Pinstripe Alley - 1996 Yankees 20th Anniversary RetrospectiveBig boi dinger enthusiastshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51961/pinstripe_alley_minimal.png2016-02-17T17:01:39-05:00http://www.pinstripealley.com/rss/stream/105127792016-02-17T17:01:39-05:002016-02-17T17:01:39-05:00'96 Yanks 20th Anniversary: World Series comeback
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<figcaption>Al Bello/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>It looked like the Yanks' magical run was over after falling down 0-2 to the defending champions and going on the road. Five amazing days later, they were World Series champions.</p> <p>Few pundits had expected the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> to make it back to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">the World Series</a> as quickly as they did. Yet there they were before Game 1, with venerable Yankee Stadium hosting a Fall Classic for the first time in 15 years, the longest wait the Bronx had ever endured. It would have been a challenge securing the championship anyway, but the 1996 Yankees faced an incredibly dangerous foe.</p>
<h4>The World Series opponent</h4>
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a> were unquestionably the team of the '90s up to that point. After failing to win a single playoff game during their first 25 years in Atlanta since moving from Milwaukee in 1966 and finishing dead last in 1990, the Braves had won four out of the previous five National League pennant. They fell to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/">Blue Jays</a> in '91 and '92, but when baseball returned to action in '95, manager Bobby Cox and company finally conquered their playoff demons to beat the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a> in the World Series.</p>
<p>Everyone knew the primary reason behind the Braves' success. Three names said it all: <span>Greg Maddux</span>, <span>Tom Glavine</span>, and John Smoltz. These future Hall of Famers provided Atlanta with perhaps the most dominant rotation in baseball history, making difficult to beat them in a short series. Glavine took home Cy Young Award honors in '91, Maddux won a record four straight Cy Youngs from '92 through '95 (the first with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>), and in '96, it was Smoltz's turn.</p>
<p>Sure, Smoltz had a 24-8 record on his side, but he also led the league in innings (253 2/3), strikeouts (276), and FIP (2.64). His fastball and splitter never crackled better than they did in '96, and with typically strong years from Maddux and Glavine, the Braves looked as dominant as ever. The offense was no walk in the park either, with five hitters surpass 20 homers: sophomore sensation <span>Chipper Jones</span>, first baseman Fred McGriff, former Expo Marquis Grissom, home run leader <span>Ryan Klesko</span>, and eventual '96 NLCS MVP Javy Lopez.</p>
<p>Take all those factors, add in a bullpen led by 100-strikeout flamethrower <span>Mark Wohlers</span>, and the Braves were an easy favorite to repeat as champions. They won 96 games to blow by the NL East and swept away the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> in the Division Series. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> stunned them in the NLCS by jumping ahead 3-1 and putting Atlanta in a do-or-die situation, but the Braves responded with fury. They staved off elimination in St. Louis with a 14-0 blowout, rode Maddux to a 3-1 victory in Game 6, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orp2rXeIKOI" target="_blank">completed the comeback</a> with a 15-0 shellacking in Game 7.</p>
<p>All told, the Braves outscored the once-menacing Cardinals by a score of 32-1 in the final three games. It was going to be tough to take them down.</p>
<h4><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199610200.shtml" target="_blank">Game 1</a></h4>
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<p>The star of the World Series opener was not any of the Braves' great pitchers, the All-Star hitters, or even the Yankees' own Cy Young candidate, Andy Pettitte. In fact, he was a teenager who made it into 31 games during the regular season for Atlanta: outfielder <span>Andruw Jones</span>.</p>
<p>The Curacao native and top prospect in baseball broke into Atlanta's lineup and got the start against the lefty Pettitte. In his first at-bat, he became the youngest player in World Series history to hit a home run when he lifted a two-run blast to left, giving Smoltz a 2-0 lead. An inning later, Pettitte was lifted from the game after four hits, a walk, and only one out recorded in the third; the 2 1/3 inning dud a Fall Classic debut to forget.</p>
<p>The Braves already led 5-0 and threatened for more as <span>Brian Boehringer</span> entered to relieve Pettitte. He got <span>Jermaine Dye</span> to fly out, bringing the 19-year-old Jones up for his second World Series at-bat. Boehringer was one strike from escaping when Jones lifted another long drive into left field, this time into the netting above the retired numbers. Forget the age--he was just the second player <i>ever</i> to homer in his first two World Series at-bats.</p>
<p>Andruw's three-run bomb made it 8-0 and just about wrapped up Game 1. The Yankees had a fine offense, but they weren't about to drop nine runs on Smoltz. The final score was even worse at 12-1, the most lopsided loss in Yankees World Series history up to that point.</p>
<p>Owner George Steinbrenner was fuming after the game and ranted about it to manager Joe Torre. In a story that Torre likes to tell, he said to the Boss "You know, we're a little rusty, and with Maddux going tomorrow, we might lose. But don't worry--Atlanta's my town. (Torre had played and managed 12 years there.) We're going to win all three there, then come back to New York and win it for you on Saturday."</p>
<p>Joe Torre makes money on the side as a prophet.</p>
<h4><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199610210.shtml" target="_blank">Game 2</a></h4>
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<p>Desperate to quickly wash away the misery of Game 1, the Yankees quickly understood the pain of National League hitters. Revenge was hard to come by against the Braves' pitching staff, particularly when they had to deal with Maddux the very next day.</p>
<p>Jimmy Key had a better outing than Pettitte, though still not one for the scrapbooks. He managed to scatter 10 hits, two walks, and a hit by pitch, but all those baserunners led to four runs in six innings anyway. That was more than enough for Maddux, who shut down the Yankees and only put a few runners in scoring position. They could do nothing with his pitches, managing 18 mostly weak groundouts during his eight superb innings of work.</p>
<p>Wohlers entered in the ninth to secure the 4-0 victory. He struck out the side, pushing the Yankees down 0-2 in the series. Only one team in World Series history had ever overcome an 0-2 deficit with the first two losses at home, and with the Braves demolishing opponents so convincingly in their past five games, no one gave them much of a shot. Some players admitted that they just wanted to avoid a sweep. It really looked like the Yankees' championship aspirations would die in Atlanta.</p>
<h4><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL199610220.shtml" target="_blank">Game 3</a></h4>
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<p>The Yankees were rewarded for losing the first two games to Smoltz and Maddux with the opportunity to face Glavine, the 1995 World Series MVP. The lefty had dominated one of the most powerful offenses in baseball history, defeating Cleveland in Game 2 and then throwing a one-hit shutout over eight innings to clinch the title. The Yankees clearly had a tough task ahead.</p>
<p>They countered Glavine with David Cone, who fought his way back from a life-threatening aneurysm in his arm to return to major league action in September. He was part of the Blue Jays club that took down Atlanta in '92 and was determined to do it again. A leadoff walk by <span>Derek Jeter</span>, a bunt, an RBI single from <span>Bernie Williams</span> gave Cone an early lead, and he went to work, tossing five scoreless innings.</p>
<p>Some sloppy Braves defense gave the Yankees a second run in the fourth, a tiny bit of insurance that Cone appreciated come the sixth. That inning, Cone somewhat embarrassingly walked Glavine to begin it and allowed a single to Grissom. A failed pop-up bunt froze the runners, but then Chipper Jones walked to load the bases. There was activity in the bullpen, and Torre went to the mound for a conversation with his ace:</p>
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<p><b>Torre</b>: How are you?<br><b>Cone</b>: I'm fine.<br><b>Torre</b>: You know how important this game is. I have to know the truth. Don't bullshit me.<br><b>Cone</b>: I can get out of this. I'm fine.</p>
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<p>Torre made the decision to trust him. He knew that Cone was probably lying and indeed tiring, but he answered with such conviction that he took the chance, even with a tough hitters ahead in McGriff and Klesko. Both easily had the potential to not only tie the game with a single but also give the Braves the lead with an extra base hit.</p>
<p>Cone got McGriff to pop up for the second out but narrowly missed strike three on Klesko, walking in the Braves' first run. With his pitch count approaching 100, Torre still stuck with Cone against the power-hitting Lopez, and he rewarded his faith by getting the catcher to foul out. The Yankees survived the threat.</p>
<p>Two innings later, Bernie cracked a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHQISOM5RWc" style="background-color: #ffffff;">two-run homer</a> off reliever Greg McMichael to effectively seal the deal. Graeme Lloyd bailed <span>Mariano Rivera</span> out of trouble in the eighth, and John Wetteland closed out the 5-2 win. There would be no sweep, and this series was far from over.</p>
<h4><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL199610230.shtml" target="_blank">Game 4</a></h4>
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<p>The fourth game of the 1996 World Series will long live in Yankees lore. For there to be an incredible comeback though, there had to be failure first.</p>
<p>Starter Kenny Rogers obliged. He hadn't pitched well all postseason, and Game 4 would be no different. McGriff walloped a long homer to center to lead off the second, Rogers walked two batters in a row, and an infield single scored a second run. Then Grissom smacked a two-run to put Atlanta up 4-0. A groundout ended the inning, but Chipper Jones and McGriff started the third with back-to-back singles, ending the night for Rogers.</p>
<p>A sacrifice fly made it 5-0, and in the fifth, an RBI double by Andruw Jones off David Weather gave Atlanta a six-run lead. Fourth starter Denny Neagle had held the Yankees scoreless through five innings. A 3-1 series deficit seemed inevitable.</p>
<p>There were still a few more innings to go though, and Jeter began the sixth with a bit of providence, as right field umpire Tim Welke failed to get out of the way of Dye chasing an easy fly ball in foul territory. His at-bat prolonged, Jeter singled and moved to second on a walk to Williams. Cecil Fielder cracked a single to right that got under Dye's glove and rolled to the wall, scoring a pair of runs. Fielder then scored himself on a Charlie Hayes single.</p>
<p>It was suddenly a 6-3 game, so Cox pulled Neagle for Terrell Wade, who compounded matters by walking Darryl Strawberry. The Yankees had the tying run up with no one out against new reliever Mike Bielecki. The hard-throwing righty brought the crowd back to life by striking out the next three hitters in order to stop the rally dead in its tracks.</p>
<p>After another quiet frame from Bielecki, Wohlers entered in the eighth for a two-inning save. Hayes found some luck by hitting a swinging bunt dribbler up the third base line for an infield single. Strawberry followed with a hit of his own to bring the tying run to the plate again. Mariano Duncan hit into a fielder's choice that could have been a double play had it not been for an ironic drop by defensive replacement Rafael Belliard at shortstop.</p>
<p>That set the stage for backup catcher Jim Leyritz, who had entered in the sixth after Torre pinch-hit for Joe Girardi. He was looking for a fastball from Wohlers, who avoided his best pitch and kept turning to the slider. On the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Leyritz made Wohlers pay:</p>
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<p>"In the air to left field... back, at the track, at the wall... we are TIED!" - Joe Buck</p>
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<p>The six-run rally was complete. Jeff Nelson's two scoreless innings against Atlanta now loomed large. The Yankees' overpowering bullpen now controlled the game. Rivera covered an inning and a third, and Lloyd again bailed Mo out of a jam when he induced a double play grounder in the bottom of the ninth.</p>
<p>The Yankees had blown a chance to take the lead in top of the ninth when Dye made a nice running catch on a bases-loaded line drive from Duncan. Former phenom Steve Avery relieved Wohlers in the 10th and got two groundouts before issuing a walk to Tim Raines. Jeter singled through the left side, and Cox made the decision to intentionally walk Williams.</p>
<p>The choice backfired when Torre pinch-hit Hall of Famer Wade Boggs for Andy Fox. A well-fought walk gave the Yankees a 7-6 lead. Klesko then lost a pop-up in the lights to make it 8-6. Lloyd and Wetteland blanked the Braves in the 10th to win it. The series was tied.</p>
<h4><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL199610240.shtml" target="_blank">Game 5</a></h4>
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<p>Game 5 of the 1996 World Series would be the final contest in the history of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It had been the Braves's home since their first game in 1966 and was to be closed after 30 years as they planned to move to the new ballpark built for the '96 Olympics, Turner Field. (The incredibly bold bet here is that Turner Field does not close with a World Series game in 2016.)</p>
<p>The place once called "The Launching Pad" for its tendency toward homers did not see a single one in its last game. In fact, only one run scored at all. Smoltz and Pettitte were both on the top of their games. Baserunners were hard to come by, and the Pettitte who faced the Braves in Game 5 was virtually unrecognizable from the one who wilted in the opener. He had a good fastball that day and rode almost exclusively that pitch for 8 1/3 brilliant innings on three days' rest.</p>
<p>Smoltz fanned 10 Yankees in his eight innings and did not allow an earned run. Unfortunately for him, one unearned run did score in the fourth. Dye crossed Grissom's eyesight as he positioned himself to catch the Hayes fly ball in right-center, partially causing him to drop it. Hayes went to second and scored on a line drive double by Fielder down the left field line.</p>
<p>That was all the pitching staff would get from the offense, but Pettitte and Wetteland made the 1-0 margin stand. A phenomenal catch by a hobbled O'Neill finished off the win. Had it dropped, the two baserunners would have probably scored to give the Braves a 2-1 win and a series lead. As it stood, the Yankees had improbably swept all three games in Atlanta and gone 8-0 on the road in the '96 playoffs.</p>
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<h4><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199610260.shtml" target="_blank">Game 6</a></h4>
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<p>The Bronx was roaring as the possibility of the Yankees clinching their first championship in 18 years took over the minds of everyone at Yankee Stadium. They faced Maddux, but even he did not seem to be able to stop this scorching hot run of baseball.</p>
<p>His old Cubs catcher Girardi delivered the most exciting blow of the night when he launched an RBI triple against him in the third, putting the Yankees on the board. It was so loud in Yankee Stadium that the FOX TV booth began to shake. Jeter drove him home with a single, and a hit by Bernie scored Jeter for the third run of the inning.</p>
<p>Key fared much better than in Game 2, doing his job by allowing the Braves just one run on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. It was his last game in pinstripes after a successful four-year contract that spanned the Yankees' rise from under-.500 to playoff glory, the fans gave him a nice ovation. Weathers and Lloyd stranded the one baserunner he left.</p>
<p>Rivera was tremendous in his appearance, retiring six Braves in a row after an uncharacteristic walk to start the seventh. The bridge to Wetteland was secured, and the eventual World Series MVP entered in the ninth to finish off Atlanta. A mini-rally emerged, as the Braves scored and had the tying run in scoring position for Mark Lemke, a playoff menace despite his stature.</p>
<p>Wetteland got Lemke to pop up to the third base side. Hayes moved over for it... and just missed it as the ball bounced into the Braves dugout (there might have been interference, but there was no way the umpires were going to let that decide a Fall Classic). Thankfully, Wetteland induced a second pop-up from Lemke to the left side. This time, it stayed fair:</p>
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<p>Pandemonium.</p>
<p>The Yankees were World Series champions and the 1996 team etched its place in baseball history. Years and more championships have passed by since that fateful night in October 20 years ago, but perhaps no Yankees team has ever been quite as loved as the '96 squad.</p>
<p>1998 set records.</p>
<p>1999 met the sky-high expectations.</p>
<p>2000 completed a three-peat.</p>
<p>2009 brought another return to glory.</p>
<p>Teams don't break 18-year droughts all the time though. For team as successful as the Yankees, it was an anomaly to wait that long. The 1996 team accomplished that goal with an incredibly likable squad, completing remarkable comebacks all the way to the finish line. Thanks for following along with us during the off-season commemorating the 20th anniversary of this unforgettable team.</p>
<p>May the 2016 Yankees celebrate with number 28.</p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/2/17/11030150/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-world-series-braves-comeback-leyritzAndrew Mearns2016-02-16T09:01:44-05:002016-02-16T09:01:44-05:00'96 Yanks 20th Anniversary: ALCS victory vs. O's
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<p>Thanks to an unlikely fan assist and road dominance in Baltimore, the Yankees paved their way to a World Series showdown with Atlanta.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> did not have to wait long after <a href="http://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/2/15/10982440/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-alds-rangers-gonzalez-bernie?_ga=1.163308927.252106156.1455386157" target="_blank">clinching the ALDS</a> against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a> to see who they would face for the American League pennant. In fact, it would be decided that same day--October 5th.</p>
<p>When the playoff matchups were set, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> were the easy favorite to repeat as AL champions. The squad that won 100 games with a .644 winning percentage in '95 was almost entirely back, and they easily paced the league again with 99 victories in the regular season. The team they faced in the Division Series, the Wild Card-winning <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.camdenchat.com/">Orioles</a>, would have finished 11 1/2 games behind them, so they expected to roll on through to the ALCS. Baltimore hadn't even made the playoffs in 13 years.</p>
<p>The only problem was that the O's didn't play along. They <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHHG4AdrDCo" target="_blank">bombed</a> Cleveland ace Charles Nagy in the opener for a 10-4 victory and suddenly had the shell-shocked Indians on the verge of a sweep thanks to an eighth inning rally in Game 2. Cleveland stayed alive when <span>Armando Benitez</span> surrendered a <a href="https://youtu.be/-mhvkO3I4E4?t=239" target="_blank">late slam</a> to Albert Belle (just one of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sADQi35c8Q8" target="_blank">many</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqZyxJPdF5k">times</a> Benitez would <a target="_blank" href="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4885816/2000_WS_walk.gif">fail</a> in the postseason), but one out away from forcing Game 5, Indians closer <span>Jose Mesa</span> allowed a game-tying single to Roberto Alomar.</p>
<p>Alomar was lucky to even be playing due to an ugly incident where he <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2010/9/27/1001848/9-27-1996-alomar-spits-at-hirschbeck">spit at umpire John Hirschbeck</a> in a late September game; the umpire's union wanted him suspended for the postseason. Yet here he was. A couple innings later, an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZzQVZMF17k" target="_blank">Alomar homer</a> off Mesa sealed Cleveland's fate. <span>It would be an all-AL East American League Championship Series.</span></p>
<h4>The ALCS Opponent</h4>
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<p>There was no mystery how the Orioles got as far as they did in 1996--they could friggin' mash. Playing half their games in cozy Camden Yards, an incredible seven different players hit at least 20 homers. Some were Hall of Fame caliber (Alomar, Cal Ripken Jr., and <span>Rafael Palmeiro</span>), and some were just veterans with pop (Bobby Bonilla, B.J. Surhoff, and Chris Hoiles). Their 257 combined homers pulverized the previous MLB record of 240 and still ranks fourth all-time.</p>
<p>Then... there was Brady Anderson. A 32-year-old leadoff hitter whose game was mostly based around doubles, steals, and walks, Anderson broke out with a then-team record <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSL3SZvw9MU">50 homers</a>, shocking the baseball world. He had never hit more than 21 homers in one season, and he would never hit more than 24 in any season afterward. Baseball is a funny game.</p>
<p>The rotation had some big-name starters in <span>Mike Mussina</span>, <span>David Wells</span>, and <span>Scott Erickson</span>, but none of these occasional Cy Young contenders had standout years. They were only around league average in '96. The bullpen was a relatively successful mix of veterans like Randy Myers and Jesse Orosco and younger arms in Benitez and Arthur Rhodes. There was no beating around the fact that if Baltimore made it to its first Fall Classic since 1983, it would be on the strength of the bats.</p>
<h4><a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199610090.shtml">Game 1</a></h4>
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<p>There it is--this image and video represented the defining moment of the ALCS in just the opener. I've written at length before about this tremendous game, so for more details, <a href="http://www.pinstripealley.com/2012/10/9/3480448/yankees-history-orioles-jeffrey-maier-derek-jeter-october-9-1996-alcs-game-1" target="_blank">check that out</a>. This is the SparkNotes version.</p>
<p>Neither Erickson or Andy Pettitte was sharp that evening, as they both gave up a bunch of hits and walked several batters. Homers by Anderson and Palmeiro had helped put Baltimore on top, 4-2. In a seventh inning rally that sent Erickson to the showers, Darryl Strawberry walked with the bases loaded to make it one-run game, but Benitez blew Mariano Duncan away to preserve the lead.</p>
<p>One inning later, Benitez was back and fanned Jim Leyritz to put the Yankees five outs from an early deficit in the series. Then, rookie <span>Derek Jeter</span> lifted a high fly ball to the opposite field, slowly drifting back to the short porch fence. Right fielder Tony Tarasco seemed to track it well at the warning track, but an excited 12-year-old Yankees fan named Jeffrey Maier leaned over and snared the ball from above Tarasco's head.</p>
<p>Umpire Rich Garcia completely botched the call, ruling it a home run and infuriating the Orioles. Maier became a folk hero and the game was tied. John Wetteland and <span>Mariano Rivera</span> held Baltimore at bay for the next three innings, setting it up for <span>Bernie Williams</span>, fresh off his 1.567 OPS series in Texas. On the third pitch in the 11th from Randy Myers, Bernie went boom:</p>
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<h4><a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199610100.shtml">Game 2</a></h4>
<p>The second game featured a pitching matchup between two men who later became best friends in pinstripes: David Cone and David Wells. The Yankees got the upper hand with two runs in the first with three straight singles to begin the game, though a double play from Cecil Fielder limited the damage. O's third baseman Todd Zeile countered with a two-run homer to deep left in the third that tied it up.</p>
<p>Cone and Wells kept the duel alive for four more innings. They had both wilted somewhat but kept the opposition's offense off the board. Then in the seventh, Alomar smoked a one-out double to left, and Palmeiro blasted the game's decisive blow, a two-run homer to right. Baltimore now led, 4-2; both sides tacked one more run apiece to send it to the ninth.</p>
<p>Orioles manager Davey Johnson's bullpen was weary, particularly since Myers, his closer, had thrown 1 2/3 innings the night before. The rust showed, as Jeter grounded a single through the left side to lead off the ninth and one out later, he walked Williams on five pitches. Johnson made the decision to hook Myers in favor of Benitez. Even though the latter had actually thrown more pitches in Game 1, he stared down the potential winning run at the plate and retired both Fielder and Tino Martinez to give the O's a much-needed win.</p>
<h4><a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL199610110.shtml">Game 3</a></h4>
<p>The ALCS was now in Baltimore, where remarkably, the Yankees went 6-0 in the regular season. Jimmy Key was tasked with matching zeroes with Mussina, their ace. He got off to an inauspicious start when Anderson led off with a single and Zeile launched a two-run homer. The Orioles had a two-run lead after just five pitches.</p>
<p>Key immediately settled down; those two runs would be Baltimore's only highlight of the night. The lefty was in complete command, pitching eight more scoreless innings after the Zeile homer, holding this powerful lineup to one hit and one walk for the rest of the game.</p>
<p>Mussina held that slim lead, allowing the Yankees just four hits and one run through seven innings. He quickly got the first two outs in the eighth, and Baltimore was a mere four outs from a 2-1 lead in the series. Then out of nowhere, it all fell apart for the O's.</p>
<p>The rally began, as it so often did, with Jeter, who lined a double down the right field line. Williams lined Moose's next pitch to left field for an RBI single, tying the game. Martinez smacked a double of his own, this time to left field, and things got weird. Surhoff unleashed a strong relay throw from left to Zeile near the third base bag, and Williams held at third. Then, Zeile inexplicably threw the ball into the ground thinking about a play at second. Bernie bolted:</p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Bernie Zeile 1996" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mKTkOUh0ZTLQQxqbKaEExE0msfs=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6046899/Bernie_Zeile_96.0.gif">
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<p>It was a pure instinct play, and Williams beat the throw home from Ripken, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Fielder finished off the craziness by crushing a two-run home run to left field, ending Mussina's night. After a scoreless inning each from the masterful Key and Wetteland, the Yankees won 5-2 and took control of the series.</p>
<h4><a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL199610120.shtml">Game 4</a></h4>
<p>The fireworks from the previous night seemed unlikely to stop with the Game 4 pitching matchup: <span>Kenny Rogers</span> vs. Rocky Coppinger. Neither had seasons to remember on the mound. This night would be no different.</p>
<p>Jeter led off the game with a double and two batters later, Williams belted a two-run homer. The Orioles countered with an Anderson-led rally for one run in the bottom half of the frame, and Strawberry punched back with a solo homer to begin the second inning. The catcher Hoiles responded this time, taking Rogers deep in the bottom of the third to make it 3-2, Yankees.</p>
<p>Then in the fourth, Strawberry grounded a two-out single, and O'Neill went yard. Rogers showed his gratitude by issuing a walk to Ripken, a wild pitch, and a single to Pete Incaviglia. Torre had seen enough enough and went to <span>David Weathers</span>. A Surhoff single and a groundout pushed two more runs across, and it was a one-run game again.</p>
<p>There it stayed until the top of the eighth. Williams hit a ground-rule double off Alan Mills with one out, and Martinez ruined the lefty vs. lefty strategy with a single off Orosco. In came Benitez, and in came Bernie for some insurance on a Fielder groundout. Strawberry followed with a huge blast to left field, putting the Yankees on top, 8-4, and sealing the game.</p>
<h4><a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL199610130.shtml">Game 5</a></h4>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gjy2d5HeNzk" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>Clinching day would be all Yankees. Erickson and Pettitte both threw zeroes in the first two innings, but the Bronx Bombers exploded in the third.</p>
<p>Leyritz led it off with a home run to left. Luis Sojo grounded out, but both Jeter and Wade Boggs singled. Williams reached on an error to score a run, and after a fielder's choice, "Big Daddy" went deep. Fielder's three-run bomb made it 5-0, and Strawberry immediately followed with a solo shot of his own.</p>
<p>Pettitte had a 6-0 lead, and that was all he needed. The young southpaw twirled eight innings of three-hit, two-run ball, giving it straight to Wetteland for the ninth. It was everything Torre could have wanted from him.</p>
<p>Wetteland walked Zeile and two outs later, the Orioles launched the final homer of their incredible season, a two-run clout by Bonilla. It was still only a 6-4 game though, and they were down to their final out. It happened to be Ripken, their future Hall of Famer and franchise icon. It did not matter:</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RjCcYEzaq-M" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>For the first time since 1981, the Yankees were going back to the World Series. The man with the most joy was their beloved manager, Torre, who had played or managed in over 4,000 major league games without ever reaching the Fall Classic.</p>
<p>Now, he was finally going there, thanks to a wonderful crew led by ALCS MVP Bernie Williams, who hit .474/.583/.947 with five extra base hits in the victory. It was an unbelievable feeling for the team and its first-year skipper.</p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/2/16/11010602/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-alcs-orioles-bernie-maier-jeterAndrew Mearns2016-02-15T09:00:03-05:002016-02-15T09:00:03-05:00'96 Yanks 20th Anniversary: ALDS victory vs.Texas
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<figcaption>Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Yankees hadn't won a playoff series in 15 years and they fell behind early to the upstart Rangers. How did the tables turn?</p> <p>Thanks to the efforts of all the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/1/11/10748738/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-where-are-they-now">previously mentioned contributors</a>, the 1996 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> secured the American League East division title with 92 victories. The eventual Wild Card-winning <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.camdenchat.com/">Orioles</a> had trimmed the lead from 12 games on July 28th to a mere 2.5 games in mid-September, but Joe Torre's club stayed the course and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L80LRhNEwxM">clinched</a> with a 19-2 blowout victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> on September 25th.</p>
<p>Although winning their first division title since 1981 was nice, it did not come with any improved luxuries from what the Yankees experienced as a Wild Card in the previous year. The playoff format in those days was set before the season, so even if a team had a better winning percentage than their opponent, they still might not receive home field advantage.</p>
<p>Indeed, the AL West champion was predetermined to have the edge on the AL East champion. As luck would have it, the Yankees were indeed jobbed; their opponent only had 90 victories, but <span>home field advantage lied</span> in Texas.</p>
<h4>The ALDS Opponent</h4>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ojRSkzcls4" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>The 1996 campaign was the 25th <span>season </span>the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a> spent in Texas. Yet they had never made the postseason and only once came within five games of a playoff spot. The franchise drought was technically in its 36th year; the Rangers had been born in 1961 as the AL's second incarnation of the Washington Senators.</p>
<p>After 11 dismal seasons in the nation's capital and with many fans uninterested in supporting a poor team, owner Bob Short moved the team to Arlington, Texas in 1972. Great players like Nolan Ryan, Fergie Jenkins, and Buddy Bell came and went, but there was no October baseball.</p>
<p>The Rangers' fortunes changed in the early '90s, as GMs Tom Grieve and Doug Melvin pieced together a talented young roster led by right fielder <span>Juan Gonzalez</span>, catcher <span>Ivan Rodriguez</span>, and center fielder Rusty Greer when they moved into a gorgeous new ballpark in 1994. Despite amusingly being 10 games under .500, they <a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TEX/1994.shtml">led the AL West</a> at the time the players' strike hit, depriving them of a shot at their first playoff berth. They finished 4.5 games behind the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Mariners</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> during the exciting conclusion to '95, but '96 would be their year.</p>
<p>Gonzalez, already a two-time home run leader, mashed a career-high 47 homers in '96 while hitting .314/.368/.643 to <a target="_blank" href="https://daltonjsports.com/2013/12/22/voting-gone-wrong-1996-al-mvp/">swipe AL MVP honors</a> from a breakout star in Seattle named Alex Rodriguez. Add in huge years from Ivan Rodriguez (6.1 WAR), Greer (.332/.397/.530), third baseman Dean Palmer (38 homers), and new ace Ken Hill (250 2/3 innings with a 70 ERA- and 6.6 WAR), and Texas had a potent club.</p>
<p>Skipper Johnny Oates would end up sharing Manager of the Year honors with Torre. They took first place in mid-April and held onto it all year long, fending off a late charge from Seattle. The Rangers were a playoff team for the very first time, and with 221 dingers on the year, they were a formidable foe for any pitching staff.</p>
<h4><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199610010.shtml" target="_blank">Game 1</a></h4>
<p>The AL MVP was the story of the Division Series opener. Although the Yankees scored a run off the Rangers' John Burkett in the bottom of the first when a leadoff single by <span>Tim Raines</span> was followed by a Wade Boggs double and a <span>Bernie Williams</span> groundout, the high-octane Texas offense took over in the fourth. Undaunted by David Cone in his comeback from an aneurysm, Rodriguez singled to begin the inning and Greer walked. That set the stage for Gonzalez, who incredibly hit .541/.564/1.054 against the Yankees in 10 games that year. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ojRSkzcls4" target="_blank">Boom</a>--3-1, Texas.</p>
<p>A two-run deficit would not have been a problem for the Yankees, but Cone still had no outs. Will Clark followed with a single, and after striking out Mickey Tettleton, Palmer showed off his power with a two-run bomb of his own. The Rangers led by four and the inning effectively sealed it. The Yankees scratched out 10 hits off Burkett, but he frustrated them all night by stranding baserunner after baserunner, holding them to 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.</p>
<p>Before they knew it, the game was over and Burkett had thrown a complete game 6-2 victory. Little did Texas know that this would be their only playoff win for 14 more years.</p>
<h4><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA199610020.shtml" target="_blank">Game 2</a></h4>
<p>It did not take long for Gonzalez to again seize the spotlight with more dominance against the Yankees. Andy Pettitte would be the Cy Young Award runner-up that year, and not even he could stop "Igor." <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46WaCKBkhGI">Two more homers</a>* put Texas on top in the third inning by a score of 4-1.</p>
<p>*ASIDE: Gonzalez's first homer was a missile down the left field line, and a fan who was in foul territory literally reached over in front of the foul pole. He caught the ball, and tried to make the case that it was foul. Um...</p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Gonzalez HR 1996" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6V_GByR_kZuPgVk_np73_YctCcQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6041333/Gonzalez_HR_fair.0.jpg">
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<p>On the bright side, the NBC broadcast of the homer did lead to a pretty incredible rendition of Faces in the Crowd:</p>
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<p>You do you, guys. Especially "Participant Kid." He rules.</p>
<p>Anyway, Gonzalez's bomb put the Yankees in dire straits. They needed a comeback off the intimidating Hill, and quickly, lest they want to go to Texas on the brink of elimination. A Cecil Fielder solo homer in the fourth cut the lead to 4-2, and a few innings later, Hill ran into trouble when he drilled Jim Leyritz and gave up a <span>Derek Jeter</span> single to begin the seventh. Hill departed in favor of Dennis Cook, who retired the next three batters but allowed one run to score on a sacrifice fly.</p>
<p>The Yankees were just six outs from an 0-2 deficit in the series. That was precisely when Gonzalez's childhood friend from his native Puerto Rico turned it all around. Bernie Williams was so close with Gonzalez that when the Yankees brought him to a summer baseball academy in Connecticut at age 16, Williams had nervously asked if he could bring his pal Gonzalez to also play and keep him company. It was late in the process and the team had to decline, though the lost possibility of both Gonzalez and Williams in the lineup later had George Steinbrenner fuming.</p>
<p>Fortunately, Steinbrenner still had Williams, and he began the eighth against reliever Jeff Russell with a single. Then on a deep Tino Martinez fly to left, Bernie got aggressive, tagging up from first base to get into scoring position. It was out-of-the-box thinking that became pivotal to the game when Fielder singled Bernie home to tie the game at 4-4.</p>
<p>Torre did his best to preserve the tie by deploying all the best bullets his elite bullpen had to offer. <span>Mariano Rivera</span> pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief of Pettitte and closer John Wetteland added two of his own once it reached extra innings. It took four pitchers to wiggle out of a bases-loaded threat in the 11th, but <span>Brian Boehringer</span> induced a fly ball to right from Palmer to escape. It all paid off in the bottom half, as Jeter lined a leadoff single, moved to second on a Raines walk, and scored the game-winning run in stunning fashion:</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pzst_to-Tbs" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>Charlie Hayes had only intended to move the runners over, giving either Williams or Paul O'Neill a chance to win the game. Instead, Palmer failed to get any kind of grip on the bunt, chucked it away, and that was that. The series was tied en route to Texas.</p>
<h4><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TEX/TEX199610040.shtml" target="_blank">Game 3</a></h4>
<p>Stoked for the first home playoff game in franchise history, Rangers fans were immediately silenced by Bernie Williams. With two outs in the first, "Bernie went boom" off <span>Darren Oliver</span> down the right field line over Gonzalez's head and <a href="http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/94814812/v537509083/nyytex-williams-homers-to-give-yanks-early-lead/" target="_blank">into the seats</a>. In the bottom half, Rangers fans were left just as helpless with Williams as Yankees fans were with Gonzalez. Greer had sent a long drive to deep center field that appeared to be heading over the wall, but Bernie incredibly brought it back:</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ffjQZ9HBh4o" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>So Bernie's blast was the only run through the first three and a half innings. Against Jimmy Key in the fourth though, Gonzalez got his revenge with his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z2tOh6suVw" target="_blank">fourth homer of the series</a>. <span>While Williams kept squaring up the ball against Oliver, no one else in the Yankees lineup did much of anything. That opened the door for Texas to move in front.</span></p>
<p><span>In the fifth, shortstop Kevin Elster drew a walk, then stole second and advanced to third on an all-around bad play--it wasn't a good throw from Joe Girardi and Jeter had a brain lapse and forgot to cover the bag anyway. Darryl Hamilton couldn't get the run in, but "Pudge" Rodriguez took care of business. A double to right brought Elster home to give Texas a 2-1 lead.</span></p>
<p>Oliver carried that advantage into the ninth with a four-hitter. Three outs from facing the brink of elimination again, Jeter and Raines notched back-to-back singles. Suddenly, the tying run was 90 feet away with Jeter at third base, and the hottest hitter in the Yankees' lineup was at bat. Oliver departed in favor of Mike Henneman, but Williams got the job done anyway with a sacrifice fly to deep right. The game was tied.</p>
<p>Henneman retired Fielder and decided to intentionally walk Tino Martinez in favor of unsung hero Mariano Duncan. The man who coined the team catchphrase "Das it!" effectively said "Das it!" to the game, smoking Henneman's first pitch to center field for the go-ahead single. Wetteland worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to finish off the exhilarating 3-2 road win by fanning Hamilton. Now that's a rally.</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9AVnoeUZBT8" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h4><a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TEX/TEX199610050.shtml">Game 4</a></h4>
<p><span>Kenny Rogers</span> got the nod for the potential clincher against his former team. He had <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuO5ydSHENI">once been perfect</a> in Texas; he did not channel those memories on this day. In the first, he gave up a scorched line drive single to his old batterymate Rodriguez, and after a Greer fly ball, walked Gonzalez on four pitches. He only escaped unscathed when Will Clark's liner found Jeter's glove at shortstop. The next inning, Texas dropped two runs on four hits.</p>
<p>Torre had already seen enough; bench coach Don Zimmer urged him to not let the game get away from him if he felt like Rogers wasn't going to be his best option, particularly with the scalding hot Gonzalez due up next. Torre decided to try to at least get the platoon advantage with the righty Boehringer against Gonzalez. Well...</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gPTDd5zSiww" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>Gonzalez was just in a series for the ages. No one in major league history has ever hit five home runs in a four-game series other than Gonzalez, who hit .438/.526/1.375. All told, in '96 against the Yankees, Gonzalez crushed an unbelievable 10 homers in just 58 plate appearances. It was pure dominance.</p>
<p>An error by Jeter, a walk, and an RBI single by <span>Mark McLemore</span> made it 4-0, Texas. It seemed like Game 5 was inevitable. Then, that Bernie Williams character showed up again to ruin Rangers fans' dreams.</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fIJhPBhKm0o" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Leading off the fourth against Bobby Witt, Williams lined a single to center. Though not normally a good base stealer, he challenged the missile arm of "Pudge" and survived to make it to second. Martinez walked and Fielder singled Bernie home. O'Neill flew out, but Duncan laced a single of his own to center, scoring Tino. Like Torre, Oates couldn't deal with his starter under such high pressure anymore and pulled him. <span>Danny Patterson</span> let the third run across anyway on a weak grounder by Jeter to score Fielder.</p>
<p>While the inning ended, Bernie soon took over the game. He led off the fifth with a game-tying solo blast off Roger Pavlik. Reliever <span>David Weathers</span> kept Texas at bay, allowing the Yankees to push the go-ahead run home in the seventh on cacophony of singles. They were capped by Fielder's seeing-eye grounder through the left side that scored Raines.</p>
<p>As Rivera quickly extinguished the Rangers' once-promising season with two scoreless innings, Williams fittingly provided the finishing blow. Bernie switched to the right side of the plate against future teammate <span>Mike Stanton</span>, a lefty, and launched his second homer of the game. He had now homered from both sides of the plate for the second time in his playoff career, and he ended the series hitting .467/.500/1.067.</p>
<p>Mic drop.</p>
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<img alt="Bernie bat flip" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8I6t5VPNryeKPZ6JoC9rJ1VV3QI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/4138557/Bernie_flip.gif">
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<p>Wetteland did his customary drama in the ninth, immediately walking Rodriguez to bring the tying run to the plate. That wasn't too much of a problem with Greer, who lined out to center.</p>
<p>However, the next batter was Juan Gonzalez, dead-set on keeping both his team and his insane series alive. Wetteland smartly gave him nothing good to hit, walking him on five pitches to take his chances with Clark. The former All-Star flew out to left field. The last hope for Texas was Palmer, who unquestionably had the power to win the game with one swing.</p>
<p>Wetteland bore down, moved ahead of Palmer 1-2, and spun a curveball toward the outer part of the plate. Palmer swung over it, and Wetteland won the battle. The Yankees had their first series victory in 15 years and were headed to the ALCS. Not even Juan Gonzalez could deny them now.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rCHu4xv_4jk" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/2/15/10982440/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-alds-rangers-gonzalez-bernieAndrew Mearns2016-02-12T09:00:04-05:002016-02-12T09:00:04-05:00'96 Yanks 20th Anniversary: Gerald Williams
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<figcaption>Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Well, there was the time he had six hits in one game.</p> <h4>Background</h4>
<p>A native of New Orleans, Gerald Williams was selected by the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Yankees</a> in the 14th round of the 1987 Draft out of Grambling State University in northern Louisiana. That same year in short-season ball with Oneonta, Williams absolutely crushed it with the bat, hitting to the tune of a .365/.447/.504 triple slash in 29 games.</p>
<p>The next few years, Williams worked his way up through the farm system before finally making his major league debut on September 15, 1992. He played 15 games that season with three home runs, smacking his first blast off a big name in former All-Star Frank Tanana. However, Williams struggled at the plate in New York in '93, which led to split time between the big league club and Triple-A Columbus.</p>
<p>In 1994, Williams recovered to earn a spot on the major league bench, but he only made it into 57 games before the strike cut the campaign short. Undeterred, he had his best season in pinstripes when baseball resumed in '95, notching a 105 OPS+ with 26 extra base hits in 100 games as the Yankees won the Wild Card. During this time, Williams also became close friends with an up-and-coming <span>Derek Jeter</span>, who always credited Williams for helping him acclimate with his professionalism and kindness.</p>
<h4>1996 Performance</h4>
<p><b>Results:</b> 99 G, .270/.319/.433, 15 2B, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 88 OPS+</p>
<p>Williams had two standout moments in the 1996 season, both of which came in May. On May 1st, Williams registered a franchise record-tying six hits in a 15 inning game against the <a href="https://www.camdenchat.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Baltimore Orioles</a>. He was the first Yankee to accomplish that feat in 62 years; to date, he still holds that mark alongside <span>Johnny Damon</span> and Myril Hoag (what a name).</p>
<p>His second big moment, and arguably the "bigger" moment, came just two weeks later on May 14th. In a game against the <a href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Mariners</a>, Dwight Gooden was on the mound and Williams was in center field while <span>Bernie Williams</span> (no relation) had the day off. At bat was a young phenom by the name of <span>Alex Rodriguez</span> (some say he went on to have an okay career), and there was a man on base. Oh and did I mention that Gooden was pitching a no-hitter?</p>
<p><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vgXcp-fPjEU" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>That remarkable play gave Gooden his first two outs of the day, and eight innings later, he polished off the ninth no-hitter in Yankees history.</p>
<p>Although Williams hit .327/.409/.573 over the first couple months in addition to those two highlights, the good times would not last. His impatience at the plate got the best of him, as he hit just .220/.231/.309 from June onward in pinstripes, drawing a gruesome amount of three walks in 59 games. When the Yankees had a chance to upgrade the bullpen in late August by dealing him, they agreed to let him go.</p>
<p>Williams was dealt to the <a href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Milwaukee Brewers</a> on August 23rd along with <span>Bob Wickman</span> in exchange for a package that included lefty Graeme Lloyd. Williams continued his slide, finishing with a .207/.247/.250 batting line in 26 games with Milwaukee. Yeesh, that's not pretty. However, his early season contributions did earn him a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series" class="sbn-auto-link">World Series</a> ring, which was the first of two rings he'd earn in his career.</p>
<h4>What did he do after?</h4>
<p>Williams spent the next season with the Brewers before being traded to the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Braves</a> prior to '98. It seemed getting regular playing time helped Williams as a player, as he was extremely successful in Atlanta. Over the course of two years, Williams batted .286/.341/.475 with 27 home runs. Williams and the Braves met the Yankees in the 1999 World Series, and though he hit .389, Atlanta ultimately lost to the Bombers in a four game sweep.</p>
<p>A free agent for the first time, Williams signed with the then-Tampa Bay Devil <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rays</a> in 2000, where he set career-highs in doubles (30), homers (21), and game played (146). His most notable moment though came leading off a game against the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Boston Red Sox</a> with <span>Pedro Martinez</span> on the mound:</p>
<p><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j1A3F7g537Q" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>I may or may not have watched him knock Pedro down about seven or eight times in a row. Solid right hook.</p>
<p>It was all downhill for Williams afterward. He started the 2001 campaign batting .207/.261/.332 in 62 games before being released by the Devil Rays. The Yankees picked him up, hoping a return to home would help reinvigorate his career. Unfortunately, Williams was even worse down the stretch, slashing .170/.264/.191. In 2002, Williams was even worse, going hitless in 19 plate appearances over 33 games before being released in June.</p>
<p>Williams played 27 games for the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Marlins</a> in 2003, earning him his second World Series ring. After the season, Williams signed with the <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Mets</a> and spent two years splitting time between Triple-A and MLB before eventually retiring at age 38.</p>
<p><i>*Season statistics provided by Baseball-Reference</i></p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/2/12/10975832/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-gerald-williams-where-are-they-nowKunj Shah2016-02-11T09:00:03-05:002016-02-11T09:00:03-05:00'96 Yankees Retrospective: Bernie Williams
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<figcaption>Al Bello/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The oft forgotten fifth member of the "Core Four."</p> <h3>Background</h3>
<p><span>Bernie Williams</span> was born in 1968 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He grew up on the island, <a href="http://www.bernie51.com/biography/">excelling in track and field</a>, baseball, and music up through his teenage years. When Williams was 16, he was noticed by Yankee scout Roberto Rivera, who wanted to sign him. The age of eligibility to sign with an MLB team was 17, so the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> stashed Williams away in a Connecticut baseball training camp until his 17th birthday, when he could officially signed with the team.</p>
<p>During his first year in the minors, Williams was simultaneously enrolled in pre-med classes at the University of Puerto Rico. He soon realized he could not focus on both ambitions, and he chose to continue his baseball career. Williams spent more than five years in the Yankees' minor league system, but he truly put himself on the map during his 1988 stint with the High-A team, when he hit .335/.449/.487. Prior to the 1991 season, Williams was ranked as the eleventh best prospect in baseball by <a href="https://www.baseballamerica.com/statistics/players/cards/27976">Baseball America</a> and hit .294/.372/.458 in 306 at-bats in Triple-A.</p>
<p>Williams debuted in the Major Leagues halfway through the 1991 season to replace the injured Roberto Kelly. He played poorly and was sent back down to the minors. He continued to serve as an injury replacement over the next year, and he became the Yankees' starting center fielder in 1993. Despite numerous rumors that Steinbrenner planned to trade Williams, he remained with the Yankees and had a major break out year in 1995, playing 144 games and hitting .307/.392/.487 with an OPS+ of 129. He also had his first taste of the postseason, hitting .429/.571/.810 in 21 at-bats in the ALDS against the victorious <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Mariners</a>.</p>
<h3>1996 Performance</h3>
<p><b>Results: </b>143 G, .305/.391/.535, 29 HR, 102 RBI, 131 OPS+</p>
<p>In 1996, Williams had his best offensive year to that point. He hit 11 more home runs than his previous career-high and stole what would remain a career-high 17 bases at an 81% clip (7th in the majors). But where Williams really shined in 1996 was the postseason. In the ALDS against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Rangers</a>, he hit .467/.500/1.067 with three home runs, two of which came in the same game.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fIJhPBhKm0o" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>Williams somehow played even better in the ALCS against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.camdenchat.com/">Orioles</a>. While Game 1 of the series is perhaps best known for being the Jeffrey Maier game, that Jeter "home run" actually only tied the score. It was Williams who went on to win the game for the Yankees, hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dVXd1l0ueis" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>In the ALCS overall, Williams hit .474/.583/.947 and was crowned the 1996 AL ALCS MVP. In <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">the World Series</a> against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a>, he only hit .167/.259/.292, but he helped the Yankees turn the tide of the series in their favor after losing the first two games of the series with a two-run home run in Game 3. The Yankees won the series in six games.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pHQISOM5RWc" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<h3>What did he do after?</h3>
<p>Williams remained with the Yankees for the rest of his 16-year career. During that span he was voted an All-Star five times (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001) and won a variety of awards, including four Gold Gloves (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000), one Silver Slugger (2002), and the 1998 AL Batting Title. He ended his career with an absurd batting line of .297/.381/.477, which includes the less impressive later years of his career. His name is present on almost every Yankee all-time leaderboard. He won four World Series titles with the Yankees (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000), overall hitting .275/.371/.480 during his career in the postseason. He is the all-time leader in postseason RBI with 80 and is second in postseason home runs with 22.</p>
<p>After the 2006 season, Williams did not play in the majors again. Instead, he turned his attention to his other love, music. He studied jazz performance at the Manhattan School of Music, and in 2003 released his first jazz album, "The Journey Within." He released his second album in 2009, ultimately being nominated for a Grammy award. In 2015, Williams finally <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/yankees-retire-number-51-facts-bernie-williams-article-1.2233168">officially retired</a> from baseball in a ceremony at Yankee Stadium, during which his number was retired by the team.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dVa7HqsMtMo" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/2/11/10942098/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-bernie-williams-where-are-they-nowMiranda K.2016-02-10T09:00:02-05:002016-02-10T09:00:02-05:00'96 Yanks Retrospective: John Wetteland
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<figcaption>Doug Pensinger/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Wetteland overcame a playoff meltdown in 1995 to become World Series MVP in 1996, all while tutoring the man who would become the greatest relief pitcher in the history of MLB.</p> <p>1996 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series" class="sbn-auto-link">World Series</a> MVP John Wetteland rarely made closing out games look easy, but he reliably got the job done for the team that won the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Yankees</a> their 23<sup>rd</sup> World Series Championship. For that performance, and for his mentorship of <span>Mariano Rivera</span>, the legend of Wetteland as a Yankee is greater than the sum of the stats he accumulated during his two-year stint in pinstripes.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Background</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p>Wetteland grew up in Sebastopol, CA in Sonoma County, the son of a minor league pitcher who housed his family in a tent next to a one-room cabin he had built. His high school years were challenging, as Wetteland <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/16/sports/baseball-wetteland-is-just-a-closer-who-walks-with-the-lord.html">struggled with drug use and alcohol</a>, including a near overdose while attending a Grateful Dead concert.</p>
<p>In spite of his difficulties off the field, Wetteland excelled on the diamond at Cardinal Newman High School and for one year at the College of San Mateo. The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/" target="_blank">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> selected Wetteland with the 39<sup>th</sup> overall pick of the 1985 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb-draft" class="sbn-auto-link">MLB Draft</a>. His first few seasons in the minor leagues were characterized by little success. Wetteland made his big league debut in 1989, and over the next three seasons would appear in 59 games (17 as a starter), accumulating 154.2 IP, 3.84 ERA, 92 ERA+, 141 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.190.</p>
<p>By the end of the 1991 campaign Wetteland had fallen out of favor with Dodgers' manager Tommy Lasorda, despite having saved 20 games and pitching to a 2.79 ERA with Triple-A Albuquerque in 41 games. Wetteland's intensity on the mound was well-suited to the role of closer, and while the Dodgers never found spot for him on their roster, the Montreal Expos did.</p>
<p>On the advice of Kevin Kennedy, Wetteland's manager in Rookie Ball, Expos GM Dan Duquette acquired him from the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/" target="_blank">Cincinnati Reds</a> during the 1991 offseason. The Reds had acquired Wetteland earlier that same offseason in a trade for Eric Davis. Wetteland thrived as Montreal's closer for three seasons. He appeared in 189 games, saved 105, while pitching to an ERA of 2.32 (170 ERA+), 280 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.089. This run included the Expos' strike-shortened 1994 campaign, when the Expos went 74-40 before the season ended prematurely.</p>
<p>In April 1995, Wetteland was traded to the Yankees. Gene Michael acquired him for <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/34263/fernando-seguignol?_ga=1.26211005.1878666390.1448841645">Fernando Seguignol</a>, who raked in the minors but never panned out as a MLB regular. The trade paid immediate dividends for the Yankees, as Wetteland settled comfortably into the closer's role, saving 31 games and yielding a stingy 0.880 WHIP over 61.1 innings.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for Wetteland and the Yankees, the 1995 postseason was a completely different story. In Game 1 of the Division Series against the <a href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/" target="_blank">Seattle Mariners</a>, Wetteland entered the ninth inning with a five-run lead, only to put the tying run on-deck before finally securing the victory. Game 2 saw Wetteland bounce back, keeping the score tied at 4-4 through the 9<sup>th</sup>, 10<sup>th</sup>, and 11<sup>th</sup>, before Ken Griffey Jr. took him deep for a solo shot in the 12<sup>th</sup>. Still, the Yankees would rebound to win the game, flying to Seattle with a 2-0 series lead.</p>
<p>Wetteland did not appear in a Game 3 loss, and imploded in Game 4. He entered the game with the score tied at six in the 8<sup>th</sup> and yielded a walk to Vince Coleman. Wetteland proceeded to allow a drag bunt single by Joey Cora, hit Griffey with a pitch, and then gave up a go-ahead grand slam to <span>Edgar Martinez</span> on an absolute bomb to straightaway center-field. Manager Buck Showalter lost all confidence in Wetteland, with Wetteland watching from the bullpen as Jack McDowell would go on to blow a 5-4 lead in the 11<sup>th</sup> in the deciding Game 5.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>1996 Performance</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p>62 G, 63.2 IP, 43 S, 2.83 ERA, 69 SO, 1.178 WHIP</p>
<p>Wetteland's 1996 season got off to an inauspicious start when he failed to agree to a contract extension with George Steinbrenner. As a result, the Boss refused to pay Wetteland the $4 million he agreed to in arbitration, and instead continued to pay him the $3.375 figure he earned in 1995. Wetteland and his agent filed a grievance with the league, which ultimately forced Steinbrenner to honor the $4 million pact in May.</p>
<p>With the contract controversy behind him, Wetteland excelled on the mound as the leader of a bullpen that featured Rivera, along with relief stalwarts Graeme Lloyd, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/32839/jeff-nelson?_ga=1.42342949.1878666390.1448841645">Jeff Nelson</a>, and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/967/bob-wickman?_ga=1.42342949.1878666390.1448841645">Bob Wickman</a>. Wetteland became an All-Star for the first time, saving 43 games in 47 opportunities, and averaging better than a strikeout per inning. Despite his consistency in closing out games, Wetteland made a habit of making Yankee fans nervous by loading up the bases during saves.</p>
<p>After a disastrous postseason in 1995, Wetteland more than exorcised his demons during the 1996 playoffs. Across three series, he threw 12.1 innings, yielding three runs, and striking out 15. In the World Series, Wetteland saved all four Yankee wins en route to becoming World Series MVP. His 3-2 fastball on the outer half to Mark Lemke in Game 6 secured the Yankees' victory against the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Braves</a>, and would prove to be the last pitch he ever threw for the Bronx Bombers.</p>
<p>As great as Wetteland was as the Yankees' closer throughout the '96 season, his tutelage of Rivera would arguably leave an even more lasting impact on the franchise. Wetteland continually stressed to Rivera to never get beat on his second best pitch, and this adage was one that Rivera clearly took to heart in riding his cutter to four more World Series titles and the Major League Baseball history books.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>What did he do after?</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p>The Yankees let Wetteland walk during the 1996 offseason, and he landed with the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/" target="_blank">Texas Rangers</a> on a four-year, $23 million contract. He continued to perform at a high level for Texas between 1997 and 2000, being named to two All-Star teams (1998 and 1999), and adding an additional 150 saves to his career tally.</p>
<p>After struggling with back problems later in his career, and lacking the desire to again switch teams, Wetteland retired after the 2000 season. He finished his career having pitched in 618 games, accumulating 330 saves, 804 strikeouts, and a lifetime ERA of 2.93.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In retirement Wetteland has primarily stayed close to his home in Texas, although he did journey to the Bronx to help honor his student in the art of relief pitching on <a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/mariano-rivera-honored-by-presence-of-john-wetteland-at-his-farewell-1.5770817">Mariano Rivera Day in 2013</a>. Wetteland currently sits in 14<sup>th</sup> place on the all-time career saves list, but is the sole reliever who can lay claim to tutoring the greatest reliever who ever took the mound. For that, as well as his World Series MVP performance of 1996, Wetteland holds a uniquely significant place in the collective imagination of Yankees supporters.</p>
<p><b>Sources</b></p>
<p><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wettejo01.shtml" target="_blank">Baseball Reference, John Wetteland</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/16/sports/baseball-wetteland-is-just-a-closer-who-walks-with-the-lord.html?pagewanted=all" target="_blank">Curry, Jack. "Wetteland Is Just a Closer Who Walks with the Lord."</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.pinstripealley.com/2015/8/21/9188655/john-wetteland-yankees-biography-closer-world-series-mvp-mariano-rivera" target="_blank">Mearns, Andrew. "Happy Birthday, John Wetteland."</a></p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/2/10/10946452/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-john-wetteland-where-are-they-nowjdhecht2016-02-09T09:00:03-05:002016-02-09T09:00:03-05:00'96 Yanks 20th Anniversary: Darryl Strawberry
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<figcaption>Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>In a platoon role, the once-great Met had some great moments in '96.</p> <h4>Background</h4>
<p>It's safe to say that Darryl Strawberry was one of the greatest draft prospects of all time. In one of my favorite baseball books--<a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dollar-Sign-Muscle-Baseball-Scouting/dp/1492765074?tag=sbnation-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Dollar Sign on the Muscle</a>--Kevin Kerrane narrates the buzz around Strawberry's entry into the draft, and scouts were absolutely enamored. If you take a look at the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/images/dsotm_alexander_strawberry.pdf">scouting report featured in the book</a>, it has all the language that prospect-lovers dream about. In the "strong points" category, the scout stated, "Just might be that super star of the very near future... hard to visualize what he will become." And under "weaknesses," he simply said, "No weaknesses now."</p>
<p>Strawberry was selected first overall in the 1980 draft by the New York Mets, and the club, in the midst of a rebuild, gambled that he would be at the center of their future World Series winner. They were pretty much right. From 1983 to 1990--his final season with the Mets--he hit a whopping .263/.359/.516 (144 OPS+) with 280 home runs and 36.5 rWAR. If you take a peek at the players who performed similarly over that span--Robin Yount, Mike Schmidt, Cal Ripken--many of them went on to the Hall of Fame. By his age 29 season, and with a World Series championship under his belt from 1986, it looked like Cooperstown was well within sight.</p>
<p>But once he signed his blockbuster deal with the Dodgers in 1990, a contract to the tune of $22.25 million over five years, things started to go down hill. Because of his alcoholism and cocaine addiction, his body started to show the wear of his disease, and he averaged just 71 games per season from 1991 to 1993, before being released by the Dodgers after that year. He did have a respectable 121 OPS+ in that time, but his lack of playing time, coupled with his addiction, was not it worth it for the amount the Dodgers paying him. He was signed by the Giants in 1994, and was then released after the season; he played just 29 games. He was handed a suspension by Major League Baseball for his cocaine addiction, and he would later sign with the Yankees that season, putting up a nice stretch of 32 games. He signed with the Saint Paul Saints to start the 1996 season so he could rehab, and George Steinbrenner decided to give him another shot later that year.</p>
<h4>1996 Performance</h4>
<p><b>Results: </b>63 G, .262/.359/.490 (112 OPS+), 11 HR, 0.4 rWAR</p>
<p>As far as smaller signings go, Strawberry was a relative success. The Yankees signed him for just $300,000, and he gave them some nice numbers for a platoon hitter, and some key moments down the stretch. In his 175 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, he had .861 OPS.</p>
<p>One cool moment came on August 6th, when he hit three home runs against the White Sox:</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fS4OVxMcQdA" height="480" width="854"></iframe></p>
<p>Another came during game five of the ALCS, when he went back-to-back with Cecil Fielder: <iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gjy2d5HeNzk" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>In that ALCS he would hit three home runs in just 14 plate appearances.</p>
<h4>What did he do after?</h4>
<p>After 1996 he would finish his career with the Yankees, playing 136 games from 1997 to 1999. He wouldn't accumulate too much value, but his rate stats were in fact very good: 3.1 WAR per 650 plate appearances, and a 129 OPS+.</p>
<p>He wouldn't end up as the inner circle Hall of Famer many thought he would be, but for the Yankees, they got a nice role player who could recapture some of his former glory in short bursts. But more importantly, he found his road to recovery, and he ended his career on a somewhat positive note.</p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/2/9/10942582/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-retrospective-darryl-strawberryMatt Provenzano2016-02-08T09:00:05-05:002016-02-08T09:00:05-05:00'96 Yanks Retrospective: Luis Sojo
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<figcaption>Harry How/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Every team needs a utility infielder.</p> <h3>Background</h3>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/">Toronto Blue Jays</a> signed Luis Sojo as a international amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 1986. In the minor leagues, he never walked a whole lot, or showed much power, but did put up some decently high batting averages. Sojo made his major league debut on <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL199007140.shtml" target="_blank">July 14, 1990</a>, singling and driving home a run after being sent in as a defensive replacement.</p>
<p>Sojo was part of a six-player trade that sent him to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> after the 1990 season. He played two seasons with the then California Angels, before being traded back to Toronto after the 1992 season. He played just 19 games for Toronto in 1993, but did come away with a ring, as the Blue Jays won <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">the World Series</a>. He became a free agent after the '93 season and signed with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Seattle Mariners</a>. Sojo had his career best year with Seattle in 1995, smacking a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ0ftBHJJFs">key bases-clearing double</a> in the AL West playoff against the Angels and helping that Mariners' team eliminate the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>. He followed that up by hitting just .220/.250/.272 in '96, and the Mariners placed him on waivers.</p>
<h3>1996 Performance</h3>
<p><b>Results: </b>18 G, .275/.286/.325, 2 2B, 54 OPS+</p>
<p>The Yankees picked up Sojo off waivers on August 22, 1996. He played just 18 regular season games for the Yankees that year, but picked up 11 hits in 40 at bats, and made the postseason roster.</p>
<p>Sojo was used mostly as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner in the postseason. He did get the start in the ALCS-clinching Game Five win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.camdenchat.com/">Orioles</a>. Sojo had five at bats in the World Series, going 3-for-5. He also played the final six innings of Game Six at second base, as the Yankees defeated the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Braves</a> to win the World Series.</p>
<h3>What did he do after?</h3>
<p>Sojo re=signed with the Yankees after the '96 season and remained a solid utility infielder for the team for the next couple seasons. He did hit .307 for the Yankees in '97, but received just 215 at bats in 77 games. Sojo was part of the '98 and '99 teams, winning his third and fourth World Series rings.</p>
<p>After the 1999 season, Sojo left the Yankees and signed with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> as a free agent. He played in 61 games for Pittsburgh, but the Yankees re-acquired him on August 7, 2000, trading minor league pitcher <span>Chris Spurling</span> for him. Sojo hit decently well for a utility infielder down the stretch in 2000, but his best moment in pinstripes came in the playoffs that year.</p>
<p>Game Five of the 2000 World Series was tied at two heading into the top of the ninth inning. After Al Leiter struck out Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill, <span>Jorge Posada</span> kept the inning alive with a walk. Scott Brosius followed that with a single, moving Posada into scoring position. That brought Sojo to the plate. This happened:</p>
<p><iframe src="http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=31265089&topic_id=6479266&width=400&height=224&property=mlb" width="400" height="224" frameborder="0">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe></p>
<p>That hit gave the Yankees their third straight World Series win and got Sojo a fifth ring.</p>
<p>Sojo was released after that season, but ended up re-signing with the team for the 2001 season. He didn't make the roster in 2002 and retired, taking over as manager of the Norwich Navigators. He went on to lead the Yankees Double-A affiliate to a Eastern League championship in 2002.</p>
<p>Sojo was invited to Old-Timers' Day in 2003 and hit a home run off Ron Guidry. Later in the 2003 season, the Yankees re-signed him as an active player, amusingly making him the first player to ever appear in both an Old-Timers' Day game and a real MLB game in the same season. Sojo made three appearances in 2003 and then retired for good. Since then, he has held various coaching positions in the Yankees' organization. Sojo has also been the manager of the Venezuela team at all three World Baseball Classics.</p>
<p>Luis Sojo was not exactly an integral member of the 1996 Yankees, but the man has five World Series rings and a World Series-winning hit. He deserves his status as a Yankees cult hero.</p>
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2016/2/8/10931566/1996-yankees-20th-anniversary-luis-sojo-where-are-they-nowMatt Ferenchick