October 14th, 1992
National League Championship Series,
Game 7
Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves
Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta
One
year earlier, the Atlanta Braves had lost a heart-breaking Game 7 in the World
Series against the Minnesota Twins. After winning the N.L. West for the second
year in a row, they were looking to get back to the Fall Classic for a shot at
redemption. Their opponents, the Pittsburgh Pirates, won their third straight
N.L. East title in 1992, but had failed to get past the NLCS the previous two
years. The lost in six games to the Cincinnati Reds in 1990, then lost in seven
to the Braves in 1991.
The
Braves won the first two games of the 1992 NLCS rather handily, taking Game 1
by a score of 5-1 and Game 2 by a 13-5 thrashing. As the series shifted back to
Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, the Pirates finally got things going with a
3-2 win. But after the Braves took the fourth game, 6-4, Pittsburgh was one
game away from losing another NLCS.
But
the Pirate bats destroyed Atlanta pitching over the next two games. In Game 5, Pittsburgh
scored four runs in the first on the way to a 7-1 victory. Back in Atlanta,
they then evened the series with a crushing 13-4 win. The stage was set for a
dramatic Game 7. Doug Drabek would get the start on the mound for Pittsburgh
while John Smoltz would do the honours for the Braves.
While
it was the Pirate bats that dominated the previous two games, it would be the
performance of Drabek that would trouble Atlanta on this evening. Pittsburgh put
their first run across in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Orlando
Merced. Smoltz would then settle down and keep the Pirates from adding to their
lead over the next four innings. Drabek meanwhile, retired the Braves in order
in the first and second innings, gave up a lead off double in the third but no
more, then got Atlanta in order in the fourth and fifth.
The
Pirates got to Smoltz again in the top of the sixth, this time with an RBI
single off the bat of Andy Van Slyke that scored Jay Bell. Pittsburgh now was
up 2-0.
The Braves then put up
their biggest threat of the night when the first three batters in the bottom of
the sixth singled, loading the bases. But a line drive double play and a fly
out to left field ended the threat and Pittsburgh still led by two.
Both teams had a chance
to score in the seventh, but Pittsburgh left the bases loaded and Atlanta left
two runners. The Pirates almost added to their lead in the eighth when with a
runner on first, Jeff King doubled to right field. Merced attempted to score
all the way from first on the play but was thrown out at the plate by
right-fielder David Justice.
Drabek again retired
the Braves in order in the eighth, and after the Pirates failed to add an
insurance run in the ninth, Pirate manager Jim Leyland sent Drabek out for the
bottom of the ninth to finish what he had started. The Pirates needed three
outs to go to the World Series for the first time since 1979.
Terry Pendleton led of
the ninth for Atlanta and doubled down the right field line. The next batter,
David Justice, hit an easy ground ball to Jose Lind. But the second baseman misplayed
the grounder and Justice was safe, Pendleton moving to third. Drabek then
walked Sid Bream to load the bases with none out. Drabek was removed from the
game in favour of relief pitcher Stan Belinda.
A sacrifice fly by Ron
Gant closed the gap to 2-1. Then Belinda walked Damon Berryhill to load the
bases again. Pinch hitter Brian Hunter hit a weak pop up that was caught by
Lind. The Pirates only needed one more out.
The Braves sent up
another pinch hitter, Francisco Cabrera, to face Belinda. Cabrera worked the
count to two balls and one strike, then lined the fourth pitch of the at bat
into left field. Justice scored easily to tie the game. Bream, short on speed,
rounded third and attempted to score the winning run. Pittsburgh left-fielder
Barry Bonds, threw a strike to the plate. But Bream slid under the tag of
catcher Mike LaValliere and the Braves had completed the comeback.
The 3-2 victory sent
Atlanta to the World Series while Pittsburgh had failed for the third
consecutive year in the NLCS. It would be another 21 years before the Pirates
would reach the postseason again.
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