Ask Braves fans who won the MVP of the National League Championship Series in the four-game sweep of Cincinnati in 1995 and names like David Justice, Fred McGriff, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux likely would come to mind.
“There might not be a lot of people that remember, but I sure do,’’ said the MVP, who was 4-for-13 with a home run, five RBIs and two runs in the series.
Those words came from Mike Devereaux on Wednesday, just moments after spending 10 hours traveling with a minor league team.
Now 52, the former Braves outfielder is a hitting coach with the Asheville Tourists, a Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Devereaux came to the Braves in a trade with the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 25, 1995, the team needing to add a veteran bat for the playoffs. Before going to Chicago, he had been an everyday outfielder with Baltimore, his best season coming in 1992 when he hit 24 homers and drove in 107 runs.
He stepped to the plate only 57 times with the Braves during the last month of the regular season, but was instrumental in the Cincinnati series, starting in three of the four games, played in all but one of the six games in the World Series against Cleveland and was on the field for the final out of the title clincher in Game 6, taking over in left for Ryan Klesko in the seventh inning.
Q: What do you remember about the NLCS in ’95?
A: I remember I was down on the field for the final out and Johnny Bench was doing TV and came up and told me that I had won the MVP. That was a great moment. I always have told myself once you are in a position to make an impact you have to take advantage of it. I also remember Justice getting hurt in that final game of the Cincinnati series in batting practice, and it allowed me to start the last game, and I was on the field for the end of that series.''
Q: The trade to Atlanta came late in the season. Were you glad to get out of Chicago?
A: I remember having a message on my phone to be at the park at noon. I knew something was happening. We were in Toronto at the time they told me I was going to Atlanta. I was pretty excited because I knew I was going to the playoffs.
Q: What was it like being on the field in the final out of the World Series?
A: I really thought we would win that series in four games after taking the first two and our pitching was so dominant. I remember Cleveland winning the third game, and their fans were so excited we couldn't get out of the park. The last out in that final game will always stay with me. It was for everything.
Q: How do you enjoy coaching in the minors?
A: We have won the championship three of the last four years, and I really enjoy what I am doing. I hope I get the chance to move up. It's interesting riding the buses again. I jumped over Class A ball when I played, and it is exciting seeing these kids play their first full season and the trials and tribulations they go through.
