1996 World Series

File:World Series Logo 1996.png

The 1996 World Series matched the defending champion Atlanta Braves against the New York Yankees, with the Yankees winning in six games to capture their first championship since 1978, and their 23rd overall. Game 5 was the final game to be played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (see below). In that game Andy Pettitte shut out John Smoltz as the Yankees won, 1-0. The final out at the stadium was made when Yankees outfielder Paul O'Neill robbed Luis Polonia of a potential game-tying extra base hit.

Managers: Joe Torre (New York), Bobby Cox (Atlanta)

Umpires: Jim Evans (AL), Terry Tata (NL), Tim Welke (AL), Gerry Davis (NL), Larry Young (AL), Steve Rippley (NL)

Series MVP: John Wetteland (New York)

Television: FOX (Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and Bob Brenly announcing)

Summary

The 1996 World Series marked the beginning of the New York Yankees' dynasty of the late 1990's and early 2000's. Despite the rich playoff history of the Yankees, the defending champion Atlanta Braves entered the Series as heavy favorites. The Yankees had reached the Series after a controversial ALCS victory over the Baltimore Orioles, while the Braves had rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS.

The Braves, who had won the last three games of the NLCS by a combined score of 32-1, continued their roll early in the Fall Classic. Nineteen-year old rookie center fielder Andruw Jones became the youngest player to homer in a World Series game in the second inning of Game 1. He went deep to left again in the third inning to provide the fireworks for Atlanta's 12-1 rout. Greg Maddux and Mark Wohlers combined on a 4-0 shutout gem in Game 2, and with the Series going to Atlanta, the Braves appeared on the brink of a championship repeat.

David Cone's pitching and Bernie Williams' three RBIs got New York a win in Game 3. The fourth game would prove to be the decisive contest of the Series. The Braves built a 6-0 lead. Then the Yankees closed to 6-3 against pitcher Denny Neagle in the sixth. Two innings later, Yankees backup catcher Jim Leyritz hit a game-tying three run homer off of Braves closer Mark Wohlers. The Yankees went on to win the game 8-6 in ten innings. Leyritz's home run had firmly shifted the momentum of the Series.

Game 1 loser Andy Pettitte then beat 1996 NL Cy Young Award winner John Smoltz in a 1-0 pitcher's duel in Game 5. John Wetteland, the Series MVP, pitched the last inning of the shutout, in addition to earning the saves in all four of New York's wins. After a three-run third inning and 5.1 innings by starter Jimmy Key, the Yankees, behind their bullpen, were able to hold onto the 3-2 clinching victory.

New York's superior bullpen had proved to be the deciding factor in the Series. The Yankees would go on to win the Series three of the next four years. The Braves, while winning their division every season from 1991 through 2005, have not won a world series game since game 2 of this series (They were swept 4-0 by New York in 1999).

Game 1

October 20, 1996 at Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	0	2	6	0	1	3	0	0	0	12	13	0
New York	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	1
W: John Smoltz (1-0)   L: Andy Pettitte (0-1)
HR: ATL – Andruw Jones 2 (2), Fred McGriff (1)

Game 2

October 21, 1996 at Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	4	10	0
New York	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	1
W: Greg Maddux (1-0)   L: Jimmy Key (0-1)

Game 3

October 22, 1996 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Braves)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	5	8	1
Atlanta	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	6	1
W: David Cone (1-0)   L: Tom Glavine (0-1)  S: John Wetteland (1)
HR: NYY – Bernie Williams (1)

Game 4

October 23, 1996 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Braves)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
New York	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	3	0	2	8	12	0
Atlanta	0	4	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	9	2
W: Graeme Lloyd (1-0)   L: Steve Avery (0-1)  S: John Wetteland (2)
HR: NYY – Jim Leyritz (1)  ATL – Fred McGriff (2)

Game 5

October 24, 1996 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (Atlanta Braves)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	1
Atlanta	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
W: Andy Pettitte (1-1)   L: John Smoltz (1-1)  S: John Wetteland (3)

Game 6

October 26, 1996 at Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	8	0
New York	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	x	3	8	1
W: Jimmy Key (1-1)   L: Greg Maddux (1-1)  S: John Wetteland (4)

Quotes of the Series

They have surmounted every challenge, they have climbed every mountain... - John Sterling, WABC radio, after the Yankees won.

To the left side, Hayes waits.........The Yankees are champions of baseball!- Joe Buck, FOX.

In the air to left field. Back, at the track, at the wall we are tied! - Joe Buck, calling Jim Leyritz's game-tying, three-run home run in Game 4.

Ballgame! - Joe Buck, calling Paul O'Neill's Game 5 game-ending catch.

They're dancing in the streets in New York right now - Tim McCarver (FOX) after the Yankees' Jim Leyritz hit the game-tying, three-run home run in Game 4.

We play today, we win today "das" it - Yankee second baseman Mariano Duncan before Game 6 at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees fan: Hey Ted, how ya liking it? Ted Turner: I'm not.- Ted Turner being taunted by a Yankees fan in Game 6.

"And the Yankees have taken the Braves' championship away." - Skip Caray

Trivia

• Game 1 and Game 2 were originally scheduled for Saturday October 19 and Sunday October 20 respectively. Rain on October 19, however, washed out Game 1. The scheduled was moved up one day, with Game 1 and Game 2 rescheduled for October 20 and October 21. The Monday travel day was eliminated. Was the last rain out in a WOrld Series game till game 4 of the 2006 WOrld Series.
• In Game 1, on October 20, 1996, Andruw Jones became the youngest player, 19, in World Series history to hit a home run, surpassing Yankee great Mickey Mantle on Mantle's birthday.
• Also on October 20, Andruw Jones became only the second player in World Series history (after Gene Tenace in 1972), and youngest ever, to hit a home run his first two times up in a Series.
• This was the first World Series to be televised by the Fox Broadcasting Company.
• Play-by-play man Joe Buck became the second youngest person (at the age of 27) to broadcast a World Series. Vin Scully is still the youngest when at 25, when he called the 1953 World Series.
• The Braves beating the Yankees in the first two games by a combined score of 16-1 was the biggest run differential in World Series history.
• The Yankees were the first team to recover from a 0-2 games deficit since the 1986 Mets.
• Over the course of the 1996 World Series, the Braves hit .315 during the first six innings and .176 afterward.
• Atlanta had more hits, runs, and homers during the course of the series, but still lost. (Much like the Yankees 1960 performance against Pittsburgh).
• After Game 2, Joe Torre and his first base coach José Cardenal met with the furious Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, at that post-game meeting. Torre guaranteed three victories in Atlanta and then bringing the series back to Yankee Stadium to clinch at home. Obviously, poor Steinbrenner thought Torre was nuts saying "If you guys can't beat the Braves at home you surely can't beat them down in Atlanta." The Yankees ended it up winning next four games to win the series and stunning "The Boss" and especially the heavy favorite Braves.
• When the Yankees came back from a 6-0 deficit to win Game 4 by the score of 8-6 in 10 innings, it was the second biggest comeback in World Series history. The 1929 Philadelphia Athletics scored 10 runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Chicago Cubs 10-8 in Game 4.
• The Yankees became the third team to win a World Series after dropping Games 1 and 2 at home, following the 1985 Kansas City Royals and the 1986 New York Mets.
• This was the second ever postseason series in which the first five games were won by the road team, following the 1906 World Series.
• This was the beginning of the Joe Torre Era, the Yankees began a dynasty throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning 3 more World Series (1998, 1999, 2000).
• It took Yankee manager Joe Torre 4,272 games to get to the World Series as a player or manager, the biggest drought for any player or manager in the history of Major League Baseball.
• Game 5 of the 1996 World Series was the last ballgame ever played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
• When the Braves lost Game 5, they joined the 1905 Philadelphia Athletics, the 1921 New York Yankees and the 1986 New York Mets as the only teams to lose a 1-0 World Series game on an unearned run.
• Prior to Game 6, Yankees manager Joe Torre's brother Frank underwent heart transplant surgery.
• During game 6 at Yankee Stadium a fan behind home plate held up a sign that said "John 3:16" Tim McCarver made mention of this sign, saying that the fan was a true Yankees fan because he knew Tommy John's career ERA. John's Career ERA is actually 3.34, not 3.16.
• This World Series Championship ended a ten-year baseball championship drought for New York City; the previous team to win the series were the 1986 New York Mets.
• Yankee third baseman Wade Boggs won his first and only World Series ring in his fifth season with the New York Yankees, after ten years with the rival Boston Red Sox.
• On an episode of Seinfeld, George Costanza, an employee of the Yankees, destroys the team's 1996 World Series trophy by dragging it behind his car. This is one of many stunts performed by George in an effort to make Yankees owner George Steinbrenner fire him so he can take a job offer from the New York Mets. However, the plan backfires, as Steinbrenner fires Mr. Wilhelm instead, making Wilhelm free to go to the Mets. Also in a Seinfeld episode that year, George is hitting home runs over the center field wall at Yankee Stadium and teaching Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams how to properly hit home runs. Jeter replies "We won the World Series" and George says, "Yeah (sarcastically) in 6 games!"

External links

• 1996 World Series by Baseball Almanac
• History of the World Series - 1996
• Stroke of Fate