1999 National League Championship Series

Game 1

Tuesday, October 12, 1999 at Turner Field

Turner Field

Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...

in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

The Braves began their eighth consecutive NLCS with a 4–2 victory over the Mets, defeating a team they left for dead two weeks earlier. Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux

Gregory Alan Maddux , nicknamed "Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award for four consecutive years , a feat matched only by Randy Johnson...

tossed seven solid innings, future NLCS MVP Eddie Pérez homered and light-hitting shortstop Walt Weiss

Walt Weiss

Walter William Weiss is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball.Weiss was a member of the National League All-Star Team...

went 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI for the Braves.

John Rocker

John Rocker

John Loy Rocker is a retired American Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians, the Texas Rangers, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as well as the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball...

recorded the final four outs for the save, his second of the postseason, to seal Atlanta's fourth straight win.

Game 2

Wednesday, October 13, 1999 at Turner Field

Turner Field

in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Brian Jordan

Brian O'Neal Jordan is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder and National Football League safety. In the NFL, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, while he played in the MLB for the St...

and eventual series MVP Eddie Pérez each hit two-run homers off Mets starter Kenny Rogers in the sixth inning as the Braves edged the Mets, 4–3, and took a 2–0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Kevin Millwood

Kevin Millwood

Kevin Austin Millwood is an American professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies.-Personal life:Millwood graduated from Bessemer City High School in North Carolina...

held the Mets in check to win his second straight postseason start, allowing three runs—two earned—over innings.

John Rocker worked out of a jam in the eighth by striking out two, but after pitching innings in Game 1, manager Bobby Cox

Bobby Cox

Robert Joseph "Bobby" Cox is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. He first led the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981, and then managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He later rejoined the Braves in 1985 as a general manager...

turned to Game 4 starter John Smoltz

John Smoltz

John Andrew Smoltz is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and active sportscaster. He is best known for his prolific career of more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves, in which he garnered eight All-Star selections and received the Cy Young Award in 1996...

for the ninth.

Game 3

Friday, October 15, 1999 at Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium

William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...

in Queens, New York
Tom Glavine

Tom Glavine

Thomas Michael Glavine is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher.With 164 victories during the 1990s, Glavine was the second winningest pitcher in the National League, second only to teammate Greg Maddux's 176...

pitched seven shutout innings and the Braves edged the Mets, 1–0, to take a commanding three games to none lead in the NLCS.

In , the Braves won the first two games of the World Series

1996 World Series

-Game 1:Sunday, October 20, 1996 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 and Game 2 were originally scheduled for Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, respectively. Rain on October 19, however, washed out Game 1. The schedule was moved up one day, with Game 1 and Game 2 rescheduled for...

against the Yankees. In Game 3, the Yankees rallied to beat Glavine and took the series in six games. With a superb effort from its two-time Cy Young Award

Cy Young Award

The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...

winner, Atlanta avoided that fate here, setting up the possibility of its fifth World Series in the 1990s with a win in Game 4.

After Mike Remlinger

Mike Remlinger

Michael John Remlinger is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Remlinger has played with the San Francisco Giants , New York Mets , Cincinnati Reds , Atlanta Braves , Chicago Cubs , and the Boston Red Sox...

worked a perfect eighth, Shea Stadium villain John Rocker perfectly played the part with a scoreless ninth. After Benny Agbayani

Benny Agbayani

Benny Peter Agbayani, Jr. is retired professional baseball player. Born in Hawaii to Filipino and Samoan parents, he attended Saint Louis School and Hawaii Pacific University. He also attended the Oregon Institute of Technology...

reached on an error, the animated left-hander struck out pinch-hitter Todd Pratt

Todd Pratt

Todd Alan Pratt is a former Major League Baseball catcher from 1992-2006. He has primarily served as a back-up catcher for most of his career....

, got Melvin Mora

Melvin Mora

Melvin Mora , affectionately nicknamed Melmo or Melvy, is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is a free agent...

on a deep fly to right-center field and Rey Ordonez

Rey Ordóñez

Reynaldo Ordóñez Pereira is a former professional baseball shortstop. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Chicago Cubs....

on a weak force play.

The Mets faced an obstacle that no team in baseball history had overcome; rally from a 3–0 deficit to win a playoff series (the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

would become the first team ever to do it in the 2004 ALCS).

Game 4

Saturday, October 16, 1999 at Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium

in Queens, New York
Carrying the hopes and hatred of an entire city, John Olerud

John Olerud

John Garrett Olerud , is a former American first baseman in Major League Baseball. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays , New York Mets , Seattle Mariners , New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox ....

finally got back at John Rocker. Olerud's two-run single off Rocker in the bottom of the eighth inning allowed the Mets to stay alive in the NLCS with a 3–2 victory over the Braves.

The Braves were four outs away from a series sweep and their fifth trip to the World Series in the 1990s when they called on Rocker, who had treated the Mets and their fans with similar disdain this season. The left-handed closer saved five games against New York during the regular season and two in this series. During the season, he said he hated the Mets and prior to this showdown wondered how many times the Braves would have to beat them before their fans would "shut up."

Game 5

Sunday, October 17, 1999 at Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium

in Queens, New York
Robin Ventura

Robin Ventura

Robin Mark Ventura is the current manager of the Chicago White Sox. He is a former professional baseball player, a third baseman who played for four major league teams, most notably for the Chicago White Sox...

's bases-loaded blast off Kevin McGlinchy

Kevin McGlinchy

Kevin McGlinchy , is a professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1999-2000 with the Atlanta Braves. In the 1999 National League Championship Series, he gave up the famous Grand Slam Single to Robin Ventura in game 5. However, the Braves would win the next game to take the...

with one out in the bottom of the fifteenth inning kept alive the Mets' season with a classic 4–3 victory over the Braves in Game 5 of the NLCS. Ventura hit a game-winning grand slam

Grand slam (baseball)

In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...

off McGlinchy but never made it home as he was mobbed by his teammates between first and second. National League officials, in conjunction with scorer Red Foley

Red Foley

Clyde Julian Foley , better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II....

, ruled the hit (which was recently ranked the third Greatest Moment in Mets history, behind only the team's two World Series Championships) a single.

The game began shortly after 4 p.m. with Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux

pitching for Atlanta and Masato Yoshii

Masato Yoshii

is a retired Japanese baseball player who is currently a pitching coach for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the Japanese Pacific League. He pitched in the Major Leagues from to .-Biography:...

starting for the Mets. The Mets took an early 2–0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as John Olerud

John Olerud

hit his second home run in as many days with Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henley Henderson is a former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner...

on first. The lead lasted into the fourth inning, when Atlanta struck back with consecutive doubles by Bret Boone

Bret Boone

Bret Robert Boone is a former Major League Baseball second baseman.-Personal life:Boone was born in El Cajon, California to Susan G. Roel and Bob Boone. He is a graduate of El Dorado High School and the University of Southern California. He is the grandson of former major leaguer Ray Boone and...

and Chipper Jones

Chipper Jones

Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, Jr. is a Major League baseball player for the National League's Atlanta Braves. Although initially a shortstop, he has spent most of his career as the starting third baseman for the Braves...

, eventually knotting the score at 2–2 when Brian Jordan

Brian Jordan

Brian O'Neal Jordan is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder and National Football League safety. In the NFL, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, while he played in the MLB for the St...

singled home Jones. Mets Manager Bobby Valentine

Bobby Valentine

Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...

was immediately prompted to remove Yoshii from the game in favor of Orel Hershiser

Orel Hershiser

Orel Leonard Hershiser IV is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently an analyst for Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and a professional poker player for...

, which began a run on pitching changes that resulted in the Mets emptying their bullpen by game's end, relying on starter Kenny Rogers and rookie Octavio Dotel

Octavio Dotel

Octavio Eduardo Dotel is a Domincan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a Free Agent....

for key innings, and might have gone to Game 4's starter Rick Reed

Rick Reed (pitcher)

Richard Allen Reed is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Kansas City Royals , Texas Rangers , Cincinnati Reds , New York Mets and Minnesota Twins...

had the game progressed past the fifteenth inning. In all, the Mets used a postseason record nine pitchers in this game.

The game continued on well into the night, accompanied by a steady rainfall which did not delay the game. Although both teams mounted some threats as the game continued, neither team was able to break through for the tie-breaking run. Atlanta eventually set a mark for futility, stranding a record nineteen men on base over the course of the game. A most notable failure occurred in the thirteenth inning, with two out and Keith Lockhart

Keith Lockhart (baseball)

Keith Virgil Lockhart is a retired second baseman and third baseman who played for 10 seasons in the major leagues from -....

on first base and Chipper Jones

Chipper Jones

at the plate. With Lockhart running, Jones laced an offering from Octavio Dotel

Octavio Dotel

Octavio Eduardo Dotel is a Domincan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a Free Agent....

into the right field corner. But the ball was cut off by Melvin Mora

Melvin Mora

Melvin Mora , affectionately nicknamed Melmo or Melvy, is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is a free agent...

before it reached the wall, and Mora's strong relay throw, via Edgardo Alfonzo

Edgardo Alfonzo

Edgardo Antonio Alfonzo a.k.a. "Fonzie" is a former Major League Baseball infielder who most recently played for the Yomiuri Giants. He bats and throws right-handed, and is tall and weighs...

, cut down Lockhart at the plate and end the inning.

Pitching on his 25th birthday, local villain John Rocker

John Rocker

entered the game in the bottom of the thirteenth inning to a loud chorus of boos and several projectiles hurled in his direction. He retired four batters over innings, including a strikeout of the ailing Mike Piazza

Mike Piazza

Michael Joseph "Mike" Piazza ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. He played in his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics....

. Upon being removed from the game, Rocker mocked the Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium

fans by pretending to boo, and yelled at fans sitting around the Atlanta dugout as he left the field.

The Mets' season appeared over after Keith Lockhart

Keith Lockhart (baseball)

Keith Virgil Lockhart is a retired second baseman and third baseman who played for 10 seasons in the major leagues from -....

tripled home a run in the top of the fifteenth off Octavio Dotel

Octavio Dotel

Octavio Eduardo Dotel is a Domincan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a Free Agent....

to put the Braves ahead 3–2. However, McGlinchy could not hold the lead. Shawon Dunston

Shawon Dunston

Shawon Donnell Dunston is a former shortstop and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball. He resides in Fremont, CA. He was the first overall pick in the 1982 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, and played for the Cubs , San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates , Cleveland Indians , St...

, who misplayed Lockhart's triple, atoned with a leadoff single after fouling off several pitches with a full count. With pinch-hitter Matt Franco

Matt Franco

Matthew Neil Franco is a former professional baseball player who played first base in the major leagues from 1995–2003, and in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2004-2006. Franco started his pro career in 1987 with the Rookie League Wytheville Cubs in the Appalachian League...

batting, Dunston stole second base. Franco eventually worked out a walk, which was followed by Edgardo Alfonzo

Edgardo Alfonzo

Edgardo Antonio Alfonzo a.k.a. "Fonzie" is a former Major League Baseball infielder who most recently played for the Yomiuri Giants. He bats and throws right-handed, and is tall and weighs...

laying down a sacrifice bunt to move Dunston to third. John Olerud

John Olerud

—whose homer in the first was now a distant memory—was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Todd Pratt

Todd Pratt

Todd Alan Pratt is a former Major League Baseball catcher from 1992-2006. He has primarily served as a back-up catcher for most of his career....

, again thrust into the spotlight with Mike Piazza

Mike Piazza

nursing several injuries, hit next. McGlinchy walked Todd Pratt on five pitches and fell behind the slumping Ventura. At 9:47 p.m., McGlinchy grooved a fastball on a 2–1 count, and Ventura launched it through the steady rain and over the right-field fence. Although Ventura had seen the ball clear the wall, and was waving Todd Pratt

Todd Pratt

Todd Alan Pratt is a former Major League Baseball catcher from 1992-2006. He has primarily served as a back-up catcher for most of his career....

around the bases, Pratt tackled Ventura between first and second base, and most of the Mets team ran out on the field and mobbed Ventura in a wild scene.
Mets manager Bobby Valentine

Bobby Valentine

said following the game Valentine was speaking in reference to a calf injury that had been bothering Ventura during the postseason, and had led to his entering this game without a hit in the series.

NBC

MLB on NBC

Major League Baseball on NBC is the de facto name for a weekly presentation of Major League Baseball games televised on the NBC television network from 1947 to 1989, and from 1994 to 2000...

's Bob Costas

Bob Costas

Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...

gushed on the air following Ventura's blast,

At the time, the game was the longest in terms of elapsed time in postseason history, clocking in at 5 hours, 46 minutes. It was surpassed in by Game 5 of the American League Championship Series

2004 American League Championship Series

The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season. It was played between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, at Fenway Park and the original Yankee Stadium, from October 12 to October 20, 2004...

between the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

and the New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

, and again in 2005 in Game 4 of the National League Division Series

2005 National League Division Series

-Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros:-Game 1, October 4:Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriIt was a matchup between Jake Peavy and eventual 2005 Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter. In the bottom of the first, Jim Edmonds's one-out solo homer put the Cardinals up 1–0...

between the Houston Astros

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

and the Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

.

This Mets victory marked just the second time in baseball history that a team had come back from a three games to none deficit in a best-of-seven series to make it to a Game 6. Coincidentally, the Braves from the previous year's NLCS were the first.

Game 6

Tuesday, October 19, 1999 at Turner Field

Turner Field

in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Although few thought this game likely after Atlanta took a 3–0 lead in the series, the Mets grit and determination made it possible. Kevin Millwood

Kevin Millwood

started for Atlanta, while Al Leiter

Al Leiter

Alois Terry "Al" Leiter is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is now a studio analyst for MLB Network, and a color commentator for the YES Network.-Early career :Leiter attended Central Regional High School....

took the start on only three days rest for the Mets.

Leiter, unaccustomed to throwing on short rest, was tattooed in the first inning. He hit two batters (including the leadoff man), issue one walk and gave up two hits without retiring a batter. By time he was removed from the game in favor of Pat Mahomes

Pat Mahomes

Patrick Lavon Mahomes is a professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He played in Major League Baseball from to for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He also pitched in two seasons in Nippon Professional...

, Atlanta held a 4–0 lead, which they increased to 5–0 before the inning ended. With Millwood looking sharp and the Mets bats quiet, it appeared through the early innings to be an Atlanta cakewalk.

Once again, the Mets had other thoughts in mind.

Millwood began to tire in the sixth, and the Mets touched him up for three runs to put themselves back in the game. Edgardo Alfonzo

Edgardo Alfonzo

Edgardo Antonio Alfonzo a.k.a. "Fonzie" is a former Major League Baseball infielder who most recently played for the Yomiuri Giants. He bats and throws right-handed, and is tall and weighs...

and Robin Ventura

Robin Ventura

knocked key doubles, and Darryl Hamilton

Darryl Hamilton

Darryl Quinn Hamilton is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Milwaukee Brewers , Texas Rangers , San Francisco Giants , Colorado Rockies and New York Mets . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...

added a two-run single.

Atlanta scraped back for two runs in their half of the sixth, courtesy of a Jose Hernandez

José Hernández (baseball)

José Antonio Hernández Figueroa nicknamed, "The Strikeout King" is a former Major League Baseball infielder....

two-run single off Dennis Cook

Dennis Cook

Dennis Bryan Cook is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball with nine teams from 1988 to 2002: the San Francisco Giants , Philadelphia Phillies , Los Angeles Dodgers , Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox , Texas Rangers ,...

. The score stood at 7–3 Atlanta entering the seventh.

John Smoltz

John Smoltz

entered the game in relief for Atlanta, and the Mets attacked him immediately. Matt Franco

Matt Franco

and Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson

hit back-to-back doubles, and John Olerud

John Olerud

singled home another run to make the score 7–5. This brought up Mike Piazza

Mike Piazza

, who had played out the entire series with several injuries which had forced him to miss two games in the Division Series, the last innings of Game 5 and would eventually force him out of this game following the ninth inning. But this would not be before he blasted a long home run to right off Smoltz to tie the score at 7–7.

Bob Costas

Bob Costas

Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...

said as Piazza capped the Mets incredible comeback, "Tied at seven, hoping for Game 7!"

With the game now tied and in the hands of two completely exhausted bullpens, the game became a test of wills. The Mets took an 8–7 lead in the eighth, as rookie Melvin Mora

Melvin Mora

Melvin Mora , affectionately nicknamed Melmo or Melvy, is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is a free agent...

, a virtual unknown but a standout in this series, singled home Benny Agbayani

Benny Agbayani

. But then, with all the momentum going the Mets' way, the Braves rallied back against John Franco in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Eddie Perez singled. Otis Nixon

Otis Nixon

Otis Junior Nixon, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball player. He was a center fielder and switch-hitter who played from 1983 to 1999...

pinch-ran for Perez, and took the momentum back by stealing second base and going to third when Piazza's throw went into center field. Brian Hunter singled home the tying run.

In the tenth inning, the Mets once again regained the lead, and again Mora was in the center of things. His one-out single off John Rocker

John Rocker

put Agbayani in position to score on Todd Pratt

Todd Pratt

Todd Alan Pratt is a former Major League Baseball catcher from 1992-2006. He has primarily served as a back-up catcher for most of his career....

's sacrifice fly. But again, Atlanta rallied to tie in the last of the tenth, with Ozzie Guillén

Ozzie Guillén

Oswaldo José "Ozzie" Guillén Barrios is a Venezuelan-American former Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Miami Marlins. He managed the Chicago White Sox from 2004 to 2011 before asking for his release at the end of the 2011 season....

singling home Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones

Andruw Rudolf Jones is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is a free agent.Jones made his debut during the 1996 season. In the 1996 World Series, Jones became the youngest player to ever homered in the postseason...

off Armando Benitez

Armando Benítez

Armando Germán Benítez is a relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Baltimore Orioles:...

to re-knot the game at 9–9.

Finally, in the eleventh, the Mets' magic ran out. Kenny Rogers entered the game (although most had speculated that it would be rookie Octavio Dotel

Octavio Dotel

Octavio Eduardo Dotel is a Domincan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a Free Agent....

) and gave up a leadoff double to Gerald Williams. A Bret Boone

Bret Boone

sacrifice bunt moved Williams to third with one out. Following intentional walks to Chipper Jones

Chipper Jones

and Brian Jordan

Brian Jordan

Brian O'Neal Jordan is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder and National Football League safety. In the NFL, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, while he played in the MLB for the St...

, Rogers walked Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones

on a 3–2 pitch to score Williams and win the pennant for Atlanta.

Composite box

1999 NLCS (4–2): Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

over New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

Aftermath

Although Atlanta would move on to the World Series

1999 World Series

The 1999 World Series, the 95th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, featured a rematch between the defending champions New York Yankees against the Atlanta Braves during the month of October, with the Yankees sweeping the Series in four games for their second title in a row,...

, their joy would be short lived. Physically and emotionally spent following this series, the Braves didn't put up much of a fight as they lost in four games to the other New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

team, the Yankees

1999 New York Yankees season

The New York Yankees' 1999 season was the 97th season for the Bronx based professional baseball team. The team finished with a record of 98-64 finishing 4 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Joe Torre. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium...

, making it the second time in 1999 that a New York City team had swept an Atlanta team out of a playoffs; the Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

had swept the Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

in the second round of the NBA Playoffs

1999 NBA Playoffs

The 1999 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1998-99 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs by defeating the eighth-seeded Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks four games to one...

during their Cinderella

Cinderella (sports)

In American and Canadian sports, a Cinderella or "Cinderella Story" refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament or career than originally anticipated. Cinderellas tend to gain much media and fan attention as they move closer to the championship game at the end of the...

run to the NBA Finals

1999 NBA Finals

The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season or the 1999 season. The San Antonio Spurs of the Western Conference took on the New York Knicks of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage...

, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

. (By a twist of fate, the Mets won a game in Atlanta on the same night the Spurs won the NBA championship against the Knicks.)

The Mets had created as much of a stir from losing as one possibly could imagine. Much of the post-series spotlight ended up focusing on the Mets. Manager Bobby Valentine

Bobby Valentine

, who was seen smashing the dugout railing, screaming "NO! NO! NO!" as Rogers walked Jones, said in a postgame press conference,

Mets General Manager Steve Phillips

Steve Phillips

Steve Phillips is a former American baseball analyst for ESPN and baseball executive. He served as the general manager of the New York Mets from 1997–2003...

summed up the harrowing four weeks the Mets had been through saying that "we had destiny in our own hands, we lost destiny, we got it back in our own hands...We didn't choke. We didn't fold. We won."

Bob Costas

Bob Costas

Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...

would close out his NBC telecast by saying,

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...

reported that The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

printed an Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

advertisement lauding the Mets for their postseason run. The ad said, "Thanks for giving the fans something to cheer about this season. It was great to hear the crowd at Shea roar louder than our planes." It ran beneath a softball-sized reproduction of the Mets logo. A spokesperson at Delta Air Lines said that "at Delta, we are good sports, and we admire good competition. We have a major presence in New York, and we are the official airline of the New York Mets as well as the Atlanta Braves."

This series would prove to be a harbinger of many events that would shape the baseball season. Rocker would go on to make several controversial remarks in a Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

article. Jones

Chipper Jones

, and many other members of this Braves team, most notably Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones

and Brian Jordan

Brian Jordan

Brian O'Neal Jordan is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder and National Football League safety. In the NFL, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, while he played in the MLB for the St...

, would continue to be heckled mercilessly at Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium

, which still continues at the current time. The Mets would post a remarkable ten-run rally to defeat Atlanta 11–8 in a game they once trailed 8–1, on June 30, 2000. Regardless, the Braves would again win the NL East and relegate the Mets to the Wild Card. The Mets, however, were the ones who ended up in the World Series

2000 World Series

-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 2000 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe opener fell on two anniversaries. Twenty-five years prior, Boston Red Sox's catcher Carlton Fisk ended Game 6 of the 1975 World Series with his famous home run off the left field foul pole in Fenway Park in Boston to beat...

, in which they fell to the Yankees. With the Braves being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

in the NLDS

2000 National League Division Series

-St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves:-Game 1, October 4:Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, CaliforniaGiants Pitcher Liván Hernández allowed one run and five hits over a inning effort, backed by a three-run home run by Ellis Burks as the Giants cruised to an easy 5–1 victory.-Game 2, October...

, it made the Mets' path to the World Series much easier.

The Braves also avenged their loss from the first ever NLCS 30 years before

1969 National League Championship Series

-Game 1:Saturday, October 4, 1969 at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Mets struck first in the second off Phil Niekro when Jerry Grote singled in a run and Ken Boswell scored on a passed ball by Braves catcher Bob Didier...

, losing to the Miracle Mets

1969 New York Mets season

The New York Mets season was the eighth season for the Mets franchise, which played its home games at Shea Stadium. Managed by Gil Hodges, the team went 100-62, finishing first in the newly-established National League East by eight games over the Chicago Cubs...

, who were underdogs despite the fact that the Braves

1969 Atlanta Braves season

The Atlanta Braves season was a season in American baseball. The National League had been split into two divisions before the season, with the Braves somewhat incongruously being assigned to the National League West...

had a weaker record (93–69 compared to the Mets' 100–62). In addition, Atlanta teams had avenged their losses to New York City teams in a playoffs in 1999; following the Knicks sweep of the Hawks. (see above)

Series quotes

External links

1999 NLCS at Baseball Reference

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