How They Got Here
The rivalry was born the year before, when the Braves and Pirates played seven tight games in the NLCS before Atlanta finally prevailed. As the Braves were celebrating and the Pirates were moping, there was little doubt they would meet again.
After losing to the Twins in one of the greatest World Series ever played in 1991, the Braves came back even better in 1992, perfectly set up to repeat as National League champions. The Pirates were a different story. Everybody knew that they couldn't keep their team around for much longer. They won their third straight NL East title in 1992, and their talent base had already taken a hit. But they still had Barry Bonds, so they still had a chance in any series they played.
Things didn't look optimistic for Pittsburgh in the early part of the 1992 NLCS, as they fell behind Atlanta 3 games to 1. But they fought back, winning the next two, including Game 6 in Atlanta, to set up Game 7. Just like in the previous year, the Pirates would have to deal with John Smoltz in Game 7. This time, though, they had their ace ready in Doug Drabek.
The Game
Bases loaded. Two outs in the ninth. Game 7. Trailing by one. The ultimate dream scenario. At the plate was somebody called Francisco Cabrera, who even Braves fans might have forgotten was on the roster. So of course he singled to left. The tying run scored. Bonds came up with the ball and fired home, hoping to throw out Sid Bream, only the slowest player on either team. The throw came toward home...
... It's possible that Barry Bonds' ninth-inning throw in Game 7 changed baseball throughout the 90s. If that throw had connected, maybe Atlanta's budding rivalry gets snuffed out before it had a chance to get started. Maybe Pittsburgh wins that game in extra innings and goes on to win the World Series, finally getting something out of all those postseason close calls. Maybe with the win, Bonds thinks twice about leaving for greener - and richer - pastures, or maybe Pittsburgh decides it can afford to shell out money to the player who just got them a World Championship.
But the throw didn't connect. It was up the first-base line, giving Bream just enough time to slide in safely, allowing the Braves to complete their three-run comeback in the bottom of the ninth and advance to their second straight World Series.
Between first and second base, Francisco Cabrera jumped up and down. He had just lived the ultimate baseball dream, the two-out ninth-inning single to win Game 7, and he became quite possibly the most unlikely hero in baseball history. Each team had 25 players on their postseason roster; it was likely that Cabrera was the 50th best player on the field. Yet it was him jumping up and down between first and second, the unlikely hero. At first, the Braves piled on Bream, ignoring their third-string catcher. Then they came to their senses and mobbed him, celebrating the birth of a dynasty. The Pirates walked off the field with heads hung as a dynasty died.
Aftermath
It was the second straight World Series for the Braves, the second straight instant classic. Though not remembered as fondly as the 1991 edition - most likely because it only went six games instead of seven - the 1992 World Series was just as tense. And the Braves lost again. But the team of the 90s was born, and they appeared in the next 12 postseasons.
The Pirates, of course, never recovered. After three straight division titles, Bonds and Drabek were gone after the season. Pittsburgh hasn't had a winning season since.
What I did.
The final list:
1. 1992 NLCS: Atlanta 3, Pittsburgh 2
2. 2003 ALCS: New York 6, Boston 5
3. 1980 NLCS: Philadelphia 8, Houston 7
4. 2006 NLCS: St. Louis 3, New York 1
5. 1976 ALCS: New York 7, Kansas City 6
6. 1977 ALCS: New York 5, Kansas City 3
7. 1972 NLCS: Cincinnati 4, Pittsburgh 3
8. 1981 NLCS: Los Angeles 2, Montreal 1
9. 1982 ALCS: Milwaukee 4, California 3
10. 2008 ALCS: Tampa Bay 3, Boston 1
11. 1984 NLCS: San Diego 6, Chicago 3
12. 2003 NLCS: Florida 9, Chicago 6
13. 2004 NLCS: St. Louis 5, Houston 2
14. 1972 ALCS: Oakland 2, Detroit 1
15. 1973 ALCS: Oakland 3, Baltimore 0
16. 1985 ALCS: Kansas City 6, Toronto 2
17. 2007 ALCS: Boston 11, Cleveland 2
18. 1991 NLCS: Atlanta 4, Pittsburgh 0
19. 1973 NLCS: New York 7, Cincinnati 2
20. 1987 NLCS: St. Louis 6, San Francisco 0
21. 1988 NLCS: Los Angeles 6, New York 0
22. 2004 ALCS: Boston 10, New York 3
23. 1986 ALCS: Boston 8, California 1
24: 1996 NLCS: Atlanta 15, St. Louis 0
Showing posts with label Francisco Cabrera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Francisco Cabrera. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, October 14, 2010
October 14, 1992: Francisco Cabrera?
ATLANTA - Brian Hunter lifted the popup behind second base. That wasn't going to get the job done. Jay Bell closed his glove on it, and the Pirates were one out away. So painfully close.
As everybody waited to see who would pinch hit for the pitcher for Atlanta, you couldn't blame the Pirates for taking a look around and taking in the moment. Leading game 7 3-2, one out away from the World Series, they knew this was the high point thus far of their recent dynasty. They also had to know that this was their last chance.
There was Barry Bonds out in left field. He had been absolutely brilliant in his six years in Pittsburgh, but everybody knew he was leaving. His contract was up after the year, and the Pirates would never be able to afford him. He's gone. Doug Drabek there in the dugout, who pitched so brilliantly in game 7, like he had all year. He was probably gone, too. The Pirates had to know that this was it, that if they didn't get this last out and get to the World Series this year after three straight division titles, they might not get another chance. At least not with this group of players.
Atlanta's pinch-hitter was announced. Francisco Cabrera. Who? He was Atlanta's third-string catcher and had batted only 11 times during the season. Why was he even on the playoff roster, much less batting with the season on the line? There were probably some Atlanta fans who would rather have seen a pitcher, maybe a starter like Tom Glavine, batting in this situation rather than this guy. Their chances at a second straight World Series appearance seemed remote.
So now the situation. We know Cabrera was batting. The bases were loaded, the tying run on third and the winning run on second. Too bad the runner on second was Sid Bream, one of the slowest Braves runners. It might take an extra-base hit to score him. Chances are remote. But take a look again: two outs in the bottom of the ninth in game 7, trailing by 1, bases loaded. How many kids grow up dreaming of batting in this exact situation? How many times has this exact situation come up in baseball history? What a moment for Cabrera, regardless of how he did.
Stan Belinda's first two pitches were out of the strike zone. This was getting into the danger area, even with someone as inexperienced as Cabrera batting. You surely can't walk him.
The third pitch was a foul. 2-1 count, a hitter's count. Belinda took the sign, nodded, went into the stretch. He took a look around at the baserunners, at the fielders. Pittsburgh's fielders got on their toes, ready for the pitch. Cabrera wiggled his bat slightly. This was the moment of his career.
Solid contact. A seeing-eye single between third and short. Tie game. But the Braves are sending Bream. What the hell? Bonds fielded the ball cleanly and came up firing. Bream looked dead in the water. But the throw was up the first-base line. Mike LaValliere had to reach over to catch it, then dive back to try to get a sliding Bream. It was a bang-bang play.
The Braves players piled on Bream in exaultation, an absolutely shocking victory. Cabrera was jumping up and down between first and second, no teammates bothering to celebrate with him for a few seconds before they realized who had gotten the hit. Fulton County Stadium was rocking. The Braves were back in the World Series.
The Pirates walked off the field in shock, heads down. This was the closest they had come yet, the most painful defeat of all. Three straight division titles, three straight trips to the NLCS, and nothing. And they knew it was over. They would have no more chances.
Bonds hadn't left the field yet. He remained in left field, down on one knee. He hadn't moved since his throw. He knew it was over, too. And despite his brilliance, his two MVP awards and three gold gloves, he knew his time in Pittsburgh was a failure. He hadn't been able to bring the Pirates to the promised land. And when his team needed him the most, he hadn't been able to throw out Sid freaking Bream.
......
The Pirates haven't been to the playoffs since, haven't had a winning season since their 1992 season was destroyed by Francisco Cabrera and Sid Bream. Cabrera's hit not only cost the Pirates a World Series berth, but it also knocked the franchise from the loftiest point it has occupied in the last 25 years.
While Cabrera's hit destroyed Pittsburgh's dynasty, it jump-started Atlanta's. Having gone to the World Series the previous year, the Braves proved it wasn't a fluke in 1992. They would make the playoffs for each of the next 13 seasons.
As everybody waited to see who would pinch hit for the pitcher for Atlanta, you couldn't blame the Pirates for taking a look around and taking in the moment. Leading game 7 3-2, one out away from the World Series, they knew this was the high point thus far of their recent dynasty. They also had to know that this was their last chance.
There was Barry Bonds out in left field. He had been absolutely brilliant in his six years in Pittsburgh, but everybody knew he was leaving. His contract was up after the year, and the Pirates would never be able to afford him. He's gone. Doug Drabek there in the dugout, who pitched so brilliantly in game 7, like he had all year. He was probably gone, too. The Pirates had to know that this was it, that if they didn't get this last out and get to the World Series this year after three straight division titles, they might not get another chance. At least not with this group of players.
Atlanta's pinch-hitter was announced. Francisco Cabrera. Who? He was Atlanta's third-string catcher and had batted only 11 times during the season. Why was he even on the playoff roster, much less batting with the season on the line? There were probably some Atlanta fans who would rather have seen a pitcher, maybe a starter like Tom Glavine, batting in this situation rather than this guy. Their chances at a second straight World Series appearance seemed remote.
So now the situation. We know Cabrera was batting. The bases were loaded, the tying run on third and the winning run on second. Too bad the runner on second was Sid Bream, one of the slowest Braves runners. It might take an extra-base hit to score him. Chances are remote. But take a look again: two outs in the bottom of the ninth in game 7, trailing by 1, bases loaded. How many kids grow up dreaming of batting in this exact situation? How many times has this exact situation come up in baseball history? What a moment for Cabrera, regardless of how he did.
Stan Belinda's first two pitches were out of the strike zone. This was getting into the danger area, even with someone as inexperienced as Cabrera batting. You surely can't walk him.
The third pitch was a foul. 2-1 count, a hitter's count. Belinda took the sign, nodded, went into the stretch. He took a look around at the baserunners, at the fielders. Pittsburgh's fielders got on their toes, ready for the pitch. Cabrera wiggled his bat slightly. This was the moment of his career.
Solid contact. A seeing-eye single between third and short. Tie game. But the Braves are sending Bream. What the hell? Bonds fielded the ball cleanly and came up firing. Bream looked dead in the water. But the throw was up the first-base line. Mike LaValliere had to reach over to catch it, then dive back to try to get a sliding Bream. It was a bang-bang play.
The Braves players piled on Bream in exaultation, an absolutely shocking victory. Cabrera was jumping up and down between first and second, no teammates bothering to celebrate with him for a few seconds before they realized who had gotten the hit. Fulton County Stadium was rocking. The Braves were back in the World Series.
The Pirates walked off the field in shock, heads down. This was the closest they had come yet, the most painful defeat of all. Three straight division titles, three straight trips to the NLCS, and nothing. And they knew it was over. They would have no more chances.
Bonds hadn't left the field yet. He remained in left field, down on one knee. He hadn't moved since his throw. He knew it was over, too. And despite his brilliance, his two MVP awards and three gold gloves, he knew his time in Pittsburgh was a failure. He hadn't been able to bring the Pirates to the promised land. And when his team needed him the most, he hadn't been able to throw out Sid freaking Bream.
......
The Pirates haven't been to the playoffs since, haven't had a winning season since their 1992 season was destroyed by Francisco Cabrera and Sid Bream. Cabrera's hit not only cost the Pirates a World Series berth, but it also knocked the franchise from the loftiest point it has occupied in the last 25 years.
While Cabrera's hit destroyed Pittsburgh's dynasty, it jump-started Atlanta's. Having gone to the World Series the previous year, the Braves proved it wasn't a fluke in 1992. They would make the playoffs for each of the next 13 seasons.
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