The best baseball moments in the 1990s range from great individual performances to some amazing teams, including another dominant New York Yankees club for a new era. While it’s hard to pick just a few, here are some of the best baseball moments in the 1990s that truly stand out.
Best Baseball Moments in the 1980s
Jack Morris Goes 10 Innings
In the 1991 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, Jack Morris of the Minnesota Twins faced John Smoltz of the Braves in Game 7. Both men pitched well, with both teams held scoreless through nine innings. Morris pitched the entire game, including coming out in the top of the 10th. Morris had refused several times to get taken out of the game, and did so again in the 10th inning. He retired the side in order to win the game and the series, completing a 10-inning shutout performance that ranks among one of the best World Series pitching performances ever.
Teams That Have Never Won a World Series
Joe Carter’s Walk Off World Series Home Run
In Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Joe Carter hit a three-run homer off Philadelphia Phillies closer Mitch Williams to win the game and the series. He joined Bill Mazeroski as the only two players in World Series history to hit a series-winning home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. The victory gave the Blue Jays their second consecutive World Series, having beaten the Atlanta Braves in 1992.
Jim Abbott’s No-Hitter
Jim Abbott has an amazing story even without the no-hitter. Born without a right hand, the pitcher learned how to transfer the glove from his right forearm to his pitching hand in one fluid motion after delivering the ball. He pitched from 1989 to 1999 in the majors. On Sept. 4, 1993, Abbott, then pitching for the New York Yankees, threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians, cementing his name in baseball lore.
The Return of the Yankees
The New York Yankees won the World Series in 1996, 1998 and 1999, marking a return to greatness the club had not experienced since the 1970s. The teams included what is known as the Core Four: Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada. All the clubs were managed by Joe Torre. Whether you watched because you belong among the millions who back the Yankees or the millions who want to see them lose, the team’s return to dominance drew a lot of attention.
Best Moments of Yankees Baseball
The Improbable Florida Marlins
If the Yankees brought back a feeling of the baseball universe returning to the natural order of things, the Florida Marlins turned everything on its head. In 1997, the Marlins won the World Series in just the team’s fifth season of existence, beating a favored Cleveland Indians club in an exciting, seven-game series. It was the first of two World Series won by the Marlins, the second being the 2003 series against the Yankees, establishing the Marlins as an excellent club to follow for those who enjoy seeing the improbable become reality.
The Iron Man
Cal Ripken Jr.’s streak of 2,632 consecutive games played, which ended Sept. 19, 1998, broke the old record of 2,130 held for 56 years by Lou Gehrig. Ripken surpassed Gehrig on Sept. 6, 1995, in one of the most-watched baseball games ever. Ripken had earned the “Iron Man” nickname. He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
The Home Run Chase
In 1998, both Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs broke the single-season home run record of 61 set by Roger Maris in 1961. McGwire broke the record first, hitting No. 62 against the Cubs on Sept. 8. McGwire finished the season with 70 home runs, while Sosa had 66. Just three years later, Barry Bonds set the record again, with 73. A cause for great media attention at the time, the 1998 home run chase and Bonds’ record are tainted for many baseball fans because all three men are suspected of having used steroids. McGwire admitted in 2010 that he used steroids throughout his career.
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