Wednesday, September 23, 2015

World Series: Did You Know?

Otis Nixon batted for the Atlanta Braves in 1992 Fall Classic for the Braves against the Toronto Blue Jays. He got a hit (A single) on the very first pitch he saw in game one. It came against Jack Morris. In game five, also against Morris, Otis again got a hit (A double) on the first pitch. This time, it was the first pitch of the game. Otis scored the first run of game five.

Otis was playing at home in game one in Atlanta. The Jays came to bat in the top of the first and Tom Glavine, the Braves' pitcher, made it look easy. Nine pitches (Not all of them for strikes) and Toronto was gone 1-2-3. So when Nixon led off the bottom of the frame, it was time to get to Morris, or at least try to.

Nixon singled to centre to start the game. Devon White was the first Toronto Blue Jay to touch the ball to field it. It was ironic because Otis also played centre. And like Devon, he knew a thing or two about swiping bases. On a 1-0 pitch to the next batter, Jeff Blauser, Nixon stole second. Blauser failed to advance him. Terry Pendleton, the next batter, grounded out to get Nixon to third. However, all this proved to be for not, as there was no justice for Dave Justice. Dave went down on strikes.

In his next plate appearance in the top of the third, Nixon tried to bunt on the first pitch, but Morris was there for the 1-3 putout. The Braves for the second straight time, were retired 1-2-3. Morris was pitching well after the Nixon single.

Nixon did better the next time up. A walk and Atlanta had two on with two down. Blauser fanned to end that. The next inning, the game was won by Damon Berryhill with a 3-run home run off Morris. That erased a 1-0 Toronto lead. The Braves went on to win, although Nixon was a strikeout victim in the bottom of the seventh against Todd Stottlemyre.

Nixon did not get to bat again that game. Atlanta then dropped three straight games, all by a single run. So they needed game five, which was at the SkyDome, to stay alive and send it back home.

Nixon led off against Morris, and double down the line past third basemen Kelly Gruber. As was the case in game one, he stole a base. Third base this time. Pendleton drove him home with a double past first basemen John Olerud. 1-0, Atlanta.

Toronto, though, wasn't about to let the lead last. John Smoltz, who'd pitched fairly well in game two, was on the hill for the Braves. A nice 1-2-3 bottom of the first (On just 12 pitches) seemed to indicate he had it. But not for long.

The Blue Jays soon took advantage of his wildness. In the bottom of the second, he went 3-2 on Dave Winfield before Nixon hauled down his drive to centre. Nixon could only watch as the count went 3-0 on Olerud. To his credit, Smoltz got two strikes, but Olerud singled to centre as Nixon fielded it. Candy Maldonaldo also took Morris to a 3-2 pitch. Smoltz missed the payoff pitch. After Gruber fanned, Pat Borders crushed Smoltz's first offering (Which was inside) to left for a booming double. Tie game.

Nixon grounded out in the top of the third. The Braves needed a hit here. Mark Lemke was on first. But all Nixon's effort did was get him to second. Deion Sanders got him to third with a grounder, but then Pendleton fanned. Morris appeared to be getting stronger as Atlanta had been retired 1-2-3 in the top of the second.

But Justice stopped those thoughts with a solo home run off Morris to start the fourth. If you can believe it, bottom of the frame, a familiar scenario took place. Braves up one run, 2-1, Olerud is batting. He singled off Smoltz's second pitch. Maldonado gets ahead 3-1, and two pitches later is aboard on another walk. Kelly Gruber send Sanders in left to the warning track, but Borders singled to centre to tie it.

But with two down in the top of the fifth, Nixon came through big time. Single. Stolen base. Sanders lined a single to shallow centre. 3-2 Atlanta. They didn't let up and added four more on a Lonnie Smith grand slam. 7-2, and that was more like it for the Braves and their fans.

In the top of the sixth, Damon Berryhill singled with one out off David Wells, pitching well in relief of Morris. Lemke flied out. Nixon hit a scorcher to first, and it looked like a double. John Olerud made a great catch on it to retire Nixon and the side. But Nixon would not be denied his next trip to the plate.

Mike Timlin and Mark Eichhorn did the job out of the Toronto bullpen, as Atlanta went down 1-2-3 in the seventh and eighth. Smoltz got better as the game moved along. However, his fourth walk in the top of the seventh marked the end of the day for him. Mike Stanton came in to pitch and the Jays could not touch him.

Todd Stottlemyre started the ninth inning for Toronto, and fanned Berryhill. It looked like another 1-2-3 inning by another Jays' relief pitcher. But Lemke broke the spell with his second hit of the game. Nixon was back at the dish, and he made the most of it. On the third pitch of the at-bat, he singled. Sanders then hit one to centre that both runners held on. Just to see if Devon White could get it. The ball dropped in, and each runner only got one base. But they were now loaded. The Braves screwed this up big time. A fly ball to short left, and Lemke decided to test Maldonado's arm. Justice had tried to go first to third on Candy in game three. He was gunned down. Lemke was also DOA as Borders the catcher got the throw and tagged Lemke. So Nixon did not get to score.

The Braves, however, won the game, and took it back to Atlanta. Nixon was clutch again as he tied the ball game with a ninth inning single. The Blue Jays ultimately won it in eleven innings, and Otis was the last out.


References


Gamester, George, and Gerald Hall. On Top Of The World: The Toronto Star’s Tribute To The ‘92 Blue Jays. Doubleday Canada, 1992. Print.

1992 World SeriesPerformance by Len Cariou, Major League Baseball Productions, 1992. DVD.

Retrosheet. Web. 23 Sept., 2015.  <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Informationhttp://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

Youtube. Web. 23 Sept., 2015.  <https://www.youtube.com>.

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