Cox is unclassy enough to say that, but the 2-0 series lead has strengthened his hand considerably. Cox is gambling that even in a worst-case scenario of the Indians beating both John Smoltz and Avery, they will still have to come back to face two pitchers whom they had success on only one pitch with in the first two games, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. If Smoltz and Avery do their jobs as well as the first two pitchers, it won't matter what Cleveland does; if they do, Cleveland still has to figure out the guys they couldn't figure out previously. And it also prevents Maddux from going twice on three days' rest, which reeks of desperation. The decision is controversial with the press, but it shouldn't be. Yes, Steve Avery went 7-13 with a 4.67 ERA, numbers that look positively macabre on this pitching staff. But take a closer look at the offensive support or, more precisely, the LACK of offensive support, and a different picture emerges:
5/4 Florida - 0 runs (Braves won in extras)
5/9 NY Mets - 2 runs (left with lead, bullpen blew it, Braves won)
5/14 Cincy - 1 run (left trailing, 3-1, Braves tied it but lost later)
5/25 STL - 1 run (left trailing, 4-1, Braves lost)
5/31 Cubs - 0 runs (left trailing, 4-0, Braves lost)
6/5 Cubs - 3 runs (left tied, 3-3, Braves won late)
6/22 Cincy - 7 runs (left leading, 7-4, Braves bullpen collapse lost game)
6/27 Montreal - 0 runs (lost complete game 5-hitter, 3-0)
7/21 Padres - 4 runs (left leading, 4-2, bullpen lost the game late)
7/26 LAD - 0 runs (lost a three-hitter, 1-0)
8/1 Phil - 3 runs (lost, 4-3)
In the starts listed above, Avery (otherwise) had a 4-8 record, but of those (9 quality), he got 21 runs of support (7 in one game, however, meaning he got 14 runs in the other 10 starts) that resulted in 5 losses and 6 no decisions. He DID falter for a one-month series of starts between August 16 and September 12, but he finished the year pitching well. Avery also has the aura of a pitcher who has had success in post-seasons past. He was the 1991 NLCS MVP, holds the record with 22.1 scoreless innings, and though few remember it, it was Avery who kept the Braves close enough to rally and win the Francisco Cabrera game (Game Seven of the 92 NLCS), coming on to retire Andy Van Slyke with the bases loaded in the seventh and pitching a scoreless eighth to keep the game at a manageable 2-0. "Avery is throwing too good not to pitch. I think it's best, if you can, to have healthy, rested pitchers," said Cox. Cox further noted that this was the same rotation he had used in the NLCS, and the Braves did sweep that series, in part because Avery pitched one of his best games of the year.
Of course, with not much to cover, this led to columns with that age-old myth about Southern sports teams and cold northern weather. This phony statistic, drawn largely because of the fact the Buccaneers, Falcons, and Saints in the NFL have been terrible pretty much everywhere all the time - not just "up north" - is also ludicrous on another obvious front: Avery is from Taylor, Michigan, a Detroit suburb about 157 road miles northwest (and around Lake Erie) from Cleveland, so the idea he has never pitched in cold weather is absurd. The Braves have ten pitchers on their World Series roster: two are from Massachusetts, two from Michigan, one is from Ohio, two are from the Dominican Republic, two more are from Southern states (VA and TN), and the pitcher from the warmest weather year-round is Maddux, who pitched in Chicago for seven years and won a pennant and a Cy Young there.
This sets the remaining matchups as follows, depending on whether Games 5 through 7 are necessary:
Game Three - Smoltz vs Nagy
Game Four - Avery vs Hill
Game Five - Maddux vs Hershiser (rematch of Game One)
Game Six - Glavine vs Martinez
Game Seven - to be determined
The Braves are excited, the Indians are nervous and excited.
And hopefully the fans, with so little to cheer about for two years, are as well.
Off day
Braves lead series 2-0
NERVES AND EXCITEMENT AS CLEVELAND PREPARES FOR FIRST SERIES GAME SINCE '54;
AVERY GETS THE CALL FOR GAME 4;
LARUSSA HEADED TO ST LOUIS
There are the Cleveland Indians, representing a reviving city hosting their first World Series game since 1954, and things feel eerily the same. Forty-one years ago, the Indians set the AL record by playing at a .721 clip (111-43-2), scored in the top of the first inning of the series, fell victim to a stellar defensive play, and returned to Cleveland down 2-0 in a series in which they were swept. This year, the Indians lapped the field at a .694 clip (100-44), scored in the top of the first inning of the series, fell victim to a stellar defensive play by Javier Lopez - and have returned to Cleveland down 2-0. To say the fans who were so excited just days ago are nervous is an understatement.
There are also the Atlanta Braves, representing a city rebuilt after being burned to the ground at the end of the Civil War, and things are unlike they've been for the Braves: in their recent run that began in 1991, the Braves have played seven previous post-season series, and in the three where they captured a 2-0 lead (two of them this year), the Braves have gone on to win that series. Their owner, the eccentric Ted Turner, is the only one sort of celebrating as he chanted, "On to Ohio!" at the conclusion of Game Two. To be fair, it is worth remembering Turner, while associated inextricably with Atlanta, was born in Cincinnati in 1938. When he bought the Braves in 1976, he promised a World Series winner "within five years," and while that goal has long since past, the ultimate goal of a champion is closer to Atlanta now than it has ever seemed.
Cleveland is faced with the problem of how to get going against a pitching staff clicking on all cylinders. The Tribe are 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Of their five runs so far, troublemaker (for the opposition) Kenny Lofton has scored three of them, all due to Atlanta errors. With the solitary exception of Eddie Murray's two-run shot in Game Two, the Indians haven't even been able to connect solidly with a single pitch. This success led to today's announcement that is the biggest so far of the series: Steve Avery has been tapped by Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox as the Game Four starter. This announcement by the notoriously conservative Cox can easily be interpreted as, "You can't hit our pitching, and you're not going to beat us." Not that Cox is unclassy enough to say that, but the 2-0 series lead has strengthened his hand considerably. Cox is gambling that even in a worst-case scenario of the Indians beating both John Smoltz and Avery, they will still have to come back to face two pitchers whom they had success on only one pitch with in the first two games, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. If Smoltz and Avery do their jobs as well as the first two pitchers, it won't matter what Cleveland does; if they do, Cleveland still has to figure out the guys they couldn't figure out previously. And it also prevents Maddux from going twice on three days' rest, which reeks of desperation. The decision is controversial with the press, but it shouldn't be. Yes, Steve Avery went 7-13 with a 4.67 ERA, numbers that look positively macabre on this pitching staff. But take a closer look at the offensive support or, more precisely, the LACK of offensive support, and a different picture emerges:
5/4 Florida - 0 runs (Braves won in extras)
5/9 NY Mets - 2 runs (left with lead, bullpen blew it, Braves won)
5/14 Cincy - 1 run (left trailing, 3-1, Braves tied it but lost later)
5/25 STL - 1 run (left trailing, 4-1, Braves lost)
5/31 Cubs - 0 runs (left trailing, 4-0, Braves lost)
6/5 Cubs - 3 runs (left tied, 3-3, Braves won late)
6/22 Cincy - 7 runs (left leading, 7-4, Braves bullpen collapse lost game)
6/27 Montreal - 0 runs (lost complete game 5-hitter, 3-0)
7/21 Padres - 4 runs (left leading, 4-2, bullpen lost the game late)
7/26 LAD - 0 runs (lost a three-hitter, 1-0)
8/1 Phil - 3 runs (lost, 4-3)
In the starts listed above, Avery (otherwise) had a 4-8 record, but of those (9 quality), he got 21 runs of support (7 in one game, however, meaning he got 14 runs in the other 10 starts) that resulted in 5 losses and 6 no decisions. He DID falter for a one-month series of starts between August 16 and September 12, but he finished the year pitching well. Avery also has the aura of a pitcher who has had success in post-seasons past. He was the 1991 NLCS MVP, holds the record with 22.1 scoreless innings, and though few remember it, it was Avery who kept the Braves close enough to rally and win the Francisco Cabrera game (Game Seven of the 92 NLCS), coming on to retire Andy Van Slyke with the bases loaded in the seventh and pitching a scoreless eighth to keep the game at a manageable 2-0. "Avery is throwing too good not to pitch. I think it's best, if you can, to have healthy, rested pitchers," said Cox. Cox further noted that this was the same rotation he had used in the NLCS, and the Braves did sweep that series, in part because Avery pitched one of his best games of the year.
Of course, with not much to cover, this led to columns with that age-old myth about Southern sports teams and cold northern weather. This phony statistic, drawn largely because of the fact the Buccaneers, Falcons, and Saints in the NFL have been terrible pretty much everywhere all the time - not just "up north" - is also ludicrous on another obvious front: Avery is from Taylor, Michigan, a Detroit suburb about 157 road miles northwest (and around Lake Erie) from Cleveland, so the idea he has never pitched in cold weather is absurd. The Braves have ten pitchers on their World Series roster: two are from Massachusetts, two from Michigan, one is from Ohio, two are from the Dominican Republic, two more are from Southern states (VA and TN), and the pitcher from the warmest weather year-round is Maddux, who pitched in Chicago for seven years and won a pennant and a Cy Young there.
This sets the remaining matchups as follows, depending on whether Games 5 through 7 are necessary:
Game Three - Smoltz vs Nagy
Game Four - Avery vs Hill
Game Five - Maddux vs Hershiser (rematch of Game One)
Game Six - Glavine vs Martinez
Game Seven - to be determined
The Braves are excited, the Indians are nervous and excited.
And hopefully the fans, with so little to cheer about for two years, are as well.
WORLD SERIES GAME THREE
October 24, 1995
Cleveland Indians 7 (W: Mesa, 1-0)
Atlanta Braves 6 (L: Pena, 0-1)
Braves lead series, 2-1
INDIANS ROLL 7 IN 11 TO TAKE GAME 3 IN WORLD SERIES;
PRESS HAMMERS COX ON AVERY STARTING GAME 4
A 41-year wait finally ended tonight in Cleveland, where the fans of the Indians "rocked this Jake," rocked it inside out in a 4 hour, 9 minute sizzling affair that added to the post-season pain of the Atlanta Braves and gave the Tribe their first win in a World Series game since October 11, 1948, also against the Braves (then in Boston) and also by one run. Cleveland absolutely had to win tonight's game or face the specter of a 3-0 series deficit knowing no team in MLB or NBA history has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. While the Braves were fighting for that elusive championship, the Indians were just fighting for their lives. And what a fight it was, ending at 12:49 am Cleveland time when future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray laced a single off of Alejandro Pena that scored pinch-runner Alvaro Espinoza and ended the second-longest World Series game in history. The longest is that 15-14 debacle between Philly and Toronto two years ago.
Temperatures below 50 with 20 mph winds greeted the warm weather Braves as Charles Nagy threw the game's first pitch at 8:49 pm, which is ludicrous. And despite the outcome, the Braves made the Indians fans sweat before their team even came to bat. Chipper Jones, who doubled leading off Game Two, doubled off Nagy with two outs in the first and then scored on a single by Fred McGriff. Just like that the Braves were leading, 1-0, and Cleveland was facing a pitcher who had already started the do-or-die Game Seven three times in his career, John Smoltz. Maybe that's what they needed after two nights of pitchers flirting with the corners of the plate because Smoltz came at them with fastballs, and it was apparently the one pitch the Indians could hammer.
Atlanta's continuing nightmare, Kenny Lofton, singled to center leading off, which brought the crowd back into the game. Then, Omar Vizquel connected with a ball that he pulled deep into right field while Justice was playing more towards center. Lofton raced around the bases to tie the game, and Vizquel beat the throw to third, putting the go-ahead run on with nobody out, and the meat of the Cleveland order coming up. Carlos Baerga, who made the last out in each of the first two games, made another out but it was effective, scoring Vizquel to give the Tribe a 2-1 lead. Smoltz then retired the two sluggers, Albert Belle and Murray, but the Indians had sent the message they weren't going to quit. In the third, they made sure Smoltz did.
Nagy retired the Braves without a baserunner the next two innings, and in the bottom of the third, that continuing nightmare (Lofton) doubled to start the inning. Playing for any kind of lead, the Indians sent up Vizquel to bunt, and his bunt was so good that the Braves didn't even try to make a play on it, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Baerga then lined a tough sinking liner to Luis Polonia in left, who couldn't quite get it, and Lofton scored to make it 3-1, Cleveland. Belle then broke out of his slump and singled to center, scoring Vizquel to make it 4-1. Smoltz then struck out Murray, but when he wound up walking Jim Thome to load the bases, Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox had seen enough and yanked Smoltz, the worst post-season outing of his stellar career. He brought in the submarine throwing Brad Clontz, who got Manny Ramirez to ground into a rally-killing 4-3 double play and keep the game close enough for it to even matter.
There had to be a part of Atlanta fans admiring Cleveland's enthusiasm. After all, it was just four years ago that the Braves were coming out of decades long doldrums and hosting a World Series game - and even taking a 4-1 lead against Minnesota. Of course, the Twins rallied in that game to tie it, and once the adrenaline wore off that was guiding the Indians and their fans, the Braves clawed back into the game gradually. In the top of the sixth, McGriff slammed his second solo home run in three games, cutting the deficit to two. Cleveland's goal now was simple: get Nagy through the seventh, use Paul Assenmacher and/or Allen Embree for the eighth, and bring on Jose Mesa to close out the ninth. As it turned out, circumstances brought out those pitchers but not in the way Cleveland liked.
In the seventh, Ryan Klesko launched his first career home run leading off the seventh, making the score 4-3. Surely Manager Mike Hargrove was going to pull Nagy before the eighth. He'd pitched far too well to lose because of fatigue. But in the bottom of the inning, Lofton (again!) walked, moved to second on an infield out, stole third, and came home on a Baerga single to make it 5-3. With the two-run lead, Hargrove opted to let Nagy start the eighth. It turned out to be a huge blunder. Hargrove noted that Nagy had only thrown 83 pitches and Marquis Grissom and Polonia were a combined 1-for-6, the one hit being a fluke that involved an error. But Grissom greeted Nagy's first pitch with a double that just missed being a home run by inches. When Polonia singled Grissom home and cut the lead to 5-4, Nagy was pulled with the tying run at first. Asked why he let Nagy face Polonia, Hargrove said that if he had gone with a lefty reliever then Mike Devereaux would have hit - and was a far greater threat for the long ball than Polonia. Assenmacher came on, and Polonia promptly stole second. Chipper drew a walk, and both runners moved up on McGriff's sacrifice fly. Two runners in scoring position with one out, and the cleanup batter, David Justice, at the plate. Justice hit a hard shot towards second that jumped up into Baerga's chest. He kept the ball in front of him and threw to first, but Justice beat the throw, and the game was not tied as Polonia crossed the plate. And what happened next? Devereaux came up to pinch-hit for Klesko and Tavarez came in for Cleveland. Deveraux hammered a 1-0 pitch right over the plate into center field, scoring Jones, and giving the Braves an incredible 6-5 lead. Only a sensational double play off the bat of Javy Lopez kept the game close, but needing six outs, Bobby Cox opted to wait on using Mark Wohlers. Whether a mistake or not, Greg McMichael walked Ramirez with one out, and he advanced to third when Paul Sorrento singled. Needing the run to keep their hopes alive, Wayne Kirby came on as a pinch-runner for Manny - and here came Wohlers, two on and one out. Sandy Alomar Jr slapped Wohlers's first pitch between McGriff and first, scoring Kirby and in one fell swoop putting runners at second and third with only one out. Just like that, the Braves were in big trouble. They walked Lofton intentionally, loading the bases with one out. All Cleveland needed was a hit, but Wohlers was throwing heat, striking out Vizquel and getting Baerga to bounce out to end the inning. With the Indians needing a win in the ninth, on came Mesa - and all of baseball watched a clinic.
Though he was a little rusty from inactivity, Mesa got through the ninth without giving up a run. One run would win it for Cleveland - and the Big Bashers were coming up for a team that won 27 regular season games in their last at-bat. Although he didn't strike them out, Wohlers retired Belle, Murray, and Thome without any of them reaching base. In the tenth, McGriff singled and then stole second with two outs but was left stranded. Wohlers came out again throwing heat. He walked Ramirez, who eventually stole second, but this allowed Atlanta to walk Lofton and retire Vizquel. It also retired Wohlers because Atlanta couldn't afford to tire their closer if they needed him tomorrow night. Cleveland, however, was going with Mesa, come hell or high water.
Mark Lemke singled to left - a shot off the top of the wall that came back so fast he was stuck at first - as Mesa began his third inning of work, but he was erased when Grissom grounded into a double play. Cox opted for his 1991 closer, Pena, to come out for the 11th, and the eventuality became clear when Baerga doubled leading off the inning. You know, just like Dan Gladden did against Pena in Game Seven in 1991. Espinoza came on to run for Baerga, and Atlanta walked Belle to set up a possible double play. Murray, 0-for-5 on the night, lined a single to center, and Espinoza slid home just ahead of Grissom's throw - and just like that, the Indians are back in the World Series. The two teams square off again tomorrow night with Steve Avery facing Ken Hill.
PRESS HARRASSES COX
You've gotta love the media. Cox says he's going to start Steve Avery in Game Four, and the press crucifies him, saying that that means Maddux can't pitch if the series goes seven games. Cox cannot understand the big deal: he wants rested pitchers. As a reminder for those who may have forgotten, Cox used a four-man rotation in both series' in 1991 - and the Braves came within a run of the crown. He used a three-man rotation in 1992 - and after winning three of the first four games, the Braves went 3-6 the rest of the way and lost again. Cox may be wrong, but he's gambling that if Maddux wins Game Five, there won't be a Game Seven. Just think: one of these days a manager is going to announce he's going with a three-man rotation - and these same morons will be saying "but that's gonna tire out your pitchers!" Writing is easy, winning is hard. And Cox has won more than anyone else in recent years, he just hasn't won the big one. Yet.
October 24, 1995
Cleveland Indians 7 (W: Mesa, 1-0)
Atlanta Braves 6 (L: Pena, 0-1)
Braves lead series, 2-1
INDIANS ROLL 7 IN 11 TO TAKE GAME 3 IN WORLD SERIES;
PRESS HAMMERS COX ON AVERY STARTING GAME 4
A 41-year wait finally ended tonight in Cleveland, where the fans of the Indians "rocked this Jake," rocked it inside out in a 4 hour, 9 minute sizzling affair that added to the post-season pain of the Atlanta Braves and gave the Tribe their first win in a World Series game since October 11, 1948, also against the Braves (then in Boston) and also by one run. Cleveland absolutely had to win tonight's game or face the specter of a 3-0 series deficit knowing no team in MLB or NBA history has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. While the Braves were fighting for that elusive championship, the Indians were just fighting for their lives. And what a fight it was, ending at 12:49 am Cleveland time when future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray laced a single off of Alejandro Pena that scored pinch-runner Alvaro Espinoza and ended the second-longest World Series game in history. The longest is that 15-14 debacle between Philly and Toronto two years ago.
Temperatures below 50 with 20 mph winds greeted the warm weather Braves as Charles Nagy threw the game's first pitch at 8:49 pm, which is ludicrous. And despite the outcome, the Braves made the Indians fans sweat before their team even came to bat. Chipper Jones, who doubled leading off Game Two, doubled off Nagy with two outs in the first and then scored on a single by Fred McGriff. Just like that the Braves were leading, 1-0, and Cleveland was facing a pitcher who had already started the do-or-die Game Seven three times in his career, John Smoltz. Maybe that's what they needed after two nights of pitchers flirting with the corners of the plate because Smoltz came at them with fastballs, and it was apparently the one pitch the Indians could hammer.
Atlanta's continuing nightmare, Kenny Lofton, singled to center leading off, which brought the crowd back into the game. Then, Omar Vizquel connected with a ball that he pulled deep into right field while Justice was playing more towards center. Lofton raced around the bases to tie the game, and Vizquel beat the throw to third, putting the go-ahead run on with nobody out, and the meat of the Cleveland order coming up. Carlos Baerga, who made the last out in each of the first two games, made another out but it was effective, scoring Vizquel to give the Tribe a 2-1 lead. Smoltz then retired the two sluggers, Albert Belle and Murray, but the Indians had sent the message they weren't going to quit. In the third, they made sure Smoltz did.
Nagy retired the Braves without a baserunner the next two innings, and in the bottom of the third, that continuing nightmare (Lofton) doubled to start the inning. Playing for any kind of lead, the Indians sent up Vizquel to bunt, and his bunt was so good that the Braves didn't even try to make a play on it, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Baerga then lined a tough sinking liner to Luis Polonia in left, who couldn't quite get it, and Lofton scored to make it 3-1, Cleveland. Belle then broke out of his slump and singled to center, scoring Vizquel to make it 4-1. Smoltz then struck out Murray, but when he wound up walking Jim Thome to load the bases, Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox had seen enough and yanked Smoltz, the worst post-season outing of his stellar career. He brought in the submarine throwing Brad Clontz, who got Manny Ramirez to ground into a rally-killing 4-3 double play and keep the game close enough for it to even matter.
There had to be a part of Atlanta fans admiring Cleveland's enthusiasm. After all, it was just four years ago that the Braves were coming out of decades long doldrums and hosting a World Series game - and even taking a 4-1 lead against Minnesota. Of course, the Twins rallied in that game to tie it, and once the adrenaline wore off that was guiding the Indians and their fans, the Braves clawed back into the game gradually. In the top of the sixth, McGriff slammed his second solo home run in three games, cutting the deficit to two. Cleveland's goal now was simple: get Nagy through the seventh, use Paul Assenmacher and/or Allen Embree for the eighth, and bring on Jose Mesa to close out the ninth. As it turned out, circumstances brought out those pitchers but not in the way Cleveland liked.
In the seventh, Ryan Klesko launched his first career home run leading off the seventh, making the score 4-3. Surely Manager Mike Hargrove was going to pull Nagy before the eighth. He'd pitched far too well to lose because of fatigue. But in the bottom of the inning, Lofton (again!) walked, moved to second on an infield out, stole third, and came home on a Baerga single to make it 5-3. With the two-run lead, Hargrove opted to let Nagy start the eighth. It turned out to be a huge blunder. Hargrove noted that Nagy had only thrown 83 pitches and Marquis Grissom and Polonia were a combined 1-for-6, the one hit being a fluke that involved an error. But Grissom greeted Nagy's first pitch with a double that just missed being a home run by inches. When Polonia singled Grissom home and cut the lead to 5-4, Nagy was pulled with the tying run at first. Asked why he let Nagy face Polonia, Hargrove said that if he had gone with a lefty reliever then Mike Devereaux would have hit - and was a far greater threat for the long ball than Polonia. Assenmacher came on, and Polonia promptly stole second. Chipper drew a walk, and both runners moved up on McGriff's sacrifice fly. Two runners in scoring position with one out, and the cleanup batter, David Justice, at the plate. Justice hit a hard shot towards second that jumped up into Baerga's chest. He kept the ball in front of him and threw to first, but Justice beat the throw, and the game was not tied as Polonia crossed the plate. And what happened next? Devereaux came up to pinch-hit for Klesko and Tavarez came in for Cleveland. Deveraux hammered a 1-0 pitch right over the plate into center field, scoring Jones, and giving the Braves an incredible 6-5 lead. Only a sensational double play off the bat of Javy Lopez kept the game close, but needing six outs, Bobby Cox opted to wait on using Mark Wohlers. Whether a mistake or not, Greg McMichael walked Ramirez with one out, and he advanced to third when Paul Sorrento singled. Needing the run to keep their hopes alive, Wayne Kirby came on as a pinch-runner for Manny - and here came Wohlers, two on and one out. Sandy Alomar Jr slapped Wohlers's first pitch between McGriff and first, scoring Kirby and in one fell swoop putting runners at second and third with only one out. Just like that, the Braves were in big trouble. They walked Lofton intentionally, loading the bases with one out. All Cleveland needed was a hit, but Wohlers was throwing heat, striking out Vizquel and getting Baerga to bounce out to end the inning. With the Indians needing a win in the ninth, on came Mesa - and all of baseball watched a clinic.
Though he was a little rusty from inactivity, Mesa got through the ninth without giving up a run. One run would win it for Cleveland - and the Big Bashers were coming up for a team that won 27 regular season games in their last at-bat. Although he didn't strike them out, Wohlers retired Belle, Murray, and Thome without any of them reaching base. In the tenth, McGriff singled and then stole second with two outs but was left stranded. Wohlers came out again throwing heat. He walked Ramirez, who eventually stole second, but this allowed Atlanta to walk Lofton and retire Vizquel. It also retired Wohlers because Atlanta couldn't afford to tire their closer if they needed him tomorrow night. Cleveland, however, was going with Mesa, come hell or high water.
Mark Lemke singled to left - a shot off the top of the wall that came back so fast he was stuck at first - as Mesa began his third inning of work, but he was erased when Grissom grounded into a double play. Cox opted for his 1991 closer, Pena, to come out for the 11th, and the eventuality became clear when Baerga doubled leading off the inning. You know, just like Dan Gladden did against Pena in Game Seven in 1991. Espinoza came on to run for Baerga, and Atlanta walked Belle to set up a possible double play. Murray, 0-for-5 on the night, lined a single to center, and Espinoza slid home just ahead of Grissom's throw - and just like that, the Indians are back in the World Series. The two teams square off again tomorrow night with Steve Avery facing Ken Hill.
PRESS HARRASSES COX
You've gotta love the media. Cox says he's going to start Steve Avery in Game Four, and the press crucifies him, saying that that means Maddux can't pitch if the series goes seven games. Cox cannot understand the big deal: he wants rested pitchers. As a reminder for those who may have forgotten, Cox used a four-man rotation in both series' in 1991 - and the Braves came within a run of the crown. He used a three-man rotation in 1992 - and after winning three of the first four games, the Braves went 3-6 the rest of the way and lost again. Cox may be wrong, but he's gambling that if Maddux wins Game Five, there won't be a Game Seven. Just think: one of these days a manager is going to announce he's going with a three-man rotation - and these same morons will be saying "but that's gonna tire out your pitchers!" Writing is easy, winning is hard. And Cox has won more than anyone else in recent years, he just hasn't won the big one. Yet.
WORLD SERIES GAME FOUR
October 25, 1995
Atlanta Braves 5 (W: Avery, 1-0; SV: Borbon, 1)
Cleveland Indians 2 (L: Hill, 0-1)
Braves lead series, 3-1
AVERY VINDICATES DECISION, LEADS BRAVES TO BRINK OF WORLD SERIES TITLE;
FALLOUT FROM BELLE'S STORM
Steve Avery, the 25-year old Atlanta lefty going on 49 in terms of his big league career, summarized his 161st career start in a way that baffled observers but may be more accurate than anyone wants to admit: "Maybe my best ever." He wasn't the dominating lefty who held Pittsburgh scoreless for 16.1 innings four years ago, but he persevered. And after having made four World Series starts and getting three no decisions and a loss, Avery was smiling at the result of his first-ever World Series win. He was probably smiling even more at the fact the Braves have something they failed to attain in both 1991 and 1992 - a 3-1 series lead and on the verge of finally claiming the World Series.
One of the most unusual sights was the large number of pieces of bubble gum attached to the headgear of Indians fans at Jacobs Field. Alvaro Espinoza is known for putting bubble gum pieces that he has blown up into bubbles on the caps of teammates, and the fans concocted this as a sort of identification with the Indian team after Espinoza's scoring the winning run in Game Three. The easier method involved pink balloons, and Tribe fans hoped their balloon would continue to soar to a championship. Atlanta, meanwhile, hoped to burst Cleveland, bubble or balloon.
Perhaps motivated by spending the last game having to claw back, Atlanta came out ready to go in the first. Marquis Grissom bounced Hill's first delivery right back through the box for a single. On the very next pitch, Grissom did a fair impersonation of Kenny Lofton and stole second. Luis Polonia popped out, but Chipper Jones's fly to center put Grissom on third. Fred McGriff coaxed a walk off of Indians' starter Ken Hill, and David Justice came to the plate with a chance to give Avery a huge boost. But Justice, who was 1-for-25 against Hill coming to bat, hit into a fielder's choice grounder at second, and the Braves had wasted an opportunity. All eyes were on Avery, the controversial choice as starter, as he took the mound for the first.
Avery began with a mixture of curve balls and change ups set off by just enough fastballs to keep Cleveland from being able to outguess him. Through five innings, Avery allowed only two hits - a single by Carlos Baerga in the first and a single by Espinoza in the second. That's not to say that Avery didn't have problems. The Indians got runners on base in four of those innings, but Avery didn't allow the Indians to get comfortable, and he retired the catalyst Lofton three times. But as is so typical of Avery starts, the Braves weren't scoring, either. That changed in the top of the sixth.
With one out, Hill delivered a pitch to Ryan Klesko that looked inside but was called a strike by home plate umpire John Hirschbeck, much to Klesko's chagrin. Hill came back with a split-fingered fastball on the outside of the plate, and Klesko turned on it with a vengeance, driving the ball halfway up the incline of the lower deck of the right-field bleachers for a solo home run and a 1-0 Atlanta lead. Hill was so visibly stunned from the power of Klesko's blast that he dropped to one knee in agony over giving up the bomb. It was Klesko's second home run in his last four plate appearances, which included a walk. Avery had a small lead as he prepared to face the powerhouse section of the Indian batting order. He walked Omar Vizquel with a bizarre change-up on 3-2 and seemed distracted by the runner. He then threw a 1-0 delivery that Baerga scorched down the left field line just barely foul, a loud strike that apparently got Avery's focus returned to the batter rather than the runner. After missing with a low fastball, Avery gave Baerga a good pitch that he hit hard down the line but right to Chipper, who began a 5-4-3 double play to clear the basepaths with two outs for Albert Belle. It was a close play at first and probably only happened because Baerga slipped coming out of the batter's box. But tt might have been the most important play of the game in retrospect. Avery's first pitch to Belle was clearly outside, but Hirschbeck, showing he could have a lousy strike zone for both teams, somehow called it a strike. Avery threw two more pitches outside, one called a ball and another called a strike. Amazingly, the temperamental Belle (see below) did not come unglued. Avery's next pitch caught just enough of the plate to be a strike - if it had made it. Belle connected and got just enough of the ball to hit a looping home run into right to tie the game at one, his first World Series home run. Avery then walked Eddie Murray and promptly balked him to second. Contemplating options, Bobby Cox ordered Avery to walk Manny Ramirez intentionally, and Avery then recovered enough to retire Herbert Perry to end the inning. Avery was probably about to come out anyway, but there was a new urgency for Atlanta. And they answered it.
Hill returnedto the mound for the seventh and struck out Rafael Belliard but then walked Grissom, who already had two hits off of him. Sensing Hill was tiring, Polonia turned on his first pitch and hit one into the gap towards right field. Grissom raced around to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead, and Polonia was on second with a double and only one out. Mike Hargrove pulled Hill in favor of Paul Assenmacher, who intentionally walked Chipper but then saw both runners move ahead a base when Sandy Alomar Jr couldn't handle one of his pitches. Assenmacher then struck out McGriff and faced Justice, who has a .400 lifetime average against Assenmacher but who is hitting .166 as of this at-bat. Justice fell behind 0-2. After taking a ball high and inside, Justice drove one through the infield into center, scoring two Atlanta runs and making it a 4-1 lead. Klesko struck out, but the Indians were nine outs away from a 3-1 hole.
Atlanta made their replacements, putting Mike Devereaux in left and Greg McMichael on the mound. Jim Thome pinch-hit for Espinoza and immediately doubled, moving to third when Alomar grounded out. With Lofton at the plate, excitement gripped the fans, but he grounded out to McGriff at first so quickly that Thome had to stay at third. Vizquel grounded out, and Atlanta had weathered the threat. They made one of their own in the eighth, loading the bases with two outs and Chipper batting, but he flied out harmlessly to right. When Cleveland went in order in the eighth, nerves in two cities jangled as the ninth began.
McGriff lofted a lazy fly to left that was too far for Belle to reach, and when he slid trying for the ball, it bounded into foul territory, where Thome got it. But McGriff was aboard with nobody out and then scored when Javy Lopez continued his clutch post-season hitting with a double to give Atlanta a 5-1 lead with the Braves needing but three outs to clinch the game. On came Mark Wohlers, who had been nearly automatic since June in this role. Though a non-save situation, let Cleveland beat your best. They nearly did.
Ramirez tagged him for a homer, pinch-hitter Paul Sorrento doubled, and just like that, Wohlers was gone. Cox would later say that Wohlers was pitching just as fast as the night before, but his fastball had no movement on it. On came rookie Pedro Borbon Jr, whose father had had a chance to close out Game Six of the 1975 World Series (and a championship) when he allowed the two runners to reach base ahead of Bernie Carbo's stunning game-tying shot in the eighth. Could the son succeed where the father had failed (though the Reds still won the series)?
He sure could. He struck out Thome and Alomar and got Lofton to line out to Justice to end the game. The same thorn in Atlanta's side who was on base six times in Game Three went 0-for-5 in Game Four. And the Braves have a 3-1 lead with the best pitcher in baseball on the mound tomorrow night.
It's a great time to be a Braves fan; it might be the last day of the season for the Indians.
No Calm Just A Storm, Two Of Them
It didn't develop into a story until after last night's game, but it cast a pall over a great day for the Indians. Albert Belle spent time yelling at TV crews from both NBC and ESPN prior to last night's game. He profanely shouted at NBC reporter Hannah Storm as she attempted to interview Lofton, demanding all members of the press leave. All obliged - except Storm. According to Storm, Belle screamed, "All you (bleep) get the (bleep) out of the (bleep) dugout." He was allegedly within 4-5 feet of Storm and brandishing a bat. The context make things worse: we are only weeks removed from the acquittal of O.J. Simpson for murdering his ex-wife after years of documented domestic abuse, and the visuals of the retelling are not good for Belle or for a country still coping with aftermath. That's not to say that Belle will someday be on the lam so much as it is to say that reporters have every right to do their jobs, and the Indians need to have a sit-down with Belle before things get worse. He has already had a 60-day stay at the Cleveland Clinic for alcoholism, and he's been suspended for using a corked bat as well. The more these issues escalate, the more horrific the eventual end if something isn't done.
October 25, 1995
Atlanta Braves 5 (W: Avery, 1-0; SV: Borbon, 1)
Cleveland Indians 2 (L: Hill, 0-1)
Braves lead series, 3-1
AVERY VINDICATES DECISION, LEADS BRAVES TO BRINK OF WORLD SERIES TITLE;
FALLOUT FROM BELLE'S STORM
Steve Avery, the 25-year old Atlanta lefty going on 49 in terms of his big league career, summarized his 161st career start in a way that baffled observers but may be more accurate than anyone wants to admit: "Maybe my best ever." He wasn't the dominating lefty who held Pittsburgh scoreless for 16.1 innings four years ago, but he persevered. And after having made four World Series starts and getting three no decisions and a loss, Avery was smiling at the result of his first-ever World Series win. He was probably smiling even more at the fact the Braves have something they failed to attain in both 1991 and 1992 - a 3-1 series lead and on the verge of finally claiming the World Series.
One of the most unusual sights was the large number of pieces of bubble gum attached to the headgear of Indians fans at Jacobs Field. Alvaro Espinoza is known for putting bubble gum pieces that he has blown up into bubbles on the caps of teammates, and the fans concocted this as a sort of identification with the Indian team after Espinoza's scoring the winning run in Game Three. The easier method involved pink balloons, and Tribe fans hoped their balloon would continue to soar to a championship. Atlanta, meanwhile, hoped to burst Cleveland, bubble or balloon.
Perhaps motivated by spending the last game having to claw back, Atlanta came out ready to go in the first. Marquis Grissom bounced Hill's first delivery right back through the box for a single. On the very next pitch, Grissom did a fair impersonation of Kenny Lofton and stole second. Luis Polonia popped out, but Chipper Jones's fly to center put Grissom on third. Fred McGriff coaxed a walk off of Indians' starter Ken Hill, and David Justice came to the plate with a chance to give Avery a huge boost. But Justice, who was 1-for-25 against Hill coming to bat, hit into a fielder's choice grounder at second, and the Braves had wasted an opportunity. All eyes were on Avery, the controversial choice as starter, as he took the mound for the first.
Avery began with a mixture of curve balls and change ups set off by just enough fastballs to keep Cleveland from being able to outguess him. Through five innings, Avery allowed only two hits - a single by Carlos Baerga in the first and a single by Espinoza in the second. That's not to say that Avery didn't have problems. The Indians got runners on base in four of those innings, but Avery didn't allow the Indians to get comfortable, and he retired the catalyst Lofton three times. But as is so typical of Avery starts, the Braves weren't scoring, either. That changed in the top of the sixth.
With one out, Hill delivered a pitch to Ryan Klesko that looked inside but was called a strike by home plate umpire John Hirschbeck, much to Klesko's chagrin. Hill came back with a split-fingered fastball on the outside of the plate, and Klesko turned on it with a vengeance, driving the ball halfway up the incline of the lower deck of the right-field bleachers for a solo home run and a 1-0 Atlanta lead. Hill was so visibly stunned from the power of Klesko's blast that he dropped to one knee in agony over giving up the bomb. It was Klesko's second home run in his last four plate appearances, which included a walk. Avery had a small lead as he prepared to face the powerhouse section of the Indian batting order. He walked Omar Vizquel with a bizarre change-up on 3-2 and seemed distracted by the runner. He then threw a 1-0 delivery that Baerga scorched down the left field line just barely foul, a loud strike that apparently got Avery's focus returned to the batter rather than the runner. After missing with a low fastball, Avery gave Baerga a good pitch that he hit hard down the line but right to Chipper, who began a 5-4-3 double play to clear the basepaths with two outs for Albert Belle. It was a close play at first and probably only happened because Baerga slipped coming out of the batter's box. But tt might have been the most important play of the game in retrospect. Avery's first pitch to Belle was clearly outside, but Hirschbeck, showing he could have a lousy strike zone for both teams, somehow called it a strike. Avery threw two more pitches outside, one called a ball and another called a strike. Amazingly, the temperamental Belle (see below) did not come unglued. Avery's next pitch caught just enough of the plate to be a strike - if it had made it. Belle connected and got just enough of the ball to hit a looping home run into right to tie the game at one, his first World Series home run. Avery then walked Eddie Murray and promptly balked him to second. Contemplating options, Bobby Cox ordered Avery to walk Manny Ramirez intentionally, and Avery then recovered enough to retire Herbert Perry to end the inning. Avery was probably about to come out anyway, but there was a new urgency for Atlanta. And they answered it.
Hill returnedto the mound for the seventh and struck out Rafael Belliard but then walked Grissom, who already had two hits off of him. Sensing Hill was tiring, Polonia turned on his first pitch and hit one into the gap towards right field. Grissom raced around to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead, and Polonia was on second with a double and only one out. Mike Hargrove pulled Hill in favor of Paul Assenmacher, who intentionally walked Chipper but then saw both runners move ahead a base when Sandy Alomar Jr couldn't handle one of his pitches. Assenmacher then struck out McGriff and faced Justice, who has a .400 lifetime average against Assenmacher but who is hitting .166 as of this at-bat. Justice fell behind 0-2. After taking a ball high and inside, Justice drove one through the infield into center, scoring two Atlanta runs and making it a 4-1 lead. Klesko struck out, but the Indians were nine outs away from a 3-1 hole.
Atlanta made their replacements, putting Mike Devereaux in left and Greg McMichael on the mound. Jim Thome pinch-hit for Espinoza and immediately doubled, moving to third when Alomar grounded out. With Lofton at the plate, excitement gripped the fans, but he grounded out to McGriff at first so quickly that Thome had to stay at third. Vizquel grounded out, and Atlanta had weathered the threat. They made one of their own in the eighth, loading the bases with two outs and Chipper batting, but he flied out harmlessly to right. When Cleveland went in order in the eighth, nerves in two cities jangled as the ninth began.
McGriff lofted a lazy fly to left that was too far for Belle to reach, and when he slid trying for the ball, it bounded into foul territory, where Thome got it. But McGriff was aboard with nobody out and then scored when Javy Lopez continued his clutch post-season hitting with a double to give Atlanta a 5-1 lead with the Braves needing but three outs to clinch the game. On came Mark Wohlers, who had been nearly automatic since June in this role. Though a non-save situation, let Cleveland beat your best. They nearly did.
Ramirez tagged him for a homer, pinch-hitter Paul Sorrento doubled, and just like that, Wohlers was gone. Cox would later say that Wohlers was pitching just as fast as the night before, but his fastball had no movement on it. On came rookie Pedro Borbon Jr, whose father had had a chance to close out Game Six of the 1975 World Series (and a championship) when he allowed the two runners to reach base ahead of Bernie Carbo's stunning game-tying shot in the eighth. Could the son succeed where the father had failed (though the Reds still won the series)?
He sure could. He struck out Thome and Alomar and got Lofton to line out to Justice to end the game. The same thorn in Atlanta's side who was on base six times in Game Three went 0-for-5 in Game Four. And the Braves have a 3-1 lead with the best pitcher in baseball on the mound tomorrow night.
It's a great time to be a Braves fan; it might be the last day of the season for the Indians.
No Calm Just A Storm, Two Of Them
It didn't develop into a story until after last night's game, but it cast a pall over a great day for the Indians. Albert Belle spent time yelling at TV crews from both NBC and ESPN prior to last night's game. He profanely shouted at NBC reporter Hannah Storm as she attempted to interview Lofton, demanding all members of the press leave. All obliged - except Storm. According to Storm, Belle screamed, "All you (bleep) get the (bleep) out of the (bleep) dugout." He was allegedly within 4-5 feet of Storm and brandishing a bat. The context make things worse: we are only weeks removed from the acquittal of O.J. Simpson for murdering his ex-wife after years of documented domestic abuse, and the visuals of the retelling are not good for Belle or for a country still coping with aftermath. That's not to say that Belle will someday be on the lam so much as it is to say that reporters have every right to do their jobs, and the Indians need to have a sit-down with Belle before things get worse. He has already had a 60-day stay at the Cleveland Clinic for alcoholism, and he's been suspended for using a corked bat as well. The more these issues escalate, the more horrific the eventual end if something isn't done.
WORLD SERIES GAME FIVE
October 26, 1995
Cleveland Indians 5 (W: Hershiser, 1-1; SV: Mesa, 1)
Atlanta Braves 4 (L: Maddux, 1-1)
Braves lead series, 3-2
INDIANS BEAT MADDUX TO KEEP HOPES ALIVE
Thirty-seven times in the history of Major League Baseball, a team has had a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven-series. On 30 of those occasions, the team with the lead has gone on to win the series. Of the six times that a team has overcome that deficit, five were in the World Series and two in the ALCS (it has never happened in the NLCS). Those were the odds facing the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field tonight as they faced elimination in the World Series against the Atlanta Braves. And the most obvious reason it is so difficult isn't hard to fathom: you're going to face the opposing team's best pitcher at least once in those three games, leaving you no choice to beat the best. A look over the rosters of the teams that have accomplished this vindicates this view: Walter Johnson (1925 Pirates), Warren Spahn (1958 Yankees), Bob Gibson (1968 Tigers), Jim Palmer (1979 Pirates), Dave Stieb (1985 Royals), John Tudor (1985 Royals - World Series), and Mike Witt (1986 Red Sox). The first four pitchers are among the greatest in the history of the game, and the other three were among the best pitchers of the 80s (analytics shows Stieb as the best AL pitcher of the decade, though he never won the Cy Young). Cleveland had the unenviable task of facing off against the best pitcher of the last 75 years, Greg Maddux, who held the .291 Cleveland attack to all of two hits in Game One.
Mission accomplished, part one.
It remains to be seen in the next two games how much was Cleveland's ability to adjust and how much was the fact Maddux had, for him, an off night. How bad was the night for Maddux? He walked two hitters and gave up a home run in the first inning for the first time since July 14, 1990, when Maddux was still coming of age with the Cubs in Wrigley Field. He got off to a terrible start tonight, the Indians never let off the gas, and the Braves never recovered. Thus, the series returns to Atlanta for Game Six on Saturday night, and one has to wonder if the pressure will shift dramatically onto the Braves as that day approaches.
It was 3-1 night at Jacobs Field as Tim McCarver (1968 Cardinals) and Palmer (1979 Orioles) were calling the game for ABC, both members of teams that blew 3-1 series leads. Two members of the Indians, Eddie Murray and Dennis Martinez, were on that 1979 Orioles team with Palmer as well and can attest to the fact the series is far from over. Martinez will get his chance when he starts on Saturday night, but Murray engaged in his own form of intimidation against Maddux that backfired spectacularly and sent the message that a Maddux not on top of his game is still a helluva good pitcher.
Atlanta wasted a two-out double by Chipper Jones in the first and then in the bottom of the inning, Maddux did the most un-Maddux thing possible when he walked Omar Vizquel. Maddux averages less than one walk per nine innings, a phenomenal stat for a guy who only gave up 8 home runs all year. He got Carlos Baerga to ground out as Vizquel moved to second and with an open base, Atlanta opted to pitch to Albert Belle. Belle reached out in what looked for all the world to be a replay from his home run off of Steve Avery last night and sent a looping 2-run home run just over the right field fence not far from where his shot landed last night, sending the anxious Cleveland fans into a dither. The always calm exterior of Maddux can be misleading, however; this is the guy who showed up in the big leagues with the Chicago Cubs with only one question: "What's the sign for the knockdown pitch?" Maddux threw one that Murray took a home run cut and fouled off and on the next pitch threw to Murray high and tight for a ball. Murray took umbrage at the pitch and began spewing profanities in Maddux's direction. Both dugouts emptied and the always calm Orel Hershiser asked Maddux if he was throwing at Murray intentionally, a ludicrous question not only because Maddux isn't going to say "yes," but also because as McCarver noted, if Maddux was trying to hit Murray, he would have thrown behind him. (I'd add further that if Maddux was trying to hit Murray, he would have). Murray then drew a walk - and Maddux picked him off first and went to the dugout trailing, 2-0. But the best control pitcher of his generation threw 10 balls in a series of 21 pitches, unheard of for Maddux. Despite the hub-bub, the game remained calm until the fourth. That's when Luis Polonia attempted to etch his name among the memorable heroes of World Series lore that includes Al Weis, Brian Doyle, and even Mark Lemke.
Polonia, a speedy utility player with only 16 career home runs in over 3,000 career at-bats - and only one in 1995, had faced Hershiser in the 1988 World Series as a pinch-hitter and popped to short. But this Hershiser is not that one after arm surgery, and after first feigning a bunt attempt and working a 2-2 count before turning on a hanging curve as it cut back across the plate and sending it into the right field seats for a home run that shocked everyone - probably including Polonia - and cut the Indians' lead to 2-1. Hershiser recovered and retired Jones, McGriff, and Justice to hold the lead, but in the fifth the Braves went back to work. Maddux, meanwhile, had returned to form and gave up only one hit in the next three innings, the most notable at-bat when Murray lined a shot back through the box that Maddux caught on the fly without batting an eye.
Ryan Klesko lined a single over Baerga leading off the fifth, but Mark Lemke then hit a bouncer to Hershiser that appeared sure to net two outs. But Hershiser threw wide of the bag at second, and both Klesko and Lemke were safe as Vizquel made sure the damage wasn't worse, but Hershiser was charged with an error. Charlie O'Brien bunted both runners into scoring position, and with the light-hitting Rafael Belliard due up, Braves Manager Bobby Cox rolled the dice on a big inning by sending up Dwight Smith as a pinch-hitter. Hershiser walked Smith intentionally to load the bases, bringing up Marquis Grissom in a crucial spot. Grissom hit a slow chopper to the right of the mound, and Hershiser tried to field it with his bare hand. He missed, scoring Klesko to tie the game and keeping the bases loaded. And who was due up? Polonia, who had just homered the previous at-bat. And there was the memory of Game One close in Cleveland's mind, where in a similar situation, Belliard executed a squeeze bunt. Hershiser threw outside for ball one to see if Polonia was bunting, but he didn't move the bat. Polonia then grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning, and Cleveland was just glad to get out the inning still tied. Maddux, meanwhile, had recovered well, and though he gave up a double to Alomar in the fifth, the game was still tied when Cleveland came to bat in the bottom of the sixth.
Baerga hit a one-out double, so Maddux walked Belle. Murray lined out to right deep enough to move Baerga to third with two out and then Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez hit back-to-back singles to restore Cleveland's two-run lead. Maddux got Paul Sorrento to pop out to third, but the Tribe were back in front, 4-2. This was a key accomplishment because Maddux had only allowed four runs in a game twice in 1995. Then came the eighth, when Atlanta stirred but missed a golden opportunity.
Mike Mordecai, who came in for Belliard, singled to lead off the inning and bring the top of the order to the plate. Grissom, hitting .400 in the series, took a vicious cut and lined one directly back to Hershiser on the mound. The pitcher reacted quickly, reaching down with glove and almost miraculously snagging the ball for an out and then firing to first to nail Mordecai off the base for just what Cleveland needed, a double play, if not quite the way they intended. Brad Clontz replaced Maddux in the eighth and got two outs before giving up what appeared to be a cosmetic run solo shot to Thome that made it 5-2. As it turned out, Cleveland would need that extra run.
Jose Mesa, the 46-save closer and Game Three winner came on to retire Atlanta and clinch the game. He got Chipper Jones to line out to right before giving up a double to Fred McGriff, then retired Justice for the second out. Down to their last out, Mesa threw Klesko some heat that the hefty lefty launched into the night for a two-run shot that made it 5-4 - and made Thome's home run a matter of life or death. It mattered not after Lemke struck out to end the game, but the Indians did what they needed to do to keep their hopes alive. Mesa, meanwhile, demonstrated once again how misleading and what a joke the save stat can be. Come in with a three-run lead, give up two extra-base hits include a tape measure bomb, retire three hitters - and people think you did a good job.
But Cleveland overall DID do a good job tonight. The Braves had their third chance to put a World Series ring on their fingers in the last five years (Games Six and Seven in 1991 and tonight), and they are now 0-3 in those games. Maddux had two bad innings and five oustanding innings, but it was enough for Cleveland to prevail. The onus is on Tom Glavine, pitcher of mixed outcomes in post-season play, to land Atlanta their first championship.
October 26, 1995
Cleveland Indians 5 (W: Hershiser, 1-1; SV: Mesa, 1)
Atlanta Braves 4 (L: Maddux, 1-1)
Braves lead series, 3-2
INDIANS BEAT MADDUX TO KEEP HOPES ALIVE
Thirty-seven times in the history of Major League Baseball, a team has had a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven-series. On 30 of those occasions, the team with the lead has gone on to win the series. Of the six times that a team has overcome that deficit, five were in the World Series and two in the ALCS (it has never happened in the NLCS). Those were the odds facing the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field tonight as they faced elimination in the World Series against the Atlanta Braves. And the most obvious reason it is so difficult isn't hard to fathom: you're going to face the opposing team's best pitcher at least once in those three games, leaving you no choice to beat the best. A look over the rosters of the teams that have accomplished this vindicates this view: Walter Johnson (1925 Pirates), Warren Spahn (1958 Yankees), Bob Gibson (1968 Tigers), Jim Palmer (1979 Pirates), Dave Stieb (1985 Royals), John Tudor (1985 Royals - World Series), and Mike Witt (1986 Red Sox). The first four pitchers are among the greatest in the history of the game, and the other three were among the best pitchers of the 80s (analytics shows Stieb as the best AL pitcher of the decade, though he never won the Cy Young). Cleveland had the unenviable task of facing off against the best pitcher of the last 75 years, Greg Maddux, who held the .291 Cleveland attack to all of two hits in Game One.
Mission accomplished, part one.
It remains to be seen in the next two games how much was Cleveland's ability to adjust and how much was the fact Maddux had, for him, an off night. How bad was the night for Maddux? He walked two hitters and gave up a home run in the first inning for the first time since July 14, 1990, when Maddux was still coming of age with the Cubs in Wrigley Field. He got off to a terrible start tonight, the Indians never let off the gas, and the Braves never recovered. Thus, the series returns to Atlanta for Game Six on Saturday night, and one has to wonder if the pressure will shift dramatically onto the Braves as that day approaches.
It was 3-1 night at Jacobs Field as Tim McCarver (1968 Cardinals) and Palmer (1979 Orioles) were calling the game for ABC, both members of teams that blew 3-1 series leads. Two members of the Indians, Eddie Murray and Dennis Martinez, were on that 1979 Orioles team with Palmer as well and can attest to the fact the series is far from over. Martinez will get his chance when he starts on Saturday night, but Murray engaged in his own form of intimidation against Maddux that backfired spectacularly and sent the message that a Maddux not on top of his game is still a helluva good pitcher.
Atlanta wasted a two-out double by Chipper Jones in the first and then in the bottom of the inning, Maddux did the most un-Maddux thing possible when he walked Omar Vizquel. Maddux averages less than one walk per nine innings, a phenomenal stat for a guy who only gave up 8 home runs all year. He got Carlos Baerga to ground out as Vizquel moved to second and with an open base, Atlanta opted to pitch to Albert Belle. Belle reached out in what looked for all the world to be a replay from his home run off of Steve Avery last night and sent a looping 2-run home run just over the right field fence not far from where his shot landed last night, sending the anxious Cleveland fans into a dither. The always calm exterior of Maddux can be misleading, however; this is the guy who showed up in the big leagues with the Chicago Cubs with only one question: "What's the sign for the knockdown pitch?" Maddux threw one that Murray took a home run cut and fouled off and on the next pitch threw to Murray high and tight for a ball. Murray took umbrage at the pitch and began spewing profanities in Maddux's direction. Both dugouts emptied and the always calm Orel Hershiser asked Maddux if he was throwing at Murray intentionally, a ludicrous question not only because Maddux isn't going to say "yes," but also because as McCarver noted, if Maddux was trying to hit Murray, he would have thrown behind him. (I'd add further that if Maddux was trying to hit Murray, he would have). Murray then drew a walk - and Maddux picked him off first and went to the dugout trailing, 2-0. But the best control pitcher of his generation threw 10 balls in a series of 21 pitches, unheard of for Maddux. Despite the hub-bub, the game remained calm until the fourth. That's when Luis Polonia attempted to etch his name among the memorable heroes of World Series lore that includes Al Weis, Brian Doyle, and even Mark Lemke.
Polonia, a speedy utility player with only 16 career home runs in over 3,000 career at-bats - and only one in 1995, had faced Hershiser in the 1988 World Series as a pinch-hitter and popped to short. But this Hershiser is not that one after arm surgery, and after first feigning a bunt attempt and working a 2-2 count before turning on a hanging curve as it cut back across the plate and sending it into the right field seats for a home run that shocked everyone - probably including Polonia - and cut the Indians' lead to 2-1. Hershiser recovered and retired Jones, McGriff, and Justice to hold the lead, but in the fifth the Braves went back to work. Maddux, meanwhile, had returned to form and gave up only one hit in the next three innings, the most notable at-bat when Murray lined a shot back through the box that Maddux caught on the fly without batting an eye.
Ryan Klesko lined a single over Baerga leading off the fifth, but Mark Lemke then hit a bouncer to Hershiser that appeared sure to net two outs. But Hershiser threw wide of the bag at second, and both Klesko and Lemke were safe as Vizquel made sure the damage wasn't worse, but Hershiser was charged with an error. Charlie O'Brien bunted both runners into scoring position, and with the light-hitting Rafael Belliard due up, Braves Manager Bobby Cox rolled the dice on a big inning by sending up Dwight Smith as a pinch-hitter. Hershiser walked Smith intentionally to load the bases, bringing up Marquis Grissom in a crucial spot. Grissom hit a slow chopper to the right of the mound, and Hershiser tried to field it with his bare hand. He missed, scoring Klesko to tie the game and keeping the bases loaded. And who was due up? Polonia, who had just homered the previous at-bat. And there was the memory of Game One close in Cleveland's mind, where in a similar situation, Belliard executed a squeeze bunt. Hershiser threw outside for ball one to see if Polonia was bunting, but he didn't move the bat. Polonia then grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning, and Cleveland was just glad to get out the inning still tied. Maddux, meanwhile, had recovered well, and though he gave up a double to Alomar in the fifth, the game was still tied when Cleveland came to bat in the bottom of the sixth.
Baerga hit a one-out double, so Maddux walked Belle. Murray lined out to right deep enough to move Baerga to third with two out and then Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez hit back-to-back singles to restore Cleveland's two-run lead. Maddux got Paul Sorrento to pop out to third, but the Tribe were back in front, 4-2. This was a key accomplishment because Maddux had only allowed four runs in a game twice in 1995. Then came the eighth, when Atlanta stirred but missed a golden opportunity.
Mike Mordecai, who came in for Belliard, singled to lead off the inning and bring the top of the order to the plate. Grissom, hitting .400 in the series, took a vicious cut and lined one directly back to Hershiser on the mound. The pitcher reacted quickly, reaching down with glove and almost miraculously snagging the ball for an out and then firing to first to nail Mordecai off the base for just what Cleveland needed, a double play, if not quite the way they intended. Brad Clontz replaced Maddux in the eighth and got two outs before giving up what appeared to be a cosmetic run solo shot to Thome that made it 5-2. As it turned out, Cleveland would need that extra run.
Jose Mesa, the 46-save closer and Game Three winner came on to retire Atlanta and clinch the game. He got Chipper Jones to line out to right before giving up a double to Fred McGriff, then retired Justice for the second out. Down to their last out, Mesa threw Klesko some heat that the hefty lefty launched into the night for a two-run shot that made it 5-4 - and made Thome's home run a matter of life or death. It mattered not after Lemke struck out to end the game, but the Indians did what they needed to do to keep their hopes alive. Mesa, meanwhile, demonstrated once again how misleading and what a joke the save stat can be. Come in with a three-run lead, give up two extra-base hits include a tape measure bomb, retire three hitters - and people think you did a good job.
But Cleveland overall DID do a good job tonight. The Braves had their third chance to put a World Series ring on their fingers in the last five years (Games Six and Seven in 1991 and tonight), and they are now 0-3 in those games. Maddux had two bad innings and five oustanding innings, but it was enough for Cleveland to prevail. The onus is on Tom Glavine, pitcher of mixed outcomes in post-season play, to land Atlanta their first championship.
October 27, 1995
Off day
Braves lead series, 3-2
BRAVES HOPE TO REVERSE GAME 6 WOES WHILE TRIBE DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM TEAMMATES;
TRIBE TALKS TRASH AND SHOWALTER OUT IN NY
The Braves franchise has been here no less than eight times previously, and it doesn't help to note they're 1-7 in those games. Eight times the Braves during their tenures in Boston and Milwaukee and Atlanta have taken the field for a post-season Game Six; seven times they've left the field on the short end, the lone win a dramatic 1-0 win over Pittsburgh in the 1991 NLCS, a game that would have put the Pirates in the World Series had Pittsburgh prevailed. Such is the chatter during the final scheduled off-day of the 1995 baseball season, a day in which it rained in Atlanta but thankfully no game was scheduled.
The scheduled Atlanta pitcher in Game Six, Tom Glavine, had his turn three years ago, and it was one of the worst starts of his career. In a game that would have put Atlanta in the World Series, Glavine was knocked out of the box in the second inning, shelled for eight runs in a 13-4 drubbing. So bad was the beating that Barry Bonds, who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat in the post-season, had two hits in that inning, including his first post-season home run and was thrown out at home to end that inning. The first of those Game Six losses, coincidentally, was the last time Cleveland won the championship in 1948. And Cleveland insists that the pressure is on Atlanta simply because the Braves are the favorites, playing at home, and have the pressure of recent post-season failures squarely on their shoulders. But Omar Vizquel took the so-called gamesmanship too far today, saying, "They know they can't win a World Series, they've already lost twice." Pretty bold talk for a shortstop hitting below the Mendoza line against the Braves and who, despite being perhaps the best fielding shortstop in the majors, got away with a goofy play at second in Game One only because the umpire got the call wrong. And he might want to be careful, too; Cleveland is built top-to-bottom well enough that within a few years, Vizquel might find himself on the losing end of more than one World Series. Indeed, given the stability of both teams, it is not unreasonable to think this may be merely the opening matchup in the World Series between them. The mouth of Orel Hershier also upset the Braves, who found the normally reserved 37-year-old pitcher a bit too outspoken and pompous for his britches. After first suggesting Greg Maddux was throwing at Eddie Murray, he said in the postgame that Maddux "came to close." That elicited a response from a Brave who refused to be indentified, saying, "Hershiser thinks he's (our) pitching coach, hitting coach, and P.R. director." Hershiser later added, "I think the pressure is on them because they have something to lose. They've lost the last two World Series' they've been in," said Hershiser, conveniently forgetting his team lost two NLCS with him as a pitcher before winning the 1988 World Series.
The Indians, meanwhile, will attempt to draw inspiration from teammates Eddie Murray and Dennis Martinez, who were themselves on the wrong end of a 3-1 comeback in 1979 with the Baltimore Orioles. What's overlooked in that commonly appealed to anecdote is that Baltimore scored only two runs in the last 27 innings of that series while losing three games; Atlanta scored that many runs on one swing of the bat against Cleveland's closer (Jose Mesa) in Game Five. And there's also the debatable status of Maddux for a Game Seven, when he would be pitching on two days' rest. Word is that Maddux informed Glavine today to go pitch his game, saying that Cleveland didn't really adjust at all to his pitching so much as he was missing his spots. Glavine, for his part, said only one of his pitches was working in Game Two, but it turned out to be enough thanks largely to the heroics of Javy Lopez.
And then there's that debacle known as the New York Yankees and their narcissistic twit of an owner, George Steinbrenner. Once again we are treated to what has become standard libretto for the Yankees over the last 15 years. It seems like almost every time they aren't in the World Series, Steinbrenner does something designed to make news during the World Series that wouldn't even be a story anywhere else. But because it's the Yankees, the media covers it like a Space Shuttle crash. During the 1985 World Series, Steinbrenner intruded on the all-Missouri World Series by rehiring Billy Martin (his fourth tenure as NY manager) on the morning of Game Seven of the World Series. Steinbrenner had decided a month earlier to fire Martin, whose team won 97 games and lost the pennant on the next-to-last day of the season, and replace him with Lou Piniella, but it was a choice between intruding on someone else's party and having class, and you get one guess which Steinbrenner did. On the day of Game One of the 1987 World Series, Steinbrenner "promoted" Piniella to General Manager - and hired Martin again, once again intruding on baseball's lead story. In 1988, after the Yankees were again in a pennant race for much of the season, he fired Piniella on the day Game Three of the NLCS was supposed to open in New York, with the Mets hosting Los Angeles. You see, he just had to step on the Mets being in the post-season when he wasn't. Only his lifetime ban (later lifted) from the sport prevented Steinbrenner from intruding on that wonderful Series in 1991. He's doing it again, running off the guy who got the Yankees to within a game of the ALCS, Buck Showalter.
Steinbrenner offered Showalter a two-year, $1.05 million contract to return, conveniently announcing this offer on the day the Braves could have closed out the World Series yesterday. The offer was made knowing full well it was insulting for what he accomplished and that Showalter would reject it. This, of course, will lead to days of speculation as to whether or not Showalter will return - and then Steinbrenner will no doubt announce he's hired someone - rumored at this point to be Joe Torre, who has bombed everywhere he's managed - on the morning after either Atlanta prevails or Cleveland ends the "curse of Rocky Colavito." Sure enough, that's exactly how it's unfolding. The Talking Trio (Michaels-McCarver-Palmer) brought it up during the game last night, and newspapers are running wild with stories of the two. Rumor has it Showalter will replace Sparky Anderson in Detroit. Jim Palmer was right about one thing: Showalter is not going to be without a managerial job for long.
Off day
Braves lead series, 3-2
BRAVES HOPE TO REVERSE GAME 6 WOES WHILE TRIBE DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM TEAMMATES;
TRIBE TALKS TRASH AND SHOWALTER OUT IN NY
The Braves franchise has been here no less than eight times previously, and it doesn't help to note they're 1-7 in those games. Eight times the Braves during their tenures in Boston and Milwaukee and Atlanta have taken the field for a post-season Game Six; seven times they've left the field on the short end, the lone win a dramatic 1-0 win over Pittsburgh in the 1991 NLCS, a game that would have put the Pirates in the World Series had Pittsburgh prevailed. Such is the chatter during the final scheduled off-day of the 1995 baseball season, a day in which it rained in Atlanta but thankfully no game was scheduled.
The scheduled Atlanta pitcher in Game Six, Tom Glavine, had his turn three years ago, and it was one of the worst starts of his career. In a game that would have put Atlanta in the World Series, Glavine was knocked out of the box in the second inning, shelled for eight runs in a 13-4 drubbing. So bad was the beating that Barry Bonds, who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat in the post-season, had two hits in that inning, including his first post-season home run and was thrown out at home to end that inning. The first of those Game Six losses, coincidentally, was the last time Cleveland won the championship in 1948. And Cleveland insists that the pressure is on Atlanta simply because the Braves are the favorites, playing at home, and have the pressure of recent post-season failures squarely on their shoulders. But Omar Vizquel took the so-called gamesmanship too far today, saying, "They know they can't win a World Series, they've already lost twice." Pretty bold talk for a shortstop hitting below the Mendoza line against the Braves and who, despite being perhaps the best fielding shortstop in the majors, got away with a goofy play at second in Game One only because the umpire got the call wrong. And he might want to be careful, too; Cleveland is built top-to-bottom well enough that within a few years, Vizquel might find himself on the losing end of more than one World Series. Indeed, given the stability of both teams, it is not unreasonable to think this may be merely the opening matchup in the World Series between them. The mouth of Orel Hershier also upset the Braves, who found the normally reserved 37-year-old pitcher a bit too outspoken and pompous for his britches. After first suggesting Greg Maddux was throwing at Eddie Murray, he said in the postgame that Maddux "came to close." That elicited a response from a Brave who refused to be indentified, saying, "Hershiser thinks he's (our) pitching coach, hitting coach, and P.R. director." Hershiser later added, "I think the pressure is on them because they have something to lose. They've lost the last two World Series' they've been in," said Hershiser, conveniently forgetting his team lost two NLCS with him as a pitcher before winning the 1988 World Series.
The Indians, meanwhile, will attempt to draw inspiration from teammates Eddie Murray and Dennis Martinez, who were themselves on the wrong end of a 3-1 comeback in 1979 with the Baltimore Orioles. What's overlooked in that commonly appealed to anecdote is that Baltimore scored only two runs in the last 27 innings of that series while losing three games; Atlanta scored that many runs on one swing of the bat against Cleveland's closer (Jose Mesa) in Game Five. And there's also the debatable status of Maddux for a Game Seven, when he would be pitching on two days' rest. Word is that Maddux informed Glavine today to go pitch his game, saying that Cleveland didn't really adjust at all to his pitching so much as he was missing his spots. Glavine, for his part, said only one of his pitches was working in Game Two, but it turned out to be enough thanks largely to the heroics of Javy Lopez.
And then there's that debacle known as the New York Yankees and their narcissistic twit of an owner, George Steinbrenner. Once again we are treated to what has become standard libretto for the Yankees over the last 15 years. It seems like almost every time they aren't in the World Series, Steinbrenner does something designed to make news during the World Series that wouldn't even be a story anywhere else. But because it's the Yankees, the media covers it like a Space Shuttle crash. During the 1985 World Series, Steinbrenner intruded on the all-Missouri World Series by rehiring Billy Martin (his fourth tenure as NY manager) on the morning of Game Seven of the World Series. Steinbrenner had decided a month earlier to fire Martin, whose team won 97 games and lost the pennant on the next-to-last day of the season, and replace him with Lou Piniella, but it was a choice between intruding on someone else's party and having class, and you get one guess which Steinbrenner did. On the day of Game One of the 1987 World Series, Steinbrenner "promoted" Piniella to General Manager - and hired Martin again, once again intruding on baseball's lead story. In 1988, after the Yankees were again in a pennant race for much of the season, he fired Piniella on the day Game Three of the NLCS was supposed to open in New York, with the Mets hosting Los Angeles. You see, he just had to step on the Mets being in the post-season when he wasn't. Only his lifetime ban (later lifted) from the sport prevented Steinbrenner from intruding on that wonderful Series in 1991. He's doing it again, running off the guy who got the Yankees to within a game of the ALCS, Buck Showalter.
Steinbrenner offered Showalter a two-year, $1.05 million contract to return, conveniently announcing this offer on the day the Braves could have closed out the World Series yesterday. The offer was made knowing full well it was insulting for what he accomplished and that Showalter would reject it. This, of course, will lead to days of speculation as to whether or not Showalter will return - and then Steinbrenner will no doubt announce he's hired someone - rumored at this point to be Joe Torre, who has bombed everywhere he's managed - on the morning after either Atlanta prevails or Cleveland ends the "curse of Rocky Colavito." Sure enough, that's exactly how it's unfolding. The Talking Trio (Michaels-McCarver-Palmer) brought it up during the game last night, and newspapers are running wild with stories of the two. Rumor has it Showalter will replace Sparky Anderson in Detroit. Jim Palmer was right about one thing: Showalter is not going to be without a managerial job for long.
October 28, 1995
Atlanta Braves 1 (W: Glavine, 2-0; SV: Wohlers, 1)
Cleveland Indians 0 (L: Martinez, 0-2)
Braves win series, 4-2
AT LAST, ATLANTA!!!!
Loserville No Longer, The Braves' Never-Ending Quest Ends With A Championship
David Justice celebrates the home run that brought Atlanta their first World Series.
Decades - even centuries from now - the only thing in dispute will be the beginning of the story.
The story might begin with October 21, 1964 - a day just four months to the day removed from the passage of the Civil Rights Act, a law that then Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen went to Washington and desperately said was needed - when the Milwaukee Braves broke the collective heart of their city by announcing the 1965 season would be their last because there was more money to be made in Atlanta. It might begin with January 6, 1976, when a then-unknown entrepreneur named Ted Turner bought the Braves and announced that they'd win the World Series within five years. Or maybe it was that bitter Toronto cold day in the aftermath of blowing a 3-1 lead in the 1985 ALCS that October when Turner recalled his favorite field general, Bobby Cox, and asked him to come back to Atlanta and build the Braves into a winner. It might even be that dramatic and terrible night of October 27, 1991, when Lonnie Smith stalled at second base and cost the Braves a run fans have no doubt to this day would have won the championship. 1,463 days. That's how long that's been. One thousand four hundred sixty-three sunsets Atlanta fans have lived with the agony and anxiety of "what might have been." But if there's no sure notion of when the story begins, the ending will remain the same in every retelling: of the night when an Atlanta-born centerfielder just one year (almost to the day) younger than the Atlanta era caught the final pitch of the 1995 baseball season and the annual celebration of hugs and the dogpile in the infield occurred as the Braves finally clinched that elusive World Series championship. Four years and one day after losing a gut-wrenching 1-0 finale to the Twins, the Braves won a stomach-turning 1-0 finale against the most powerful offensive team in the history of Major Legue Baseball. And in so doing ended forever the title drought of the city of Atlanta. And ended forever the stories of the team that cannot win the big game. By saving their biggest game for last, the Braves built the anticipation that made the trip all the more wortwhile.
Tom Glavine, one of the game's best pitchers, pitched one of the greatest games in the history of baseball, combining with closer Mark Wohlers to throw a one-hitter in the World Series, becoming only the sixth pitcher in 538 World Series games to allow fewer than two hits. And while his pitching performance did not match Don Larsen's perfect game, this was without question the most outstanding of the one-hitters when you remember one was in the deadball era (Ed Reulbach, 1906 Cubs), one was during the 1963-68 enlarged strike zone that inflated pitching stats and lowered batting stats (Jim Lonborg, 1967 Red Sox), one saw the pitcher walk a record 10 batters and lose when the one hit came with two outs in the ninth (Floyd Bevens, 1947 Yankees), and the other came in 1945, when most of the "real" big leaguers had not yet returned from WW2 (Claude Passeau, Cubs). None faced the offense the Atlanta pitching did - and none shut out and shut up Cleveland quite like the Braves did. The finale was the culmination of a thoroughly dominant pitching performance by a team that has the last five (including this year) Cy Young winners on staff. Cleveland's sluggers, who batted .291 during the regular season, the highest batting average by a major league team since the 1938 Red Sox (quick name even one player off the top of your head? No, Ted Williams didn't arrive until 1939), hit only .179 against Atlanta's pitching. They had 35 hits and 36 strikeouts in six games - and fully 1/3 of both game in Game Three, when the Tribe blew a 4-1 lead but rallied to win it in 11 innings.
That's not to say the Braves did everything perfect, either. Indeed, they woke up to a controversy for comments made by right fielder David Justice, he of the .166 batting average. Because rain prevented much batting practice - or anything else - in Fulton County Stadium on Friday, Justice made the mistake of giving an interview to a reporter he knew had a live one when it was over. And his recorded remarks were the kind that would have sunk Nixon, and I don't mean Otis, either:
What happens if we don’t win? When’s the parade then? They’ll run us out of Atlanta. … If we don’t win, they’ll probably burn our houses down. … If we get down 1-0 tonight, they will probably boo us out of the stadium. You have to do something great to get them out of their seats. … I’m the only guy that will sit here and say it, but there are a lot of people that feel this way.
This from the guy in a 1-for-15 slump who hadn't homered since September 22. Justice would later say that Saturday was one of the most miserable days of his life - up until Justice had a chance to give those same fans something to cheer about.
In the years to come, this series will be mostly forgotten in the details. It was a good and competitive series, but not a great one. It was a very well-pitched one, mostly by Atlanta, and it was entertaining for a sport that needs to get on with getting fans back into the seats. But it was not a spine-tingling series like the dramatic one in 1991 or the very good but not quite so dramatic one in 1992. What will stand out years from now are three things: 1) Atlanta's pitching; 2) Javy Lopez's pickoff play; and 3) the one game-changing swing of David Justice. It took a long time to get that swing, and one look on the mound shows it took longer than a lot of fans want to remember.
This was the fourth time in the last five years a Braves pitcher took the mound in a game that would win the championship for the Braves if the pitcher won. Steve Avery and John Smoltz were let down by anemic offense and the bullpen; Greg Maddux was not quite himself two nights ago. But it was fitting that Glavine was on the mound. It was Glavine who led all of baseball in losses (17) in 1988 when the Braves had the worst year in the history of the franchise, going down to defeat 106 times. Smoltz was on that team, too, but Smoltz was in the All-Star Game the next year while Glavine led the league in wins three times in a row starting three years later in 1991. There's also the Elephant in the Room with Glavine - he's the team's public face of the strike as the union rep, which makes him about as popular in Georgia as the devil that Charlie Daniels whipped in a fiddle contest. And Glavine has been on the mound before in a Game Six clincher and gotten clobbered. Tonight, all of the past was swept away in the triumph of the Braves in the World Series.
Atlanta Braves 1 (W: Glavine, 2-0; SV: Wohlers, 1)
Cleveland Indians 0 (L: Martinez, 0-2)
Braves win series, 4-2
AT LAST, ATLANTA!!!!
Loserville No Longer, The Braves' Never-Ending Quest Ends With A Championship
David Justice celebrates the home run that brought Atlanta their first World Series.
Decades - even centuries from now - the only thing in dispute will be the beginning of the story.
The story might begin with October 21, 1964 - a day just four months to the day removed from the passage of the Civil Rights Act, a law that then Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen went to Washington and desperately said was needed - when the Milwaukee Braves broke the collective heart of their city by announcing the 1965 season would be their last because there was more money to be made in Atlanta. It might begin with January 6, 1976, when a then-unknown entrepreneur named Ted Turner bought the Braves and announced that they'd win the World Series within five years. Or maybe it was that bitter Toronto cold day in the aftermath of blowing a 3-1 lead in the 1985 ALCS that October when Turner recalled his favorite field general, Bobby Cox, and asked him to come back to Atlanta and build the Braves into a winner. It might even be that dramatic and terrible night of October 27, 1991, when Lonnie Smith stalled at second base and cost the Braves a run fans have no doubt to this day would have won the championship. 1,463 days. That's how long that's been. One thousand four hundred sixty-three sunsets Atlanta fans have lived with the agony and anxiety of "what might have been." But if there's no sure notion of when the story begins, the ending will remain the same in every retelling: of the night when an Atlanta-born centerfielder just one year (almost to the day) younger than the Atlanta era caught the final pitch of the 1995 baseball season and the annual celebration of hugs and the dogpile in the infield occurred as the Braves finally clinched that elusive World Series championship. Four years and one day after losing a gut-wrenching 1-0 finale to the Twins, the Braves won a stomach-turning 1-0 finale against the most powerful offensive team in the history of Major Legue Baseball. And in so doing ended forever the title drought of the city of Atlanta. And ended forever the stories of the team that cannot win the big game. By saving their biggest game for last, the Braves built the anticipation that made the trip all the more wortwhile.
Tom Glavine, one of the game's best pitchers, pitched one of the greatest games in the history of baseball, combining with closer Mark Wohlers to throw a one-hitter in the World Series, becoming only the sixth pitcher in 538 World Series games to allow fewer than two hits. And while his pitching performance did not match Don Larsen's perfect game, this was without question the most outstanding of the one-hitters when you remember one was in the deadball era (Ed Reulbach, 1906 Cubs), one was during the 1963-68 enlarged strike zone that inflated pitching stats and lowered batting stats (Jim Lonborg, 1967 Red Sox), one saw the pitcher walk a record 10 batters and lose when the one hit came with two outs in the ninth (Floyd Bevens, 1947 Yankees), and the other came in 1945, when most of the "real" big leaguers had not yet returned from WW2 (Claude Passeau, Cubs). None faced the offense the Atlanta pitching did - and none shut out and shut up Cleveland quite like the Braves did. The finale was the culmination of a thoroughly dominant pitching performance by a team that has the last five (including this year) Cy Young winners on staff. Cleveland's sluggers, who batted .291 during the regular season, the highest batting average by a major league team since the 1938 Red Sox (quick name even one player off the top of your head? No, Ted Williams didn't arrive until 1939), hit only .179 against Atlanta's pitching. They had 35 hits and 36 strikeouts in six games - and fully 1/3 of both game in Game Three, when the Tribe blew a 4-1 lead but rallied to win it in 11 innings.
That's not to say the Braves did everything perfect, either. Indeed, they woke up to a controversy for comments made by right fielder David Justice, he of the .166 batting average. Because rain prevented much batting practice - or anything else - in Fulton County Stadium on Friday, Justice made the mistake of giving an interview to a reporter he knew had a live one when it was over. And his recorded remarks were the kind that would have sunk Nixon, and I don't mean Otis, either:
What happens if we don’t win? When’s the parade then? They’ll run us out of Atlanta. … If we don’t win, they’ll probably burn our houses down. … If we get down 1-0 tonight, they will probably boo us out of the stadium. You have to do something great to get them out of their seats. … I’m the only guy that will sit here and say it, but there are a lot of people that feel this way.
This from the guy in a 1-for-15 slump who hadn't homered since September 22. Justice would later say that Saturday was one of the most miserable days of his life - up until Justice had a chance to give those same fans something to cheer about.
In the years to come, this series will be mostly forgotten in the details. It was a good and competitive series, but not a great one. It was a very well-pitched one, mostly by Atlanta, and it was entertaining for a sport that needs to get on with getting fans back into the seats. But it was not a spine-tingling series like the dramatic one in 1991 or the very good but not quite so dramatic one in 1992. What will stand out years from now are three things: 1) Atlanta's pitching; 2) Javy Lopez's pickoff play; and 3) the one game-changing swing of David Justice. It took a long time to get that swing, and one look on the mound shows it took longer than a lot of fans want to remember.
This was the fourth time in the last five years a Braves pitcher took the mound in a game that would win the championship for the Braves if the pitcher won. Steve Avery and John Smoltz were let down by anemic offense and the bullpen; Greg Maddux was not quite himself two nights ago. But it was fitting that Glavine was on the mound. It was Glavine who led all of baseball in losses (17) in 1988 when the Braves had the worst year in the history of the franchise, going down to defeat 106 times. Smoltz was on that team, too, but Smoltz was in the All-Star Game the next year while Glavine led the league in wins three times in a row starting three years later in 1991. There's also the Elephant in the Room with Glavine - he's the team's public face of the strike as the union rep, which makes him about as popular in Georgia as the devil that Charlie Daniels whipped in a fiddle contest. And Glavine has been on the mound before in a Game Six clincher and gotten clobbered. Tonight, all of the past was swept away in the triumph of the Braves in the World Series.
Former President Jimmy Carter threw out the first pitch, and you have to admit - it would have been rather amusing to see Atlanta native and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich throw it out what with the budget battle ongoing with President Clinton. But Carter is not only a former President but also a former Governor of Georgia, a well-respected humanitarian, and probably the third-best known Braves fan behind team owner, Ted Turner, and his wife, Jane Fonda. (Come to think of it - can you imagine the reaction if Jane threw out the first pitch? Yikes!).
It was a 56-degree Atlanta night when Glavine took the mound in front of 51,000-plus fans hoping that finally - after 30 years in the city - the Braves would win it all. He began methodically, working the corners of the plate and absolutely refusing to throw anything out over the middle of the plate. He retired the side in order in the first, and Mark Lemke singled with one out in the bottom of the first for the game's first hit. With the elder - for a baseball player - Tony Pena behind the plate, Braves Manager Bobby Cox got aggressive quickly against Cleveland starter Dennis Martinez, who has been suffering off and on from a sore shoulder. Lemke attempted to steal second but was thrown out, which became bigger when Chipper Jones singled with two outs. Fred McGriff struck out, though, and the Braves came up empty. Glavine then walked Albert Belle leading off the second, but he, too, was caught stealing on a perfect peg by Lopez. Glavine then struck out Eddie Murray and Manny Ramirez, keeping his pitch count low and the ball away from the hitters.
Martinez, by contrast, was nowhere close to his best. He walked Justice and Ryan Klesko to start the second, bringing Lopez to the plate, the same Lopez who chased Martinez from Game Two with what turned out to be the game-winning home run. Ordinarily this might call for a bunt, but light-hitting Rafael Belliard and Glavine were the next two hitters. Lopez popped up an infield fly, and Belliard hit into a rally-killing double play that deflated the Atlanta crowd. Glavine worked another quick inning in the third, striking out both Jim Thome and Martinez around a ground out to the mound by Pena. But the Braves went in order, too, and after Glavine got through the fourth with still nobody reaching first, the Braves had another golden opportunity in the fourth. With two outs, Justice doubled, and the Indians, knowing Klesko had slammed home runs in each of the three previous games, intentionally walked him to get to Lopez. Martinez worked him carefully and walked Javy to load the bases, which ended the inning again when Belliard flew out to center. Alarmingly for Braves fans with long memories, the game was shaping up like that Game Seven loss in 1991.
Glavine again gave Belle nothing to hit leading off the inning, walking him, and then retired Murray, Ramirez, and Thome, striking out the latter and reaching the halfway point having given up no hits. Martinez returned to the mound and quickly retired Glavine and Marquis Grissom, but he then walked Lemke and Chipper singled Lemke to second. With three lefties due up and Cleveland already having escaped trouble twice, Indians Manager Mike Hargrove opted to pull Martinez and bring in lefty Jim Poole, who played his college ball just a few miles from the stadium at Georgia Tech. Poole did exactly what was needed, striking out McGriff to end the inning and leaving Atlanta frustrated for the third time in five innings. Then in the sixth, the Braves got the kind of scare they'd been avoiding all game.
Glavine's first pitch to Pena leading off the sixth was way outside, and after getting a strike off the corner and a foul, Pena lined Cleveland's first hit of the game into center field. The no-hitter was now gone, which as the game unfolded may have been the best thing for the Braves. Poole then came up for his first major league at bat - yes, in the World Series. And Poole looked like it, too, trying to bunt Pena to second and popping out to McGriff in foul territory for the first out. That's when Kenny Lofton came to the plate, and while it seemed he was in the middle of everything in the post-season, he had actually not even been on base since Game Three. He hit a one bounce tapper back to Glavine at the mound, who fired a perfect strike to Belliard approaching the bag. Pena was out on the force, and Belliard gunned the ball in a bang-bang play at first, but Lofton was just fast enough to beat the throw, and now Atlanta's nightmare was on base, although two were already out. Hearts beat a little quicker, and they would go even faster with what happened next.
Glavine, to this point, had done almost everything perfect. Except for the base hit, he was having about as great a performance as imaginable. But with an 0-1 count to Omar Vizquel, everyone in the park knew Lofton was going to try and steal second. Lofton knew it so well, he made a crucial mistake and took off too soon. Glavine remained calm, as he fired the pickoff throw to McGriff, who gunned the ball to second, but Lofton was too fast, beating the throw, and putting the Tribe's first runner in scoring position all night. A hit now would give Cleveland the lead. Glavine, though, almost looked relieved, figuring he could focus on Vizquel, whom he'd already struck out twice. He induced an inning ending fly out to McGriff - again in foul territory - and Justice came to the plate leading off the bottom of the sixth. In Game Six of the 1991 World Series, Justice had been up in a similar situation. The Braves and Twins were tied in the fifth, and a win by Atlanta would clinch the title. Justice had drilled a fastball over the plate high and down the right field line at the Metrodome that landed about four feet foul. Justice then grounded out, and it was nothing but a loud strike. Justice would launch another loud strike with substantially different results tonight.
With a 1-1 count on Justice, Poole put one right over the plate, and Justice turned on it with a vengeance, driving the ball deep into the right-field seats. Justice even shook a celebratory fist a he rounded first, and Fulton County Stadium erupted in prolonged cheers and, yep, you guessed it, the Tomahawk Chop. Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, every bit as bad an announcer as he was good as a player, declared, "It's okay to talk the talk, if you can walk the walk." The way Glavine was pitching, that one run was probably going to be enough, and Braves fans began counting the outs and just hoping nothing went sideways in Cleveland's last nine outs. And an Atlanta rally that fizzled in the seventh made things worse for the Braves because Glavine's shoulder stiffened with the extended time on the bench. In that long inning, the Braves loaded the bases for Mike Devereaux, but he popped to second. A grand slam there would have sealed the deal, but the Braves have played a lot of close post-season games, so what's one more? And then came the ninth.
Pitching coach Leo Mazzone asked Glavine if he could close out the game. Mark Wohlers, who had been nearly automatic for the last four months, was warmed up and ready to go. Glavine told Mazzone that he was tired, and he was also getting away with mistakes. And so Wohlers was perched on the mound needing three outs to clinch the series, and who happens to be in the batter's box but Kenny Lofton? Wohlers fired a blazing fastball right down the middle for strike one and then came inside on the next two pitches, both balls. Wohlers returned to the heat on the fourth pitch, and Lofton knicked one just enough to foul it off to the left-field side. It was at this moment that Belliard, all glove and no bat, raced between Devereaux and Jones and snagged the ball backhanded in foul territory for the first out of the ninth. The reality that Lofton was not going to be on base against Wohlers, who is easy to steal on even for below average runners, lifted the spirits of the Atlanta faithful, who now had only two outs to achieve the dream. Needing a home run - or at least a run - Paul Sorrento pinch-hit for Vizquel, and popped out to center. It was an eeire coincidence as Sorrento was on the 1991 Twins team that was one run better than Wohlers's Braves. Now it came down to Carlos Baerga, who had made the last out of the game in both previous contests in Atlanta. If he could reach base - and it was far from sure he'd make an out - Belle would come up with a chance to possibly steal the game. Baerga got the first pitch fastball he expected, but he was behind the pitch and lifted a fly towards left centerfield. Not far from the sign commemorating Hank Aaron's 715th home run - which to this moment was the greatest in the history of Atlanta sports - Grissom, born in Atlanta in 1967, extended his glove with a one-handed catch and lifted his arms. The Atlanta Braves, after two near misses, had done it. They had finally won the World Series. Bob Costas said it best, saying, "The team of the 90s has its world championship."
And all hell broke loose.
Actually, that's not what happened at all. The crowd noise was nowhere near the decibel level reached when Francisco Cabrera singled home the pennant in 1992, but it was loud and appreciative as the players gathered in the dogpile in the most fitting place for this Braves team...right there on the pitching mound. For the first time since the Braves that made Milwaukee famous in 1957, the Braves have won it all.
All that remains is the parade and the visit to the White House.
And a chance to play for the history books next year.
Atlanta-born Marquis Grissom lifts his arms in celebration.
It was a 56-degree Atlanta night when Glavine took the mound in front of 51,000-plus fans hoping that finally - after 30 years in the city - the Braves would win it all. He began methodically, working the corners of the plate and absolutely refusing to throw anything out over the middle of the plate. He retired the side in order in the first, and Mark Lemke singled with one out in the bottom of the first for the game's first hit. With the elder - for a baseball player - Tony Pena behind the plate, Braves Manager Bobby Cox got aggressive quickly against Cleveland starter Dennis Martinez, who has been suffering off and on from a sore shoulder. Lemke attempted to steal second but was thrown out, which became bigger when Chipper Jones singled with two outs. Fred McGriff struck out, though, and the Braves came up empty. Glavine then walked Albert Belle leading off the second, but he, too, was caught stealing on a perfect peg by Lopez. Glavine then struck out Eddie Murray and Manny Ramirez, keeping his pitch count low and the ball away from the hitters.
Martinez, by contrast, was nowhere close to his best. He walked Justice and Ryan Klesko to start the second, bringing Lopez to the plate, the same Lopez who chased Martinez from Game Two with what turned out to be the game-winning home run. Ordinarily this might call for a bunt, but light-hitting Rafael Belliard and Glavine were the next two hitters. Lopez popped up an infield fly, and Belliard hit into a rally-killing double play that deflated the Atlanta crowd. Glavine worked another quick inning in the third, striking out both Jim Thome and Martinez around a ground out to the mound by Pena. But the Braves went in order, too, and after Glavine got through the fourth with still nobody reaching first, the Braves had another golden opportunity in the fourth. With two outs, Justice doubled, and the Indians, knowing Klesko had slammed home runs in each of the three previous games, intentionally walked him to get to Lopez. Martinez worked him carefully and walked Javy to load the bases, which ended the inning again when Belliard flew out to center. Alarmingly for Braves fans with long memories, the game was shaping up like that Game Seven loss in 1991.
Glavine again gave Belle nothing to hit leading off the inning, walking him, and then retired Murray, Ramirez, and Thome, striking out the latter and reaching the halfway point having given up no hits. Martinez returned to the mound and quickly retired Glavine and Marquis Grissom, but he then walked Lemke and Chipper singled Lemke to second. With three lefties due up and Cleveland already having escaped trouble twice, Indians Manager Mike Hargrove opted to pull Martinez and bring in lefty Jim Poole, who played his college ball just a few miles from the stadium at Georgia Tech. Poole did exactly what was needed, striking out McGriff to end the inning and leaving Atlanta frustrated for the third time in five innings. Then in the sixth, the Braves got the kind of scare they'd been avoiding all game.
Glavine's first pitch to Pena leading off the sixth was way outside, and after getting a strike off the corner and a foul, Pena lined Cleveland's first hit of the game into center field. The no-hitter was now gone, which as the game unfolded may have been the best thing for the Braves. Poole then came up for his first major league at bat - yes, in the World Series. And Poole looked like it, too, trying to bunt Pena to second and popping out to McGriff in foul territory for the first out. That's when Kenny Lofton came to the plate, and while it seemed he was in the middle of everything in the post-season, he had actually not even been on base since Game Three. He hit a one bounce tapper back to Glavine at the mound, who fired a perfect strike to Belliard approaching the bag. Pena was out on the force, and Belliard gunned the ball in a bang-bang play at first, but Lofton was just fast enough to beat the throw, and now Atlanta's nightmare was on base, although two were already out. Hearts beat a little quicker, and they would go even faster with what happened next.
Glavine, to this point, had done almost everything perfect. Except for the base hit, he was having about as great a performance as imaginable. But with an 0-1 count to Omar Vizquel, everyone in the park knew Lofton was going to try and steal second. Lofton knew it so well, he made a crucial mistake and took off too soon. Glavine remained calm, as he fired the pickoff throw to McGriff, who gunned the ball to second, but Lofton was too fast, beating the throw, and putting the Tribe's first runner in scoring position all night. A hit now would give Cleveland the lead. Glavine, though, almost looked relieved, figuring he could focus on Vizquel, whom he'd already struck out twice. He induced an inning ending fly out to McGriff - again in foul territory - and Justice came to the plate leading off the bottom of the sixth. In Game Six of the 1991 World Series, Justice had been up in a similar situation. The Braves and Twins were tied in the fifth, and a win by Atlanta would clinch the title. Justice had drilled a fastball over the plate high and down the right field line at the Metrodome that landed about four feet foul. Justice then grounded out, and it was nothing but a loud strike. Justice would launch another loud strike with substantially different results tonight.
With a 1-1 count on Justice, Poole put one right over the plate, and Justice turned on it with a vengeance, driving the ball deep into the right-field seats. Justice even shook a celebratory fist a he rounded first, and Fulton County Stadium erupted in prolonged cheers and, yep, you guessed it, the Tomahawk Chop. Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, every bit as bad an announcer as he was good as a player, declared, "It's okay to talk the talk, if you can walk the walk." The way Glavine was pitching, that one run was probably going to be enough, and Braves fans began counting the outs and just hoping nothing went sideways in Cleveland's last nine outs. And an Atlanta rally that fizzled in the seventh made things worse for the Braves because Glavine's shoulder stiffened with the extended time on the bench. In that long inning, the Braves loaded the bases for Mike Devereaux, but he popped to second. A grand slam there would have sealed the deal, but the Braves have played a lot of close post-season games, so what's one more? And then came the ninth.
Pitching coach Leo Mazzone asked Glavine if he could close out the game. Mark Wohlers, who had been nearly automatic for the last four months, was warmed up and ready to go. Glavine told Mazzone that he was tired, and he was also getting away with mistakes. And so Wohlers was perched on the mound needing three outs to clinch the series, and who happens to be in the batter's box but Kenny Lofton? Wohlers fired a blazing fastball right down the middle for strike one and then came inside on the next two pitches, both balls. Wohlers returned to the heat on the fourth pitch, and Lofton knicked one just enough to foul it off to the left-field side. It was at this moment that Belliard, all glove and no bat, raced between Devereaux and Jones and snagged the ball backhanded in foul territory for the first out of the ninth. The reality that Lofton was not going to be on base against Wohlers, who is easy to steal on even for below average runners, lifted the spirits of the Atlanta faithful, who now had only two outs to achieve the dream. Needing a home run - or at least a run - Paul Sorrento pinch-hit for Vizquel, and popped out to center. It was an eeire coincidence as Sorrento was on the 1991 Twins team that was one run better than Wohlers's Braves. Now it came down to Carlos Baerga, who had made the last out of the game in both previous contests in Atlanta. If he could reach base - and it was far from sure he'd make an out - Belle would come up with a chance to possibly steal the game. Baerga got the first pitch fastball he expected, but he was behind the pitch and lifted a fly towards left centerfield. Not far from the sign commemorating Hank Aaron's 715th home run - which to this moment was the greatest in the history of Atlanta sports - Grissom, born in Atlanta in 1967, extended his glove with a one-handed catch and lifted his arms. The Atlanta Braves, after two near misses, had done it. They had finally won the World Series. Bob Costas said it best, saying, "The team of the 90s has its world championship."
And all hell broke loose.
Actually, that's not what happened at all. The crowd noise was nowhere near the decibel level reached when Francisco Cabrera singled home the pennant in 1992, but it was loud and appreciative as the players gathered in the dogpile in the most fitting place for this Braves team...right there on the pitching mound. For the first time since the Braves that made Milwaukee famous in 1957, the Braves have won it all.
All that remains is the parade and the visit to the White House.
And a chance to play for the history books next year.
Atlanta-born Marquis Grissom lifts his arms in celebration.
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CLEVELAND WILL BE BACK - THE EMPATHY AND THE WILL TO FIGHT
It's quite tempting in sports for fans to trash talk the opposition, run them down, do the "in your face" that ESPN has made famous in its mind-numbing commercials, but one image remains with me - the sad sight of Julian Tavarez weeping, choking back tears as he realized the Indians were going to fall just short of their goal. In life, in politics, in everything and especially in sports - there can only be one winner and only one number one. Everyone else, quite frankly, is a loser, at least in terms of the score. But Atlanta fans - if no other fans - can emphathize with Tavarez and indeed much of the Cleveland team. And if we set aside the childish behavior of Albert Belle and so-called gamesmanship and trash talking of Omar Vizquel, we can look at the Indians team and see that there very well may be a matchup in the near future of these two teams yet again. This is not a 1982 Milwaukee Brewers offensive powerhouse that is going to vanish from the scene sometime next year like a ship passing a deserted island in darkness, it's a team built for the long haul. Jim Thome looks like he and Chipper Jones might someday turn that 1992 Upper Deck baseball card with both of them on it as minor leaguers into a pair of Hall of Famers. If Belle can keep from exploding like Mt. Vesuvius every other month, he is a legit threat to break Roger Maris's home run record. The Indians are a good team built top to bottom, who will change out some of their older parts - maybe pitchers Hershiser and Martinez, definitely the about-to-be 40 Murray and the over-40 Winfield - and make another run. Having been there, we can only say we understand how much it hurts, and we hope someday you will know how good we feel as Braves fans right now. It is an indescribable feeling, one we wish we'd had in 1991 in that magical year but sometimes it doesn't work out that way.
We remember when Cleveland was a joke - just like Atlanta.
We remember seeing empty stadiums and sore-armed pitchers and your name at the bottom of the standings - just like Atlanta.
We remember you having one good offensive player at a time on a team of nothings - just like Atlanta.
And maybe - just maybe - you can soon parlay all of your talent and reconstructed classy organization into winning the World Series - just like Atlanta.
One thing is for sure: if we are not in the opposing dugout, we will be rooting for you.
It's quite tempting in sports for fans to trash talk the opposition, run them down, do the "in your face" that ESPN has made famous in its mind-numbing commercials, but one image remains with me - the sad sight of Julian Tavarez weeping, choking back tears as he realized the Indians were going to fall just short of their goal. In life, in politics, in everything and especially in sports - there can only be one winner and only one number one. Everyone else, quite frankly, is a loser, at least in terms of the score. But Atlanta fans - if no other fans - can emphathize with Tavarez and indeed much of the Cleveland team. And if we set aside the childish behavior of Albert Belle and so-called gamesmanship and trash talking of Omar Vizquel, we can look at the Indians team and see that there very well may be a matchup in the near future of these two teams yet again. This is not a 1982 Milwaukee Brewers offensive powerhouse that is going to vanish from the scene sometime next year like a ship passing a deserted island in darkness, it's a team built for the long haul. Jim Thome looks like he and Chipper Jones might someday turn that 1992 Upper Deck baseball card with both of them on it as minor leaguers into a pair of Hall of Famers. If Belle can keep from exploding like Mt. Vesuvius every other month, he is a legit threat to break Roger Maris's home run record. The Indians are a good team built top to bottom, who will change out some of their older parts - maybe pitchers Hershiser and Martinez, definitely the about-to-be 40 Murray and the over-40 Winfield - and make another run. Having been there, we can only say we understand how much it hurts, and we hope someday you will know how good we feel as Braves fans right now. It is an indescribable feeling, one we wish we'd had in 1991 in that magical year but sometimes it doesn't work out that way.
We remember when Cleveland was a joke - just like Atlanta.
We remember seeing empty stadiums and sore-armed pitchers and your name at the bottom of the standings - just like Atlanta.
We remember you having one good offensive player at a time on a team of nothings - just like Atlanta.
And maybe - just maybe - you can soon parlay all of your talent and reconstructed classy organization into winning the World Series - just like Atlanta.
One thing is for sure: if we are not in the opposing dugout, we will be rooting for you.
1995: THE AFTERMATH AND ASTERISK*** DISCUSSION
When Atlanta finally reached the pinnacle, the immediate question became whether or not they could stay there for any length of time. Repeat champions in baseball had become virtually extinct over the 15-plus year preceding the Braves' World Series title, but Atlanta seemed uniquely positioned both financially (as one of the richest clubs) and in terms of stability and baseball intelligence to succeed where every single team except the Toronto Blue Jays had failed - repeating as world champions the following season. Fans who had in Atlanta's five-year climb to the top turned on the Braves from being "lovable losers who are now winning" to "I hate those guys" muttered something about the season "having an asterisk", so let's dispose of that nonsense right here and right now.
"The asterisk" in baseball was invented in 1961 by then Commissioner Ford Frick, back when commissioners had a whole lot more power than they do now. Frick had been Babe Ruth's ghostwriter in his youth and was angry about the fact someone else might surpass his old buddy was too much for Frick to handle. And because in 1961 baseball had added two expansion teams and thus added eight games to the schedule, Frick decided to inform the public on July 17, 1961 that if Roger Maris did not break the single-season record in 154 games then his record would have the dreaded (and quite frankly, mythical) asterisk. Analytics as we now know them did not exist in 1961, they are largely the product of the 1969 publication of the 1st edition of the Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia, which informed average fans of the first century of the game. And had a bunch of errors that have since been corrected. Looking at it today, well, we wouldn't consider the number of GAMES so much as the number of PLATE APPEARANCES, which yields quite an interesting picture:
Ruth 60 in 687 plate appearances
Maris 60 in 688 plate appearances
Okay, so yes, Maris needed one more plate appearance than Ruth to reach 60...but Ruth got to bat FOUR MORE TIMES in the final game of the 1927 season, and he had a single, a strikeout, a walk, and he flied out to right field. (We will also set aside the fact that ground-rule doubles were home runs prior to 1930; all of Maris's homers unquestionably cleared the fence). Maris homered on the final day of the 1961 season having been to the plate ten more times than Ruth. Of course, Ruth missed 3 games in 1927, and you can't blame that on Maris. In 1991, baseball finally rectified this insanity and recognized Maris as the sole home run champion for "most home runs in the regular season." Sadly, Maris had been dead for nearly six years by the time baseball got around to celebrating his accomplishment, and he was always bewildered, noting that no other single-season record had any such asterisk attached. But that leads to the observation: "why would anyone think the Braves deserve an asterisk for the 1995 championship?"
The ready answer is, "Well, they didn't play a full season of games."
That's funny; the Braves played the EXACT SAME NUMBER of regular season games as everyone else did. And they won 90 games in a season cut 18 games short; had Atlanta played to 162 games, they would have won 101 games AT A MINIMUM and probably more - since they were coasting in the final three weeks of the season and avoiding injury. Atlanta won more games in a shortened season than did the 1926 St Louis Cardinals, 1945 Detroit Tigers, 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, or 1987 Minnesota Twins, and the exact same number as the 1940 Tigers and 1974 Oakland Athletics - again, IN EIGHTEEN FEWER GAMES!! All of those teams won the World Series and nary a peep out of anyone about how they didn't deserve it. But just to make the point clearer - let's look at a few cases.
1) The 1920 Cleveland Indians
Do the 1920 Indians deserve an asterisk?
The story is the stuff of legend, and almost all of it is wrong. On September 27, 1920, the sordid tale of the rigged 1919 World Series came out in a courtroom in Chicago and resulted in the immediate suspension of those suspected of consorting with gamblers to throw the series. The players were suspended with 3 games left in the season. The mythical tale that has grown over the last 75 years is that "White Sox were headed to another pennant but the players were suspended, the Sox collapsed, and Cleveland won the pennant." Sounds good, right? Except on the day that the players were suspended, the White Sox were 1/2 game out of first and had played three more games than Cleveland had. Yes, Chicago lost 2 of 3 to an average St Louis Browns team - but Cleveland won 4 of their last 6 games, meaning they would have finished first EVEN IF THE WHITE SOX HAD WON. Worst case scenario, a one-game playoff. And oh yeah - that was the year that Cleveland lost their shortstop - who was playing at a Hall of Fame level mind you - Ray Chapman, when he was beaned on August 16 and died the next day, the only on-field fatality due to a pitched ball in MLB history. Cleveland had to overcome imposed tragedy, Chicago couldn't overcome self-imposed tragedy.
2) The 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers
Do the Dodgers deserve an asterisk? They meet more of the criteria set for the Braves than do. They had a regular season shortened by a strike (just like the Braves), they were AWARDED a division title AFTER THE FACT (it was voted on prior to the resumption of the "second season" in August 1981) - a title they won solely because they had played one game more than the Reds and were 1/2 game ahead, and they didn't have the best record in the division or the second-best record in the NL...but they won the World Series. NOBODY dared suggest the Dodgers weren't legitimate champions, and both the Reds and Cardinals had legitimate gripes about the conclusion of that season.
3) The 1985 Kansas City Royals
This case is not as strong as the 1981 Dodgers, but one can be made. For starters, the Royals would have finished FIFTH in the AL East. We'll give them a point in their favor that they did finish first (unlike the Dodgers) but if you go back and check all the division races (1969-93), MOST of the time the division winners were 1 and 2 in terms of record, occasionally third. But in 1984, the Royals won the AL West with a record that would have finished SIXTH in the seven-team AL East. The next year, the Royals would have finished third in the East but won the West. Just by chance, that was the year that the LCS expanded for the first time from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven. Toronto took a 3-1 lead in the series that would have won it any other year - and KC rallied to win. Then KC drew the Cardinals and again fell behind, 3-1, and again rallied to win thanks to an assist from a pathetic call at first base in the ninth inning of Game Six that set into motion an avalanche that buried the Cardinals. On top of which, the Cardinals, thanks to a rule that made zero sense, played the last ten games of the post-season one player short after base stealer extraordinaire' Vince Coleman was run over by the automatic tarp prior to Game Four of the 1985 NLCS. Here again was the tyranny of a vindicative commissioner at work, just like Frick with Maris. In 1973, Mike Andrews made a pair of errors that cost the Oakland Athletics Game Two of the World Series. Oakland Owner Charlie Finley - speaking of vindictive tyrants - "fired" Andrews by forcing him to sign an affidavit that his shoulder was injured and he couldn't play the rest of the series. This signature - which ended Andrews's career - would have enabled Finley to replace him on the post-season roster with the more reliable defensive second baseman Manny Trillo. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn learned of the firing and reinstated Andrews, who came to pinch-hit in Game Four. Finley, kind soul that he was, did not even bother to tell the team; they noticed Andrews wasn't on the flight to New York for Game Three and, in fact, threatened to strike (there's an irony in this discussion for you). Kuhn then arbitrarily made up a rule "in the best interests of baseball" that henceforth declared a team could not replace anyone on the post-season roster once the game began. That rule has since been revised, but it didn't help the Cardinals, who were one player short and came up a play short of winning the series in Game Six.
4) "The best offense in baseball in over 50 years...."
Here's another one for you: prior to the World Series, the newspapers and pundits were drooling all over Cleveland's powerhouse offense, saying they'd never seen a top-to-bottom lineup with eight .300 hitters and a .291 batting average and WOW, look at them winning 100 games in the short season!!
So....what changed? Atlanta beat Cleveland, held them to all of nine hits on the road IN THREE GAMES. Shut them down and held them ONE HUNDRED POINTS below their season average.
Not one soul suggested "Cleveland's statistics shouldn't count because the season was short." Do you think for even one second if CLEVELAND had won the World Series that it would have been anything other than "what a sensational rebuilding job" and "100 wins in a short season"? You know the answer to that question. Cleveland's offense was being compared to the great teams of all-time prior to the Series. Atlanta beat them...and all of a sudden we hear nonsense about how it doesn't really count because it wasn't a full season.
Of course, if Cleveland's offense really was the greatest one-season offense ever assembled then doesn't that make Atlanta's pitching staff the greatest ever, too?
I'll have one final post of the aftermath of the Braves - and a dynasty that wasn't but should have been.
When Atlanta finally reached the pinnacle, the immediate question became whether or not they could stay there for any length of time. Repeat champions in baseball had become virtually extinct over the 15-plus year preceding the Braves' World Series title, but Atlanta seemed uniquely positioned both financially (as one of the richest clubs) and in terms of stability and baseball intelligence to succeed where every single team except the Toronto Blue Jays had failed - repeating as world champions the following season. Fans who had in Atlanta's five-year climb to the top turned on the Braves from being "lovable losers who are now winning" to "I hate those guys" muttered something about the season "having an asterisk", so let's dispose of that nonsense right here and right now.
"The asterisk" in baseball was invented in 1961 by then Commissioner Ford Frick, back when commissioners had a whole lot more power than they do now. Frick had been Babe Ruth's ghostwriter in his youth and was angry about the fact someone else might surpass his old buddy was too much for Frick to handle. And because in 1961 baseball had added two expansion teams and thus added eight games to the schedule, Frick decided to inform the public on July 17, 1961 that if Roger Maris did not break the single-season record in 154 games then his record would have the dreaded (and quite frankly, mythical) asterisk. Analytics as we now know them did not exist in 1961, they are largely the product of the 1969 publication of the 1st edition of the Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia, which informed average fans of the first century of the game. And had a bunch of errors that have since been corrected. Looking at it today, well, we wouldn't consider the number of GAMES so much as the number of PLATE APPEARANCES, which yields quite an interesting picture:
Ruth 60 in 687 plate appearances
Maris 60 in 688 plate appearances
Okay, so yes, Maris needed one more plate appearance than Ruth to reach 60...but Ruth got to bat FOUR MORE TIMES in the final game of the 1927 season, and he had a single, a strikeout, a walk, and he flied out to right field. (We will also set aside the fact that ground-rule doubles were home runs prior to 1930; all of Maris's homers unquestionably cleared the fence). Maris homered on the final day of the 1961 season having been to the plate ten more times than Ruth. Of course, Ruth missed 3 games in 1927, and you can't blame that on Maris. In 1991, baseball finally rectified this insanity and recognized Maris as the sole home run champion for "most home runs in the regular season." Sadly, Maris had been dead for nearly six years by the time baseball got around to celebrating his accomplishment, and he was always bewildered, noting that no other single-season record had any such asterisk attached. But that leads to the observation: "why would anyone think the Braves deserve an asterisk for the 1995 championship?"
The ready answer is, "Well, they didn't play a full season of games."
That's funny; the Braves played the EXACT SAME NUMBER of regular season games as everyone else did. And they won 90 games in a season cut 18 games short; had Atlanta played to 162 games, they would have won 101 games AT A MINIMUM and probably more - since they were coasting in the final three weeks of the season and avoiding injury. Atlanta won more games in a shortened season than did the 1926 St Louis Cardinals, 1945 Detroit Tigers, 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, or 1987 Minnesota Twins, and the exact same number as the 1940 Tigers and 1974 Oakland Athletics - again, IN EIGHTEEN FEWER GAMES!! All of those teams won the World Series and nary a peep out of anyone about how they didn't deserve it. But just to make the point clearer - let's look at a few cases.
1) The 1920 Cleveland Indians
Do the 1920 Indians deserve an asterisk?
The story is the stuff of legend, and almost all of it is wrong. On September 27, 1920, the sordid tale of the rigged 1919 World Series came out in a courtroom in Chicago and resulted in the immediate suspension of those suspected of consorting with gamblers to throw the series. The players were suspended with 3 games left in the season. The mythical tale that has grown over the last 75 years is that "White Sox were headed to another pennant but the players were suspended, the Sox collapsed, and Cleveland won the pennant." Sounds good, right? Except on the day that the players were suspended, the White Sox were 1/2 game out of first and had played three more games than Cleveland had. Yes, Chicago lost 2 of 3 to an average St Louis Browns team - but Cleveland won 4 of their last 6 games, meaning they would have finished first EVEN IF THE WHITE SOX HAD WON. Worst case scenario, a one-game playoff. And oh yeah - that was the year that Cleveland lost their shortstop - who was playing at a Hall of Fame level mind you - Ray Chapman, when he was beaned on August 16 and died the next day, the only on-field fatality due to a pitched ball in MLB history. Cleveland had to overcome imposed tragedy, Chicago couldn't overcome self-imposed tragedy.
2) The 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers
Do the Dodgers deserve an asterisk? They meet more of the criteria set for the Braves than do. They had a regular season shortened by a strike (just like the Braves), they were AWARDED a division title AFTER THE FACT (it was voted on prior to the resumption of the "second season" in August 1981) - a title they won solely because they had played one game more than the Reds and were 1/2 game ahead, and they didn't have the best record in the division or the second-best record in the NL...but they won the World Series. NOBODY dared suggest the Dodgers weren't legitimate champions, and both the Reds and Cardinals had legitimate gripes about the conclusion of that season.
3) The 1985 Kansas City Royals
This case is not as strong as the 1981 Dodgers, but one can be made. For starters, the Royals would have finished FIFTH in the AL East. We'll give them a point in their favor that they did finish first (unlike the Dodgers) but if you go back and check all the division races (1969-93), MOST of the time the division winners were 1 and 2 in terms of record, occasionally third. But in 1984, the Royals won the AL West with a record that would have finished SIXTH in the seven-team AL East. The next year, the Royals would have finished third in the East but won the West. Just by chance, that was the year that the LCS expanded for the first time from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven. Toronto took a 3-1 lead in the series that would have won it any other year - and KC rallied to win. Then KC drew the Cardinals and again fell behind, 3-1, and again rallied to win thanks to an assist from a pathetic call at first base in the ninth inning of Game Six that set into motion an avalanche that buried the Cardinals. On top of which, the Cardinals, thanks to a rule that made zero sense, played the last ten games of the post-season one player short after base stealer extraordinaire' Vince Coleman was run over by the automatic tarp prior to Game Four of the 1985 NLCS. Here again was the tyranny of a vindicative commissioner at work, just like Frick with Maris. In 1973, Mike Andrews made a pair of errors that cost the Oakland Athletics Game Two of the World Series. Oakland Owner Charlie Finley - speaking of vindictive tyrants - "fired" Andrews by forcing him to sign an affidavit that his shoulder was injured and he couldn't play the rest of the series. This signature - which ended Andrews's career - would have enabled Finley to replace him on the post-season roster with the more reliable defensive second baseman Manny Trillo. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn learned of the firing and reinstated Andrews, who came to pinch-hit in Game Four. Finley, kind soul that he was, did not even bother to tell the team; they noticed Andrews wasn't on the flight to New York for Game Three and, in fact, threatened to strike (there's an irony in this discussion for you). Kuhn then arbitrarily made up a rule "in the best interests of baseball" that henceforth declared a team could not replace anyone on the post-season roster once the game began. That rule has since been revised, but it didn't help the Cardinals, who were one player short and came up a play short of winning the series in Game Six.
4) "The best offense in baseball in over 50 years...."
Here's another one for you: prior to the World Series, the newspapers and pundits were drooling all over Cleveland's powerhouse offense, saying they'd never seen a top-to-bottom lineup with eight .300 hitters and a .291 batting average and WOW, look at them winning 100 games in the short season!!
So....what changed? Atlanta beat Cleveland, held them to all of nine hits on the road IN THREE GAMES. Shut them down and held them ONE HUNDRED POINTS below their season average.
Not one soul suggested "Cleveland's statistics shouldn't count because the season was short." Do you think for even one second if CLEVELAND had won the World Series that it would have been anything other than "what a sensational rebuilding job" and "100 wins in a short season"? You know the answer to that question. Cleveland's offense was being compared to the great teams of all-time prior to the Series. Atlanta beat them...and all of a sudden we hear nonsense about how it doesn't really count because it wasn't a full season.
Of course, if Cleveland's offense really was the greatest one-season offense ever assembled then doesn't that make Atlanta's pitching staff the greatest ever, too?
I'll have one final post of the aftermath of the Braves - and a dynasty that wasn't but should have been.
THE MISSED OPPORTUNITY IN THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY
Free agency had relegated baseball dynasties to the ashbin of history or so it seemed. The 1977-78 New York Yankees, just two years after free agency hit the sport, won back-to-back World Series thanks in large part to some free agent signings: Don Gullett from the Reds, Catfish Hunter from Oakland - the two teams that had won the previous five World Series - and most notably Reggie Jackson from Oakland (after a one-year stint in Baltimore). The Yankees replaced the Big Red Machine as baseball's dynasty, the Reds being the last to prevail under the reserve clause era that bound players to one team for life unless that team let them go. For the next 15 years, not only did nobody ever win consecutive championships but only Oakland (1988-89-90) even managed to return to the World Series the next year. Until 1992. That year, the Braves followed up their series loss to the Twins with another to the Blue Jays, and Toronto successfully completed the first back-to-back Series championships since the 1978 Yankees with a triumph over the Phillies. The Braves, in fact, look better poised to repeat as champion than any team in recent memory. Their starting lineup was coming back totally intact, and all of their Big Four plus the closer would come back at least through 1996 and possibly longer. What's more, they had the GM (John Schuerholz) and Manager (Bobby Cox) to do it, particularly now that the burden of winning that elusive title had been lifted.
Atlanta's quest to repeat as champion began on the day of the victory parade, Monday, October 30, 1995, when Charlie O'Brien was granted free agency. Javy Lopez had shown he was the catcher of the future with his clutch post-season performance and Eddie Perez looked ready to come up from the minors. Within the first week after winning, the Braves also dumped Mike Devereaux, Luis Polonia, and Alejandro Pena. They also granted free agency to Dwight Smith and Fred McGriff, though it was clear they intended to sign the Crime Dog to a long-term deal. McGriff's discussions tottered around for four weeks before they re-signed him on December 2 to a four-year, $20 million deal. The moment Kent Mercker got word of the size deal that McGriff got, he knew he was history in Atlanta. He had just taken over $2 million from the Braves to go 7-8 with a 4.15 ERA as a fifth starter, and sure enough, he was traded to the Orioles two weeks later for Joe Borowski. When the calendar turned to 1996, the Braves picked up Jerome Walton as a free agent. Walton and Smith had finished 1-2 in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1989 as teammates on the Cubs and were now reunited - presumably on the bench. Less than a week later, the Braves dumped 1991 draft pick Mike Kelly, trading him to the Reds for Chad Fox and Ray King. The Braves also worked out a one-year, $315K placeholder deal with Ryan Klesko to show they would bargain on a long-term contract with the slugger in good faith. After he came up just short of Rookie of the Year to Hideo Nomo, the Braves rewarded Chipper Jones with a four-year deal with an option for a fifth. All that was left now was to solidify the back end of the rotation, and the problem now was Steve Avery.
Avery would later say he was willing to sign the same one-year $4 million he had played for in 1995. I mean, who wouldn't want $4 million to go 7-13 with a 4-plus ERA? The Braves, though, made a mistake in their dealings here, insisting on a salary decrease to retain him, so he opted for arbitration. In the process, the Braves wound up having to give the guy a $200K raise, largely because Avery's agent was able to argue that his performances in the post-season as well as the shoddy run support he got during several losses in the season made his record worse than it should be. The Braves brought back Mike Bielecki from the 1992 team as a free agent the day before the season opened, and they hoped to fill the 7-8, 4.15 ERA at a fraction of the cost while maybe bringing up Jason Schmidt, Bruce Chen, or Terrell Wade and turning them into stars.
Opening Day 1996 in Atlanta had the ring ceremony and saw the Braves start 7 of the 9 starters from the previous year's opener. The only exceptions were Klesko, who didn't start the opener though he clearly was the starting left fielder in 1995, and Chipper Jones, who missed the beginning of the season after having surgery to remove a floating bone chip in his knee. The Braves won, but by April 25, the Braves were tied with the Phillies in second, 3.5 games behind the Expos. They were 1.5 games out on May 15 when Justice dislocated his shoulder during a swing and was gone for the rest of the season. He was hitting .321 with 6 homers and while nobody knew it, he would never again appear in a Braves uniform. So the Braves put Walton in Justice's right field and called up fresh rookie Jermaine Dye to fill the roster spot. Dye got his first start two days later and within a month he was the regular right fielder. He hit .281 with 12 homers and would wind up with a solid 14-year major league career - and would actually wind up hitting more career home runs than the slugging Justice.
John Smoltz had a Cy Young season by going 24-8 in 1996, but he still wasn't even the best pitcher on his staff. Greg Maddux may have gone 15-12, but he had a better ERA, and far less run support or fielding support than Smotlz did. Glavine had another 15-win season while Avery went 7-10 with a 4.47 ERA, making everyone look foolish. By season's end, Avery wasn't even in the starting rotation because the Braves had spent some money and picked up the next great pitcher (rumored to be) Denny Neagle from the Pirates. Although he had a bit of a rough start with the Braves in six appearances, he was 14-6 on the season.
Free agency had relegated baseball dynasties to the ashbin of history or so it seemed. The 1977-78 New York Yankees, just two years after free agency hit the sport, won back-to-back World Series thanks in large part to some free agent signings: Don Gullett from the Reds, Catfish Hunter from Oakland - the two teams that had won the previous five World Series - and most notably Reggie Jackson from Oakland (after a one-year stint in Baltimore). The Yankees replaced the Big Red Machine as baseball's dynasty, the Reds being the last to prevail under the reserve clause era that bound players to one team for life unless that team let them go. For the next 15 years, not only did nobody ever win consecutive championships but only Oakland (1988-89-90) even managed to return to the World Series the next year. Until 1992. That year, the Braves followed up their series loss to the Twins with another to the Blue Jays, and Toronto successfully completed the first back-to-back Series championships since the 1978 Yankees with a triumph over the Phillies. The Braves, in fact, look better poised to repeat as champion than any team in recent memory. Their starting lineup was coming back totally intact, and all of their Big Four plus the closer would come back at least through 1996 and possibly longer. What's more, they had the GM (John Schuerholz) and Manager (Bobby Cox) to do it, particularly now that the burden of winning that elusive title had been lifted.
Atlanta's quest to repeat as champion began on the day of the victory parade, Monday, October 30, 1995, when Charlie O'Brien was granted free agency. Javy Lopez had shown he was the catcher of the future with his clutch post-season performance and Eddie Perez looked ready to come up from the minors. Within the first week after winning, the Braves also dumped Mike Devereaux, Luis Polonia, and Alejandro Pena. They also granted free agency to Dwight Smith and Fred McGriff, though it was clear they intended to sign the Crime Dog to a long-term deal. McGriff's discussions tottered around for four weeks before they re-signed him on December 2 to a four-year, $20 million deal. The moment Kent Mercker got word of the size deal that McGriff got, he knew he was history in Atlanta. He had just taken over $2 million from the Braves to go 7-8 with a 4.15 ERA as a fifth starter, and sure enough, he was traded to the Orioles two weeks later for Joe Borowski. When the calendar turned to 1996, the Braves picked up Jerome Walton as a free agent. Walton and Smith had finished 1-2 in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1989 as teammates on the Cubs and were now reunited - presumably on the bench. Less than a week later, the Braves dumped 1991 draft pick Mike Kelly, trading him to the Reds for Chad Fox and Ray King. The Braves also worked out a one-year, $315K placeholder deal with Ryan Klesko to show they would bargain on a long-term contract with the slugger in good faith. After he came up just short of Rookie of the Year to Hideo Nomo, the Braves rewarded Chipper Jones with a four-year deal with an option for a fifth. All that was left now was to solidify the back end of the rotation, and the problem now was Steve Avery.
Avery would later say he was willing to sign the same one-year $4 million he had played for in 1995. I mean, who wouldn't want $4 million to go 7-13 with a 4-plus ERA? The Braves, though, made a mistake in their dealings here, insisting on a salary decrease to retain him, so he opted for arbitration. In the process, the Braves wound up having to give the guy a $200K raise, largely because Avery's agent was able to argue that his performances in the post-season as well as the shoddy run support he got during several losses in the season made his record worse than it should be. The Braves brought back Mike Bielecki from the 1992 team as a free agent the day before the season opened, and they hoped to fill the 7-8, 4.15 ERA at a fraction of the cost while maybe bringing up Jason Schmidt, Bruce Chen, or Terrell Wade and turning them into stars.
Opening Day 1996 in Atlanta had the ring ceremony and saw the Braves start 7 of the 9 starters from the previous year's opener. The only exceptions were Klesko, who didn't start the opener though he clearly was the starting left fielder in 1995, and Chipper Jones, who missed the beginning of the season after having surgery to remove a floating bone chip in his knee. The Braves won, but by April 25, the Braves were tied with the Phillies in second, 3.5 games behind the Expos. They were 1.5 games out on May 15 when Justice dislocated his shoulder during a swing and was gone for the rest of the season. He was hitting .321 with 6 homers and while nobody knew it, he would never again appear in a Braves uniform. So the Braves put Walton in Justice's right field and called up fresh rookie Jermaine Dye to fill the roster spot. Dye got his first start two days later and within a month he was the regular right fielder. He hit .281 with 12 homers and would wind up with a solid 14-year major league career - and would actually wind up hitting more career home runs than the slugging Justice.
John Smoltz had a Cy Young season by going 24-8 in 1996, but he still wasn't even the best pitcher on his staff. Greg Maddux may have gone 15-12, but he had a better ERA, and far less run support or fielding support than Smotlz did. Glavine had another 15-win season while Avery went 7-10 with a 4.47 ERA, making everyone look foolish. By season's end, Avery wasn't even in the starting rotation because the Braves had spent some money and picked up the next great pitcher (rumored to be) Denny Neagle from the Pirates. Although he had a bit of a rough start with the Braves in six appearances, he was 14-6 on the season.
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