Jays: Memories of ’92 and ’93 Series

The Blue Jays are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their back-to-back World Series wins this weekend with many of the players that contributed to those incredible 1992 and 1993 seasons. Some memories of the two Series wins, both in six games, over Atlanta and Philadelphia: á ’ 93: Game 6. Jays 8, Phillies 6. Philadelphia closer Mitch Williams comes on to pitch the bottom of the ninth with his team leading 6-5. Williams opens the inning by walking Rickey Henderson. Devon White flies out. Paul Molitor singles. Joe Carter comes up next and hits a three-run homer to hand Toronto its second straight World Series title. Blue Jays radio voice Tom Cheek utters his famous “Touch em all Joe” call; Carter joins Bill Mazeroski as one of only two players to win a World Series with a homer in the bottom of the ninth. á ’ 92: Game 6. Jays 4, Braves 3

(11 innings). With the game tied 2-2 in the top of the 11th, Dave Winfield doubles down the left-field line off Charlie Leibrandt, scoring two runs. The Braves get one run back in the bottom of the inning and have the speedy Otis Nixon at the plate when Jays manager Cito Gaston summons Mike Timlin. Nixon bunts and Timlin fields the ball cleanly to Carter for the series-winning out. Gaston becomes the first AfricanAmerican manager to win a World Series. á ’ 93: Game 3. Jays 10, Phillies 3. Gaston is forced to sit one of his regulars with the series shifting to a National League park and the DH is not being used. He goes with Paul Molitor at first base and sits AL batting champion John Olerud (.363). Molitor goes 3-for-4. á ’92: Game 2. Jays 5, Braves 4. During the national anthems prior to the game, the U.S. Marine Corps accidentally flies the Canadian flag upside down. The Jays trail by a run in the ninth inning but Ed Sprague drills a two- run homer off Jeff Reardon, then baseball’s all time saves leader. It comes just after Cheek, in the broadcast booth, quips: “Watch him hit a homer.” á ’92: Game 3. Jays 3, Braves 2. It might have been one of the greatest defensive plays in World Series history, if they used replay at the time. With two Braves — Deion Sanders and Terry Pendleton — aboard, David Justice ropes a fly to deep centre. Toronto’s Devon White made a leaping grab against the wall for the first out. Pendleton, thinking the fly would be a base hit, runs past Sanders and is ruled out. Jays first baseman John Olerud takes the cutoff throw from Roberto Alomar and tosses it to Kelly Gruber at third base, trapping Sanders in a rundown. Sanders dives back to second just as Gruber lunges at him, clipping Sanders’ heel. It’s a triple play, which replays back up, but umpire Bob Davidson rules Sanders safe.