World Series: Did You Know?

The MVP of 1992 had a lot of trouble with the Atlanta Braves' running game.

It's ironic. There was Tim McCarver in the broadcast booth of CBS Sports. Tim was a speedster back in the day, so when he saw Atlanta running all over the place on Toronto catcher Pat Borders, it must have made him sad.

Pat had a fairly good 1992 season for the Blue Jays. He'd hit thirteen home runs, despite batting in the eight slot. Even Manuel Lee, who hit behind him, wasn't exactly a slough. Lee, though, hit .263 that year compared to Borders' .242. 

Described by Kevin Glew as, "...a blue collar, team-first player on a roster full of stars," Pat had made up for a lackluster 1991 season. Borders' American League Championship performance in '91 against the Minnesota Twins (Which Toronto lost in five games), showed he was clutch, to go along with a hit in his lone time up at that stage against Oakland in 1989 (Also a five-game loss), seemed to show that he could rise to the occasion when the Blue Jays needed him most. A bit of inconsistency season-to-season might have raised some eyebrows in the early 1990s. In 1990, he'd hit 15 home runs and batted .286, raising hopes that he'd make the fans forget about his predecessor, Ernie Whitt. And the other player who Pat competed with until 1992, for the catcher's job, Greg Myers. Great in 1990, way off in '91, back to a slugger the next year, but still only hitting .242. Was Pat Borders up to the challenge when it mattered most in '92?

Pat, though, added a home run in the 1992 American League Championship Series against Oakland. Better still, Toronto was finally over the hump. They got through in six games. The Toronto Blue Jays were heading to the World Series for the first time ever. So, how did Borders do overall? Well, he hit .318, to go along with his long ball and three runs driven in. Now, for the bad news: Willie Wilson of the Athletics stole seven bases, and Oakland finished with sixteen swipes in just six games! Toronto had overcome that to get to the final showdown.

Atlanta, though, had been to the World Series in 1991, and now were back a year later. Borders was going to have to rely on his bat and throwing arm to make himself miserable to the Braves. Could the lumber overcome the Braves' thunder around the bases? Pat was sure to be challenged by speedsters Otis Nixon (Who batted leadoff) and two-sports star, Deion "Prime Time" Sanders! 

All it took was one inning for Pat to find out about a Brave New World he was in. Fulton County Stadium, the Braves wanted another shot at Jack Morris, who'd beaten them in game seven of the Fall Classic prior to this.

There was Otis Nixon. Although generally a slap hitter, he poised a problem for Morris. And Borders. In the bottom of the first, Nixon singled and stole second. Credit Morris for getting out of what could have been a tough inning without a run.

Borders came up the next inning. Dave Winfield had started it off on the right foot, as Toronto got their first hit of Atlanta's Tom Glavine. Glavine bore down, and got the next two batters out. But, Borders singled to keep the rally alive. Manuel Lee forced Borders at second to end it.

The game settled down into a fine pitching duel. But Morris was having control problems, so Borders was helping him keep it all together as far as calling the game. Atlanta got two men on in the fourth, and two more the next inning. All via bases on balls. Jack also threw a wild pitch in the fourth, which put runners on second and third. Atlanta did not score either inning. Toronto actually had a 1-0 lead, as Joe Carter hit a solo home run in  the top of the fourth. However, from there, pretty much every batter (sans Borders) seemed to be stymied.

The sixth inning is where it all came apart. Morris got the first batter out. But then, Dave Justice walked. Sid Bream singled. Ron Gant hit a grounder to Manuel Lee. Lee got it to Roberto Alomar at second, but the ball had been hit too slow to turn two.

This was crucial. Gant stole second. The inning continued, where it could have ended had Gant hit the ball harder. And a steal of second eliminated the force. The next batter, Damon Berryhill (Himself, a catcher), hit a big, three-run home run. Pat Borders started the eighth inning off with a single, only to be erased via a double play.

So Atlanta won, 3-1. They'd trot out another ace in John Smoltz in the second game. Pat Borders and the Blue Jays were in for a long night.

It all seemed to come apart in the second. Dave Justice walked, and then stole second with one out (On the second pitch to Jeff Blauser) when Borders seemed to hesitate on the throw to second. The throw ended up in centre field, although the runner remained on second. Justice's steals in the 1992 regular season? Two. Now, everyone on the Braves was running!

Well, that led to a run. Smoltz held the lead through four innings, and even got some insurance along the way. The first two men were retired in the top of the fifth, and things looked grim. Atlanta was up 2-0, and their starter was having one awesome game, for the second day in a row.

Well, Blue Jay manager Cito Gaston wasn't happy with a wrapping that John Smoltz had added on a play at the plate in the fourth. He asked home plate umpire Mike Reilly about this, and Smoltz removed it. Would it make a difference?

Well, Pat Borders came up. His bat was hot. 2-3 in game one. Smoltz had gotten him up first time up, and now seemed poised for a 1-2-3 fifth. But removing the wrapping seemed to undo him here. Borders got ahead in the count, 2-1. After Smoltz threw a strike to even the count, he lost control of the situation. And of his pitches. His next pitch was low. Full count. The payoff pitch was taken by Borders, a fastball low. It paid off to take it, since it was ball four.

You know, from there, Toronto really woke up. Manuel Lee singled. So did pitcher David Cone. That scored Borders. Devon White came through with a single of his own. 2-2.

The good times didn't last for Pat and Toronto. Atlanta went right back, terrorizing him on the basepaths. Deion Sanders singled with one out in the Braves' half of the fifth. And...stole second. This led to a run. Atlanta knocked Cone out of the game. And they added a fourth run later in the frame.

Well, it was time for Pat to connect. He was 0-1 with a walk, but then got a two-bagger in the eighth. But no one was on. With two down and Candy Maldonado up (Pinch-hitting), Smoltz threw a wild pitch (a ball, of course) with the count 0-2. But Maldonado fanned on the very next offering from Smoltz.

Well, that inning didn't do the trick. The eighth was better. The Blue Jays clawed back to score, and knock out Smoltz. Still, it was 4-3 Braves in the top of the ninth. Jeff Reardon came in to close it out, and put Atlanta up 2-0 in the 1992 World Series. Borders smacked the first pitch he saw to right. It was well hit, but right at Dave Justice.

Well, Pat couldn't be the hero. But two pinch-hitters saved the day for the Jays. Derek Bell batted for Lee and walked. Then, another catcher for Toronto pinch hit. Ed Sprague took Reardon out of the park! 5-4, Blue Jays.

So, three more outs. Toronto sent out Tom Henke, their closer, to get it done. It wasn't easy. A hit-by-pitch. A stolen base by Ron Gant. A walk. Terry Pendleton popped out to end the game.

Back home at the SkyDome, Borders got a hit his first time up. Atlanta starter Steve Avery was every bit as good at Glavine and Smoltz. The Blue Jays led 1-0 early. A key out by Avery was in the bottom of the fifth.

Kelly Gruber, struggling with no hits since game two of the ALCS, walked with one away. Pat Borders was back up. While taking a strike, Sean McDonough, up in the CBS broadcast booth next to Tim McCarver, noted that Borders was (Albeit quietly) having one awesome postseason. "Borders with his base hit his first time up, now 11 for 29 in the postseason. That's a .379 average, the highest for any player on either team." Pat would foul off the next pitch, the 1-2. But he couldn't get his bat on the next pitch, which he swung on for strike three. Gruber stole second, so the out was big. But now, there were two away. Lee was retired to end the inning.

So, Atlanta seemed to wake up from there. Three hits off Juan Guzman scored a run to tie it in the third. In the eighth, an error by Gruber put Otis Nixon at first. On cue, he stole second on an 0-1 pitch to Deion Sanders. Guzman got both Sanders and Terry Pendleton out, but the inning continued as the Blue Jays took the bat out of Justice's hands. Dave was not going to steal second. But with runners on the corners, and without the benefit of a hit, Guzman faced Lonnie Smith. Smith came through with a big hit, Justice out trying to get to third. But Nixon had scored. Again, the stolen base had made a huge difference.

Still Guzman had pitched well, and Borders had caught a fair game. He was slated to bat second as the Jays took their lumber out in their half of the inning. Well, could Gruber get on again.

He did, but Borders would have no RBI chance. You see, Gruber smacked a home run! What a time. 2-2. And now, Borders looked to keep the rally going. He rocketed one to centre on Avery's 0-1. Surely, extra bases. Otis Nixon, however, was every bit the fielder that he was the batter, base stealer. On the warning track, no less, he leaped, and caught it! Toronto, discouraged, saw the next two batters go down.

And Atlanta, boasted by Nixon's great catch, looked to take the lead for the second time tonight in the top of the ninth. Duane Ward, the game two winner for the Blue Jays, took over for Juan Guzman. Alas, Sid Bream greeted him with a single. Brian Hunter came in to run. Was this for speed?

Well, the Braves went to the well one too many times. Hunter took off on a 2-2 to Jeff Blauser. Borders, to shortstop Lee...In time! And Lee had seen Blauser try to hold up his swing on the pitch. Had he gone around. He looked straight at Pat Borders, pointing to first. Pat asked first-base umpire, Dan Morrison, "Did he [Blauser] go [around]?" Yes! A huge double play!

"First they [Toronto Blue Jays] got the out at second, and what a big time for Pat borders to find the range in throwing somebody out, then they appealed down to first, and Dan Morrison got out the cash register to ring up Jeff Blauser!"

Well, that turn of events was great for the Toronto battery. Ward ended up the winning pitcher (For the second straight game) and Borders had himself a fine game. The Blue Jays would pull it out, walk-off style, in the bottom of the ninth, on Maldonado's single.

Okay, but can't Borders get an RBI? Well, game four was a lefy-lefty situation. For the Blue Jays, Jimmy Key. For the Braves, Tom Glavine. Atlanta seemed to have the edge, as Key had but one appearance, in relief, the American League Championship Series. Pat Borders worked out prior to the first pitch. Both ex-catcher (And now bench coach) Gene Tenace and bullpen coach John Sullivan worked on that arm. Normally, you work with the arm of the pitcher. But here, some help was needed in getting Pat to practice gunning that ball to second (Or perhaps third).

But Key helped the situation, including the catcher. Otis Nixon greeted Key with a single. You know the drill, eh? However, Nixon ended up picked off. Jeff Blauser, seeking redemption from last night, singled. Unlike Nixon, he was not picked off. He stole second. Key settled down, and got the next two men out. But, having allowed two hits, and a stolen base, would it be a short outing?

And could the Blue Jays get to Glavine? He'd allowed just four hits in game one, even though that's the same amount of hits Atlanta managed that night. Tom looked awesome. Sure, Roberto Alomar singled off him in the bottom of the first (And stole second, himself), but Toronto did not score. Down went the Blue Jays 1-2-3 in the second.

But up stepped the Toronto catcher to lead off the bottom of the third. On a 1-1 pitch, Glavine threw a changeup to Pat Borders. He launched it to left. It had the legs. But would it stay fair. Well, let's just say Borders got a Carlton Fisk like result: It hit the foul pole! 1-0, Blue Jays. Do you know how many home runs Pat got off lefties in the regular season? Zero.

"I didn't think it was gonna stay fair, or even get out of the park, so I was just heading towards second, trying to squeeze a double out it, maybe." This was such a big hit. Key seemed to be energized, along with the rest of the Blue Jays. And now, no one could ignore Borders on either team. He was 5-10 at the plate in the Fall Classic.

It wasn't as if Glavine didn't stick right with Key. In the fourth, the first two Toronto batters got on. Maldonado was next, but he only flied out. Borders would follow Gruber. But Kelly hit into an inning-ending double play.

Borders himself had another crack at Glavine the next inning, of course, but he grounded out. Part of a 1-2-3 fifth. Nixon singled with two away in the sixth. Would he try Borders again? Tim McCarver, never one to not know about situations exactly like this, said, "He'll be tested right here." But maybe that pickoff back in the first might make him think twice. Key nearly picked him off. What a difference having a left-handed pitcher work a game for Toronto did to the Atlanta running game. Nixon did not try to steal, because on the first pitch to Jeff Blauser, the Braves' shortstop hit it to third. Kelly Gruber just got the force at second.

Gruber drew a walk to lead off the last of the seventh. Toronto would need to start coming up with hits. They needed insurance, having failed to cash in two men the previous inning. Borders battled Glavine to 2-2, after trying to bunt Gruber to second. He smacked it to right. But Nixon easily got to it. Toronto ended up scoring a run anyways. Lee grounded out, moving Gruber into scoring position. Devon White singled Gruber home.

The run was big. Atlanta came back, and got a run on two hits, and a grounder. There were two away, and Key departed. Duane Ward came in, and fanned Nixon. That should have been the third out, but no.

Pat Borders couldn't stop the pitch in the dirt. It was scored a wild pitch. But the bottom like was, Brian Hunter was on first, and Otis Nixon on first. First pitch to Jeff Blauser, Otis took off. Pat didn't even bother throwing. To be fair, the pitch was inside and tough to handle. Blauser hit the ball well to first, but John Olerud was there to make a fine play, unassisted.

Borders did not bat again, as Toronto was retired 1-2-3 in their half of the eighth. But Tom Henke also got Atlanta in order in the ninth. The Blue Jays needed just one more win to wrap it all up. They'd managed just six hits off Glavine, so Borders going 1-3 was impressive.

And they were at home for game five. But Nixon and company were bound and determined to make 'em hold the champagne. Nixon singled on the very first pitch of the ballgame from Jack Morris. Touched by a fan, it was a double. With one out, and on a 1-1 to Terry Pendleton, Nixon turned on the jets. The pitch was low, in the dirt. There was no chance at Nixon. Pendleton doubled himself. 1-0, Atlanta.

It seemed cruel, as it wasn't all Pat's fault. He'd have to wait a bit to contribute. He was still stuck on one RBI, you know. John Smoltz was back on the hill himself, having faced Morris in game seven of 1991. He had a nice 1-2-3 first, so Borders would not bat. In the second, he got Dave Winfield to fly out to start. So it seemed unlikely that Pat would bat until the third inning.

But John Olerud, who was 2-3 the previous contest, singled. Candy Maldonado, who'd had only one hit all series long, followed with a walk. Kelly Gruber, also stuck at one hit was up. If you're Borders, you need him to stay out of the double play. Well, Kelly gave it a big swing, but struck out. The good news was, you had two men on. But not for long.

Borders stepped up, and crushed an inside pitch from Smoltz. First pitch swinging. At first, it looked like a three-run home run. Pat settled for a booming double. The game was tied, and Borders was 6-13. A hit in his next at-bat would boast his average back to .500!

Actually, the Braves had been a little lucky. First, the ball stayed in the park. Second, Deion Sanders played it perfectly, so Maldonado only made it to third. It could have been 2-1, or even 3-1. Instead it was 1-1. And it stayed that way as Manuel Lee lined out.

Atlanta took the lead again in the fourth. Dave Justice hit one way right. It found the seats. Up 2-1, and with two away, Jeff Blauser singled. He tried to steal on the first pitch to Damon Berryhill. Borders got him!

And Pat wasn't through on this night. Once again, he watched as Olerud singled. Maldonado walked. The batters in front of him were getting hot. Well, except Gruber, who tried to bunt them over for Borders. On a 2-2 pitch, Gruber flied out. But that allowed Borders to come up.

And Pat came through again. Smoltz had been falling behind the batters. Here, Borders looked at ball one. Ball two. Ball three. After fouling off the fourth offering, Pat was presented with a slider from John Smoltz, and he hit it back through the box. Olerud scored from second. The game was tied, again. But like the second inning, that was all Toronto got.

The fifth inning seemed uneventful. Morris, unlike game one, had excellent control, with no walks. It took seven pitches, but Borders set up high, and Damon Berryhill swung and missed. Borders was calling it right, as the man on the mound had five strikeouts through four and two-thirds inning. It seemed like the inning would be quick for sure when Mark Lemke grounded out on the very next pitch.

The roof caved in, though. Otis Nixon was back up, and he singled. On the first pitch to Deion Sanders, Borders and Morris tried a pitchout. The ball sailed into the backstop. Nixon went before that happened. Needless to say, he made it into second easily.

Was it a crucial play? Sanders singled to centre. 3-2, Atlanta. They eventually loaded the bases, and when Lonnie Smith hit a grand slam, game six loomed.

Down 7-2, Borders did not bat again until the last of the sixth. He swung at the first pitch from Smoltz, and grounded out. Part of a 1-2-3 inning. Borders tried to help in other ways. He had an amusing putout in the seventh. Pendleton swung, and the ball hit the plate and didn't go very far. Terry stayed there, perhaps trying to fool the umpire to think it hit his leg or went foul, making the play dead. Borders had no trouble making the putout unassisted. The Blue Jays pitching, after the fifth was excellent. So Pat did call a good game, as David Wells, Mike Timlin and Mark Eichhorn allowed just one hit and no runs in 3 1/3 innings. In the ninth, Atlanta tried to get something going, and Borders was involved in a bang-bang play at the plate which got the Blue Jays out of trouble.

Again, the inning started out perfectly. Berryhill fanned. But then, Mark Lemke singled off Todd Stottlemyre. He did not attempt to steal. Nixon, who'd been robbed of a hit by John Olerud in the sixth, singled. Well, at least Nixon couldn't steal second. But when Sanders singled to centre, the bases were loaded.

Pendleton was back up, and this time he was trying to fool anyone. He sent a ball to left. Medium depth. It would be 50-50 whether Lemke could make it. Maldonado made the catch, Lemke tagged. Maldonado gunned it. It was a little high, but Borders reached up for it, got it, and quickly slapped the tag on Lemke before he touched home! What a double play. "...sometimes catchers have to make that slap tag with the ball in the glove, the catcher's mitt not designed to make that play. That was his [Borders'] only choice," said Tim McCarver.

Gruber came up in the last of the ninth, with Borders on deck. Atlanta had brought Mike Stanton on in the seventh to replace John Smoltz. He fell behind 3-0 to Gruber, but fought back to a full count. Kelly hung on before lifting the eighth pitch of the at-bat to centre. Nixon got to it without any problems. Pat Borders took a strike, then watched three balls go by. Even though Stanton's control had been excellent (no walks), he seemed to be tiring. Mark Wohlers had started throwing in the Braves' bullpen with Gruber up.

Stanton threw a pitch that was knee high. Called a strike. Then he fouled off a high one to stay alive. Borders hit the seventh pitch Stanton threw to him down the third base line. However, Pendleton was right there, behind third. His throw, a one-hopper, beat Borders to first. Lee popped out in foul territory along first. It was on to Atlanta. Borders, like his team, had started off strong in game five, then faded. Pat collected two RBIs, but had been retired the last two times up.

The Blue Jays started game six even better. For a while, they were getting the key hits. But with Borders, there were some mistakes. Toronto was up 1-0 when Pat batted in the top of the second. He singled against Steve Avery, who would not be as good as he'd been in the third contest. However, Manuel Lee flied out. David Cone, the Jays' starter, hit into a double play. And while Cone was not the hitter he'd been in the second contest (2-2 with an RBI), his pitching was a notch or two up.

Atlanta tied it in the bottom of the third. Did a stolen base contribute to it? Yes. Deion Sanders doubled with one away, then took off on the 1-1 to Pendleton. Deion was safe at third, scoring when Terry flied out. The Braves were still running on Pat Borders.

But then, Candy Maldonado blasted Avery's second pitch of the fourth inning way above Sanders' head in left. It found the bleachers. Kelly Gruber grounded out, but Borders doubled. They were really hitting Avery now. The Atlanta pitcher wouldn't be around much longer. And the Toronto catcher? He was batting an even .500 (9-18).

With two down, Cone came back up. This time, he walked. Devon White lashed a single to left on Avery's second pitch to him. Borders rounded third and gunned it for home. Deion Sanders throw was accurate, and Pat Borders was a goner, 7-2.

In the bottom of the fifth, Cone was protecting his one-run lead. Mark Lemke walked. With two away, Sanders singled him to third. Here goes Prime Time again! He beat the throw from Borders for his second stolen base of the night. But Pendleton was retired.

Pete Smith, who took over for the battered Avery, retired Borders for the first time in the sixth. It was still 2-1 for the visitors. 

Cone, pitching terrifically, left after six innings. Todd Stottlemyre, who'd been lucky to pitch that scoreless ninth in the fifth contest, started out the seventh all right. Lemke fanned. However, Borders had some trouble with it, and got it to Joe Carter at first to complete the K. It would not be Pat's last assist of the frame. Jeff Treadway batted for Smith and grounded out. Nixon, though, singled. Then came a big moment.

David Wells hopped in from the bullpen. He kept Nixon at first occupied. At least until Otis took off on a 1-2 pitch to Ron Gant. Ball two. Nixon was blazing a trail towards second. However, Borders threw a perfect strike to Roberto Alomar. Out!

"...You gotta give credit to David [Wells]," Border would say later, "He gave me plenty of time to throw him [Nixon] out..."

So Mike Stanton came back to pitch, fresh off his excellent work the day before. Here, though, he encountered problems. First, Maldonado greeted him with a single. Gruber got the bunt down on the first pitch. So Pate Borders was looking for his fourth RBI in his last three games. But Stanton was taking no chances. He'd nearly walked Borders the last time he faced him. Here, down 2-1, Mike gave Pat an intentional walk. So Borders was 2-3 with a walk. Manuel Lee batted, but it was like the last time the two had met. Lee popped out to first. Darek Bell was sent up to hit for Wells, and grounded out.

The Braves rallied in the ninth to tie it. So the Blue Jays went back to work in extras. The suddenly red-hot Candy Maldonado was first up against Charlie Leibrandt, who'd beaten the Blue Jays in game seven of the ALCS back in 1985. Maldonado grounded out. But Kelly Gruber followed with a single. Would Pat Borders be the hero?

The average was "down" to .474, having been as high as .500 earlier in the contest. He got a little under Leibrandt's first offering, flying out to Deion Sanders in left. When pinch-hitter Pat Tabler lined back to the pitcher, the Jays were done for the tenth.

But Tom Henke and Jimmy Key got the Braves out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame, which gave Toronto another chance. They pounced, scoring twice. While Atlanta got one back, when Otis Nixon was retired at first base, the World Series belonged to Pat Borders' team.

He wasn't quite there in the eleventh inning, to do anything. However, there was no doubt who was going to be MVP of the 1992 Fall Classic. Pat had collected a hit in all six World Series games. Remarkably enough, Pat had fanned just once all series. It had been a great Fall Classic, with the Blue Jays winning their four games by one run, each.

"...Nothing came easy this whole series," Jack Morris would tell CTV's Rod Black after game six, "but what is so great about it is we were in it together...there wasn't one guy who stood out other than Pat Borders who had a great series offensively."

TSN's Geno Reda, hosting Sportsdesk (Now called, Sportscentre), would say, "...the most important person in this series, by far, the MVP Pat Borders."

The problem Pat had, was keeping the Braves in check once they got to first or second. Atlanta stole fifteen bases, Nixon and Sanders with five each. Put in perspective, the entire Toronto team stole just six basses all series. All told on the Braves, there was fifteen pilfers. Borders would have to be content with nabbing Nixon, Blauser and Hunter one time each. But did that take away from his performance a the dish? I don't think so. Atlanta was a daring team on the bases, and even the singles hitters could get to second (and perhaps third), in a blink of an eye. Atlanta would return to the Fall Classic three more times in the decade, winning it all in 1995. Pat himself would return to catch in 1993 (When a kid named Carlos Delgado, who was originally a catcher, showed up late that season, Pat's days as a Blue Jay were numbered) and win another World Championship. In 1997, Borders was added to the Cleveland Indians postseason roster, but did not appear in a seven-game loss in the October Finale to the Florida Marlins. But whether Pat knew it or not, in the here and the now, Borders was a hero across Canada. The Toronto catcher, though, wished he could share the Most Valuable Player Award with 

"...it's a shame they can only give it [The MVP] to only one person," he told Buck Martinez after game six.



References

Baseball Tonight: The World Series. The Sports Network, 25 Oct. 1992, https://youtu.be/CIFqzuAopqA?t=1153. Accessed 25 Apr. 2023. 


CTV News. CTV Television Network, 25 Oct. 1992, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQTJDQwWTU&t=1917s. Accessed 25 Apr. 2023. 


Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.

Gamester, George, and Gerald Hall. On Top of the World: The Toronto Star’s Tribute to the ‘92 Blue Jays. Doubleday Canada, 1992. 


Glew, Kevin. “10 Things You Might Not Know About Pat Borders.” Cooperstowners in Canada, WordPress.com, 22 Mar. 2023, https://cooperstownersincanada.com/2023/03/22/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-pat-borders/. 25 Apr. 2023.


Major League Baseball Productions. 1992 World Series Highlights. DVD.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.

1992 World Series, CBS Broadcasting Inc, Oct. 1992, https://www.youtube.com/. Accessed 25 Apr. 2023. 

Society For American Baseball Research, SABR. https://sabr.org/. 25 Apr. 2023.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. 25 Apr. 2023.

SportsDesk. The Sports Network, 25 Oct. 1992, https://youtu.be/GLQTJDQwWTU?t=5558. Accessed 25 Apr. 2023.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 25 Apr. 2023.

YouTube, Google, https://www.youtube.com/. 25 Apr. 2023.

World Series: Did You Know?

Juan Guzman never gave up the longball in the Fall Classic. It could be argued that Guzman was Toronto's top pitcher in both the 1992 and '93 World Series. And it's not like his heroics were limited to just the Fall Classic. Juan was simply warming up for the big stage in the regular season and ALCS both years.

Juan had also won the only contest the Blue Jays won against the Minnesota Twins in the 1991 ALCS. So very early Guzman seemed to be the hurler that was clutch for Toronto. He wasn't alone, as Jimmy Key pitched well in his lone start vs. Minny, and had also won the only game Toronto won two years earlier in the 1989 ALCS.

But come 1992, Key was not the same. At least for a while. Guzman had it going all season long. Sixteen wins. Just five losses. His earned run average was under three. Key struggled, and was just 8-13 late in the season. He got knocked out early in an August 28th game that Toronto lost 22-2 to Milwaukee.

Guzman, on the other hand, just kept right on plugging along. Late in the season, Toronto added David Cone to their roster. While Cone pitched well, his record with the Blue Jays was just 4-3. Still, he got Toronto on track in the American League Championship Series vs. Oakland. By winning game two, Cone squared the best-of-seven affair. Guzman took over from there and the Blue Jays were off to their very first World Series thanks to Juan's two wins against the Athletics.

Well, Guzman had to wait to pitch. Jack Morris started game one versus Atlanta and took a 3-1 loss. David Cone started game two and didn't even make to the end of the fifth innings. The Bleu Jays eventually won 5-4, but their starting pitching was looking a little questionable. Juan Guzman would start game three.

Well, the Braves nearly had a home run early, as Dave Justice smacked one to dead centre in the top of the fourth. But along came Devon White in centre. The awesome outfielder robbed Justice, and the team nearly turned a triple play! The important thing was Atlanta did not score. Toronto had been hancuffed by Steve Avery in the first three frames. Joe Carter hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to break the ice.

Okay, the Braves couldn't hit the longball. They'd scored four times off David Cone in just 4 1/3 innings in game two. But against a determined Juan Guzman here in the third contest, scoring wasn't going to come easy. Atlanta got a leadoff single by Sid Bream in the top of the third, but Juan came right at the next two batters. And struck 'em both out. Mark Lemke grounded out to Roberto Alomar at second to end that threat.

Atlanta was still undaunted. Steve Avery stopped Toronto until the bottom of the eighth, and gave the visiting team a chance to tie it. In the top of the sixth, the Braves did just that on a double by Deion Sanders, and singles by Terry Pendleton and Dave Justice.

In the top of the eight, the Braves took the lead. You couldn't really fault Juan Guzman. Otis Nixon reached via an error by Kelly Gruber (Who would be heard from in the bottom of the frame, just wait). Nixon stole second. Deion Sanders was looking for another hit, as he was 3-3. But this time, Guzman retired him on a pop out. Terry Pendleton was also having a great game at the dish, 2-3, but here, Guzman stopped him on a grounder.

The bad news was, the go-ahead run was just 90 feet away. And another tough out in Dave Justice was up. Toronto was sticking with Juan Guzman, but it made all the sense in the world not to pitch to Justice, who was a dangerous left-handed hitting batter. So, the Blue Jays put him on. The next batter was a righty, but an experienced one in Lonnie Smith. Smith wasn't exactly having himself a Fall Classic to write home about, but had been on this stage before.

Smith was hitting just .143 (1-7) with a walk to this point in the 1992 World Series. But the first time the Toronto Blue Jays made it to the postseason, there was Lonnie Smith with the Kansas City Royals. The Royals trailed the 1985 ALCS 3-1 to the Blue Jays, but rallied to win. They did the same to the St. Louis Cardinals in the Fall Classic that year.

And that was only Lonnie's second tour of duty with Kanas. He'd appeared in the 1980 Fall Classic with them. Then, two years later, as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, Smith drank champange after they beat Milwaukee in seven in the World Series.

Like several members of the 1992 Atlanta Braves, Lonnie Smith had been part of the team that dropped a heart-breaking seven-game affair to Minnesota the year before. But now, against Toronto, Lonnie was clutch as he smacked a Juan Guzman pitch to left, scoring Otis Nixon and breaking the tie. Dave Justice got a little to aggresive on the basepaths, after seeing Candy Maldonado misplay the ball. But Maldonado, the Blue Jays' left fielder, recovered and nailed Justice at third for the final out.

Guzman was now done for the night, but what an outing. Eight innings, eight hits and just one earned run allowed. Yet out of all this, the pitcher trailed 2-1. Up came Kelly Gruber in the bottom of the eighth, looking for some redemption after that costly error. Kelly was as clutch as Lonnie as he tied the game with a solo home run off Steve Avery.

Well, both starters had really pitched well. Duane Ward held the Braves scoreless in the top of the ninth, so this thing was going down to the wire. Toronto won it on a walk-off single by Candy Maldonado off Jeff Reardon in the bottom of the ninth.

I ragged on Jimmy Key a bit earlier, but he pitched amazing in game four, winning it 2-1 over Tom Glavine. Lonnie Smith kept Atlanta afloat with a grand slam in game five off Jack Morris. The 7-2 win sent it back to Atlanta. David Cone and the Toronto bullpen helped the Blue Jays to a 4-3 win in ten innings.

So Juan had just that one game to show for his World Series debut. But, outside of Key (Who got the win in the clinching game, in relief), there wasn't a better pitcher on Toronto in that 1992 Fall Classic. Jack Morris was 0-2. David Cone struggled in his first outing but pitched a great game in the sixth contest. Toronto won both of Cone's starts, so I guess that counts for something. Guzman had a better earned run average, however. Juan's was 1.13 and David's was 3.48.

One year later and Toronto was back in the World Series. There were some new faces on the Blue Jays. Gone was Jimmy Key and David Cone. Dave Stewart came over from Oakland, brining his 6-0 record in the American League Championship Series with him.

Juan Guzman wasn't quite the pitcher he'd use to be, though. His earned run average climbed to 3.99. That was the bad part. However, he won fourteen, lost only three, and was starting the first game of the ALCS vs. Chicago.

There were pitchers that were with the Toronto organization that were finally healthy and able to contribute to the Jays in 1993, Pat Hentgen and Al Leiter. Both were just kids. Hentgen had gone 5-2 in 1992 until and injury put him on the shelf for the postseason. Leiter had battled injuries since his 1993 acquisition from the New York Yankees. Both really came through in 1993. Henten won nineteen games. Leiter was 9-6 as he filled in for Dave Stewart, who started the '93 campaign sidelined (Al Leiter took over for Stewart in the rotation). Todd Stottlemyre was only 11-12. Jack Morris struggled, too, going just 7-12.

The search for a starting pitcher with a good earned run average yielded little. Hentgen had the best among any Toronto starter, 3.87.

But while Dave Stewart had struggled in the season with a win one, lose one record for a while, he turned in on in September. Stew went 4-0 in his last four outings, posting a microscopic earned run average of 1.44 in those games. Juan Guzman didn't wait until September. A July 20th loss to the Chicago White Sox dropped Juan's record to 7-3. But that was the last Juan he lost. From July 31st until the end of the year, Guzman was in beast mode: 7-0, 3.22 earned run average!

So both Stewart and Guzman were there when the team needed them the most. That continued over in the American League Championship Series. The poor Chicago White Sox would most assuredly agree with my assement.

Guzman won game one. Stewart game two. Chicago got back into the series win over Pat Hentgen and Todd Stottlemyre. But Juan Guzman was back with a 5-3 win in the fifth contest. That's decieving if it looks close. Juanderful was Guzman in the contest. First thirteen batters were retired. The Skydome crowd saw Toronto take a 4-0 lead after four. Ellis Burks hit a home run with one away in the top of the fourth. It would be the only postseason home run Guzman ever surrendered. The Toronto Blue Jays headed to Chicago, where Dave Stewart wrapped it up in game six, 6-3.

So, Guzman and Stewart were 2-0 in the 1993 ALCS. For their respected careers, Juan Guzman was 5-0 at that stange. Dave Stewart was a little better: 8-0!

Guzman was given the ball vs. Philadelphia to start the World Series. He had a rough outing. The Phillies were rude guest at the Skydome. Two runs in the top of the first. It just wasn't quite his day. Philadelphia scored five runs off him in as many innings. But no home runs. Toronto still won, 8-5.

Dave Stewart tried to keep the momentum going in the second contest. If he could have one inning back, it'd be the top of the third. Philadelphia scored five times off him, capped by Jim Eisenreich's three-run home run. Other than that, the Phillies were shutout by Stewart. The game was another slugfest like game one, only this time the visitors took it by a score of 6-4.

Pat Hentgen breezed in game three. He wasn't going to let Toronto down a second time in the postseason. He may not have reached twenty wins in the regular season, but his 10-3 win over Philly in the third contest gave him that total if you tack on all that went down in October. Pat went six innings at Veterans Stadium, allowing just one earned run.

Todd Stottlemyre didn't pitch well in the fourth contest, but it seemed all pitchers failed in that game. Toronto won it, 15-14. There seemed to be something about playing in Philadelphia that the Toronto liked.

Well, it looked as though the Blue Jays would get it all done in game five. 3-1 series lead. Curt Schilling looked to atone for his game one outing for the home team. Juan Guzman again had something to prove after a tough outing of his own in the first contest.

Well, Philly was ready for this one more than Toronto. Schilling got through the top of the first without a run, despite a walk to Roberto Alomar. Guzman was not so lucky. You don't want to walk the leadoff hitter, but that's was happened as Lenny Dykstra drew a bases on balls. Lenny, who had some wheels, stole second and took third on catcher Pat Border's bad thrown. Mariano Duncan flied out. John Kruk grounded out, but Dykstra scored. Philadelphia had the only run they needed 

Darren Daulton, the Philly catcher, gave his battery mate some breathing room in the last of the second inning. His leadoff double set the stage for the game's second and final run. Jim Eisenreich grounded out to first basemen John Olerud, who made the putout himself. This got Daulton to third.

The situation here was interesting. Kevin Stocker, a left-handed hitter was next. Stocker was the number eight hitter in the lineup. First base was open. On deck, pitcher Curt Schilling. Schilling was a .155 hitter lifetime to that point.

But Stocker was a rookie, although his .324 batting average suggested he was one tough out. Guzman pitched to Stocker, who smacked a double to right to cash in Darren Daulton. It was 2-0, Phillies. Schilling then batted. Guzman needed exactly three pitches to strike him out.

Schilling might not have hit well on that day, but his pitching was something else. His control was pretty sharp. Just three walks. Hits allowed? Try just five. Guzman didn't exactly let the situation leave him overmatched. By the time he departed for a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth, Juan had gotten it all together. The defence by both teams was pretty sharp on this day, as each team committed only one error. Toronto had a to work a little harder, as Guzman walked four batters to Schilling's three. Guzman fanned six, as many as Schilling managed in his complete game.

Guzman threw 105 pitches in seven, while Schilling had 147 to his name when the smoke cleared. Danny Cox's fine eight inning, which included three strikeouts and two walks, kept the score 2-0, Philly. Remarkably enough, you kinda figured Toronto would do something amazing and pull it out in the ninth, but that was a game early. Curt Schilling got Joe Carter, John Olerud and Paul Molitor out in order.

So Juan Guzman took a tough loss. He certainly improved his game one performance (Schilling, by the way, was tagged with the loss in the first contest, so he merely evened his record at 1-1). But really, this Fall Classic is always going to be remembered for Joe Carter winning it walk-off fashion in the sixth game.

Well, Pat Hentgen had a win and a 1.50 earned run average, but he only pitched six frames. Juan Guzman pitched double that (12 innings), and his 3.75 ERA wasn't far off Curt Schilling's (3.52). Sadly, Juan never got another chance to pitch in the World Series (Or postseason, for that matter).



References


Bingley, Phil, et al. Another World: The Toronto Stars Tribute To The’ 93 Blue Jays. Toronto Star for Doubleday Canada, 1993. Print.

Gamester, George, and Gerald Hall. On Top of the World: The Toronto Star’s Tribute to the ‘92 Blue Jays. Doubleday Canada, 1992. 

Nemec, et al. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-By-Year History of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 23 Dec. 2022.

Toronto Blue Jays Media Guide. Dan Diamond and Associates , Inc. and The Toronto Blue Jays Basesball Club, 1993, 1994.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 23 Dec. 2022.

YouTube, Google, https://www.youtube.com/. 16 May 2022.

World Series: Did You Know?

John Olerud was not actually on the field as Toronto won both their Fall Classics in 1992 and 1993. Yep, he was in the dugout when Joe Carter made the last putout / homered off Mitch Williams. He didn't play at all in game six in the 1992 World Series, and had been removed for a pinch-runner the next year.

Not that Olerud shouldn't have been playing. He found ways to contribute to both the 1992 and '93 wins. For starters, he was excellent in the 1992 ALCS vs. Oakland. Toronto was trying to get over the hump, having lost to Oakland at this stage in 1989, and to Minnesota there as well in 1991. Going as far back as 1985, the Blue Jays lost (In seven games, no less) to the Royals in the American League Championship Series. 1992 would be the year.

Toronto dropped game one despite an RBI single by Olerud. John didn't do much in games two and three. But in game four he sure did. 4-4, a home run, and 2 RBIs. Though Dave Stewart managed to stop Olerud in the Jays in game five, sending it to another contest, Toronto had the momentum.



Game six was a fine game for Olerud. His ground-rule-double in the bottom of the made it 3-0 for the home team. He singled and eventually scored in the bottom of the fifth. Toronto won, 9-2 and finally made it to the Fall Classic!



Olerud didn't play in the first game of the World Series, alas. Tom Glavine, the pitcher on the opposing team (Atlanta Braves) was a lefty. So it made better sense to leave John out. Alas, the decision looked poor as Glavine spun a fine 5-hitter and won it 3-1 (Joe Carter hit the home run to account for the lone Toronto run).



Olerud faced right-hander John Smoltz in game two, and could get a hit off him or relieve (And left-hander) Mike Stanton. Toronto, though, won this game right there in Atlanta, and now headed home. Though Olerud was held hitless in game three, and even pinch hit for in the last of the ninth, it was the Blue Jays with a 3-2 win, walk-off style.

Glavine was back for game for. This was a big one for both the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays. It was either going to be 3-1 Toronto, or all tied 2-2 after this game. Though neither hit factor in the scoring, Olerud did well against the lefty, going 2-2 after making an out his first time up. Toronto won 2-1! One more win.

Game five was the last one in Toronto in the 1992 Fall Classic, but Atlanta wasn't about to fold. They sent John Smoltz back up to get the job done.

He wasn't exactly on his game. His control was off. Olerud took advantage of it. With his team trailing 1-0, Olerud had the count in his favour 3-0 in the bottom of the second. Smoltz got it back to 3-2, but Olerud hit a single to centre. And by the way, he came around to score. Fourth inning, same deal. Olerud singled and eventually scored. However, that proved to be the last run the home team got. Smoltz seemed to get better as the game went on, although Olerud sure made life miserable for him. Even in the last of the fifth, with Dave Winfield on first, the Toronto first basemen was back at the dish. This time, it was the batter that clawed his way back into the count. Smoltz got ahead 0-2, then found it difficult to hit the strike zone again (Smoltz finished the game with 4 walks, and 114 pitches thrown in only 6 IP). After the count went full, John fouled off a pitch, then sent one the opposite way to Deion Sanders in left for the last out. The Braves had a commanding 7-2 lead by then.

Ed Sprague, as he had in game three, batted for John Olerud, in the last of the eighth as the Jays looked to score a third run. Joe Carter was on second. Sprague flied out to right.

So in game six, Steve Avery, the game three starter, was back on the hill in Atlanta for the home team. The Blue Jays went with Joe Carter at first, Candy Maldonado in left and Dave Winfield in right. Kinda sad that Olerud didn't get a chance to play. But let's see how each of them did.

Carter drove in Devon White in the top of the first with a sac fly to right. Joe actually reached first as Dave Justice dropped the ball. Winfield walked, but Maldonado grounded into a force.

But Candy sure delivered in the top of the fourth. Ahead 0-1 on Avery, he drove Steve's next pitch over Sanders head in left. That broke a 1-1 deadlock. Toronto seemed to pick away at Atlanta's pitching for the rest of the night, and Carter, Winfield and Maldonado had a lot to do with that!

Carter doubled the next inning, only to be stranded. That seemed to be the visitors problem in game six. A lot of hits, but only two runs through ten innings!

Mike Stanton came in again to pitch, but this time, Toronto got to him. Maldonado led off the eighth with a single to left. A bunt and an intentional walk by Pat Borders put the Blue Jays in great shape to add to that one-run lead. But Manny Lee and pinch hitter Derek Bell were retired.

Carter though, doubled off Stanton in the top of the ninth. There were two outs, and Winfield was looking for his first hit of the game. He didn't get it as he grounded out.

Anyways, Atlanta tied it in the last of the ninth despite a fine catch by Maldonaldo. Candy then made the first out in the top of the tenth. Kelly Gruber followed with a single, but was stranded. The next inning, after Carter was retired with two away, Winfield doubled home both runners! Hey! 4-2, Toronto. Maldonaldo made the last out. Atlanta got one run back, but Carter at first caught Mike Timlin's throw at first for the last out.

So in 1993, Olerud was still the Toronto first basemen. Winfield was gone, leaving for Minnesota. Maldonaldo was gone to the Chicago Cubs. Carter was still around in right field. Paul Molitor was the new DH / 1B and some guy named Ricky Henderson was in left.

Well, ALCS was the same deal as last year. Olerud had a great ALCS in '93. He hit .348 with with 5 runs scored and 3 driven in. Against Philadelphia in the Fall Classic, Olerud got the ball rolling for Toronto. He hit a solo home run off Curt Schilling in game one to put the Jays ahead for good. 2 hits, a walk and 2 runs scored overall.

In game 2, Olerud was held hitless, but knocked in Toronto's last run in a 6-4 loss. Then came game 3 in Philadelphia. Danny Jackson, a lefty, was pitching. No DH, of course. So Olerud was benched. Paul Molitor played 1st base. How'd he fair? Wow! 3 runs scored. 3 driven in. A walk. A home run. Toronto won 10-3.

But Olerud was back at first for game four. And while he went only 1-4, he added 2 walks. He scored 2 runs. The Blue Jays won a wild one, 15-14, to be within a game of their second straight World Series title.

Schilling stopped Olerud and Toronto in game five, alas. A fine 5-hit shutout resulted in a 2-0 win for the home team. So if Toronto wanted to win, they'd have to do it at home in game six or seven.

Olerud doubled with 2 runs already scored in the last of the first in game six. Roberto Alomar cashed John Olerud in to make it 3-0 for the home team. Olerud didn't reach base again until the bottom of the eight. Toronto needed some runs as they were now trailing 6-5. Alfredo Griffin ran for him. The Blue Jays loaded the bases but did not score. In the top of the ninth, Griffin moved to third as Ed Sprague, the regular man at the hot corner, took over at first.

And Griffin was in the on-deck circle as Joe Carter won the game in dramatic fashion in the last of the ninth. Olerud wasn't in the game anymore, but sure had contributed. Though he hit just .235 in the 6-game series, he found he way on base four times via the walk to go along with his four hits. He scored five times, knocked in 2, and was steady at first. Olerud may not have been Toronto's best player in either Fall Classic, but don't to easy act like he didn't contribute.


References


1992 World Series. Performance by Len Cariou, Major League Baseball Productions, 1992. DVD.

1993 World Series. Performance by Len Cariou, Major League Baseball Productions, 1993. DVD.

Bingley, Phil, et al. Another World: the Toronto Stars Tribute To The’ 93 Blue Jays. Toronto Star for Doubleday Canada, 1993. Print.

Dan Diamond and Associates and Toronto Blue Jays Club. Toronto Blue Jays Official Guide 1993, 1994. Print.

Gamester, George, and Gerald Hall. On Top Of The World: The Toronto Star’s Tribute To The ‘92 Blue Jays. Doubleday Canada, 1992. Print.

Morrison, Scott. Back 2 Back. Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation. 1993, Print.

“The Official Site Of Major League Baseball.” MLB.com, Major League Baseball. Web. 22 July. 2018. <www.mlb.com/>.

Retrosheet. Retrosheet. Web.  22 July. 2018. .

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. . 22 July. 2018

Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball. Vers. 1994. Portland, OR: Creative Multimedia Corp., 1994. Computer software. CD-ROM.

Youtube. Youtube. Web.  22 July. 2018. <https://www.youtube.com/>.

Common Denominator: Davey And Cito!

"Played together on the San Diego Padres from 1973 to , together again, different circumstance, 1992."

That would be Cito Gaston and Dave Winfield. In 1973 the Padres won only 60 games despite 16 home runs from Cito. Dave didn't play much that year, hitting just 3 home runs in 56 games. The team  did not improve in 1974, as the two were joined by Hall-Of-Famer Willie McCovey. Winfield hit 20 home runs that year, Gaston only 6. It was their last year as teammates.

Cito Gaston moved on to the Atlanta Braves in 1975, staying there until 1978. The team was managed by Bobby Cox that last year. Soon, Cito and Bobby Cox were together on the coaching staff on the Toronto Blue Jays. Cox was the manager. But in 1989, Cito became skipper.

So when does Winfield come back into the equation? That would be 1992, as Toronto signed him. And did that ever play off! 26 home runs and 108 RBIs from their DH. And after beating Oakland in 6 games in the ALCS, it was off to the World Series. The Cito and Dave show!

There, the Atlanta Braves and Bobby Cox stood in their way. Winfield got the Blue Jays first hit in game 1, but it was the home squad, the Braves, that won it, 3-1. 

Winfield got Toronto to within a run in game 2. With the Jays trailing 4-2 against the Braves' John Smoltz in the top of the 8th, Dave singled home Roberto Alomar. Toronto was inspired. A pinch-hit, 2-run home run by Ed Sprague the next inning sent this to Toronto tied a game apiece.

Winfield lashed a single to centre off Steve Avery in the bottom of the 1st. The score was knotted 0-0. But John Olerud fanned and Candy Maldonado erased Dave Winfield by hitting into an inning-ending double play.

However, Winfield made an excellent contribution in the last of the ninth. Game tied, 2-2. Robbie Alomar on second, Joe Carter on first (Via an intentional walk). A bunt by Dave moved 'em over. Ed Sprague batter for Olerud and walked. Candy Maldonado came through this time with a single to centre for the win.

Winfield came up to bat in the bottom of the first in game four. Facing Tom Glavine (He'd singled off him in game one), the Atlanta left-hander, he hat a shot. Alomar was again on second. But Glavine fanned him.

There was better things to come. Leading off the bottom of the fourth, Winfield coaxed a four-pitch walk from Glavine. John Olerud singled to right. A big inning?

Candy Maldonado was retired on a fly and Kelly Gruber hit into a double play. Two innings later, it was Joe Carter on at first with one away. Dave forced him, but John Olerud again singled. Winfield motored to third! Okay! Alas, Maldonado fanned. The good news was that Toronto beat Atlanta 2-1 (Jimmy Key, the Toronto pitcher selected by Cito Gaston to start this game, was brilliant!) in this game four, and were up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Could Dave bring his former teammate his first World Series win? Actually, their first World Series win, as Dave was still looking for his first. They could clinch in game five at home!

Winfield led off the second inning of game with a fly to deep centre. Not matter, Toronto scored a run in the inning, and they would add another in the fourth. But did Atlanta ever have the bats going in this game. They'd tallied in the top of the first, the fourth, and then five time in the top of the fifth. Winfield singled in the last of the fifth and struck out in the eighth. It didn't matter. Toronto lost 7-2.

So in Atlanta for game five, Winfield was ready. Joe Carter drove in a run in the top of the first. Winfield followed that with a walk to keep the rally going. But both Candy Maldonado and Kelly Gruber hit into a force, and the inning ended with just the one run.

Maldonado atoned for that his next time out. He took Steve Avery out of the park for a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Winfield had failed to deliver the previous inning with two on. This was a good sign: Toronto was hitting!

Winfield lined out in the top of the fifth and popped out in the top of the seventh. He grounded out in the ninth. Toronto still led 2-1, but Atlanta tied it in the bottom of the frame. So, top of the 11th, tied 2-2, Dave delivered! A 2-run double put the visitors up 4-2! They needed 'em both, as the Braves scored another run before the last out. Cito and Dave had come full circle in this unforgettable World Series!


References

1992 World Series. Performance by Len Cariou, Major League Baseball Productions, 1992. DVD.

Dan Diamond and Associates and Toronto Blue Jays Club. Toronto Blue Jays Official Guide 1987, 1993, 1994. Print.

Gamester, George, and Gerald Hall. On Top Of The World: The Toronto Star’s Tribute To The ‘92 Blue Jays. Doubleday Canada, 1992. Print.

Major League Baseball. World Series Official Programs 1992 & 1993. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Web. 16 Apr. 2018. <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 16 Apr. 2018.

Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball. Vers. 1994. Portland, OR: Creative Multimedia Corp., 1994. Computer software. CD-ROM.

Youtube. Web. 16 Apr. 2018. <https://www.youtube.com/>.

World Series: Did You Know?

The Toronto Blue Jays didn't score a run from the 5th to 9th inning of games 1, 5 and 6 in 1992. They still won the Fall Classic. And Joe Carter did all he could.

Facing the Atlanta Braves, Carter hit a home run in the top of the 4th inning of game 1. The contest was a pitcher's duel between Tom Glavine and Jack Morris. Glavine was the Braves' pitcher who surrendered the long bomb. Morris held the Atlanta at bay through five.

But how good was Glavine? Get this: He retired the next 3 batters in the fourth inning, and Toronto did not get another man to 2nd to speak of the rest of the game! Yes, Tommy faced just 18 batters the rest of the game. Glavine got Dave Winfield and Candy Maldonado out on grounders, following Carter's home run. Then Kelly Gruber struck out.

Pat Borders and Manny Lee made quick outs in the fourth, not getting it out of the infield. Then Morris struck out. I'm seeing a pattern here. Carter broke the spell in the sixth when he flied out to left. He'd hit hit solo shot in the fourth there. Joe would fly out to Dave Justice in right to end the game.

When did Toronto finally get a man to first? Why Pat Borders (MVP of the Fall Classic), singled to start the top of the 8th. The Atlanta Braves had scored 3 runs off Jack Morris in the bottom of the sixth at this point, and that was the only scoring they'd get. Manny Lee hit into a double play, and PH Pat Tabler was out on a fly to very short centre. Toronto pitchers David Wells and Todd Stottlemyre held the fort for Toronto the rest of the way. However, while the Jays held Atlanta to four hits, Glavine, going all the way, did the same all by himself!



Don't feel too bad for the Blue Jays. Toronto took gamme 2, 5-4, game 3, 3-2, and game 4, 2-1. Could the Jays become the first team from Canada to win the World Series?

Game 5 was back and forth through four. Atlanta scored in the top of the 1st and 4th, Toronto getting even via Pat Borders' RBIs in the bottom of the 2nd and 4th (Both times, driving in John Olerud). Atlanta seemed to stuff out any World Series parade plans the next inning, however, as they touched home 5 times in inning #5. The last four coming in on Lonnie Smith's grand slam. John Smoltz was clearly getting the better of Jack Morris (Who exited with 2 outs in the 5th after Smith's blast) and now was opposed on the mound by Wells.

Smoltz had a high pitch count on him, but got the Jays out in the 5th, allowing just a 2-out single by Winfield. The 6th inning was easier, as John had a nice 1-2-3 frame. The top of the 7th spelled the end for him, as he walked Manny Lee to start. In hopped in Mike Stanton, the lefty. He got Devon White out, then induced Roberto Alomar to ended the inning with a double play ball to second. Joe Carter singled to start the next inning, but Mike the next three Jays' batters out, leaving Joe at third. The 9th inning was Mike's first 1-2-3 inning (The Braves loaded the bases in the top of the frame, proceeding to run themselves out of that when Mark Lemke tried to score on Terry Pendleton's fly to short left) as Atlanta won, 7-2. Toronto had just 6 hits but also 4 walks. Atlanta had 13 hits alone.



So, it was off to Atlanta four game six. Toronto scored first on a Joe Carter sac fly. Back came Atlanta in the bottom of the 3rd. Candy Maldonado homered of Steve Avery in the top of the fourth. Toronto couldn't be done scoring, could they.

For a while, yes. And that that was crucial, as Atlanta hung on.

Pat Borders doubled and David Cone, the pitcher, walked. Devon White singled to left, only to have Borders nailed at the dish. That ended the fourth. Some insurance was not on the horizon.

Pete Smith came in to pitch the top of the 5th. Joe Carter had a double. Joe was hitting the ball well. 2 home runs to his name, so far. There was only one out, but Dave Winfield and Candy Maldonado couldn't get him home. Manny Lee singled with two out in the sixth, but was stranded.

Roberto Alomar singled in the top of the sixth with one out. He was stranded. Todd Stottlemyre and David Wells continued what Cone had started. They held the Braves at bay. Could Toronto just score 'em a run?

Enter Mike Stanton. Entering to shut out Toronto.

Well, Maldonado greeted him with a line shot to left of a single. Kelly Gruber bunted him to second. Borders was walked intentionally. With runners on 1st and 2nd, it was time for Mike to bear down.

He sure did.

Stanton had defused many a Toronto rally in this 1992 World Series. And he did again here.

Lee popped to 1st. Derek Bell batted for Wells and grounded out. Phew!

Top of the 9th, 2-1 Toronto. A two quick outs by Stanton. One more out to give Atlanta a chance in the bottom of the frame. Joe Carter put a pause on those thoughts with a 2-out double. There's the showers, Mike. So Mark Wohlers came in, and got Dave Winfield to ground out.

The excellent bullpen work for the 2nd straight game paid off! Otis Nixon singled home the tying run with two away in the last of the ninth. Charlie Leibrandt got Maldonaldo to ground out to start the 10th frame. Gruber singled...Uh oh.

Borders flied to left. Leibrandt then caught PH Pat Tabler's liner. To the bottom of the 10th. And all that happened there was a 1-2-3 inning via Tom Henke and Jimmy Key.

Key was forced to bat for himself to start the 11th, and Leibrandt got him to pop to first.

And then the wheels came off the chariot.

White was hit by a pitch. Alomar singled. Carter was out on a fly to centre. Dave Winfield ended the suspense with a double to left. Both runners scored. Atlanta got one back in the last of the 11th, but Nixon was retired with the tying run at third.



A grand show, really, both bullpens in this Fall Classic. Both teams had great starters, and with Jack Morris' recent Hall Of Fame induction, let's take a look:

Smoltz, HOF
Glavine, HOF
Cone, 190 + wins
Key, 180 + wins

But as good as all those above were (Plus Steve Avery and Juan Guzman won 90 + games, too...That's 3 pitchers on each team, 4 in Toronto's case...) where would they be without a healthy bullpen? The Braves were able to stay alive and be in every game because of the 'pen.

References

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. (16 Dec. 2017).

Retrosheet. <www.retrosheet.org>. Web. (16 Dec. 2017).

Youtube. <https://www.youtube.com/>. Web. (16 Dec. 2017).

World Series: Did You Know?

John Olerud hat two hits and a nice fielding play in both game four and five of the 1992 Fall Classic. Olerud was a little late getting to his first World Series class, but once he arrived he made some big plays. The Atlanta Braves had some big throwers out there on the mound. The Toronto Blue Jays first basemen came to play and get some hits off 'em.

Olerud didn't even play in the first game, and it would have been a tall order for him. He would have faced Tom Glavine. This was in Atlanta, so the Toronto Blue Jays were at a slight disadvantage. As in, no designated hitter. Another disadvantage was Glavine himself. Great pitcher, and left-handed. Glavine went out and beat the Toronto 3-1 on a fine four-hitter. Candy Maldonado had no such luck. Joe Carter played first as Dave Winfield played right. Dave had been the DH most of the season. They couldn't bench anyone who'd hit 20 + plus home runs like those guys. Glavine was a lefty out there, and didn't face a single lefty all day, but none of the Jays could hit him. Just not right, eh?

Olerud had 16 home runs himself, however, and started game two at first. John Smoltz was the pitcher, and a little more to Olerud's liking. More of a fastball first, everything else second. Olerud got ahead 3-1 in the count his first time up, before Smoltz battled back in fanned him with a nice splitter. Olerud had fouled off a fastball previous to that. But Smoltz had to be careful not to throw too many of those.

And Olerud was actually involved in the controversial play of the game when he batted next.

Roberto Alomar was on third in the top of the fourth, and there were two down. Smoltz' first pitch to Olerud bounced away from catcher Damon Berryhill and went to Olerud's right, behind him. Here comes Alomar, here comes the throw...Out! Replays showed Robbie beat the tag, but what can you do?

So John never got to finish the at bat. But in the top of the fifth, Olerud sent Dave Justice, the Braves' right fielder, almost to the warning track. It was 2-0 Atlanta at the time. Kelly Gruber was then retired for the second out, but Toronto somehow scored twice that inning to tie it.

Olerud and Smoltz faced each other again in the top of the sixth with a man on and one out. Olerud again got ahead in the count 3-1, just like he had four innings ago. John then did what you don't do and hit a flare that resulted in an inning-ending double play.

The Jays trailed again by two, 4-2 in the top of the eighth inning. This time, Alomar couldn't be denied. A double down the left-field line. A single by Joe Carter. A single by Dave Winfield. 4-3. That was the end of the line for John Smoltz.

Mike Stanton, who threw very, very, hard, came in to pitch to Olerud. A lefty. Olerud decided the best approach to this situation would be to go after the first pitch. But all he could do is pop out. The Blue Jays still trailed 4-3 in the top of the ninth, when Ed Sprague hit a dramatic two-run home run to give Toronto their first lead of the ballgame, 5-4. Tom Henke came in and got the save. Olerud ultimately ended the game without a hit. Same thing in game three as the 1992 Fall Classic shifted to Canada. The Jays, however, also won that game, again in the ninth but this time walk-off style. Would John ever get a hit in the 1992 Fall Classic.

Glavine was back in game four, and Olerud looked over-matched. For about one at-bat. Glavine fanned him in the second on a circle change for his first K. But Olerud was ready for that and anything else that the lefty offered rest of the game.

Olerud singled in the bottom of the fourth. And again in the bottom of the sixth, on the changeup. Toronto put two runners on both innings and failed to score. The Jays needed some offence since they were up only 1-0. The Jays got another run the next inning as Kelly Gruber singled and scored on a Devon White single. That run was needed.

The Braves rallied in the top of the eighth. Ron Gant doubled off Jimmy Key, who was pitching an amazing game. Brian Hunter put and bunt down the left side, Toronto couldn't make a play, and the tying run was at first. Damon Berryhill tried to bunt, but popped out. Mark Lemke grounded out when his grounder hit Key and went to Gruber, but that got a run home plus it moved Hunter to second. Duane Ward came in to get Otis Nixon. He fanned him, but Pat Borders (Who'd hit a solo home run earlier in the game), couldn't get a handle on it. The wild pitch moved Hunter to third. Nixon stole second to keep the heat on Toronto. A single now, and Atlanta is up 3-2. Ward had to get the next batter out or this was really looking bad.

Jeff Blauser was the next batter. On a 1-0, he hit a hard grounder to the right side of the infield. Not quite down the line, but not far from it. Olerud went to his left behind first and backhanded it. He beat Blauser to the bag on a fine play. Jays' fans breathed a sigh of relief. Olerud did not bat again, and the Jays didn't score in their half. But when Tom Henke got the Braves out 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, Toronto not only had the win, but they were up 3-1 in the World Series. One more win.

And they would have to beat Smoltz to get that. Or whoever started games six or seven for Atlanta.

But the Braves got into any Jays' victory plan. They scored a run in the top of the first. In the bottom of the second, with Atlanta still up 1-0, Dave Winfield sent a liner to centre that Otis Nixon ran down for the first out. John Olerud was up and John Smoltz was on the mound. John vs. John again. Ball one. Ball two. Ball three. Smoltz got it back to 3-2, but Olerud was ready. He singled to centre. A walk and a booming Pat Borders double tied the game.

Smoltz got through the bottom of the third alright, and Atlanta got another run to get the lead back in the top of the fourth. But guess what happened in the bottom of the frame?

Olerud, after fouling off the first pitch, sent a Smoltz splitter to right for a single. Olerud was four for his last four. Candy Maldonado followed with a walk. Kelly Gruber sent Deion Sanders all the way to the wall in left for a long, loud out. Pat Borders singled home Olerud for another RBI and a tie game.

The Braves, though, weren't about to let the Jays win this one. They scored five times off Jack Morris in the top of the fifth, four of them coming on a Lonnie Smith grand slam. Now ahead 7-2 and with Morris out there for David Wells, things were looking up for Atlanta.

Wells got Sid Bream to fly out and end the inning. All the damage had happened with two outs. Toronto came to bat in the bottom of the frame in big trouble. But they kept hitting the ball well.

Roberto Alomar flied out to Deion Sanders in left, as did Joe Carter. Dave Winfield, playing in his first World Series in eleven years, got Toronto's fifth hit of the game. He singled back up through the box on John Smoltz's very first pitch. That brought our boy to the plate again.

Smoltz had walked a batter in each of the last three innings and was looking erratic. So wanted a nice, neat inning to get away from all that. He'd been falling behind in the count and his pitch count was over 90. He quickly got ahead of Olerud 0-2, and it looked like an easy time at last. But John hadn't made things easy for John all series long. Why should this be any different. The fact that it was 7-2 Atlanta made no difference. You never quit in the Fall Classic. No retreat, no surrender.

Smoltz missed low. Then high and wide. 2-2. Finally, he came inside and Olerud took it all the way. 0-2 to 3-2. And Olerud wasn't going to let up either. Smoltz finally threw a strike to avoid another walk, but Olerud fouled it off. The inning ended as Smoltz got him to fly to Sanders.

Wells, back out there in the top of the sixth, got Jeff Blauser to pop to Olerud in foul territory, and that play was no problem. Damon Berryhill, the switch-hitter, batted from the right side and singled. Mark Lemke flied to centre. Otis Nixon was up, and already had two hits and two runs scored to his name. Just like Olerud. And just like Olerud, he was 2-3. It would be Olerud that stopped him from going 3-4, but did Nixon ever give it a ride. The ball had a bit of side spin on it for good measure, but it was fair. Good job of hitting on Otis' part, as he too was a switcher batting right-handed.

Otis lined one down the first base line off on a 1-1 pitch from Wells. John was a little back of the bag, and little off the line, but he snared it. There were two outs, but John stepped on first for good measure for the fourth out.

Toronto had Joe Carter on second in the bottom of the eighth with one out as Dave Winfield fanned. But John Olerud, the scheduled hitter, was not in the on deck circle. It was Ed Sprague. Mike Stanton was back pitching, you see. Sprague sent Dave Justice deep and Carter tagged. But when Candy Maldonado bounced out, the inning was over. The game ended 7-2 for Atlanta, with Olerud's contribution's largely forgotten. Olerud was a quiet guy at first. But he'd helped the Jays in back-to-back games with his hitting and fielding. His wits and his smarts. He let his bat and glove do the talking, thank you!


References

Brunt, Stephen. Diamond Dreams: 20 Years Of Blue Jays Baseball. Penguin, 1997. Print.

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Gamester, George, and Gerald Hall. On Top Of The World: The Toronto Star’s Tribute To The ‘92 Blue Jays. Doubleday Canada, 1992. Print.

“MLB World Series: Game 5- Atlanta At Toronto.” Fishman, Bob, director. MLB World Series, season 46, episode 5, Columbia Broadcast Corporation, 22 Oct. 1992.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Retrosheet. Web. 05 Dec. 2015. <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 05 Dec. 2015.

Taylor, Phil. “A Swing So Sweet.” SI.com, Sports Illustrated, Web, 13 Oct. 2015, <https://www.si.com/vault/1993/05/10/128558/a-swing-so-sweet-blue-jay-john-olerud-has-always-had-a-great-stroke-but-now-he-has-the-numbers-to-match-it>.

Youtube. Youtube. Web. 05 Dec. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/>.

Toronto Blue Jays Fans: No Time To Panic

So a 5-3 loss to start their first-ever ALDS. Then to lose The Bringer Of Rain And Bautista. However, gotta think positive here, guys. Think back to the glory years. There was trouble in game one(s), too.

Price had his struggles, but at the end of the day, he allowed only five hits. That's a good sign. Okay, the five runs aren't, but the bullpen did the job. Bautista is back for sure for tomorrow, and from the looks of things Josh Donaldson is also going to be back. And we got the red-hot Stroman on the mound. He looks like a Juan Guzman clone, I say. Just think if he pitches in the postseason like Juan Guzman. Or Dave Stewart.

But really, it's game one. Yesterday, I mentioned how Toronto lost the first game at home in the 1991, 1992, and 1993 ALCS. The last two times it happened, they came back to win. Toronto also lost game one of the 1992 Fall Classic, yet came back to win.

Poor Jack Morris. He trotted out to the mound in game one of the 1992 American League Championship Series vs. Oakland, primed to add to his 21-win season. Think David Price's 18 wins, it was supposed to give him the edge.

But Morris faltered early. The Athletics were minus Jose Canseco in this ALCS, but wasted no time in getting to Jack. Morris was 7-1 in the postseason coming in, but that didn't seem to matter. Mark McGwire and Terry Steinbach hit back-to-back home runs off him in the top of the second, McGwire's a two-run shot. So it was 3-0. Toronto's big bats took over as Jack held Oakland at bay until the ninth.

Pat Borders, who'd win the MVP in the Fall Classic that year, hit a home run of his own in the bottom of the fifth off Dave Stewart, who was not yet a Toronto Blue Jays. Dave Winfield hit one the next inning, and suddenly it was 3-2. Stewart's night ended in the bottom of the eighth as Winfield hit a double off him. Jeff Russel came in to face John Olerud. Olerud, who'd be clutch all postseason long, hit a single on a 2-2 pitch to tie it.

But all that came undone in the ninth as Harold Baines took Morris out of the park in the ninth. Oakland got one last hit, and so did Toronto in their half of the ninth. Neither produced a run. The Blue Jays had out-hit the mighty A's 9-6, but still lost, 4-3.

Toronto went on to win in six games. For game one of the 1992 Fall Classic, the Blue Jays turned to Morris, which seemed like a no-brainer. Their opposition, the Atlanta Braves, had struggled with Jack in the 1991 World Series. Morris had their number. 1.17 ERA in three starts.

And for five innings in game one, it was more of the same. It was in Atlanta, but Jack didn't care. Joe Carter hit a home run to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. Morris looked strong. He had the shutout going. And a one-hitter.

Terry Pendleton went down to start the sixth. But here's where the wheels came off the chariot. A walk to Dave Justice, a single by Sid Bream. Ron Gant hit into a fielder's choice, and there was two down. Maybe Jack would get out of this.

It looked like it. Morris faced Damon Berryhill. Gant stole second to put both runners in scoring position, but Jack got ahead in the count, which was the smart thing to do in these situations. But on a 1-2 pitch to Damon, Jack threw a splitter that didn't dip. Berryhill hit it out of the park, giving the Braves a 3-1 win. Jack and hit bullpen pals kept Toronto in the hunt and finished the game on a combined four-hitter. However, Atlanta's Tom Glavine allowed nothing other than the Carter home run. He finished with a 3-1 win, and a four-hitter of his own.



But again, Toronto proved to be a resilient bunch. As was the case in the ALCS that year, four of the next five games went to the Blue Jays. Today's gang isn't quite the 1992 or 1993 team. But they have the bats and the pitching. Game one of this American League Division Series was a wake up call for Toronto. New ballgame, here in the playoffs. But Toronto has bounces back all year. Just like the 1992 and 1993 squads did.


References

Gamester, George, and Gerald Hall. On Top Of The World: The Toronto Star’s Tribute To The ‘92 Blue Jays. Doubleday Canada, 1992. Print.

Sports Reference LLC.  Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. (08 Oct., 2015).

Retrosheet  www.retrosheet.org. Web. (08 Oct., 2015).

Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/. Web. (08 Oct., 2015).

"MLB.com Gameday." MLB.com Gameday. 8 Oct. 2015. Web. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2015_10_08_texmlb_tormlb_1&partnerId=LR_box#game=2015_10_08_texmlb_tormlb_1,game_tab=play-by-play,game_state=Wrapup (08 Oct. 2015). 

World Series: Did You Know?

By game two of the 1992 Fall Classic, the Atlanta Braves had been involved in three straight games that had been decided by backup catchers. Atlanta went 2-1 in them. But they would not have even made it to the World Series without the first such occurrence.

It was game seven of the NLCS vs. Pittsburgh. And the Pirates, led by Barry Bonds, were looking for their first Fall Classic appearance since 1979. But thirteen years of bad luck was about to be extended...All the way to this very day and 35 consecutive seasons of no World Series appearances.

It had been 2-0 Pittsburgh after eight and a half, but the Braves would not go quietly into the night. A sacrifice fly by Ron Gant made it 2-1. Damon Berryhill, the Braves new regular catcher (With Greg Olson out), drew a walk. But then Brian Hunter popped out. There were runners on second and third. Dave Justice, the tying run, was ninety feet away. So Francisco Cabrera, who'd played just eleven games for Atlanta that season, stepped into the box to face the Pirates' Stan Belinda.

But Cabrera, who had caught only one game all season, was essentially the Braves' new backup catcher now with Olson out. Atlanta's hopes seemed dim with him up there. But he got ahead in the count 2-0. Then he fouled off a pitch.

And then he lined a single to left. Justice scored. Barry Bonds fired home to try and cut off Sid Bream at the plate. But Bream, slow, beat the throw! Atlanta had won the National League pennant in dramatic fashion.

From there, it was off to the Fall Classic, where the Toronto Blue Jays awaited them. Pitching in game one for Atlanta was Tom Glavine. Pitching for the Blue Jays was Jack Morris, who'd beaten them 1-0 in ten innings with the Minnesota Twins in game seven the previous year.

Jack looked tough. A Joe Carter home run gave him a 1-0 lead. Jack had the shutout going through five. In the sixth, he retired Terry Pendleton to start it. Justice went to a full count, and coaxed a walk from Morris. Bream came through with a single that only got Justice to second. Gant hit into a force, but stole second to get the go-ahead into scoring position. The batter was Berryhill.

Morris got ahead in the count two strikes, but then made a mistake with the forkball. Berryhill made him pay for that by taking him out of the park. It was 3-1, Atlanta. Glavine did a great job protecting it and ended up a 3-1 winner.

In game two, Toronto needed a split. They erased a 2-0 lead, only to see the Braves go up 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth. A run by the Blue Jays in the top of the ninth cut it to 4-3, but the Braves were just three outs away from a 2-0 lead in the Fall Classic of 1992. Toronto needed some help.

Pat Borders, who ended up the MVP, lined out to Justice in right. Two more outs. Atlanta had to feel confident. They were ahead. They were at home. And they had Jeff Reardon on the hill. Due up next was shortstop Manuel Lee. But it was Derek Bell who batted.

Reardon and Bell batted to 2-2. Bell fouled off the next pitch to stay alive. Bell had played just 61 games in the regular season. He appeared in just 18 games the season before that. He was playing in his first World Series game and hanging on. Reardon though, looked like he had Bell looking with a high pitch on his next delivery as it was just above the numbers. A ball. A ball called. But it was close as it sank. You couldn't have blamed the umpire for calling strike three. Instead, it was ball three. Bell stayed alive on the next pitch, fouling it off.

And then, if you can believe it, on two pitches, the Jays were ahead 5-4.

Reardon missed badly on the outside corner with his fastball on the next pitch, and Bell was aboard. Now it was Duane Ward's spot to bat. But of course he wouldn't. Ward was the Jays' pitcher when the third out was recorded in the bottom of the eighth. No way does he bat here.

Instead it was Ed Sprague, the Jays backup catcher. But Ed was going in the opposite direction of Bell, at least it seemed like it. Amazingly enough, come the 1993 World Series, it was Sprague still with the Jays, at third base, and making some huge contributions. Bell was traded in the spring.

However, all that was in 1993. Here, we are in game two of the 1992 Fall Classic. Sprague though, seemed like a forgotten man on the team at this point. He'd played 61 games for the Jays in 1991, but mostly at third for Kelly Gruber. He'd caught only two games. '92 saw him get into only 22 games, although 15 were as a catcher. He also played two games of the ALCS vs. Oakland, and batted 1-2 as a pinch hitter.

Only the very first pitch to Sprague, he got a great pitch to hit. It caught too much of the plate, and he hammered it to left. Deion Sanders went back, but it was way over his head. And it found the seats. Toronto 5, Atlanta 4.

The Braves, no strangers to heroics, mounted another comeback attempt in the bottom of the ninth. Tom Henke, the Blue Jay's closer, came on to try and put Atlanta away. He got Mark Lemke out, but then Lonnie Smith, the second batter like Bell in the top of the frame, made it to first. The painful way, as Henke hit him. Otis Nixon gave it quite a ride on the first pitch, but it was just a long out to his counterpart in centre, Devon White. The Braves were down to their last out again.

However, Deion Sanders was the batter. He stayed right in there with Henke, much like Bell had with Reardon. On a 2-2 pitch, Gant, as he had in game one, stole second. A single here and we're tied. Sanders ended up with a walk, but now the winning run was on first. An extra base hit and this game is over.

Terry Pendleton was just the kind of batter to do that. In 1991, he was given the National League's top honour, the MVP. But on the very first pitch from Henke, he popped up to Kelly Gruber at third in foul territory. Kelly put the squeeze on it, and Toronto had a dramatic 5-4 win.

It ended up being quite a Fall Classic. Toronto won, but all four games they triumphed in were decided by just a single run. Atlanta had a dramatic game one win of their own (And a blowout in game five). However, Atlanta pulled out a dramatic comeback in the National League Division Series just to get here, and gave Toronto all they could handle in the final showdown. Each team needed backup to win. Backup catchers.

References

1992 World Series. Performance by Len Cariou, Major League Baseball Productions, 1992. DVD.

Dan Diamond and Associates & Toronto Blue Jays Club. Toronto Blue Jays Official Guide 1987, 1993, 1994. Print.

Gamester, George, and Gerald Hall. On Top of the World: The Toronto Stars Tribute To The '92 Blue Jays. Doubleday Canada, 1992. Print.

Major League Baseball. World Series Official Programs 1992 & 1993. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 3 Oct. 2015.

Retrosheet. Web. 3 Oct. 2015. <http://www.retrosheet.org/>.

YouTube. Web. 3 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com>.