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Friday, June 15, 2007
Smoltz recalls ‘95 World Series … and all the ones that got away
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You might think coming back to play in Cleveland for the first time since the 1995 World Series would cause a flood of great memories for John Smoltz.
You would be wrong.
This correspondent was quite surprised by the initial reaction when I asked Smoltz for memories of the ’95 World Series, which the Braves won in six games for Atlanta’s first and only World Series championship.
Instead of smiling and excitedly recalling how the Braves captured their sport’s ultimate title, Smoltz seemed almost melancholy. He really did.
Then I began to realize that, viewed from another perspective, that ‘95 memory could conjure visions of all the unrealized opportunities rather than the one the Braves actually fulfilled. Stay with me here. I’ll explain.
Smoltz said the Braves viewed the 1991 World Series vs Minnesota as a “win,” though they had lost the series seven games. A win because of how far they had come, from last in their division in 1990 to NL pennant winner.
“It’s a little bit different there [in the 1995 Cleveland series],” Smoltz said. “Because it’s about in ‘95, the year we won, and what we’ve done since.
“It’s our only one [World Series title]. Everybody knows the story on that. It’s neat that we won one, but we had a lot of chances to win more. So when you think about Cleveland, that’s when we won.
“It’s the only time you can feel good about a city or a team, when you think, that’s when we won.”
But at the same time, Smoltz was saying, he couldn’t think of winning vs. Cleveland without also thinking of losing the last game of every other postseason they went to over 14 years.
After losing to Minnesota in ‘91, the Braves also lost in return trips to the World Series vs. Toronto in 1992, and to the Yankees in 1996 (ding-ding-ding, huge disappointment alert) and 1999.
The Braves haven’t been back to the World Series since, and they lost in the first round of the playoffs in four consecutive years (2002-05) before ending their streak of 14 consecutive division titles last season.
“In’91, we don’t feel like we failed,” Smoltz said. “’Ninety-one felt like a win. ‘92 was the closest thing to feeling like we failed, then ‘93 was, of course, the first real major disappointment [six-game NLCS loss to Philadelphia, after the Braves had a 2-1 series lead].
“To win it in ‘95 was so gratifying, took all the pressure off. But then ‘96 was horrific [the Braves’ epic World Series collapse vs. the Yankees, when they lost four consecutive games after winning the first two].
“And really,” Smoltz said, “nothing’s been the same since then.”
Wow. You want candor, you got it. I’m standing in a hallway outside the visitor’s clubhouse at the Metrodome in Minnesota on Thursday, listening to Smoltz. And I’m thinking, damn, the only player who’s been through every one of the Braves’ postseasons isn’t glossing over anything.
Sure, it’s nice to have the unprecedented run of division titles. But if you don’t think there’s a hole in Smoltz’s competitive heart where another couple of World Series championships belong … folks, he feels this.
Maybe it’s been this recent Braves’ skid - they’ve lost nine of 12 games before tonight’s series opener at Cleveland — and his recent sore shoulder that caused him to be so open about the sting that lingers from all the postseasons that ended in defeat. Whatever it was, I found it to be revealing.
And I couldn’t help but think how many fans would probably like to see the look on his face when he’s sitting there laying this out there for me. I mean, he really looked down.
Anyway, he went on to talk about how much it hurt to lose in the postseason with some loaded Braves teams in the mid-90s.
“The last few years we were in the playoffs and World Series, a lot of things had to go right [if the Braves were to win],” he said. “In ‘95 and ‘96, those were two of the toughest [best] teams that we’ve had.”
Then he seemed to realize what I had initially approached him about, which was nothing more than some memories about Cleveland as the Braves prepared to return for the first time since 1995.
“Not to take anything away from going back to Cleveland,” he said. “What did we do there, we won one game?”
Yes, one game. The Braves won the first two games of that ’95 Series in Atlanta, and won Game 4 in Cleveland sandwiched between two losses.
They went back to Atlanta up 3-2, and Tom Glavine had a performance for the ages in Game 6, holding Cleveland to one hit in eight scoreless innings. Dave Justice’s sixth-inning supplied all the offense in a 1-0 clinching Braves win.
“You think about Cleveland, what an awesome hitting team they had,” Smoltz said. “That was one of the great games Glavine pitched.”
In his only start in that ’95 World Series, Smoltz allowed six hits and four runs in 2-1/3 innings of Game 3 and got no decision in an 11-inning loss. It was one of the only less-than-stellar starts of his career for Smoltz, the all-time leader in postseason wins (15-4 record ) and strikeouts.
Since that game Smoltz has gone 10-3 with a 2.57 ERA and 4-for-5 saves in 27 postseason games (14 starts).
There’s no disputing one thing he said: It’s never been the same for the Braves since they blew that 2-0 lead vs. the Yankees in the ‘96 debacle.
The Braves went 35-24 with a .262 batting average and 2.61 ERA in postseason games from 1991 through the first two games of the 1996 World Series.
Beginning with the four straight losses to the Yankees in ’96, the Braves have gone 28-38 with a .239 batting average and 3.71 ERA in their past 66 postseason games.
They are 11-23 in their past 34 postseason games going back to the Yankees sweep in 1999, and 5-13 at home during that stretch.
Not taking advantage of Mets’ woes: For now, most Braves aren’t too concerned with history. They just want to start winning games and give themselves a chance to be in the playoff race down the stretch.
That’s why they’re upset not to have capitalized on the NL East leading Mets’ 1-9 skid.
“Without a doubt, we look at the standings and say, we’re playing this bad and we’re still only two games out?” left fielder Matt Diaz said. “Then we’re like, waiting a minute, they’re playing that bad and we’re still two games back?
“The Phillies have obviously caught us. We thought going in that it would be close, because there’s a lot of parity in the division. We welcome it being close, because we think we’ve got the veterans to pull us through in a close race.”
Smoltz said of the Mets, “They’re good, and they’re in a rough stretch. It’s really disappointing because we’re only two games out, but everybody’s bunched together now.
“We just didn’t take advantage of our [7-1] start, we didn’t take advantage of this [Mets skid]. We’ve just got to find a way to do that.”
Salty gets another start: Top catching prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back in the lineup at first base for tonight’s game, after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a ninth-inning bobbled grounder Thursday in his first start at 1B since high school.
Cox said Saltalamacchia “didn’t make a bad play” on the Justin Morneau grounder in the ninth inning. He ranged right, knocked it down and quickly picked it up, but what would have been a difficult play to begin with was no play by then.
“He did alright” in his first start at the position, Cox said. “One ball bounced up on him. He tried to keep it in front of him because the [runner] was on third.”
Michael Cuddyer held at third on what was ruled an infield hit. Torii Hunter followed with a fielder’s choice grounder that rookie third baseman Yunel Escobar fielded coming in, then threw a bit high to catcher Brian McCann, who tried to make the tag before the ball was in his glove. Escobar was charged with an error.
Mike Rdmond followed with a single to left to drive in the winning run, making it four hits and three runs allowed by closer Bob Wickman in his third blown save in 14 opportunities.
By the way, Wickman has allowed a .308 opponents average in his past 14 games beginning with the April 25 blown save at Florida, just before he went on the Dl for a back strain. Tim Hudson was denied wins after sensational performance in that April 25 game and again last night, when he allowed two hits in 7-1/3 scoreless innings.
Hudson’s shoulder OK: Hudson said the knot in his shoulder is the kind of thing he wouldn’t normally have even said anything about. But when Cox noticed an awkward movement during a pitch in the eighth inning, he went out and asked Hudson how he felt and the pitcher confided the shoulder was sore.
But Hudson said it’s nothing more than a knot and that he had no doubts he’d make his next start.
OK, that’s all the time I have. Now some music. One more from another seminal Minneapolis band:
“BED OF NAILS” by Bob Mould (of Husker Du)
I can walk the bed of nails/I’m not the only one
But some, they cannot walk the jagged line
Callous, concentrating/For nails are sharp as lies
I run the jagged line
From years and years of practice/I know just how to stand
Alone with perfect balance, hand in hand
Prepared with boards and hammers/And several bags of nails
I could build a wall to lean on/Roof above my mind
I can see you’ve got your own plans
Please don’t drive your nails into this heart of mine
I can walk the bed of nails/Grin and bear the pain
But some, they cannot deal with all these things
Always sacrificing/For lies are sharp as nails
And all the pain it brings
Sometimes I just pretend that all the lies are true
And I know I might depend on you
But if my concentration breaks/I’m washed away with pain
And then my feet begin to bleed upon my only bed of nails
And I’m stuck here in the middle of a sea of lies
Inside my bed of nails
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