Today's Top 10: Byung-Hyun Kim Edition

That's a pretty interesting point about Leyritz.

I wonder how different things would've been if the Yankees wouldn't have won the Series that year?

Oh, and as an aside, that was a pretty damn good series. Big home runs, fantastic pitching at times, unlikely heroes. Good stuff.

 

Hence his nickname "Home Run" Baker, who led the AL in homers for four consecutive seasons.

 

He's the one. And the reason that was such a big home run was because Mathewson had pitched three consecutive shutouts against the A's in 1905 -- a record that will never, ever, ever be beaten -- then beat them 2-1 in the opener of the 1911 series. So, despite the A's being defending champions that year and possessing the famous $100,000 infield, Matty was in their heads.

Baker ended that jinx, and after a week of rain, the A's beat Matty again in Game 4 to clinch the Series. All because of that home run.

 

MLB Network Prime 9 did this last week...Top 9.


I know Thomson was 1, Maz was 2, Boone was 9.

Gibson, Carter, Ruth, Fisk, Puckett, Henderson were the others. I think

 

My only qualm is the placement of Joe Carter at No. 4. At the very least it should be ahead of Gibson, and considering it was a walk off shot to win the world series I would even argue it being No. 2 ahead of Thompson.

And although I am a Canadian I am not a Blue Jays fan -- i was cheering for the Phillies that series -- I was born and raised a Cubs fan.

 

14-0, 3-1, 15-0, 12-1, 4-0. It may have been the best five-game stretch in the history of baseball.

And then they were up 6-0 in Game 4. How the HELL did they lose that series?

 

I've been asking myself that question for 13 years. Holy crap, it's been that long?

 

54-2!

Ha.

 

Seriously, though, that was a great stretch and a great Braves team.

I don't buy into the destiny BS, I just think that was a savvy group of players on the Yankees and they got hot at the right moment.

 

That's the only postseason series where I really felt like Bobby Cox made poor game decisions that cost the Braves. (And no, I don't blame him for Leibrandt in '91.)

Obviously, he wasn't the one who called for that idiotic slider from Wohlers after Leyritz had been late on a couple heaters and he wasn't the one who lost the "pop fly" in the lights at first base in extra innings (that was the rockhead Klesko). But I think he got sorely outmanaged by Torre in that series, and it was worst in Game 4. Going to Wohlers instead of McMichael in the eighth was a terrible move.

The Braves never should have lost that series. The Yankees were NOT a better team in '96; you'll never convince me they were. Still don't know how they won, except they got just enough hits and pitching at just the right times. They earned it, but I'm not sure they deserved it.

 

I'd agree with all of that.

If the Yankees hadn't won, would Torre have been fired after the Yankees were eliminated in the first round in 1997? Maybe not, but maybe so. Would they have resigned Wetteland and blocked the greatest closer ever? A lot to think about with that one Series.

A lot of things in baseball were changed with that Joe Girardi triple, and I've liked most of them.

 

Reggie's third in '77 belongs.