"Member of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1990 World Seres that faced an Oakland A's team that had Dave Stewart and Ricky Henderson on it. Faced the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 that had Dave Stewart and Ricky Henderson on in."
That would be Mariano Duncan and Danny Jackson. Jackson, however, did not pitch against Stewart in either Fall Classic. Duncan had led the National League in triples in 1990, and was in the lineup for all four games vs. Stew and company in 1990. The Reds pulled off a huge surprise.
The A's had won it all in 1989, and lost to the Dodgers in 1988, so it was their third straight appearance in the World Series. And they'd be up against a Red team that didn't seem to have their offence (Think Ricky Henderson, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire) or pitching (Think Bob Welch, Stewart, Mike Moore and relievers Dennis Eckersley and Rick Honeycutt).
But it was the home town Reds that routed Stewart 7-0 in game one. Duncan got a hit and a walk, although he failed to collect and RBI or score a run, batting from the ninth spot ahead of pitcher Jose Rijo. Young Jose pitched a combined shutout.
Jackson pitched game two, but Oakland strafed him. Danny lasted just 2 2/3 innings, the A's getting six hits and three earned runs off him. But the Reds would not be denied. They had an answer for everything the Athletics through at them, tying the game in the eighth and winning it in extras. It was tough, but the 5-4 sent them to Oakland up 2-0.
And 8-3 win by Cincinnati in the third contest put them one win from a sweep, despite Henderson hitting a home run. Duncan singled home a run and came around himself to score in a big seven-run top of the third. Stewart was needed by the A's to avoid the sweep.
Stew pitched well in the fourth game. The Reds were held to just seven hits (None by Duncan). Rijo, back for his second start, was a little better, winning it 2-1 and completing the sweep. Henderson had been heroic in a losing cause like Stewart, hitting .313 with three walks and three steals.
Three years later, Stewart was with a new team, the Toronto Blue Jays. Henderson was still in Oakland to start the year, but Toronto acquired him late in the campaign to try for a repeat. They'd won in 1992, beating Ricky and Dave in the ALCS. Now, like the A's of 1990, they looked to do it all again with some old stars of the Athletics. Dave and Ricky made sure they did.
They made it to the World Series and faced Philadelphia. In the ALCS vs. Chicago, Stewart was 2-0. He'd gone 4-0 in September. He was in a groove. And after the Jays won game one of the Fall Classic, 8-5, Stewart looked to put 'em up two games.
The Phillies, though, were undaunted. Duncan was the game's second batter. He singled to tell Stew that this was their night. They scored five times (Duncan touching home once) off Stewart in the top of the third, three of them on a big three-run home run by Jim Eisenreich. Toronto came back in the bottom of the fourth, getting two runs on a two-run home run by Joe Carter. Stew settled down. Other than the third, Philly didn't get a run off him. The game seemed very winnable by a team loaded with offence, just like the 1990 Oakland A's. But try as they might, Toronto couldn't pull this one off. Philly squeaked by 6-4, holding off several Blue Jay comeback attempts.
So Toronto went to Philadelphia and routed Danny Jackson in game three. The scored three times in the top of the first, Henderson starting it all with a single. Pat Hentgen, who started the game, fanned the side in the bottom of the frame, despite singles by Duncan and John Kruk. With Danny Cox pitching the bottom of the seventh, Duncan singled home Milt Thompson. But all that did was cut the lead to 8-2. Toronto tacked on two more runs to Philadelphia's one for the 10-3 win. A wild game four saw Toronto win again, 15-14 despite three hits by Mariano. Curt Schilling saved the Phillies' bacon in game five, shutting out Toronto 2-0. Duncan had a frustrating day at the dish. Juan Guzman, although the loser of the game, went seven strong innings, giving up just two runs and five hits. Duncan, none.
So it was up to Dave Stewart to close out Philly in Toronto for game six. He was back to the Stewart of old in this one. Toronto scored three times in the bottom of the first. Even when Philadelphia got on the board in the fourth, Toronto countered it with an Ed Sprague sac fly to make it 4-1. Next inning, Paul Molitor took Philly starter Terry Mullholland out of the park to left. 5-1. Steward just was cruising along. The Philadelphia Phillies had two hits, total, through six. In the seventh, they woke up. A walk, a single, and a Lenny Dykstra home run got them back to within a run. Stewart left, but it was Mariano Duncan keeping the rally going with a single of Danny Cox. Then Mariano stole second and scored on a single by Dave Collins. 5-5. A walk, an infield single knocked Cox out. Al Leiter came in to pitch to left fielder Milt Thompson. The Phillies sent up pinch hitter Pete Incaviglia. Leiter was a lefty and Incaviglia was a righty. On Al's first pitch, Pete sent a fly to White that scored Collins. Philly was up 6-5.
But before they could get into a seventh game, it was Toronto pulling it off. Ricky Henderson, who'd been on an off all series long, led off the ninth. He'd collected two hits in game three. Another two in game four. But, now he was in a slump when the Blue Jays needed him most. Facing Mitch Williams, he drew a leadoff walk. Devon White batted next and flew out. One down. Two outs from a game seven. Molitor, with a triple and home run so far on the night, singled to centre. That brought Joe Carter to the dish. He sent a 2-2 offering from Williams over Incaviglia's head in left for a dramatic three-run home run. The walk-off won the game. Stewart and Henderson had another World Series ring.
Danny Jackson and Mariano Duncan were out of baseball not long afterwords. Jackson had one last good season for Philly in 1994, then went just 5-22 in 1996 and 1997 before he left baseball. Duncan went on to win another World Series with the New York Yankees in 1996. He joined Toronto the next year, but was unable to contribute much. He spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues before retiring.
Dave Stewart never pitched well again. Although he returned to Toronto in 1994 and was there again in Oakland the next season, he struggled. But he then became a player agent and is currently the GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks. His old Oakland / Toronto pal Henderson had quite a career, playing on until 2003, ending up as the all-time leader in runs scored and stolen bases. He was inducted into the baseball Hall Of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility.
The 1990 World Series was the last (to date) for the Reds. Likewise, the Jays haven't won since 1993. Neither team has even made it back to the Fall Classic. For that matter, Oakland hasn't reached the World Series since 1990. Only Philly has made it back, winning in 2008 and losing to the New York Yankees the next season.When we think of Ricky Henderson and Dave Stewart, we always think of the Oakland A's dynasty of the late 80s and 90s. Sure, because of recent developments in the widespread use of steriods, most people will say, "Canseco" or "McGwire when you think back to those years. But Stewart and Henderson were great competitors for both teams. Even in defeat, they battled you every step of the way. Mariano Duncan and Danny Jackson were across the diamond to witness that.
"Dave Stewart (baseball)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 June 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Stewart_(baseball).
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 28 June. 2016.
Youtube. Web. 28 June. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/.
That would be Mariano Duncan and Danny Jackson. Jackson, however, did not pitch against Stewart in either Fall Classic. Duncan had led the National League in triples in 1990, and was in the lineup for all four games vs. Stew and company in 1990. The Reds pulled off a huge surprise.
The A's had won it all in 1989, and lost to the Dodgers in 1988, so it was their third straight appearance in the World Series. And they'd be up against a Red team that didn't seem to have their offence (Think Ricky Henderson, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire) or pitching (Think Bob Welch, Stewart, Mike Moore and relievers Dennis Eckersley and Rick Honeycutt).
But it was the home town Reds that routed Stewart 7-0 in game one. Duncan got a hit and a walk, although he failed to collect and RBI or score a run, batting from the ninth spot ahead of pitcher Jose Rijo. Young Jose pitched a combined shutout.
Jackson pitched game two, but Oakland strafed him. Danny lasted just 2 2/3 innings, the A's getting six hits and three earned runs off him. But the Reds would not be denied. They had an answer for everything the Athletics through at them, tying the game in the eighth and winning it in extras. It was tough, but the 5-4 sent them to Oakland up 2-0.
And 8-3 win by Cincinnati in the third contest put them one win from a sweep, despite Henderson hitting a home run. Duncan singled home a run and came around himself to score in a big seven-run top of the third. Stewart was needed by the A's to avoid the sweep.
Stew pitched well in the fourth game. The Reds were held to just seven hits (None by Duncan). Rijo, back for his second start, was a little better, winning it 2-1 and completing the sweep. Henderson had been heroic in a losing cause like Stewart, hitting .313 with three walks and three steals.
Three years later, Stewart was with a new team, the Toronto Blue Jays. Henderson was still in Oakland to start the year, but Toronto acquired him late in the campaign to try for a repeat. They'd won in 1992, beating Ricky and Dave in the ALCS. Now, like the A's of 1990, they looked to do it all again with some old stars of the Athletics. Dave and Ricky made sure they did.
They made it to the World Series and faced Philadelphia. In the ALCS vs. Chicago, Stewart was 2-0. He'd gone 4-0 in September. He was in a groove. And after the Jays won game one of the Fall Classic, 8-5, Stewart looked to put 'em up two games.
The Phillies, though, were undaunted. Duncan was the game's second batter. He singled to tell Stew that this was their night. They scored five times (Duncan touching home once) off Stewart in the top of the third, three of them on a big three-run home run by Jim Eisenreich. Toronto came back in the bottom of the fourth, getting two runs on a two-run home run by Joe Carter. Stew settled down. Other than the third, Philly didn't get a run off him. The game seemed very winnable by a team loaded with offence, just like the 1990 Oakland A's. But try as they might, Toronto couldn't pull this one off. Philly squeaked by 6-4, holding off several Blue Jay comeback attempts.
So Toronto went to Philadelphia and routed Danny Jackson in game three. The scored three times in the top of the first, Henderson starting it all with a single. Pat Hentgen, who started the game, fanned the side in the bottom of the frame, despite singles by Duncan and John Kruk. With Danny Cox pitching the bottom of the seventh, Duncan singled home Milt Thompson. But all that did was cut the lead to 8-2. Toronto tacked on two more runs to Philadelphia's one for the 10-3 win. A wild game four saw Toronto win again, 15-14 despite three hits by Mariano. Curt Schilling saved the Phillies' bacon in game five, shutting out Toronto 2-0. Duncan had a frustrating day at the dish. Juan Guzman, although the loser of the game, went seven strong innings, giving up just two runs and five hits. Duncan, none.
So it was up to Dave Stewart to close out Philly in Toronto for game six. He was back to the Stewart of old in this one. Toronto scored three times in the bottom of the first. Even when Philadelphia got on the board in the fourth, Toronto countered it with an Ed Sprague sac fly to make it 4-1. Next inning, Paul Molitor took Philly starter Terry Mullholland out of the park to left. 5-1. Steward just was cruising along. The Philadelphia Phillies had two hits, total, through six. In the seventh, they woke up. A walk, a single, and a Lenny Dykstra home run got them back to within a run. Stewart left, but it was Mariano Duncan keeping the rally going with a single of Danny Cox. Then Mariano stole second and scored on a single by Dave Collins. 5-5. A walk, an infield single knocked Cox out. Al Leiter came in to pitch to left fielder Milt Thompson. The Phillies sent up pinch hitter Pete Incaviglia. Leiter was a lefty and Incaviglia was a righty. On Al's first pitch, Pete sent a fly to White that scored Collins. Philly was up 6-5.
But before they could get into a seventh game, it was Toronto pulling it off. Ricky Henderson, who'd been on an off all series long, led off the ninth. He'd collected two hits in game three. Another two in game four. But, now he was in a slump when the Blue Jays needed him most. Facing Mitch Williams, he drew a leadoff walk. Devon White batted next and flew out. One down. Two outs from a game seven. Molitor, with a triple and home run so far on the night, singled to centre. That brought Joe Carter to the dish. He sent a 2-2 offering from Williams over Incaviglia's head in left for a dramatic three-run home run. The walk-off won the game. Stewart and Henderson had another World Series ring.
Danny Jackson and Mariano Duncan were out of baseball not long afterwords. Jackson had one last good season for Philly in 1994, then went just 5-22 in 1996 and 1997 before he left baseball. Duncan went on to win another World Series with the New York Yankees in 1996. He joined Toronto the next year, but was unable to contribute much. He spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues before retiring.
Dave Stewart never pitched well again. Although he returned to Toronto in 1994 and was there again in Oakland the next season, he struggled. But he then became a player agent and is currently the GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks. His old Oakland / Toronto pal Henderson had quite a career, playing on until 2003, ending up as the all-time leader in runs scored and stolen bases. He was inducted into the baseball Hall Of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility.
The 1990 World Series was the last (to date) for the Reds. Likewise, the Jays haven't won since 1993. Neither team has even made it back to the Fall Classic. For that matter, Oakland hasn't reached the World Series since 1990. Only Philly has made it back, winning in 2008 and losing to the New York Yankees the next season.When we think of Ricky Henderson and Dave Stewart, we always think of the Oakland A's dynasty of the late 80s and 90s. Sure, because of recent developments in the widespread use of steriods, most people will say, "Canseco" or "McGwire when you think back to those years. But Stewart and Henderson were great competitors for both teams. Even in defeat, they battled you every step of the way. Mariano Duncan and Danny Jackson were across the diamond to witness that.
References
"Dave Stewart (baseball)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 June 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Stewart_(baseball).
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 28 June. 2016.
Youtube. Web. 28 June. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/.
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