Dave Winfield got the Jays last hit off John Smoltz in games two and five of the 1992 Fall Classic. The visiting Toronto team had put Winfield in the lineup in right, despite no DH. The Atlanta Braves had waited one year to avenge their 1991 World Series loss, and had a bright, young pitching staff that included a right-hander with some good stuff, but who sometimes got a little wild. It was a little different for Dave Winfield.
Winfield, who'd waited a long time (11 seasons) to get back to the Fall Classic after 1981, had seen his Toronto team lose the opener, 3-1 to Tom Glavine. Things didn't get any better in game two, as John Smoltz made Winfield one of the five K's he got in the first two innings. The Atlanta team must have thought it would be another victory with that kind of start from their ace rightly!
Dave grounded out in the top of the fourth, that sent Roberto Alomar to third with two outs. But when Alomar tried to score on a pitch that Smoltz threw into the dirt, Robbie was out. The Jays didn't think it was the right call and replays showed Alomar was save at home.
Toronto, down 1-0 at that top, fell further behind in the bottom of the frame. A walk to Pat Borders, a single by Manny Lee and a single by pitcher David Cone made it a 2-1 ballgame in the top of the fifth. A chopped by Devon White squared things.
Atlanta though, got the lead back in the bottom of the frame. Actually, they tallied twice to chase Cone. Winfield gave it a ride the next time out, but it was an out to centre. But in the top of the eighth, with the Jays down two runs still, it was a single by Winfield to left that scored Alomar this time. It cut the lead to 4-3 and Toronto went on to win the game, 5-4.
Toronto came back home and won games three and four. With another game at home, the Jays looked poised to wrap this thing up. But Smoltz was back on the hill for Atlanta.
It was an odd game for him. At times, he looked like he had it all, and then the next inning it seemed to unravel. He got the Jays 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first. Better still, Atlanta had scored the first run. In the bottom of the second, Smoltz got Winfield to fly out, but then seemed to come undone as John Olerud singled, Cany Maldonado walked. A K of Kelly Gruber for the second out was followed by a booming double to left by Pat Borders. The game was tied.
In the bottom of the third, Alomar drew a one-out walk. But Smoltz, get this, needed just two pitches to get Joe Carter out. Two down. Then, John needed just two more pitches to get Winfield to force Alomar at second.
The Atlanta Braves regained the lead on a Dave Justice solo home run in the top of the fourth, but Toronto came right back at them in the bottom of the frame. Just like in the bottom of the second, it was Olerud with a single, Maldonado with a walk, and Borders with a hit to tie it. 2-2, after four.
Atlanta turned one the jets in the top of the frame. A single by Otis Nixon, started a rally. All of this with two outs. Nixon stole second, and Deion Sanders drove him home to make it 3-2, Atlanta. A double, an intentional walk and a grand slam by Lonnie Smith made it a 7-2 Atlanta lead. Smoltz finally had a nice cushion to work with.
He went back to the hill in the bottom of the frame with renewed energy. He got Alomar and Carter out on fly balls. But Winfield then stroked a single to centre. Olerud then gave Smoltz all he could handle before finally flying out to left. A 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth seemed to permanently restore Smoltz's stuff.
But he was now up to 109 pitches. And when the first batter of the bottom of the seventh, Manny Lee, walked, John Smoltz was through for the night. But Atlanta had forced a game six, as they went on to win, 7-2.
Smotlz wasn't quite in his prime yet, as both game two and five of this series seemed to show his wildness. But he'd gone 15-12 with an ERA of 2.85. And he'd pitched well for the most part in his two Fall Classic starts. At just 25, it was obvious this pitcher had a bright future. Winfield, a spry 41 years young at the time, was a little past it, but had driven in 108 runs that year.
Smoltz would pitch again in the World Series. Winfield, though, would not. He was left off Cleveland's 1995 post-season roster, in a move that seemed so cruel.
The Fall Classic is full of stories of players just getting started, saying "Hi" to the baseball world, like John Smoltz. But it can also have players saying "Goodbye" as part of their "Last Hurrahs" in baseball. The World Series, which seems like the grandest stage in baseball, is an event for young boys and old men, on and off the diamond.
“Dave Winfield.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2014, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Winfield
“MLB World Series: Game 5- Atlanta At Toronto.” Fishman, Bob, director. MLB World Series, season 46, episode 5, Columbia Broadcast Corporation, 22 Oct. 1992.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.
Winfield, who'd waited a long time (11 seasons) to get back to the Fall Classic after 1981, had seen his Toronto team lose the opener, 3-1 to Tom Glavine. Things didn't get any better in game two, as John Smoltz made Winfield one of the five K's he got in the first two innings. The Atlanta team must have thought it would be another victory with that kind of start from their ace rightly!
Dave grounded out in the top of the fourth, that sent Roberto Alomar to third with two outs. But when Alomar tried to score on a pitch that Smoltz threw into the dirt, Robbie was out. The Jays didn't think it was the right call and replays showed Alomar was save at home.
Toronto, down 1-0 at that top, fell further behind in the bottom of the frame. A walk to Pat Borders, a single by Manny Lee and a single by pitcher David Cone made it a 2-1 ballgame in the top of the fifth. A chopped by Devon White squared things.
Atlanta though, got the lead back in the bottom of the frame. Actually, they tallied twice to chase Cone. Winfield gave it a ride the next time out, but it was an out to centre. But in the top of the eighth, with the Jays down two runs still, it was a single by Winfield to left that scored Alomar this time. It cut the lead to 4-3 and Toronto went on to win the game, 5-4.
Toronto came back home and won games three and four. With another game at home, the Jays looked poised to wrap this thing up. But Smoltz was back on the hill for Atlanta.
It was an odd game for him. At times, he looked like he had it all, and then the next inning it seemed to unravel. He got the Jays 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first. Better still, Atlanta had scored the first run. In the bottom of the second, Smoltz got Winfield to fly out, but then seemed to come undone as John Olerud singled, Cany Maldonado walked. A K of Kelly Gruber for the second out was followed by a booming double to left by Pat Borders. The game was tied.
In the bottom of the third, Alomar drew a one-out walk. But Smoltz, get this, needed just two pitches to get Joe Carter out. Two down. Then, John needed just two more pitches to get Winfield to force Alomar at second.
The Atlanta Braves regained the lead on a Dave Justice solo home run in the top of the fourth, but Toronto came right back at them in the bottom of the frame. Just like in the bottom of the second, it was Olerud with a single, Maldonado with a walk, and Borders with a hit to tie it. 2-2, after four.
Atlanta turned one the jets in the top of the frame. A single by Otis Nixon, started a rally. All of this with two outs. Nixon stole second, and Deion Sanders drove him home to make it 3-2, Atlanta. A double, an intentional walk and a grand slam by Lonnie Smith made it a 7-2 Atlanta lead. Smoltz finally had a nice cushion to work with.
He went back to the hill in the bottom of the frame with renewed energy. He got Alomar and Carter out on fly balls. But Winfield then stroked a single to centre. Olerud then gave Smoltz all he could handle before finally flying out to left. A 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth seemed to permanently restore Smoltz's stuff.
But he was now up to 109 pitches. And when the first batter of the bottom of the seventh, Manny Lee, walked, John Smoltz was through for the night. But Atlanta had forced a game six, as they went on to win, 7-2.
Smotlz wasn't quite in his prime yet, as both game two and five of this series seemed to show his wildness. But he'd gone 15-12 with an ERA of 2.85. And he'd pitched well for the most part in his two Fall Classic starts. At just 25, it was obvious this pitcher had a bright future. Winfield, a spry 41 years young at the time, was a little past it, but had driven in 108 runs that year.
Smoltz would pitch again in the World Series. Winfield, though, would not. He was left off Cleveland's 1995 post-season roster, in a move that seemed so cruel.
The Fall Classic is full of stories of players just getting started, saying "Hi" to the baseball world, like John Smoltz. But it can also have players saying "Goodbye" as part of their "Last Hurrahs" in baseball. The World Series, which seems like the grandest stage in baseball, is an event for young boys and old men, on and off the diamond.
References
“Dave Winfield.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2014, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Winfield
“MLB World Series: Game 5- Atlanta At Toronto.” Fishman, Bob, director. MLB World Series, season 46, episode 5, Columbia Broadcast Corporation, 22 Oct. 1992.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.
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