This series between the Blue Jays and Braves was celebrated as alumni weekend here in Atlanta.
On Friday, they retired John Smoltz’s number 29 jersey into the Braves Hall of Fame.
Saturday was Sid Bream Bobblehead Day, to commemorate his famous slide to beat the Pirates in the NLCS in 1992. (Sadly, the bobblehead did not include a dejected Barry Bonds, who was unable to throw out the one-legged Bream from the deep in the shortstop hole.)
There was also an alumni game as part of the festivities, which featured the likes of Otis Nixon, Terry Pendleton and other stars of the ’92 Braves.
Of course, we remember those Braves very well, because they were the opponents for the Blue Jays in their first trip to the World Series. Mark Lemke, Jeff Blauser and Ron Gant were household names for us twenty years ago.
I had a chance to chat with John Smoltz this weekend and he told me it was such a great thrill to be a part of the first World Series played outside of the United States. The conversation with Smoltz sparked my memories about the ’92 World Series and I figured I would list my top 10 memories of that series while sitting in the press box here in Atlanta.
1. Jack Morris was really bad.
Remember when the Jays signed Jack Morris to take them over the top and be the big money pitcher? He was just brutal in his two World Series starts, losing them both and posting an ERA over 8.00. Allowing a grand slam to Lonnie Smith was the deciding blow in a Game 5 loss. Fun Fact #1: Lonnie Smith was the last batter Jack Morris ever faced in a post-season game. Fun Fact #2: Zack Morris would have probably been more effective than Jack Morris on the mound in that series.
2. Fake tomahawk chops caused controversy when Kelly Gruber caught the final out in Game 2, he saluted the Atlanta crowd with a mock tomahawk chop. When Roberto Alomar scored the game-winning run the next game, he did exactly the same thing. This drew the ire of Braves fans, who felt it was politically incorrect that opponents would mock their extremely sacred and sensitive Native American war chant.
3. What happened to those big foam blue J’s?
During the Blue Jays memorable playoff runs of the early 90s, fans used to have large foam letter “J’s”. But they have mysteriously disappeared and I can’t help but think there is a direct correlation between the Blue Jays lack of post-season success and the decline in production of said foam blue “J’s”. Does anybody living in Toronto still have those kicking around their basement?
4. The upside-down flag controversy.
Prior to Game 2, the US Marine Color Guard accidentally brought the Canadian flag onto the field upside-down. To make amends for this national incident, the same Marines asked to come to Canada and present the Canadian flag at SkyDome in the correct way for Game 3. The moral of the story? When you’re asked to do something at a sporting event, make sure you screw up the first time so that you can apologize and get free tickets to another game to make amends.
5. Ed Sprague’s homer in Game 2 of the 1992 World Series was the most clutch round-tripper in Jays history. With his team trailing in the ninth inning, Sprague hit a dramatic two-run, go-ahead home run off Jeff Reardon. And before there was Brenda Warner or Victoria Beckham, there was Kristen Babb-Sprague – the original obligatory wife-in-the-stands camera shot. What made it slightly annoying is that Kristen wore a bizarre denim style jacket with an American flag draped over it on the night Ed hit his magical home run. And oh yeah – a few months earlier she pretty much stole an Olympic gold medal for the United States thanks to a scoring error.
6. The triple play that wasn’t.
Everybody knows that Kelly Gruber tagged Deion Sanders on the foot that completed the first triple play in World Series history. Well, everybody except second base umpire Bob Davidson, who may have been mesmerized by Gruber’s bouncing mullet as he chased down Sanders. Fortunately for the Blue Jays they won the game and the incident is now a footnote in history. And fortunately for Davidson, he would be replaced a few months later from Toronto sports’ fans list of most inept officials, after a certain Kerry Fraser incident.
7. Candy Maldonado comes through.
Candy Maldonado doesn’t get enough credit for being clutch, but his walkoff hit to end Game 3 was a massive moment in Blue Jays history. What made the hit even more impressive is that it came on an 0-2 count, after Jeff Reardon made him look foolish on two curve balls. But Reardon tried to go back to another curve and Maldonado smoked it to deep centre for the walkoff hit. After the game, Reardon defended his decision to throw three straight curve balls to Maldonado by saying “he looked pretty sick on the first two pitches.” Ironically, I think that is the day that the definition of “sick” turned from negative to positive in slang terminology.
8. Jimmy Key was awesome.
One of the best moments of the World Series was Jimmy Key walking off to a standing ovation in what would be his final start ever for the Blue Jays in Game 4. Key was used sparingly in the post-season and only made a single relief appearance in the ALCS. But he was brilliant in winning Game 4 and then came out of the bullpen to serve as the winning pitcher in Game 6. With all the solid pitchers in Jays history – Stieb, Hentgen, Halladay, etc – it sometimes feels like Key gets lost in the shuffle. And like all great pitchers, we should point out that Key signed a free agent deal with the Yankees that winter.
9. Tom Henke actually blew his last save opportunity with the Jays.
There should not have been a need for Dave Winfield’s heroics in extra innings in Game 6. A lot of people forget this, but the Blue Jays were one strike away from winning the game in the 9th inning. But Tom Henke couldn’t get Otis Nixon out and he slapped two-strike, two-out pitch to the opposite field single that scored Jeff Blauser. Henke should have been the guy on the mound when the Jays closed out their World Series, but instead it was Mike Timlin.
10. I love little nuggets of useless info, like knowing that Alfredo Griffin was on deck when Joe Carter hit his home run in 1993. Well, in my conversation with John Smoltz this weekend, he reminded me that he was the man on third base when Otis Nixon made the final out of the World Series. Smoltz entered the game as a pinch-runner for Damon Berryhill, who had Sid Bream-like speed. Smoltz told me he was terrified that Mike Timlin was going to come home with that ball – and he would have been the final out at home plate. But of course, Timlin went to first base to Joe Carter and the rest is history.