1992 World Series

1992 World Series

Team (Wins) Manager Season Toronto Blue Jays (4) Cito Gaston 96–66, .593, GA: 4 Atlanta Braves (2) Bobby Cox 98–64, .605, GA: 8
Dates:	October 17 – 24
MVP:	Pat Borders (Toronto)
Television:	CBS, simulcast in Canada on CTV
TV announcers:	Sean McDonough and Tim McCarver
Radio:	CBS CJCL (Toronto) WGST (Atlanta)
Radio announcers:	Vin Scully and Johnny Bench on CBS Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth on CJCL Skip Caray, Pete Van Wieren, Ernie Johnson, Joe Simpson, and Don Sutton on WGST.
Umpires:	Jerry Crawford (NL), Mike Reilly (AL), Joe West (NL), Dan Morrison (AL), Bob Davidson (NL), John Shulock (AL)
Hall of Famers:	Blue Jays: Pat Gillick (GM), Roberto Alomar, Dave Winfield. Braves: Bobby Cox (mgr), Tom Glavine, John Smoltz.
ALCS:	Toronto Blue Jays over Oakland Athletics (4–2)
NLCS:	Atlanta Braves over Pittsburgh Pirates (4–3)

The 1992 World Series was the first World Series ever with games played outside the United States, following the 1992 regular season. It pitted the American League champions Toronto Blue Jays against the National League champions Atlanta Braves.

Toronto defeated Atlanta four games to two, marking the first time a team based outside the United States won the World Series. With the Montreal Expos having been replaced by the Washington Nationals, the Blue Jays remain the only Canadian team to have appeared in, and won, a World Series (which they would do again in 1993).

This was the eleventh straight World Series in which the New York Yankees did not appear; as a result, it tied their record for the most consecutive seasons without winning a pennant (previously, their longest stretch between pennants was from 1964 to 1976; these years resulted in the Yankees losing the Series). This drought would be extended over the next three years and two Series, which were won by the Blue Jays and Braves, respectively.

Background

The Blue Jays made it to the Series after beating the Oakland Athletics in six games in the American League Championship Series. The Braves were in their second consecutive series after again knocking off the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games in the National League Championship Series.

Summary

AL Toronto Blue Jays (4) vs. NL Atlanta Braves (2)

Game	Date	Score	Location	Time	Attendance
1	October 17	Toronto Blue Jays – 1, Atlanta Braves – 3	Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium	2:37	51,763
2	October 18	Toronto Blue Jays – 5, Atlanta Braves – 4	Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium	3:30	51,763
3	October 20	Atlanta Braves – 2, Toronto Blue Jays – 3	SkyDome	2:49	51,813
4	October 21	Atlanta Braves – 1, Toronto Blue Jays – 2	SkyDome	2:21	52,090
5	October 22	Atlanta Braves – 7, Toronto Blue Jays – 2	SkyDome	3:05	52,268
6	October 24	Toronto Blue Jays – 4, Atlanta Braves – 3 (11 innings)	Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium	4:07	51,763

Matchups

Game 1

Saturday, October 17, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Toronto	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	0
Atlanta	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	X	3	4	0
WP: Tom Glavine (1–0)   LP: Jack Morris (0–1) Home runs: TOR: Joe Carter (1) ATL: Damon Berryhill (1)

Braves fans had plenty to worry about in regard to both starting pitchers. Tom Glavine's post-season career had been less than stellar, including giving up eight runs in the second inning of Game 6 of the NLCS against Pittsburgh. Entering Game 1, Glavine's career post-season record was 1–5 despite two starts where he had pitched well and only given up one earned run each time. Glavine was 0–2 in those starts. In addition to Glavine's struggles in the postseason, the Braves would be facing their nemesis from the previous postseason. In the offseason, the Blue Jays signed free agent pitcher Jack Morris to be the ace of their staff. Morris was coming off a 1991 World Series performance that saw him win series MVP and two of his three starts for the Minnesota Twins against the Braves. This included a complete game shutout in the deciding seventh game, where Morris pitched ten innings. While his 1991 postseason had been historic, Morris' 1992 postseason had been far from it to this point. He lost Game 1 of the ALCS against Oakland despite a complete game, and gave up five runs in the third inning of Game 4 but ended up with a no-decision after Toronto rallied for an extra-inning victory.

Glavine gave up a home run to Joe Carter in the fourth for the first run of the Series, while Morris shut the Braves out for five innings. In the sixth, with two runners on and two out Damon Berryhill golfed a Morris pitch over the right-field wall for a three-run homer. It was all the offense Atlanta needed, and the Braves took the game by a 3–1 count. Glavine went the distance for the victory, only giving up four total hits. In taking the loss, Morris suffered his first career World Series defeat in his sixth start, with one no-decision. Berryhill's home run marked the first runs Morris had given up in the World Series since a Terry Pendleton home run in the bottom of the third inning of Game 4 of the 1991 Series. Morris pitched an additional 3 ¹⁄₃ innings in that game, all ten in Game 7, and the first 5 ²⁄₃ innings of this game to run his scoreless innings streak in the World Series to 19.

Game 2

Sunday, October 18, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Toronto	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	2	5	9	2
Atlanta	0	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	4	5	1
WP: Duane Ward (1–0)   LP: Jeff Reardon (0–1)   Sv: Tom Henke (1) Home runs: TOR: Ed Sprague (1) ATL: None

Before the game started, during the performance of the National Anthems of the United States and Canada, the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard accidentally flew the flag of Canada upside down The Corps apologized for the error and took pains to carry the flag properly prior to Game 3 in Toronto after insisting that they would be honored to do so.. On top of that, Canadian rock/country musician Tom Cochrane sang the Canadian national anthem incorrectly. Instead of singing the line "... from far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee ...", Cochrane instead sang a lyric that was in a previous version of the song: "... O Canada, we stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee ...". Not only did Cochrane substitute the archaic lyric, he also did not sing it correctly, as the lyric said "we stand on guard, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee" before it was changed.

The pitching match-up featured former Met David Cone, acquired by the Jays in an August trade, against the Braves' John Smoltz, with whom he had been battling for the National League strikeout lead at the time of the trade. Cone had 214 strikeouts when he was traded by the Mets to the Blue Jays for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson, and due to baseball rules involving players switching leagues his total was frozen at that number while Smoltz continued to earn strikeouts. Smoltz finished the season with 215 strikeouts to top Cone, but Cone led the major leagues with a combined total of 264 strikeouts (finishing 23 ahead of his nearest competitor, Randy Johnson).

A controversial call was made by umpire Mike Reilly in the top of the fourth inning with Atlanta leading 1–0 after David Justice scored on a wild pitch from Cone. Roberto Alomar was at third base with John Olerud batting. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Smoltz threw a breaking ball that skipped past Damon Berryhill. Alomar broke for home plate while Berryhill went to retrieve the ball. As Smoltz moved in to receive the throw he nearly collided with a sliding Alomar, who had reached the plate at exactly the same time that both Smoltz and the ball did. Smoltz tagged Alomar and Reilly called him out on the close play, despite an angry Alomar's protest, and the inning came to an end. Replays shown by CBS showed that Alomar might have touched the plate with his hands before Smoltz was able to apply a tag.

In the top of the fifth Pat Borders and Manuel Lee both reached base in front of Cone, who had already singled earlier in the game. Cone responded with his second hit of the game (only the third hit for a pitcher in the World Series since 1979) to drive in Borders and cut the Atlanta lead to 2–1. Lee then scored on a single by Devon White, tying the game. The Braves rallied in the bottom half of the inning as Deion Sanders provided a spark. With one out, Sanders singled. He then immediately stole second, and after Borders made an errant throw he got up and ran to third. Cone then walked Terry Pendleton, then gave up the go-ahead run when David Justice singled in Sanders. Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston then pulled Cone in favor of David Wells, who gave up the fourth Atlanta run when pinch hitter Brian Hunter's sacrifice fly scored Pendleton.

Toronto made another rally in the eighth inning. After Alomar doubled to left with one out, Joe Carter and Dave Winfield hit back to back singles, the second of which scored Alomar and cut the lead to 4–3. Smoltz was then lifted in favor of Mike Stanton, who retired Olerud, and then closer Jeff Reardon struck out Kelly Gruber to end the threat.

The Jays entered the ninth trailing by the one run Reilly had cost them and turned to their bench, which the team had nicknamed "The Trenches". After a walk to Derek Bell, Toronto reserve infielder Ed Sprague drilled a pitch from Reardon, then baseball's all-time saves leader, to left for a two-run homer to give the Blue Jays the lead. The play was called by legendary Blue Jays announcer the late Tom Cheek, who said "Watch him hit a homer.", during Sprague's at bat.

Atlanta tried to rally in the ninth. After Mark Lemke flew out, Toronto closer Tom Henke hit pinch hitter Lonnie Smith with a pitch. Ron Gant came in to pinch run for him and, after Otis Nixon recorded the second out, he stole second. Sanders then walked to put the winning run on base and Pendleton, an NL MVP candidate, came to the plate. Pendleton had led the majors with a .391 average with runners in scoring position and two out. However, he popped out to Jays third baseman Kelly Gruber to seal the victory for Toronto. Gruber then angered Braves fans and players by mocking the "Tomahawk Chop" as he left the field.

Game 3

Tuesday, October 20, 1992 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	9	0
Toronto	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	3	6	1
WP: Duane Ward (2–0)   LP: Steve Avery (0–1) Home runs: ATL: None TOR: Joe Carter (2), Kelly Gruber (1)

Before this game, the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard offered to hoist the Canadian flag once more in order to make amends for the inverted flag incident of Game 2. Likewise, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police flew the flag of the United States.

As Game 3 moved across the border (for the first Canadian Classic) the question still remained of the Blue Jays' ballpark benefit. Before this series, the Blue Jays had previously only gone 3–6 in the postseason in their home park. Two of the wins, however, had come in the American League Championship Series as the Blue Jays won Game 2 and the clinching Game 6 against Oakland at home.

In the fourth inning, the first big defensive play of the Series nearly resulted in a rare World Series triple play and another bit of World Series history was made. With Deion Sanders and Terry Pendleton on with nobody out in the top of the inning Devon White made a leaping catch of a deep fly ball off the bat of Atlanta's David Justice, crashing into the center field wall as he did so. While White threw back to the second baseman Roberto Alomar, the baserunners got crossed up between second and third and Pendleton ran around Sanders, resulting in an automatic second out. While Sanders was still standing between second and third, first baseman John Olerud received Alomar's throw and relayed it to third baseman Kelly Gruber, who began chasing Sanders back to second. Sanders dove back toward the bag as Gruber lunged at him to try and tag him to complete the triple play. Second base umpire Bob Davidson ruled that Sanders was able to return to the base, but Gruber protested that he had tagged Sanders on his foot before he could slide back in. The television replays backed up Gruber's case, as he appeared to clip Sanders' heel with his glove a split second before Sanders began his slide.

In the bottom half of the fourth Joe Carter homered off of Braves starter Steve Avery, with the hit scoring the first ever World Series run in Canada. The Braves would tie the game in the sixth when Sanders ripped a double into the right-field corner and scored on a Justice single through the right side. They then took the lead in the top of the eighth. Otis Nixon led off the inning and hit a ball to third base that Gruber attempted to field, but the ball popped out of his glove and went into left field.. Nixon then stole second and with two out stood on third. Juan Guzman then walked Justice to pitch to Lonnie Smith, who delivered with a single that scored Nixon but also ended the inning as Justice was tagged out going to third.

With the Blue Jays coming to bat in the bottom half, Gruber received an immediate chance to make up for his gaffe in the field and in doing so, would erase a long hitless streak. After going hitless in the ALCS opener, Gruber had recorded two hits in the second game. Those had been the only two hits he had recorded to that point in the postseason, as he failed to record a hit in either the remaining four LCS games or the first two games in the World Series and was 0-for-1 in this game with a walk in his previous at bat. After going twenty-three consecutive at-bats without recording a single hit, Gruber worked a full count on Avery and then drilled a home run into left field to tie the game. Although it was only Gruber's third hit of the postseason, all three of the hits had been for extra bases and he recorded his second home run.

The top of the ninth inning saw the first World Series ejection since 1985. Sid Bream led off the inning with a single. As was often the case late in games at this time, Braves manager Bobby Cox elected to pinch run for the slow-footed Bream with Brian Hunter, his backup and a legitimate threat to steal a base. With Jeff Blauser batting and the count at 2-2, Hunter took off from first. Catcher Pat Borders threw down to second to beat Hunter to the bag. After he put the tag on Hunter, shortstop Manuel Lee jumped up and told Borders to have first base umpire Dan Morrison rule if Blauser, who had attempted to check his swing, had gone. Borders appealed and Morrison called Blauser out on a swinging third strike. Cox, who said he had been frustrated with home plate umpire Joe West's strike calls the entire night, picked up a batting helmet and threw it down with enough force that it bounced out of the Braves' dugout and rolled out onto the field. West, seeing this, ejected Cox from the game immediately after the incident. Shortly thereafter Duane Ward struck out Damon Berryhill to end the inning.

Avery started the bottom of the ninth for the Braves and gave up a single to Roberto Alomar. Acting manager Jimy Williams pulled Avery from the game in favor of hard-throwing Mark Wohlers, who issued an intentional walk to Carter after Alomar stole second. After Dave Winfield bunted the runners into scoring position, Williams brought in Mike Stanton to pitch to Olerud in a matchup of left-handers. The Blue Jays decided to call Olerud back once Williams made the change and sent up a right-handed batter, Game 2 hero Ed Sprague, to pinch hit, and he was walked intentionally to load the bases. Again, Williams came out and called for a new pitcher, this time Game 2 loser Jeff Reardon, to face Candy Maldonado with the bases loaded. Reardon had recorded some success against Maldonado in his career, and looked to do so again with two curveballs for strikes. However, instead of switching pitches, Reardon elected to throw a third curve and Maldonado, who was expecting it, drove a single to deep center to bring in a Tomahawk Chopping Alomar in from third with the winning run.

Ward picked up his second consecutive win in as many games, while Avery was given the loss. Reardon would not pitch again in the series after his back to back poor performances, and would not pitch in a postseason game again in his career before his 1994 retirement.

Game 4

Wednesday, October 21, 1992 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	5	0
Toronto	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	X	2	6	0
WP: Jimmy Key (1–0)   LP: Tom Glavine (1–1)   Sv: Tom Henke (2) Home runs: ATL: None TOR: Pat Borders (1)

Cox having decided on a three-man rotation for the series, Game 1 winner Tom Glavine took the mound for Atlanta in Game 4. Toronto countered with veteran starter Jimmy Key, who had not made a start in the postseason and only pitched once, in relief, to this point. After giving up a lead-off single to Otis Nixon in the first inning, Key picked Nixon off first base and gave up only three hits over seven innings.

In the third inning, the Blue Jays scored their first run when Pat Borders hit a solo home run. They added a second run in the bottom of the seventh, which would prove decisive, when Kelly Gruber scored on a single by Devon White with two out.

The Braves attempted to rally in the eighth when Ron Gant led off with a double. He advanced to third on a bunt single by Brian Hunter and then scored on an infield groundout by Mark Lemke with one out. That proved to be the end for Key, as Duane Ward came in for his third consecutive appearance. He struck out the first batter he faced, Otis Nixon, but the pitch got away from Borders and the speedy Nixon was able to reach base, with Hunter advancing to third. Nixon then stole second to put runners in scoring position, but Ward got Jeff Blauser to ground out to John Olerud to end the threat.

Tom Henke earned his second save of the series by shutting down the Braves in the ninth. Key won his first postseason game since 1989, and this win proved to be his last as a starter for the Blue Jays. Glavine pitched his second complete game for the Braves in the Series in a losing effort.

Game 5

Thursday, October 22, 1992 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	1	0	0	1	5	0	0	0	0	7	13	0
Toronto	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	0
WP: John Smoltz (1–0)   LP: Jack Morris (0–2)   Sv: Mike Stanton (1) Home runs: ATL: David Justice (1), Lonnie Smith (1) TOR: None

Down three games to one and facing elimination, the Braves returned John Smoltz to the mound for Game 5, who was still seeking his first World Series win. Jack Morris, who had lost Game 1 of the series, was given the start for Toronto. Before the game Terry Pendleton, who had seen a 3–1 lead evaporate in the World Series before (having been a member of the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals), reminded his teammates that the possibility still existed that they may win the series. The middle of the Braves' lineup, which consisted that evening of Pendleton hitting third, David Justice fourth, and Lonnie Smith fifth, had been struggling with the rest of the team and to that point, none of the batters hitting in those three slots (Pendleton, Justice, Smith, or Sid Bream who had hit fifth in the first two games in Atlanta) had recorded an extra base hit. Before the night was over, this would change completely.

Otis Nixon led the game off for the Braves with a ground rule double due to fan interference. After Deion Sanders struck out, Nixon stole third as Pendleton batted. He then scored as Pendleton responded with a double of his own to right field, scoring the first run of the game and giving Justice a chance to drive in a runner in scoring position. Morris settled down, however, and retired Justice on a strikeout and Smith on a flyball to end the inning.

The Blue Jays tied the game in the bottom of the second. With one out, John Olerud singled and Candy Maldonado reached on a walk. Smoltz struck out Kelly Gruber for the second out, but Pat Borders responded with a double. The slow-footed Olerud was sent home on the play and the throw to the plate was wide, which enabled him to score and put Maldonado on third with the lead run. Manuel Lee ended the threat, however, by lining out to Pendleton.

The fourth inning saw the teams exchange runs again. In the visiting half, Justice led off with a home run for a 2-1 lead. Morris quickly retired Smith and Sid Bream, however, and Borders threw Jeff Blauser out stealing to keep the deficit at one. In the bottom half, Olerud and Maldonado reached base in front of Borders with one out, and as he had in the second inning he drove in Olerud with a single. But once again, the Blue Jays could not score the lead run as Lee grounded into a fielder's choice which forced Maldonado out at third and Smoltz struck Devon White out with Borders at second.

Morris started the fifth inning by striking out Damon Berryhill, whose home run in Game 1 saddled him with the loss, and forcing Mark Lemke to ground out. Nixon followed with his second hit of the game, then stole second base and was driven in when Sanders singled. Pendleton then recorded another double, but since fan interference was called a second time on the play Sanders, who had rounded third and would have scored, was forced back to third.

Trailing 3-2 and with his ace in trouble, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston elected not to pitch to Justice and called for an intentional walk as he had done late in Game 3. This brought a still-struggling and angry Smith, who said later he felt insulted at what he saw as being regarded as an easy out, to the plate. Determined to make the most of the opportunity, Smith drove a Morris pitch into the Braves' bullpen in right field for a grand slam and a 7-2 lead. With the game now seemingly out of reach for his team, Gaston came out to take the ball from Morris and brought in David Wells, who retired Bream to end the inning.

Smoltz pitched into the seventh inning giving up one hit afterward, a single to Dave Winfield in the bottom of the fifth. After walking Lee to lead off the seventh, he was pulled in favor of Mike Stanton, who got White to ground into a fielder's choice and then induced a double play from Roberto Alomar to end the threat. The Blue Jays only received one more baserunner the rest of the night as Joe Carter singled, stole second, then advanced to third on a sacrifice fly by Ed Sprague in the eighth inning but got nothing additional.

Meanwhile, the Toronto relief corps of Wells, Mike Timlin, and Mark Eichhorn managed to keep the Braves in check from the remainder of the game. Atlanta threatened one more time in the ninth with one out as Lemke, Nixon, and Sanders all reached base, but Todd Stottlemyre induced a fly ball out to Maldonado off the bat of Pendleton and Lemke was thrown out trying to score.

Smoltz took the win, his first ever World Series victory, with Stanton getting the save and Morris taking his second loss. Morris would not pitch another postseason game after this, with Smith being the last batter he would face in the postseason.

Atlanta's offensive outburst dashed any hopes of the World Series being decided on Canadian ground, which would happen the following year. Smoltz won his first ever World Series game, after receiving two no-decisions in 1991 and one in his Game 2 start in this series. In the three World Series appearances that the Braves made after this one, Smoltz only won once; he was the winning pitcher in the first game of the 1996 World Series and lost the fifth game of that series and the fourth game of the 1999 World Series, making his final record 2-2 with four no decisions (Smoltz pitched the third game of the 1995 World Series, which the Braves lost in extra innings). After winning twice and holding the Braves to a total of three runs in three starts in 1991, Morris lost both of his starts against the same team in 1992 and had an ERA over 8.00. He also suffered an injury late in the 1993 season and did not pitch in that year's World Series which the Blue Jays won. Smith's grand slam was the first in the World Series since Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, when Jose Canseco hit one. As of 2013, Smith's slam is the last ever hit by a National League player in the World Series, as well the last one hit by the road team.

Game 6

Saturday, October 24, 1992 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Toronto	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	14	1
Atlanta	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	8	1
WP: Jimmy Key (2–0)   LP: Charlie Leibrandt (0–1)   Sv: Mike Timlin (1) Home runs: TOR: Candy Maldonado (1) ATL: None

The sixth game saw Steve Avery return to the mound for Atlanta in an attempt to make up for his Game 3 loss. Toronto countered with Game 2 starter David Cone, who received a no-decision after Ed Sprague's heroics saved him from a loss.

Cito Gaston elected to keep Dave Winfield, who was the team's designated hitter in the three games played in Toronto, in the lineup for Game 6 and placed him in right field as he had done in the first two games of the series in Atlanta. In those two games Joe Carter, the normal right fielder, was shifted to left field instead. However, for this game Gaston elected to play Carter at first base in place of John Olerud and instead put Candy Maldonado, who had played the three games in Toronto as the left fielder, in left.

The Blue Jays got on the board right out of the gate when David Justice misplayed a line drive by Carter to right field scoring Devon White who had singled. In the third, Atlanta's surprise hero of the Series Deion Sanders doubled off Carter's glove and scored when Terry Pendleton hit a sac fly. Maldonado responded by hitting a solo home run in the top of the fourth to give Toronto the lead again. The Blue Jays threatened again later in the inning as catcher Pat Borders reached on a double with one out. Three batters later, Borders attempted to score on a single and was thrown out at the plate by Sanders. Avery was pulled after this inning in favor of Pete Smith.

The Braves threatened in the bottom of the fifth against Cone, as Mark Lemke walked to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a single by Sanders with two out. However, after Sanders stole second to put the go ahead run in scoring position, Terry Pendleton struck out to end the inning. Neither team saw a runner reach third base in the sixth, seventh, or eighth. Cone left the game after six innings and gave way to Todd Stottlemyre, who recorded the first two outs of the seventh, and David Wells, who finished the inning. Duane Ward, who had won Games 2 and 3 of the series, shut down the Braves in the eighth. Atlanta kept the Blue Jays off the scoreboard as well, with Mike Stanton and Mark Wohlers pitching the eighth and ninth innings.

With the score still at 2-1 and the bottom of the order for the Braves due in the bottom of the ninth, Gaston once again turned to his closer Tom Henke. He and his fellow relievers had not given up an earned run in the previous seventy-seven postseason innings to this point, and the Blue Jays had also not blown any of their save opportunities in the ALCS or World Series. Jeff Blauser led off the inning with a single and with Damon Berryhill batting next, Braves manager Bobby Cox called for a sacrifice bunt. Berryhill, who had not been called on to sacrifice to advance a runner in either the regular season or the NLCS, did as he was asked and Blauser moved into scoring position with one out.

Cox then called back his next batter, Lemke, and sent Game 5 hero Lonnie Smith to the plate next. After Henke got two strikes on him, Smith battled back to run the count full and reached base on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. With the pitcher's spot now up, Cox went to his other postseason hero, Francisco Cabrera. Cabrera had yet to appear in the World Series before this, but his hit in the seventh and deciding game of the NLCS won the game for the Braves and sent them to the World Series. This time, however, Cabrera could not produce another big hit as on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, he hit a fly ball to left field that Maldonado had to leap to catch as he had momentarily lost track of it.

With the winning run still at first, but now two outs, Atlanta's leadoff hitter Otis Nixon stepped in as the Braves' last chance. Henke again got two quick strikes, but on the very next pitch Nixon slapped the ball to left field. Blauser was waved around third as Maldonado came up with the ball. Maldonado's throw, however, was too high and cleared the backstop behind home plate as Blauser scored to tie the game. With Smith now on third on the error, Ron Gant stepped in for the first time after replacing Sanders in the seventh inning. He was able to work a full count on Henke, but on the next pitch he flew out and the inning was over. For the second time in as many years, Game 6 of the World Series was heading to extra innings and the Blue Jays' scoreless and converted saves streaks came to an end.

Charlie Leibrandt was summoned from the bullpen to pitch for Atlanta in the top of the tenth. He had yet to see action in the World Series and had only pitched twice in mop-up duty in the NLCS. One year earlier, Leibrandt had been called upon to try to preserve a tie in Game 6 of the World Series, only to give up the game-winning hit as Kirby Puckett hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning. His task was to face the fifth, sixth, and seventh hitters in the Blue Jays' lineup. Leibrandt forced a groundout by Maldonado leading off the inning, then gave up a single to Kelly Gruber. Borders then flew out, and Leibrandt forced pinch hitter Pat Tabler to line a pitch back to him to end the inning. Henke went back out for the bottom of the tenth and retired Pendleton on a groundout. Toronto then brought in Game 4 winner Jimmy Key, who retired Justice and Sid Bream on back to back groundouts to end the inning.

Leibrandt started the visiting eleventh by retiring Key on a foul pop. He followed that by hitting leadoff man Devon White with a pitch on a 1-2 count, and then allowed a single to Roberto Alomar. On the CBS television broadcast, analyst Tim McCarver theorized that with Carter coming to the plate, Cox would bring in Jeff Reardon to pitch. Although Reardon was warming in the bullpen and had been ready for some time, he also had not pitched after his back-to-back bad outings in Games 2 and 3 where he allowed the winning runs to score. Perhaps having that in mind, Cox stuck with the veteran Leibrandt and he rewarded his manager by recording the second out as Carter flied to center.

This brought a struggling Dave Winfield to the plate. Winfield, to this point in the series, was hitting below .250 and was hitless in his four previous at-bats in the game. He had also struggled in his only other appearance in the World Series, when he was a member of the 1981 New York Yankees team that lost that year's World Series. Leibrandt was worked to a full count by the 41-year-old veteran outfielder, and on the sixth pitch of the at-bat Winfield connected on a line drive down the left field line. White scored from second and after the ball took a bad hop off the left field corner and skipped away from Gant, Alomar scored without a play. Winfield's hit was his first career World Series extra-base hit, and at 41 he was the oldest player in baseball history to record one in the World Series. Leibrandt managed to retire Maldonado to end the inning, but the damage was done. He had given up the go-ahead runs in an extra inning World Series game for the second consecutive year, and this time the Braves would have to erase a two run deficit in order to force further play.

Key returned to the mound for the bottom of the eleventh with the two-run cushion, in position to win his second game of the series. Blauser, as he had done in the ninth inning, led off with a single. On the very next pitch, Berryhill hit a ground ball to short that appeared to be an easy double play ball. However, the ball took a strange hop at the last moment and handcuffed shortstop Alfredo Griffin, who had entered the game in the tenth and was normally a sure handed fielder. Blauser advanced to third on the error, and Cox sent pitcher John Smoltz in to run for Berryhill. Rafael Belliard, who had taken Lemke's place in the field and in the lineup, stepped in to take his first at bat and Cox called for a sacrifice to move Smoltz into scoring position. With one out and the tying runs now both in scoring position Brian Hunter was called on to pinch hit for Leibrandt. Key forced him to ground out to Carter at first, and while Blauser scored the Braves were in the same position they were in two innings earlier: tying run on base, two outs, and Otis Nixon batting.

As Nixon was announced, Gaston came out of the dugout to talk to his infield. During the course of the conversation Gaston elected to bring in a new pitcher, righthander Mike Timlin, to face Nixon. This move confused the broadcast team on CBS, as McCarver thought that Nixon was going to try to bunt his way on and that Key was staying in the game. The confusion was not without merit, though; since Timlin was a righthander and Nixon a switch hitter, Nixon would turn around and bat lefthanded instead. Nixon was a better hitter from that side of the plate as well, and liked to take advantage of his speed (Nixon was one of baseball's most frequent base stealers of the time) by attempting to bunt for base hits. The left-facing batter's box was also closer to the first base line than the right one was, so Nixon would get a slight jump on the ball if he laid down a bunt.

As the conference ended, Carter said to Timlin to be aware that the bunt was a possibility and to "be careful". After fouling off the first pitch Nixon did indeed lay down the bunt. Having listened to Carter, Timlin was able to field the ball quickly and threw to first to retire Nixon and clinch the series for the Blue Jays. In the ensuing celebration Carter was trying to hold onto the ball. Timlin stopped him as he was celebrating and asked for the ball, as even though Carter had recorded the last out Timlin had gotten the save, and said to him "gimme the ball, that's my save, that's my World Series save". Carter slammed the ball into Timlin's mitt and hugged him. The next year Carter managed to keep the ball from the last at-bat of the World Series, as he would be the final batter and won the Series with a home run.

Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston became the first African American manager to win a World Series.

American League president Dr. Bobby Brown presented the World Series Trophy in the place of the commissioner. Just a month earlier, Fay Vincent was forced to resign and was replaced by Bud Selig (then owner of the Milwaukee Brewers) on what was originally perceived to be an "interim basis." Dr. Brown also presented the Blue Jays the trophy in 1993. The last World Series not to be presided over by a Commissioner until this year had taken place in 1919; Selig officially became Commissioner of Baseball in 1998.

It also marked the first world championship for the city of Toronto since the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs won the 1967 Stanley Cup Finals.

Composite box

1992 World Series (4–2): Toronto Blue Jays (A.L.) over Atlanta Braves (N.L.)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Toronto Blue Jays	1	1	1	4	2	0	1	2	3	0	2	17	45	4
Atlanta Braves	1	1	1	2	7	4	0	2	1	0	1	20	44	2
Total attendance: 311,460   Average attendance: 51,910 Winning player's share: $144,962   Losing player's share: $84,259

The 1992 World Series is notable for being one of the few in which the losing team outscored the winning team over the course of the series.

Broadcasting

At 30 years of age, CBS' Sean McDonough became the youngest man to call all nine innings and games of a World Series (while serving as a full network television employee). Although Vin Scully and Al Michaels were several years younger when they called their first World Series (1955 and 1972 respectively), they were products of the then broadcasting policy of announcers representing the participating teams (a process that ended following the 1976 World Series). McDonough's record would subsequently be broken by Fox's Joe Buck, who at 27 years of age, called the 1996 World Series. Coincidentally, it was Joe Buck's father, Jack, that McDonough had replaced as CBS's lead play-by-play man. Serving as field reporters for CBS's coverage were Jim Kaat (in the Braves' dugout) and Lesley Visser (in the Blue Jays' dugout). The Series drew an overall Nielsen rating of 20.2, down from the previous year's 24.0 but higher than that of any subsequent World Series.

CBS Radio also broadcast the Series nationally, with Vin Scully and Johnny Bench announcing. Locally, the Series was called on WGST-AM in Atlanta by Skip Caray, Pete Van Wieren, Ernie Johnson, Joe Simpson, and Don Sutton, and on CJCL-AM in Toronto by Jerry Howarth and Tom Cheek.

Notes

• Forman, Sean L. "1992 World Series". Baseball-Reference.com – Major League Statistics and Information. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2007. 

External links

• 1992 World Series at WorldSeries.com (MLB.com)
• 1992 World Series at Baseball Almanac
• 1992 World Series at Baseball-Reference.com
• The 1992 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) at Retrosheet
• History of the World Series - 1992 at The SportingNews. Archived from the original on 2008.
• 1992 NLCS|Game 7 and World Series memories from MLB.com
• 1992 Toronto Blue Jays and 1992 Atlanta Braves at baseballlibrary.com
• 1992 World Series, Game 6: Blue Jays @ Braves on YouTube