The 1991 Minnesota Twins were like a skilled presidential candidate that knew how to peak every four years and at the time where their advantage would be at its max. They won the World Series in 1987. They were overtaken by the powerful Oakland A’s for the next three years and slid to last place […]
For two straight years, the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates battled in the National League Championship Series. Over the 1991-92 stretch, both teams enjoyed the role of favorite and both teams enjoyed homefield advantage under the rotation system that at the time. These playoff battles had two other things in common—both times they went all […]
The 1991 Atlanta Braves were a franchise in a major funk. They hadn’t been relevant since Joe Torre managed the club in the early 1980s, reaching the NLCS in 1982 and contending to the final weekend of 1983. The latter part of the decade was considerably different. The Braves lost 106 games in 1988 and […]
The 1991 Toronto Blue Jays were a consistent contender. They had won the AL East in 1985 and 1989 and run a close second in 1987 and 1990. What they hadn’t done was complete the job by winning a World Series or even getting there. 1991 saw them return to the top of their division, […]
The 1990 Toronto Blue Jays were cut in the mold of the team’s eight-year run from 1984-91, where they were consistently good, but not quite good enough to win it all. The 1990 edition of the Blue Jays competed right to the very end of the regular season before losing a tough AL East race. […]
The Oakland A’s were far and away the best team in the American League from 1988 through 1990. Each year they won the AL West with room to spare and they went a combined 12-1 in ALCS play, capturing three consecutive pennants. In 1989, they won the World Series. But all great runs come to […]
The Pirates were coming off a breakout year in 1990. The five-year rebuilding program under manager Jim Leyland bore fruit with an NL East title. The 1991 Pittsburgh Pirates showed it was no fluke, running away with the East and reaching the NLCS for the second time in what would be a three-year run. A […]
Most. Insane. Game. Ever. That was all I could think during and after Game 5 of the World Series, an incredible 13-12 win for the Houston Astros over the Los Angeles Dodgers in extra innings. The momentum swings by themselves were amazing enough. Then you add in just how unlikely it was that this would […]
The Houston Astros are set to make their first appearance in the American League Championship Series on Friday night against the New York Yankees. If the franchise’s history in the National League is any indication, there are some thrills in store. Over the course of their 50-year run as an NL team (1962-2012), the Astros […]
In the days when the National League was split into just East and West divisions with the winners advancing directly to LCS play, the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates enjoyed a lively postseason rivalry. They met four times in the 1970s to settle the NL pennant and the Reds won three of those. The rivalry […]
For the second time in three years, the Oakland A’s met the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. The result of 1990 was the same as 1988—not only did Oakland win, but they did it in four straight. You can read more about the regular season paths of the A’s and Red […]
The 1990 Los Angeles Dodgers just took too long to get started. After digging a deep hole in the NL West race, the Dodgers made a spirited comeback before ultimately coming up short and finishing in second place. Los Angeles had slipped under .500 in 1989, following a strong 12-year run from 1977-88 that saw […]