1999 World Series

As baseball prepared to close its books on the twentieth century, it seemed fitting that the team who had dominated most of it was returning for their thirty-sixth Fall Classic. Following one-hundred fourteen regular season wins and eleven post season victories (the most by any team in one-hundred twenty-three years of Major League baseball) as well as a four game sweep in the Series, the perennial champion New York Yankees were back and ready to cement their title as Team of the Century. Manager Joe Torre was ready for another sweep as his Yankees won the American League Division Series over the Texas Rangers (3-0) and the Championship Series (4-1) over Boston Red Sox. The Bronx Bombers had scored a whopping nine-hundred runs and answered their critics who felt that the record-setting '98 season had been a fluke. The Atlanta Braves had risen as a dominant force in the National League over the last decade and were returning for their ninth Series (winning titles in three different cities). Despite the heavy-hitters on both line-ups, many believed that this Classic would all come down to pitching as each rotation combined for thirteen Cy Young Award winners including Roger Clemens, David Cone, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux.

The opener pitted New York's Orlando Hernandez against Atlanta's Greg Maddux. Both aces went-head-to-head (with the exception of "El Duque" surrendering one run in the fourth to Chipper Jones) for eight innings, but the Pinstripes connected for four runs to beat the controversial John Rocker and closer Mike Remlinger 4-1. The games best closer, Mariano Rivera, entered in the last-inning and continued his astounding post-season winning streak.

Game 2 wouldn't give the fans at Turner Field anything to cheer about either. David Cone and company clearly dominated the home team allowing only five hits and two runs that came in the final-inning. The Yankees managed fourteen hits off Kevin Millwood and Terry Mulholland (who came in the third) for the 7-2 victory that put them ahead two-games-to-none.

The third outing finally appeared to tip the scales in the Braves favor as they entered the seventh with a 5-3 advantage, but the never-say-die American's tied it up in the eighth (winning in the tenth) after four clutch homers by Chad Curtis (who had two), Chuck Knoblauch and Tino Martinez. Now ahead by three, the Bombers prepared to seal their second consecutive sweep for the home crowd at Yankees Stadium who had missed the '98 finale that took place in San Diego's house. Game 4 highlighted the tradition of excellence that was part of the Yankee culture with pinstripe legend Whitey Ford throwing out the first pitch. The Chairman set the tone for the contest, as Yankee pitchers would rule the day. Roger Clemens was given the start for the homers against John Smoltz and The Rocket responded with an eight inning masterpiece that yielded five hits and one run. Teammate Jim Leyritz ended the affair after sending a shot into the cheap seats for a 4-1 triumph and a third title in four years.