Series Wrapup

Story

Neither the Atlanta Braves nor the Pittsburgh Pirates experienced much difficulty repeating as champion of their respective division in the National League in 1992.  The Braves won their second straight N.L. West title by finishing the year with a record of 98-64, eight games in front of the second-place Cincinnati Reds.  Meanwhile, the Pirates captured their third consecutive Eastern Division crown by concluding the campaign with a mark of 96-66 that left them nine games ahead of the runner-up Montreal Expos.

Easily the Eastern Division’s most well-balanced ball club, the Pirates led the National League with 693 runs scored and placed third in the senior circuit with a 3.35 team ERA.  Doug Drabek anchored Pittsburgh’s starting rotation, leading the staff with 15 victories, a 2.77 ERA, 177 strikeouts, 10 complete games, and 257 innings pitched.  Meanwhile, the dynamic outfield tandem of Andy Van Slyke and Barry Bonds paced the Pirates on offense.  Van Slyke batted .324, knocked in 89 runs, scored 103 others, and led the league with 199 hits and 45 doubles.  Bonds earned his second MVP trophy in three years by hitting 34 homers, driving in 103 runs, batting .311, stealing 39 bases, and topping the circuit with 109 runs scored, a .461 on-base percentage, and a .624 slugging average.

Also an extremely well-balanced team, the Braves finished third in the league with 682 runs scored, and they placed first in the rankings with a team ERA of 3.14.  Terry Pendleton again served as Atlanta’s primary offensive threat, earning a second-place finish in the MVP balloting by hitting 21 home runs, knocking in 105 runs, scoring 98 others, batting .311, and leading the league with 199 hits.  

The Braves’ greatest strength again proved to be their starting rotation, which featured four quality pitchers.  Tom Glavine led the staff with a record of 20-8 and an ERA of 2.76.  John Smoltz and Charlie Leibrandt each won 15 games.  Smoltz also compiled an outstanding 2.85 ERA, led the team with nine complete games and 247 innings pitched, and topped the circuit with 215 strikeouts.  Steve Avery chipped in with another 11 victories.

Although the San Diego Padres finished third in the N.L. West, 16 games behind the first-place Braves, their lineup featured the division’s top offensive performer.  Gary Sheffield had a huge year for the Padres, hitting 33 home runs, knocking in 100 runs, and leading the league with a .330 batting average and 323 total bases.

Outfielder Bip Roberts also performed extremely well for second-place Cincinnati, batting .323, scoring 92 runs, and stealing 44 bases.

Atlanta and Pittsburgh again required seven games to determine the National League champion.  With the Pirates leading Game Seven 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning, backup catcher Francisco Cabrera lined a two-out, two-run pinch-hit single to left field off reliever Stan Belinda to give the Braves their second straight league championship.  Barry Bonds’ throw to home plate just missed nailing the slow-footed Sid Bream, who scored the winning run for Atlanta.

The Braves subsequently came up short in the World Series for the second consecutive time, losing the Fall Classic to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games.  The Braves outscored their American League counterparts by a combined margin of 20-17 over the course of the Series, but the Blue Jays emerged victorious by posting all four of their wins by a one-run margin.  The World Series triumph by Toronto brought the world championship north of the border for the very first time.

Other outstanding performers, notable events, and points of interest from around the league follow:

• March 2 - Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg became the highest-paid player in major league history when he agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $28.4 million.

• October 27 - The expansion Colorado Rockies hired Don Baylor as the team's first manager.

• Dodger first baseman Eric Karros earned N.L. Rookie of the Year honors.

• Barry Bonds signed a huge multi-year free-agent contract with the San Francisco Giants worth more than $43 million at the end of the year.

• San Diego’s Fred McGriff batted .286, knocked in 104 runs, and led the National League with 35 home runs.

• After batting just .196 the previous year, Philadelphia catcher Darren Daulton hit .270, compiled a .385 on-base percentage, posted a .524 slugging average, hit 27 home runs, and led the league with 109 runs batted in.

• Chicago’s Greg Maddux earned N.L. Cy Young honors by going 20-11, with a 2.18 ERA, 199 strikeouts, and a league-leading 268 innings pitched.  At season’s end, Maddux signed a huge free-agent deal with Atlanta.

• Lee Smith of the Cardinals led the National League with 43 saves.  In the process, he moved into second place on the all-time list with 355 career saves.

• Billy Swift of San Francisco led the league with a 2.08 ERA.

• Philadelphia second baseman Mickey Morandini performed the first unassisted triple play in the National League since 1927.

• St. Louis shortstop Ozzie Smith won his 14th consecutive Gold Glove Award.

• Atlanta’s Deion Sanders became the first major leaguer to play in a World Series game and an NFL game in the same week.

• Montreal’s Marquis Grissom batted .276, scored 99 runs, and led the league with 78 stolen bases.  

• Expos teammate Larry Walker batted .301, hit 23 homers, and knocked in 93 runs.

• Cincinnati owner Marge Schott made several off-color remarks after the season ended that caused her to face a barrage of accusations branding her a racist.

Seasons of the National League

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