Thursday, September 22, 2016

World Series: Did You Know?

Joe Carter got the last hit for the Blue Jays at home in both 1992 and 1993. The one in '93 was a dramatic three-run walkoff home run. It won the Fall Classic for the second straight year for Toronto.

Toronto figured to have in game five in 1992. They were up three games to one on Altanta, and had were looking strong. Their pitching had held the Braves in check. In particular, at home. Juan Guzman was excellent in game three, despite a no decision. Jimmy Key was awesome in game four. Toronto won each, as their starting pitching gave up just one earned in seven plus innings in each outing.

So it was Jack Morris, who'd lost game one in Atlanta, looking to end it for the second straight year vs. the same team. He'd beaten 'em 1-0 in ten innings in game seven of 1991. The Braves had sent out John Smoltz to win it all for them then. A year later, he was needed to keep Atlanta alive.

But Smoltz, who'd gotten a no decision of his own in game two of '92, looked like the better of the two titans of the hill from the get-go. Morris struggled in the top of the first. Two doubles and a run against. Smoltz? No such problems. Devon White, he struck out to start the inning. Carter came out one out later, and was sent back to the bench on a called third strike.

Toronto managed to tie in the bottom of the second. But what about Carter? He came up again because Smoltz walked Roberto Alomar with one out in the bottom of the third. The game was still tied at one. Would Joe put the home team ahead at the SkyDome? No, He flied out to right as Smoltz got through that inning without letting the Jays get in front.

Then, Dave Justice put Atlanta back up with a solo blast of Jack Morris in the top of the fourth. Amazingly, it was the home team coming right back in the bottom of the frame with a run that tied it at two. But Joe did not get to bat. Devon White was the last out of the inning. Joe would have to wait.

And by the time he came back up again, the visitors had taken a five-run lead!

Morris just came undone with two down and the bases empty in the top of the fifth. Otis Nixon singled, stole second, and then scored on a Deion Sanders' singled. An intentional walk and a grand slam put the Braves up, 7-2. Carter and company were looking at a steep hill to climb.

Both Alomar and Carter flied out. Dave Winfield kept the inning alive with a single, but John Olerud also flied out. The game was now in the Toronto bullpen, as David Wells had gotten the last out in the top of the fifth. He also got the Blue Jays through the sixth without any further damage. Smoltz, who'd breezed through the sixth in 1-2-3 fashion, found himself out of the game as he walked Manuel Lee to start the bottom of the seventh. Mike Stanton came in and got out of that situation via a force and an inning-ending double play.

The Braves went 1-2-3 themselves in the top of both the seventh and eighth, and Joe Carter was eager to get the Jays back in it. He singled off Stanton to start the bottom of the eighth. Showing the wheels, he stole second. But Winfield fanned not long after. Ed Sprague, pinch-hitting, sent a long fly to right. Carter motored into third after the catch. But the inning ended when Candy Maldonado grounded out. Stanton had no such problems in the bottom of the ninth as he got the side, 1-2-3. This was heading back to Atlanta.




Carter drove in the first run of the ballgame for good measure with a sac fly. He'd hit a home run in Atlanta in game one, adding another at home in game three. He didn't do much the rest of the game as far as RBIs were concerned, although he doubled twice. The offence, which won the game and the series for the Jays, came via a solo home run by Candy Maldonado and a dramatic two-out double from Dave Winfield in the eleventh inning. Toronto won, 4-3! World Series Champions!




The next year, Toronto lost game five, again. But wouldn't you know it, they were heading home up 3-2 on the Philadelphia Phillies. Carter was primed to contribute. After Paul Molitor tripled home Devon White in the bottom of the first, Carter drove 'em home with a fly to left. John Olerud doubled and Roberto Alomar singled.

Carter would have to just watch again as others contributed to widening the margin for the home team. Joe had hit a home run in game two off Philly starter Terry Mulholland. Here, he was facing him again. Toronto sent Dave Stewart to finish the job off. He was pitching amazing. Carter could only ground out in the bottom of the third as the Jays went down 1-2-3.

Philadelphia finally scored a run off Stewart in the top of the fourth to make it 3-1, but Toronto wasn't through with Terry. Ed Sprague hit a sacrifice fly of his own, right there in the bottom of the inning. Stewart got out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth. Molitor hit a solo home run in the bottom of the frame. 5-1. Philly went down 1-2-3 in the sixth against Stewart. You could taste the champagne as it was getting closer to the end.

Philly though, put those plans on hold. Lenny Dykstra, having a terrific series, ended Stewart's night in the top of the seventh with a three-run home run. 5-4. Danny Cox came in and the visitors got two more, and had the lead!

Roger Mason, now pitching for the Phillies, got the Jays in order in the seventh. Al Leiter, who'd been the third pitcher in the seventh for Toronto, held Philadelphia at bay in the top of the eighth. Carter led off the bottom of the frame, but could only fly out to left.

But the Blue Jays were about to have Carter bat again in the ninth. This could have all been avoided had the Phillies taken care of the Jays in the bottom of that eighth inning. See, Olerud followed with a walk off David West, taking over for Mason. Larry Andersen came in to pitch. Alomar grounded out. So there were two outs. Tony Fernandez was the batter. Andersen hit him. Then Sprague coaxed a walk to load 'em up. Though Pat Borders ended the inning by popping up, the home team would send some pretty good guys to bat in the next inning. They trailed 6-5, but they had the guys, believe me.

Duane Ward, the Toronto closer, blew 'em away on just seven pitches in the ninth. Philly ended the game with just seven hits. They needed more, and more runs, as the home team was hungry. No game seven for you, Philadelphia.

Ricky Henderson led off against closer Mitch Williams. Four pitches later, he won on first as Mitch walked him. Mitch then went 3-2 on Devon White, before he flew out. But Paul Molitor stroked a single to centre, and our man was now at the dish.

The count went to 2-2 on Joe. On the next pitch, he hit it to left like last time. Only this time, it was above the head of left fielder Pete Incaviglia. Pete had put Philly in front with a sac fly in the top of the seventh. But that was the last run they'd scored. Now, he watched helplessly as Joe Carter's blast left the park. The Jays had won it 8-6 in dramatic fashion.




Joltin' Joe had done it for Toronto. The SkyDome was a ballpark built for his power (He'd hit 30 + home runs every year, so it seemed), and Joe always made sure to remind everyone why. Here, Carter had put an exclamation mark on his stay in Toronto. He'd be remembered not for all his 30 home runs and 100 RBI seasons (And he didn't just do that for the Jays, believe me), but rather his majestic swing in 1993. Though they'd lost game five here the year before, Joe was always out there, even in hopelessly lost games, pushing his team to comeback, keep going. Of course, with his last swing of '93, it was going, going, GONE!


References


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

1993 World Series. Performance by Len Cariou, Major League Baseball Productions, 1993. DVD.

Dan Diamond and Associates and Toronto Blue Jays Club. Toronto Blue Jays Official Guide 1993, 1994. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.

Youtube. Web. 22 Sept. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/>

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