1992 World Series

The 1992 World Series was the first Series ever with games played outside the United States of America. It pitted the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays against the National League champion Atlanta Braves. Toronto defeated Atlanta, four games to two, marking the first time a team based outside the United States won the World Series.

Background

The Blue Jays made it to the Series after beating the Oakland Athletics in six games in the American League Championship Series. The Braves were in their second consecutive series after again knocking off the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games in the National League Championship Series.

Summary

AL Toronto Blue Jays (4) vs. NL Atlanta Braves (2)

Matchups

Game 1

Saturday, October 17, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Braves fans had plenty to worry about in regard to both starting pitchers. Tom Glavine's post-season career had been less than stellar, including giving up eight runs in the second inning of Game 6 of the NLCS against Pittsburgh. Entering Game 1, Glavine's career post-season record was 1–5 despite two starts where he had pitched complete games and only given up one run each time. Glavine was 0–2 in those starts. In addition to Glavine's struggles in the postseason the Braves would face Toronto ace Jack Morris in Game 1. The Braves were more than familiar with Morris, having faced him three times in the 1991 World Series. Then pitching for the Minnesota Twins, Morris started three games and defeated Atlanta twice. The second of those wins was in the decisive seventh game, when Morris pitched a ten-inning complete game shutout on his way to earning Series MVP honors. However, Morris' 1992 postseason had not gone particularly well. He lost Game 1 of the ALCS against Oakland despite a complete game, and gave up five runs in the third inning of Game 4 but ended up with a no-decision after Toronto rallied for an extra-inning victory.

Glavine gave up a home run to Joe Carter in the fourth for the first run of the Series, while Morris shut the Braves out for five innings. In the sixth, with two runners on and two out Damon Berryhill golfed a Morris pitch over the right-field wall for a three-run homer. It was all the offense Atlanta needed, and the Braves took the game by a 3–1 count. Glavine went the distance for the victory, only giving up four total hits. In taking the loss, Morris suffered his first career World Series defeat in his sixth start, with one no-decision. It would not be his last.

Berryhill's home run marked the first runs Morris had given up in the World Series since a Terry Pendleton home run in the bottom of the third inning of Game 4 of the 1991 Series. Morris pitched an additional 3 ¹⁄₃ innings in that game, all ten in Game 7, and the first 5 ²⁄₃ innings of this game to run his scoreless innings streak in the World Series to 19.

Game 2

Sunday, October 18, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Before the game started, during the performance of the National Anthems of the United States and Canada, the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard accidentally flew the flag of Canada upside down^[7] The Corps apologized for the error and took pains to carry the flag properly prior to Game 3 in Toronto after insisting that they would be honored to do so.. On top of that, Canadian rock/country musician Tom Cochrane sang the Canadian national anthem incorrectly. Instead of singing the line "...from far and wide, oh Canada, we stand on guard for thee...", Cochrane instead sang a lyric that was in a previous version of the song: "...oh Canada, we stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee...". Not only did Cochrane substitute the archaic lyric, he also did not sing it correctly, as the lyric said "we stand on guard, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee" before it was changed.

The pitching match-up featured former Met David Cone, acquired by the Jays in an August trade, against the Braves' John Smoltz, with whom he had been battling for the National League strikeout lead at the time of the trade. Cone had 214 strikeouts when he was traded by the Mets to the Blue Jays for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson, and due to baseball rules involving players switching leagues his total was frozen at that number while Smoltz continued to earn strikeouts. Smoltz finished the season with 215 strikeouts to top Cone, but Cone led the major leagues with a combined total of 264 strikeouts (finishing 23 ahead of his nearest competitor, Randy Johnson).

A controversial call was made by umpire Mike Reilly in the top of the fourth inning with Atlanta leading 1–0 after David Justice scored on a wild pitch from Cone. Roberto Alomar was at third base with John Olerud batting. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Smoltz threw a ball that skipped past Damon Berryhill. Alomar broke for home plate while Berryhill fielded the ball. Smoltz, the ball, and Alomar got to the plate at around the same time and Smoltz tagged Alomar. Reilly called Alomar out to end the inning, but replays shown by CBS showed that Alomar's hand had clearly touched the plate before Smoltz was able to apply a tag.

In the top of the fifth Pat Borders and Manuel Lee both reached base in front of Cone, who had already singled earlier in the game. Cone responded with his second hit of the game (only the third hit for a pitcher in the World Series since 1979) to drive in Borders and cut the Atlanta lead to 2–1. Lee then scored on a single by Devon White, tying the game. The Braves rallied in the bottom half of the inning as Deion Sanders provided a spark. With one out, Sanders singled. He then immediately stole second, and after Borders made an errant throw he got up and ran to third. Cone then walked Terry Pendleton, then gave up the go-ahead run when David Justice singled in Sanders. Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston then pulled Cone in favor of David Wells, who gave up the fourth Atlanta run when pinch hitter Brian Hunter's sacrifice fly scored Pendleton.

Toronto made another rally in the eighth inning. Alomar doubled to left with one out, then gave up back to back singles to Joe Carter and Dave Winfield, the second of which scored Alomar and cut the lead to 4–3. Smoltz was then lifted in favor of Mike Stanton, who retired Olerud, and then closer Jeff Reardon struck out Kelly Gruber to end the threat.

The Jays entered the ninth trailing by the one run Reilly had cost them and turned to their bench, which the team had nicknamed "The Trenches". After a walk to Derek Bell, Toronto reserve infielder Ed Sprague drilled a pitch from Reardon, then baseball's all-time saves leader, to left for a two-run homer. The play was called by legendary Blue Jays announcer the late Tom "Pops" Cheek, who said "Watch him hit a homer" during Sprague's at bat.

Atlanta tried to rally in the ninth. After Mark Lemke flew out, Toronto closer Tom Henke hit pinch hitter Lonnie Smith with a pitch. Ron Gant came in to pinch run for him and after Otis Nixon recorded the second out he stole second. Sanders then walked to put the winning run on base and Pendleton, an NL MVP candidate. Pendleton had led the majors with a .391 average with runners in scoring position and two out. However, he popped out to Jays third baseman Kelly Gruber to seal the victory for Toronto. Gruber then angered Braves fans and players by mocking the "Tomahawk Chop" as he left the field.^[8]

Game 3

Tuesday, October 20, 1992 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario

Before this game, the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard offered to hoist the Canadian flag once more in order to make amends for the inverted flag incident of Game 2. Likewise, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police flew the flag of the United States.

As Game 3 moved across the border (for the first Canadian Classic) the question still remained of the Blue Jays' ballpark benefit. Before this series, the Blue Jays had previously only gone 3–6 in the postseason in their home park, with two of those wins coming in the 1992 postseason.

In the fourth inning, the first big defensive play of the Series nearly resulted in a rare World Series triple play and another bit of World Series history was made. With Deion Sanders and Terry Pendleton on with nobody out in the top of the inning, Devon White made a leaping catch of a deep fly ball off the bat of Atlanta's David Justice. As White made the catch and crashed into the wall Sanders and Pendleton got crossed up on the bases, and Pendleton ran past Sanders to result in an automatic out. Sanders remained stuck between second and third as Kelly Gruber received a relay from first baseman John Olerud and began chasing him back to second. Gruber lunged at Sanders and appeared to tag him on the heel just before he got back to second, and television replays confirmed he did, but umpire Bob Davidson called Sanders safe. In the bottom half Joe Carter homered off of Braves starter Steve Avery, with the hit scoring the first ever World Series run in Canada.

The Braves would tie the game in the sixth when Sanders ripped a double into the right-field corner and scored on a Justice single through the right side. They then took the lead in the top of the eighth. Otis Nixon led off the inning and reached on an error after Gruber misplayed a line drive off his bat. Nixon then stole second and with two out stood on third. Juan Guzman then walked Justice to pitch to Lonnie Smith, who delivered with a single that scored Nixon but also ended the inning as Justice was tagged out going to third. In the bottom of the inning Gruber made up for his gaffe in the top half and broke a long hitless streak with a game-tying home run.

The top of the ninth inning saw the first World Series ejection since 1985.^[8] Sid Bream led off the inning with a single and then was lifted for pinch runner Brian Hunter. With a 2–2 count on Jeff Blauser, Hunter tried to steal second. Blauser attempted to check his swing as Pat Borders threw out Hunter at second. Toronto shortstop Manuel Lee jumped up and told Borders to appeal to first base umpire Dan Morrison to see if Blauser swung. Morrison ruled he did, and shortly thereafter Duane Ward struck out Damon Berryhill to end the inning. In between innings Braves manager Bobby Cox picked up a batting helmet and threw it out of the dugout to protest the strikeout call on Blauser and was immediately ejected by umpire Joe West.

Avery started the bottom of the ninth for the Braves and gave up a single to Roberto Alomar. Acting manager Jimy Williams pulled Avery from the game in favor of Mark Wohlers, who issued an intentional walk to Carter after Alomar stole second. After Dave Winfield bunted the runners into scoring position, Williams brought in Mike Stanton to pitch to Olerud. The Blue Jays sent up Game 2 hero Ed Sprague to pinch hit, and he was walked intentionally to load the bases. Again, Williams came out and called for a new pitcher, this time Game 2 loser Jeff Reardon. Facing Candy Maldonado with one out, Reardon gave up his second consecutive game winning hit as Maldonado singled to center. Alomar scored from third and Tomahawk Chopped his way to the plate as Gruber had done with the last out in Game 2. Ward took his second consecutive win while Avery was saddled with the loss.

Game 4

Wednesday, October 21, 1992 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario

Having decided on a three-man rotation for the series, Game 1 winner Tom Glavine took the mound for Atlanta in Game 4. Toronto countered with veteran starter Jimmy Key, who had not made a start in the postseason and only pitched once, in relief, to this point. After giving up a lead-off single to Otis Nixon in the first inning, Key picked Nixon off first base and gave up only three hits over seven innings.

In the third inning, the Blue Jays scored their first run when Pat Borders hit a solo home run. They added a second run in the bottom of the seventh, which would prove decisive, when Kelly Gruber scored on a single by Devon White with two out.

The Braves attempted to rally in the eighth when Ron Gant led off with a double. He advanced to third on a bunt single by Brian Hunter and then scored on an infield groundout by Mark Lemke with one out. That proved to be the end for Key, as Duane Ward came in for his third consecutive appearance. He struck out the first batter he faced, Otis Nixon, but the pitch got away from Borders and the speedy Nixon was able to reach base, with Hunter advancing to third. Nixon then stole second to put runners in scoring position, but Ward got Jeff Blauser to ground out to John Olerud to end the threat.

Tom Henke earned his second save of the series by shutting down the Braves in the ninth. Key won his first postseason game since 1989, and this win proved to be his last as a starter for the Blue Jays. Glavine pitched his second complete game for the Braves in the Series in a losing effort.

Game 5

Thursday, October 22, 1992 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario

Down three games to one and facing elimination the Braves returned John Smoltz to the mound for Game 5, who was still seeking his first World Series win. Jack Morris, who had lost Game 1 of the series, was given the start for Toronto. Before the game Terry Pendleton, who had seen a 3–1 lead evaporate in the World Series before (having been a member of the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals), reminded his teammates that the possibility still existed that they may win the series.

Entering the game, the Braves' three, four, and five hitters had not gotten an extra base hit in the entire series. That changed in the first inning, as with one out and Otis Nixon on third base, #3 hitter Pendleton doubled to right field to score the first run of the game. In the bottom of the second Pat Borders tied the game with a two-out double to score John Olerud.

The fourth inning saw the Braves #4 hitter get his first extra base hit of the series, as David Justice hit a home run to give Atlanta the lead. But again, Borders struck in the bottom half to tie the game with an RBI single to score Olerud.

In the fifth inning, the Braves blew the game open. With two out, Nixon singled, stole second, and then scored on a single by Deion Sanders. Pendleton then hit a ground-rule double, forcing Sanders to stop at third base. Morris then walked Justice to load the bases, duplicating what the Blue Jays had done in the eighth inning of Game 2. However, the move backfired as it had in the second game and in a game where the #3 hitter and #4 hitter had finally gotten extra base hits, #5 hitter Lonnie Smith got his and put the game out of reach with a grand slam home run to extend the Braves' lead to 7–2. Morris was pulled after giving up the grand slam, with Smith being the last batter he faced in a postseason series; he did not pitch in the 1993 postseason for the Blue Jays after being injured late in the season and retired after the 1994 season. Smoltz pitched six innings to get his first World Series win, and Mike Stanton pitched the final three to earn a save.

Atlanta's offensive outburst dashed any hopes of the World Series being decided on Canadian ground, which would happen the following year. After winning twice and holding the Braves to three runs the year before, in two starts against the same team in 1992 Morris lost both of his starts and had an ERA above 8.00. Smith's grand slam was the first in the World Series since Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, when Jose Canseco hit one. (It was the first hit in a game by the winning team since Game 6 of the 1987 World Series; Canseco's home run was nullified by Kirk Gibson's famous home run later in the game while Kent Hrbek's in Game 6 put the game out of reach.)

Game 6

Saturday, October 24, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta's Steve Avery and Toronto's David Cone were the starters in this game. Because Avery was a left-handed pitcher, the Blue Jays started Joe Carter at first base instead of John Olerud. Dave Winfield was moved to right field to replace Carter, as he had done in the first two games of the series. However, since Carter had played left field in those two games, this left an open spot in the Toronto lineup and manager Cito Gaston elected to start Candy Maldonado in left field.

The Blue Jays got on the board right out of the gate when David Justice misplayed a line drive by Carter to right field scoring Devon White who had singled. In the third, Atlanta's surprise hero of the series Deion Sanders doubled off Carter's glove and scored when Terry Pendleton hit a sac fly. Toronto untied the affair immediately when Maldonado hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth. Roberto Alomar made a memorable play on a Jeff Blauser ground ball: the ball was grounded to the far right of Alomar, who dove for the ball and recorded the out at first after a quick throw from the knees. The 2–1 score was preserved by solid pitching and defense from the Blue Jays as Cone, Todd Stottlemyre, David Wells, and Duane Ward held the Braves to one run through eight innings. The Braves were just as good defensively as well, and although Avery only lasted four innings Pete Smith, Mike Stanton, and Mark Wohlers held the Blue Jays in check and kept them scoreless over the next five innings. The score stood 2–1 in favor of the Blue Jays entering the bottom of the ninth, with Toronto needing just three outs to become the first non-American team to win the World Series.

Once again the Blue Jays turned to Tom Henke, who was looking for his third save of the World Series and also to continue the Blue Jays' bullpen's success in the postseason, as he and the rest of the relief corps did not blow a save or allow an earned run in the entire 1992 postseason. Blauser led off the Braves' ninth inning with a single, and moved to second base after a sacrifice bunt by Damon Berryhill. Lonnie Smith came up next as a pinch hitter for Mark Lemke and after falling behind 0–2, coaxed a walk out of Henke. The next batter was Francisco Cabrera, who had yet to have an at bat in the series but who had provided the game winning hit in Game 7 of the NLCS that sent the Braves to the World Series. However, this time Cabrera could not provide the heroics as he lined out to left field on a ball that Maldonado misjudged and had to jump at the last minute to catch before it went over his head.

The last hope for the Braves rested on the bat of Otis Nixon as he came to the plate with two out. Henke quickly got two strikes on him, but on the third pitch Nixon slapped a single to left field. Blauser was waved around third and scored as Maldonado made an errant throw that sailed over the backstop behind home plate. The score was now tied and Henke blew the save, as well as allowing the first earned run against the Toronto bullpen. However, with Smith now on third with the winning run, he escaped further damage by forcing Ron Gant to fly out to end the inning.

The Braves called on veteran Charlie Leibrandt, who had not pitched in the entire series, to pitch the tenth and he retired the Blue Jays in order. The Braves could not capitalize in the bottom half, as Henke and Game 4 winner Jimmy Key combined to shut them out. That set the stage for the eleventh inning. Leibrandt got the first out by retiring Key but allowed the next two runners to reach base, hitting White and allowing a single to Alomar. Jeff Reardon had been warming up in the bullpen for the Braves and CBS's Tim McCarver wondered aloud if Bobby Cox would go to Reardon to replace Leibrandt with Joe Carter coming up to the plate. Cox elected not to bring in his closer, who had already lost one game in the series and was responsible for another loss that Avery suffered, and Leibrandt retired Carter for the second out.

Needing only one out to give the Braves a chance to break the tie in the bottom of the eleventh, Leibrandt's next batter was Winfield. To that point Winfield had not been hitting well, struggling throughout the series as well as in Game 6 having been retired in four previous at bats. Winfield had also not gotten a postseason extra base hit, dating back to his previous postseason experience with the New York Yankees in 1981. After working the count full Winfield drove the ball down the left field line for a double, scoring both White and Alomar, and the Blue Jays regained the lead at 4–2. At 41 years of age, Dave Winfield became the oldest player to hit an extra base hit in the World Series.^[9] It was the second consecutive year that Leibrandt had given up the go-ahead run in Game 6 of the World Series, as he gave up a game-winning walk-off home run to Minnesota's Kirby Puckett in the eleventh inning of Game 6 in 1991.

The Braves started off the bottom of the eleventh with Blauser singling to left field off Key, just as he started off the bottom of the ninth inning against Henke, then advanced to third after Berryhill reached on an error as Alfredo Griffin, normally sure-handed at shortstop, misplayed a ground ball that took a bad hop at the last second and Blauser was able to advance to third. With the Braves running low on players, pitcher John Smoltz was called on to run for Berryhill. Rafael Belliard, who had entered the game in the tenth as a defensive replacement for Lemke, laid down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Smoltz to second with the tying run. Brian Hunter then pinch hit for Leibrandt and scored Blauser on a groundout to the right side. However, although Smoltz advanced to third, Hunter's play left the Braves with one final out as they had been in the ninth inning with the tying run on base. Once again, the batter was Nixon.

Cito Gaston headed to the mound to talk to Key with action in the Toronto bullpen. It appeared that he was going to simply talk to his pitcher, but instead he elected to pull Key from the game. Right hander Mike Timlin entered the game to try to close the scoring and earn a save. This would also force Nixon, a switch-hitter, to turn around and bat from the left side of the plate. It was Nixon's stronger side of the plate, however, and since he was prone to bunting his way on base to take advantage of his speed he would get a quicker jump from the left side.

After fouling off Timlin's first pitch, Nixon did indeed lay down a bunt. Timlin, who said that Carter had warned him prior to returning to his position of the bunt possibility, fielded the ball cleanly and threw it to Carter to retire Nixon and win the World Series for the Blue Jays.^[8] Carter initially looked to keep the ball but gave it up to Timlin who pleaded to Carter for the ball saying it was "[his] World Series save." Carter would eventually have possession of the game-winning ball of the 1993 World Series: his Series-ending home run ball.

Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston became the first African American manager to win a World Series.

American League president Dr. Bobby Brown presented the World Series Trophy in the place of the commissioner. Just a month earlier, Fay Vincent was forced to resign and was replaced by Bud Selig (then owner of the Milwaukee Brewers) on what was originally perceived to be an "interim basis." Dr. Brown also presented the Blue Jays the trophy in 1993.

It also marked the first world championship for the city of Toronto since the National Hockey League team Toronto Maple Leafs won the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals.

Composite box

1992 World Series (4–2): Toronto Blue Jays (A.L.) over Atlanta Braves (N.L.)

The 1992 World Series is notable for being one of the few in which the losing team outscored the winning team over the course of the series.

Broadcasting

At 30 years of age, CBS' Sean McDonough became the youngest man to call all nine innings and games of a World Series (while serving as a full network television employee). Although Vin Scully and Al Michaels were several years younger when they called their first World Series, they were products of the then broadcasting policy of announcers representing the participating teams (a process that ended following the 1976 World Series). McDonough's record would subsequently be broken by Fox's Joe Buck, who at 27 years of age, called the 1996 World Series. Ironically, McDonough replaced Joe Buck's father, Jack, as CBS's lead play-by-play man. Serving as field reporters for CBS's coverage were Jim Kaat (in the Braves' dugout) and Lesley Visser (in the Blue Jays' dugout).

CBS Radio also broadcast the Series nationally, with Vin Scully and Johnny Bench announcing. Locally, the Series was called on WGST-AM in Atlanta by Skip Caray, Pete Van Wieren, Joe Simpson, and Don Sutton, and on CJCL-AM in Toronto by Jerry Howarth and Tom Cheek.

Notes

References

• Forman, Sean L.. "1992 World Series". Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information.. http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1992_WS.shtml. Retrieved 2007-12-09. 

External links

• 1992 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
• 1992 World Series at Baseball Almanac
• 1992 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
• The 1992 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) at Retrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1992 at The SportingNews. Archived from the original on 2008.
• 1992 NLCS|Game 7 and World Series memories from MLB.com
• 1992 Toronto Blue Jays and 1992 Atlanta Braves at baseballlibrary.com