30 greatest World Series in MLB history
26. Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves, 1992
The 1992 World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves only went to six games, but it provided more excitement than some seven-game series do. Four of the contests were one-run games, with three being decided in the final inning.
Clutch home runs were the difference in the first two games of the series.
Atlanta picked up a win in Game 1 after catcher Damon Berryhill connected on a three-run home run bomb in the bottom of the sixth to carry his team to a 3-1 victory. Toronto would respond the following day. Trailing 2-1 in the top of the ninth inning, Ed Sprague launched a pinch-hit, two-run home run that evened up the series for the Blue Jays.
Toronto won in walk-off fashion in Game 3, before splitting the final two games at the SkyDome. In Game 6, the Braves tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, but Dave Winfield answered with a two-RBI double for the Blue Jays in the top of the 11th. Atlanta closed the gap to one in the bottom half of the inning, but Mike Timlin entered the game and shut the door for Toronto with the tying run on third base, clinching the first World Series title in franchise history.
Blue Jays catcher Pat Borders, who played a tremendous part in his team’s victory, was an unlikely World Series MVP. A career .253 hitter that never amassed more than 15 home runs or 55 RBI in a season, Borders posted a .450 batting average during the series, recording two runs, three RBI and one home run.
The Braves actually outscored Toronto 20-17, but the Blue Jays’ ability to win close games was the difference in the series. They would win a second consecutive World Series title the following year.
Next: 25. New York Mets vs. Oakland A's, 1973