The Sox rebounded in Game 2 as Ramon Martinez went toe-to-toe with David Cone. For most championship runs, there’s a moment of doubt. 1999 New York Yankees Roster. Williams, of course, had nearly signed with the Sox in the offseason, making his walk-off shot even more crushing for Boston. In April, the soon-to-be captain hit five home runs and four triples with more walks than strikeouts, posting a 1.217 OPS. More on that still to come …. Oct. 27, 1999: The Yankees play Baseball's last game of the century and complete a four-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves to capture their 25th World Championship. Bob Costas, Jim Gray, and Hannah Storm were involved both times: Costas with play-by-play, Gray as a reporter, and Storm as pre-game host. However, that 1999 team was special, just as any World Series champion has to be. He’d eventually smack seven homers in both June and August, hitting a remarkable .384 in the latter month. On October 11, 2005, A&E Home Video released the New York Yankees Fall Classic Collectors Edition (1996–2001) DVD set. In an era where starters went deep into contests, the Sandman gave the Yankees all they needed in his third year as closer. The 95th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the defending American League (AL) and World Series champion New York Yankees and the National League (NL) champion Atlanta Braves in a rematch of the 1996 World Series, in which the Yankees prevailed. Time stands still as fans collectively hold their breath in a key moment, realizing that their team of destiny might be quite the opposite. An All-Star that season, he had a staff leading 3.44 ERA and struck out a team-high 177 batters over 193.1 innings. Growing up around that time, the Yankees’ championships were ubiquitous and repeating seemed simple. After 162 games, the Yankees came in at 98-64, four games clear of the Red Sox and one game ahead for the AL’s best record. They had the same Big 3 in their rotation and had the NL MVP with Hall of Famer Chipper Jones. With the Yankees' sweep of the Braves, this was the second time in 1999 that a New York City team had swept a team from Atlanta out of a playoffs; the Knicks had swept the Hawks in the second round of the NBA Playoffs during their Cinderella run to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs. With the Knicks having played in the NBA Finals in June, this was the second championship series in 1999 that NBC broadcast involving teams from New York. Jones broke the ice with a solo shot in the fourth inning and Maddux made it stand up … until the eighth. Meanwhile, the Yankees got all the runs they needed in the third inning. The Yankees went ahead for good on an error by Bret Saberhagen early and an error late led to a six-run ninth, capped by a Ledee grand slam.
Enough happened in ’99 that this will be a two-part article: One covering the 1998-99 offseason and subsequent regular season, and then another focusing on the 11-1 postseason run to the Yankees’ 25th title. However, that 1999 team was special, just as any World Series champion has to be. With Martinez unavailable until Game 3, the Yankees worked to the early advantage at home. This featured a rematch of the 1996 World Series. In the third inning, the Yanks broke through when Tino Martinez singled off Ryan Klesko's foot with the bases loaded, driving in two runs. Rivera, who was named Series MVP, got Keith Lockhart to fly out to LF Curtis for the final out of the season. That was a 257 ERA+ as he earned an All-Star appearance and finished third in Cy Young voting. Ramiro Mendoza got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and closed out the series, sending the Yankees to their second straight World Series. The 1999 World Series also feted the All-Century Team, featuring the greatest players of the 20th century as voted by both fans and sportswriters. A forgotten performer in Game 3? Yankees right fielder Paul O'Neill's father died a few hours before Game 4.
In the fourth inning, Bret Boone doubled in Gerald Williams for a second time in the game to make the score 5–1. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "1999 World Series Game 1 - New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves", "1999 World Series Game 2 - New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves", "1999 World Series Game 3 - Atlanta Braves vs. New York Yankees", "1999 World Series Game 4 - Atlanta Braves vs. New York Yankees", "World Series Gate Receipts and Player Shares", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1999_World_Series&oldid=984260974, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 October 2020, at 03:54. Jason Grimsley. Mariano Rivera picked up the save to wrap up the 4–1 victory. Jeff Nelson relieved Mendoza and allowed an RBI double to Bret Boone before getting Otis Nixon to ground out to end the game and give the Yankees a 2-0 series lead. However, in running roughshod to a repeat, the Yankees went 11-1 in the postseason with just a single loss to the league’s best pitcher. Then Tino added one. They loaded the bases off John Smoltz and brought up Tino Martinez with one down. John Wetteland was their closer. After El Duque completed eight innings, Rivera took the ball through the 10th inning, where Bernie Williams came through as the hero on Rod Beck’s second pitch. The Rangers were an afterthought within a few days. As the season wound down, some now-familiar faces debuted, months after Tony Tarasco made an ill-fated one-month stint in the Bronx. Despite his Cy Young, Martinez wouldn’t have the best start among AL East pitchers. Sept. 6, 1995: Lou Gehrig's Major League record of 2,130 consecutive games played is broken when Baltimore's Cal Ripken, Jr. plays in his 2,131st. Rivera tossed two scoreless frames to bring back up Curtis, who led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a walk-off homer. Of course, he’d have a shining moment, but more on that soon…. Game 3 belonged to Pedro and only Pedro. Knoblauch bunted, but defensive replacement Brian Jordan Brian Hunter misplayed the ball and loaded the bases for Jeter. From there, it was simply a matter of whether it’d be another sweep. Apr. Take Arthur Rhodes deep. One of the players on the All-Century Team, Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio, had died in March of that year, causing the Yankees to honor him by wearing a black #5 on their sleeves. Test your knowledge on this sports quiz and compare your score to others. The 95th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the defending American League (AL) and World Series champion New York Yankees and the National League (NL) champion Atlanta Braves in a rematch of the 1996 World Series, in which the Yankees prevailed. Mar. At the same time, none of their five starters had an ERA below 4.79 (which was actually above-average). The Yankees trailed with two outs in the seventh when Chuck Knoblaugh doubled home Ledee. June 6, 1990: Stump Merrill replaces Bucky Dent as Yankee manager. Hannah Storm served as pre-game host with Barry Larkin serving as the analyst.