#1: Finally, World Champions
Toronto Blue Jays (4) at Atlanta
Braves (3)
Saturday, October 24, 1992
World Series, Game 6
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
I
understand some may not agree with this game getting top billing over Joe
Carter’s walk-off blast in 1993, but there’s no way you can ever replace the
feeling of winning a World Series Championship for the first time. After the
struggles the team had to get to top of the baseball world since 1985, the game
in which the team finally achieved the big prize in 1992 must rank as the best
in the history of the franchise, in my opinion.
The
1992 World Series was completely different from the 1993 in that the former was
a well-pitched series, with strong defense and timely hitting, while the latter
was a slug-it-out contest. The Atlanta Braves, having lost the 1991 Series to
the Minnesota Twins were looking for better results against Toronto. They got
it in Game 1 with a 3-1 victory. Then Toronto took control of things with three
straight victories (5-4, 3-2 and 2-1), but the Braves staved off elimination in
Game 5 with a 7-2 victory.
Game
6, in Atlanta, saw David Cone start on the mound for Toronto while Steve Avery
would toe the rubber for the Braves, a re-match of Game 2 in which neither
starter was around for a decision.
And the Jays got things
going with a run in their first at bat. Devon White led off with a single,
stole second and moved to third on a ground out by Roberto Alomar. Next up was
Joe Carter, who lofted a fly ball to David Justice in right field, where the Atlanta
outfielder dropped it. White would have scored anyway on the sacrifice fly, but
Carter was at second with one out on the error. After Dave Winfield walked,
Avery was able to escape further damage by getting two ground ball outs to end
the inning.
In Cone’s first inning
of work, he yielded a two-out single to Terry Pendleton, but was able to get
Justice on a pop-up to retire the side. The second inning was scoreless and
Avery pitched himself into trouble in the third, allowing Alomar to get to third
after a single, stolen bases and a ground out, but then got Carter on a fly
ball and stranded Alomar on third.
Atlanta tied the game
in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly off the bat Pendleton, scoring
Deion Sanders. But Candy Maldonado restored the Blue Jays’ lead with a lead off
home run in the top of the fourth. Then it was time for what I love most about
baseball: pitching and solid defense.
Toronto would get a
base runner in every inning, but never mounted a serious threat to score due to
some solid pitching from Atlanta relief pitcher Pete Smith, who would pitch
three innings (5-7) and allow three hits, but keep the deficit at one.
In the bottom of the
sixth, Justice led off the inning with a line drive to right field that looked
sure to be a base hit. But right-fielder Dave Winfield, primarily a designated
hitter for the entire season, made a brilliant catch as he plowed into the
outfield grass, digging up some turf.
An inning later, the
Braves made a threat to tie the game. With Cone out of the game, replaced by
Todd Stottlemyre, Atlanta’s centre fielder, Otis Nixon, singled with two out. A
possessor of brilliant speed, Nixon had the ability to steal a base and get
himself into scoring position. Toronto manager, Cito Gaston, brought in
left-hander David Wells to keep Nixon close. As predicted, Nixon took off for
second. But Toronto catcher Pat Borders, who had been having trouble throwing
out would-be base stealers all series, threw a strike to Alomar at second base
and Nixon was out.
The eighth was
scoreless and the Jays failed to add to their lead in the top of the ninth.
Gaston called on long-time closer, Tom Henke, to finish the game and give
Toronto their first World Series Championship. But the man who had saved 217
games for the Blue Jays (still the club record) was unable to do the job in the
game that mattered most.
Jeff Blauser led off
the inning for Atlanta with a single and was sacrifice bunted to second. Henke
then walked Lonnie Smith. Next up was Francisco Cabrera who drilled a pitch to
left field that Maldonado mis-judged by coming in too quickly. However, he
recovered and made a leaping catch for the second out, keeping the runners at
first and second. Had he missed the ball, chances are that Atlanta would have
won the game.
Nixon was back up and
Henke quickly got two strikes on him. The Jays were now one strike away from
being Champions. But Nixon singled into left field. Blauser raced home as
Maldonado attempted to throw him out at the plate. But his throw sailed over
the head of Borders and had Henke not been backing up the play, Smith would
have scored the winning run. But the game remained tied at two as Ron Gant flew
out to White in centre field to send the game to extra innings.
The tenth proved
uneventful. On to the eleventh where the Braves brought in relief pitcher
Charlie Liebrandt. With one out, White was hit by a pitch and Alomar singled
putting runners at first and second. After Carter hit a fly ball for the second
out, Winfield came to the plate with a chance to be a hero.
Winfield worked
Liebrandt to a full count. Then, with the runners moving on the pitch, Winfield
ripped the ball down into the left field corner. White and Alomar easily
scored. The Jays had a 4-2 lead and Fulton County Stadium was silent. Again,
the Jays were only three outs away from the Championship.
Long-time Blue Jay
Jimmy Key was on the mound for Toronto. Key, who had been the starting pitcher
in Game 4 and pitched magnificently for the victory, had relieved Henke in the
10th inning. Blauser, leading off the inning, again singled to get a
rally going. Damon Berryhill was the next batter and he hit a ball to shortstop
Alfredo Griffin that looked like a sure double-play ball. But the ball took a
funny hop as it got to Griffin and bounded off his glove into left field,
Blauser advancing to third.
A sacrifice bunt moved
John Smoltz (pinch running for Berryhill) to second. Brian Hunter then hit a
ground ball to Joe Carter at first, who stepped on the bag for the second out.
Blauser scored, Smoltz advanced to third, but the Jays were (again) one out
away from winning. But the batter was Nixon, who’s slap single in the ninth had
tied the game.
What happened next was
probably the most brilliant piece of managing in Cito Gaston’s career. Knowing
that Nixon’s speed was his biggest asset, and that the tying run was on third
rather than second, Gaston assumed Nixon might try to bunt for a base hit and a
late throw to first would score Smoltz from third. But Nixon was a better at
bunting from the left side of the plate and he would be batting right-handed
against the left-handed Key.
So Gaston brought in
right-hander Mike Timlin to get Nixon to bunt from the left side. Sure enough,
on the second pitch, Nixon dropped down a bunt. As Smoltz raced for the plate,
Timlin, calmly, pounced on the ball and threw to first base. Joe Carter snagged
the ball and Nixon was a step and a half too late. The game was over. The Blue
Jays were Champions.
As I did in the 1993
World Series post, here’s the play-by-play from radio broadcaster Tom Cheek on
the final play:
Timlin to the belt...
Pitch on the way... And there's a bunted ball, first base side, Timlin to
Carter and the Blue Jays win it! The Blue Jays win it! The Blue Jays are World
Series Champions!
Click here to see Winfield's World Series clinching hit.
Click here to see Winfield's World Series clinching hit.
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