1996 World Series
The 1996 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 1996 season. The 92nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League champion Atlanta Braves and the American League champion New York Yankees. The Yankees defeated the Braves four games to two to capture their first World Series title since 1978 and their 23rd overall. The series was played from October 20–26, 1996, and was broadcast on television on Fox. Yankees relief pitcher John Wetteland was named the World Series Most Valuable Player for saving all four Yankee wins.
The Yankees advanced to the World Series by defeating the Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series, three games to one, and then the Baltimore Orioles in the AL Championship Series, four games to one. It was the Yankees' first appearance in a World Series since 1981. The Braves advanced to the Series by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series, three games to none, and then the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Championship Series, four games to three. It was the Braves' second consecutive appearance in a World Series.
The Yankees lost the first two games at home, being outscored by the Braves, 16–1. However, they rebounded to win the next four games, the last three in close fashion, including a dramatic comeback win in Game 4 to tie the series. They became the third team to win a World Series after losing Games 1 and 2 at their home stadium, following the Kansas City Royals in 1985 and the New York Mets in 1986. They also became the first team since the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981 to win four consecutive games in a World Series after losing the first two. It would be 29 years before another team lost Games 1 & 2 at home in a best-of-seven series and come back to win the series, when the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Seattle Mariners in the 2025 American League Championship Series, 4-3.
Game 5 was the final game to be played at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, as the Braves moved into Turner Field the following season. Atlanta became the only city to host the World Series and the Olympics in the same year and Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium became the only stadium to host baseball in an Olympics and the World Series in the same year. The Yankees victory also resulted in general manager Bob Watson becoming the first African-American general manager to win the World Series.
Background
The 1996 World Series marked the beginning of the New York Yankees' dynasty of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Despite the rich playoff history of the Yankees, the defending champion Atlanta Braves entered the Series as heavy favorites.The Yankees had reached the Fall Classic after their ALCS victory over the Baltimore Orioles, while the Braves had rallied from a 3–1 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS.
The Braves used the dominant pitching of Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, as well as timely hitting, to defeat the Indians the year before, and looked to reuse that recipe against the upstart Yankees. In 1996, John Smoltz returned to form, winning 24 games and a Cy Young Award, providing another serious pitching threat for Atlanta. New York brought a lineup mixed with veterans, like Paul O'Neill, and young stars, like rookie Derek Jeter. The Yankees bullpen was also vastly superior to the Atlanta bullpen, which would prove to be the deciding factor in the Series.
Over the course of the 1996 World Series, the Braves hit.315 during the first six innings and.176 afterward. Atlanta had more hits, runs, homers, and a lower team ERA during the course of the series, but still lost, much like the 1960 Yankees' performance against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
This is the first World Series to feature the series logo on the side of each team's hats.
This was also the last of four consecutive World Series to be presided over jointly by the presidents of the American and National Leagues in lieu of the Commissioner of Baseball, as Paul Beeston would be named CEO of Major League Baseball for the 1997 Major League Baseball season. Following Game 6, then-American League president Gene Budig presided over the Commissioner's Trophy presentation to the Yankees. Then-Chairman of the Executive Committee Bud Selig, who had presided over the trophy presentations in and would do so again in, officially became Commissioner in 1998.
Yankees' manager Joe Torre was facing off against the team he starred for as a player from 1960-1968 and managed from 1982-1984. For the Braves, Torre was an All-Star from 1963-1967.
Summary
Matchups
Game 1
Game 1 and Game 2 were originally scheduled for Saturday, October 19, and Sunday, October 20. Rain on October 19, however, washed out Game 1. The schedule was moved back one day, with Game 1 and Game 2 rescheduled for October 20 and 21, and the Monday travel day eliminated. This was the first time weather resulted in a postponement since the 1986 World Series, where Game 7 was delayed one day due to inclement weather.The game was a matchup of league wins leaders. The Yankees sent out lefthander Andy Pettitte, who in only his second full season in the major leagues had won 21 games and made the American League All-Star Team. For the Braves went veteran John Smoltz, who won a career high 24 games and led the National League in strikeouts.
Entering the World Series, Atlanta had completed a comeback from a 3–1 deficit and beaten the St. Louis Cardinals by a margin of 32–1 in the three previous games. They continued their offensive onslaught in Game One.
In the second inning, rookie Braves outfielder Andruw Jones stepped to the plate with catcher Javy Lopez on base and two out. The 19-year-old native of Curaçao drove a full-count pitch over the left field fence to open the scoring. In doing this he broke the record held by Mickey Mantle of being the youngest player in World Series history to hit a home run in his first Series at-bat.
One inning later, the defending champions broke the game open. Jeff Blauser and Marquis Grissom opened the top of the third with singles, and were moved into scoring position by a sacrifice bunt from Mark Lemke. Chipper Jones then singled to score the runners, advancing to second on a throw to the plate. While Fred McGriff batted, Jones stole third base and then scored himself when McGriff followed his single with one of his own. After issuing a walk to Lopez, Pettitte was pulled from the game with Yankees manager Joe Torre calling on Brian Boehringer to get out of the jam his team was in.
With his team now trailing by five runs, Boehringer faced Jermaine Dye and got him to fly out to left. However, once again the young outfielder from the Caribbean came through as Andruw Jones hit his second home run in the next at-bat to make the score 8–0. McGriff later added his own home run off Boehringer in the fifth which struck the right field foul pole with a loud clang.
The Yankees' offense, meanwhile, had been unable to do much against Smoltz. Entering their half of the fifth, they had yet to record a hit and, despite Smoltz recording four walks, had stranded every baserunner that they had managed to get on. In the fifth, they did break through for their first run when veteran third baseman Wade Boggs drove in rookie sensation Derek Jeter with a double.
The Braves closed out the scoring in the sixth. Andruw Jones singled off Boehringer and Ryan Klesko reached on an error by second baseman Mariano Duncan. After Blauser's fly ball out advanced Jones to third, Grissom and Lemke recorded consecutive hits to drive in the baserunners and make the score 11–1. David Weathers came in with runners now on the corners and one out, then gave up a sacrifice fly out that scored Grissom.
Smoltz pitched six innings to get the victory, recording the single run on two hits. Relievers Greg McMichael, Denny Neagle, Terrell Wade, and Brad Clontz held the Yankees scoreless in the final three innings. Pettitte, in his first World Series start, took the loss after being charged with seven of the 12 Braves runs in 2.2 innings of work.
Andruw Jones, with his two home runs in the first at bats, joined Gene Tenace as the only other player to homer in his first two World Series at bats.
Game 2
Game 2 of the series saw the Braves turn to four-time defending Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux to start. As a free agent in 1992, Maddux nearly signed with the Yankees, but the Yankees inner-turmoil in their front office and Maddux's preference to stay in the National League, saw him sign with the Braves instead. The Yankees trotted out one of their few pitchers that actually had World Series experience, the veteran Jimmy Key. Just before signing with the Yankees as a free agent in 1993, Key had defeated the Braves twice in the 1992 World Series, including in the Series-clincher, while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays.As they had in Game 1, the Yankees again struggled against a strong Braves starter. Maddux pitched eight shutout innings and, despite giving up six hits, only allowed two runners to reach third base. Despite only striking out two batters, he managed to retire most of the hitters he faced on ground ball outs; he also did not walk a batter, only allowing one additional runner to reach when he hit Derek Jeter with a pitch in the third inning.
Key, meanwhile, had trouble getting Fred McGriff out with runners on base. In the first inning, following a pitch Key thought was a strike, McGriff singled with two outs to drive home Mark Lemke, who had hit a ground-rule double earlier. Then, in the third inning, McGriff came up with Marquis Grissom at third and singled again, driving the second Atlanta run in. Finally, in the fifth, McGriff drove in his third run of the game by hitting a sacrifice fly to score Lemke from third with nobody out. The Braves' fourth run came when Grissom singled off Key in the sixth to drive in Terry Pendleton.
Mark Wohlers, a long-time Brave reliever of postseasons past who was now the team's closer, relieved Maddux in the ninth and struck out Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, and Paul O'Neill to end the game and put the Braves up 2-0 heading back to Atlanta.
After the game, Yankees manager Joe Torre and his first base coach José Cardenal met with owner George Steinbrenner, furious at the team's performance in the World Series so far. At that post-game meeting, Torre guaranteed three victories in Atlanta and then bringing the series back to Yankee Stadium to clinch at home. Steinbrenner doubted Torre, saying, "If you guys can't beat the Braves at home, you surely can't beat them down in Atlanta."
This was the Braves' last win in a World Series game until Game 1 of in their championship season, having gone 0-8 in WS games in the interim.