The Toronto Blue Jays had become a consistent contender and frequent playoff participant going back to 1985. But they never even made the World Series, much less won it, and that recent history was filled with some dramatic heartbreaks. The 1992 baseball season marked the threshold moment when the Blue Jays crossed over and finally became a championship team.
To do so, Toronto had to turn back feisty challenges from surprise AL East contenders in the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles. In the postseason, Toronto’s hurdle was a familiar one. The Oakland A’s, managed by Tony LaRussa, had won the AL West for the fourth time in five years, dethroning the defending World Series champion Minnesota Twins.
In the American League Championship Series, the Blue Jays often looked ready to break the hearts of their fans again. But they got one of the most stunning home runs in the history of the postseason and defeated the A’s.
Over in the National League, the Atlanta Braves had come within one run of winning the World Series a year earlier. The Braves won the NL West with room to spare over a good Cincinnati Reds team. That set up a rematch in the National League Championship Series. The Pittsburgh Pirates captured their third straight NL East crown, outpacing Joe Torre’s St. Louis Cardinals, and the Montreal Expos.
The NLCS would have an epic finish. After blowing a 3-1 series lead and then staring at a two-run deficit in the ninth inning of Game 7, the Braves launched a dramatic comeback to win another pennant.
Atlanta and Toronto staged a good World Series. The Blue Jays got a home run from an unlikely hero in Game 2 to avoid falling in an early hole, and then took a 3-1 series lead. A thrilling extra-inning win on the road in Game 6 finally brought the Series trophy north of the border.
The 1992 season was filled with good regular season stories and outstanding postseason moments. Links to the articles of all 10 teams noted here, along with game-by-game narratives of the ALCS, NLCS and World Series are below. Taken collectively, these 13 articles are a great way to capture the memories of the 1992 baseball season all over again, through the eyes of its most consequential teams.
READ ABOUT THE 1992 TORONTO BLUE JAYS
READ ABOUT THE 1992 ATLANTA BRAVES
READ ABOUT THE 1992 PITTSBURGH PIRATES
READ ABOUT THE 1992 OAKLAND A’S
READ ABOUT THE 1992 MILWAUKEE BREWERS
READ ABOUT THE 1992 BALTIMORE ORIOLES
READ ABOUT THE 1992 MINNESOTA TWINS
READ ABOUT THE 1992 CINCINNATI REDS
READ ABOUT THE 1992 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
READ ABOUT THE 1992 MONTREAL EXPOS