1999 National League Division Series

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. New York Mets

Game 1, October 5

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...

A pitcher's duel between Shane Reynolds

Shane Reynolds

Richard Shane Reynolds is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros , Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks...

and 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...

highlighted Game 1. The Astros struck first in the top of the second when Tony Eusebio

Tony Eusebio

Raul Antonio Bare Eusebio is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Houston Astros....

singled in Carl Everett

Carl Everett

Carl Edward Everett III is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently an outfielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. A switch hitter, he played with the Chicago White Sox on their 2005 World Series winning team...

. Gerald Williams would tie the game in the bottom of the fifth, singling home Jose Hernandez

José Hernández (baseball)

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

. Daryle Ward

Daryle Ward

Daryle Lamar Ward is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and plays in the Minor League farm system. He has not played in the Majors since 2008. He bats and throws left-handed. The 6-foot-2, 240 pound Ward was drafted by the Detroit Tigers...

would give the Astros the lead on a solo home run in the top of the sixth. The score would remain the same until the ninth. With 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...

pitching for Atlanta, Houston garnered four runs in the ninth, an inning capped by a three-run homer by Ken Caminiti

Ken Caminiti

Kenneth Gene Caminiti was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball and the 1996 National League Most Valuable Player. He was born in Hanford, California, and attended San Jose State University...

. The Braves would post their first loss of the postseason and would not lose again until Game 4 of the NLCS.

Game 2, October 6

Turner Field

in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

A brilliant performance by 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...

stole the show. Had it not been for Ken Caminiti

Ken Caminiti

's solo home run in the second and an error, Millwood would have pitched a perfect game. The Braves would take Game 2 behind his masterful performance.

Game 3, October 8

Astrodome

Reliant Astrodome

Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, USA. The stadium is part of the Reliant Park complex...

in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

The turning point of the series occurred in Game 3. 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...

faced Mike Hampton

Mike Hampton

Michael William Hampton is a left-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. During his career, Hampton was well known for being one of the best hitting pitchers of his time, as well as for his large contract and frequent injuries.-Early career:Mike Hampton was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in...

, who were both coming off career years. The Astros scored two in the first to take an early lead. The Braves would respond with a towering three-run homer by 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...

. The Astros would tie the game and would send the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth, with the bases loaded and nobody out, 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...

was called in to save the game. There was no margin for error. An unbelievable play by 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...

prevented Jeff Bagwell

Jeff Bagwell

Jeffrey Robert Bagwell , is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire fifteen-year Major League Baseball career as a first baseman for the Houston Astros and was a four-time All-Star...

from scoring off Carl Everett

Carl Everett

's hit up the middle. Weiss dived and stopped the ball and threw home. Another forceout at the plate made it two outs. Ricky Gutiérrez

Ricky Gutiérrez

Ricardo "Ricky" Gutiérrez a Cuban-American is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played from through for the San Diego Padres , Houston Astros , Chicago Cubs , Cleveland Indians , New York Mets and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...

struck out to end the threat. Brian Jordan, who helped bring the Braves back, would get them the win in the top of the twelfth. He would double in two runs and put the Braves one game away from the NLCS.

Game 4, October 9

Astrodome

Reliant Astrodome

in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Shane Reynolds

Richard Shane Reynolds is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros , Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks...

was once again called on to save the Astros. But facing him this time would be 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...

. 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...

put the Braves on the board in the top of the first with a sac fly. A 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...

single drove in the second Atlanta run in the third. A seven-hit inning gave the Braves five more in the top of the sixth. They had built a 7–0 lead and appeared to be cruising into the NLCS. But Tony Eusebio homered to cut the lead to six in the seventh. Another three-run homer by Ken Caminiti brought the Astros to within three. A double cut the lead to two with five outs to go. But Atlanta's bullpen would halt the Houston rally and bring the Braves back to the NLCS for the eighth straight year and the history of the Astrodome to a close.

Composite box

1999 NLDS (3–1): 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 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...

Game 1, October 5

Bank One Ballpark

Chase Field

Chase Field is a baseball stadium located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona and is the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. It opened in , just in time for the Diamondbacks' first game as an expansion team...

in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

The Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...

were in the playoffs for the first time ever behind Buck Showalter

Buck Showalter

William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III is an American Major League Baseball manager for the Baltimore Orioles. He has previously served in a similar capacity with the New York Yankees , Arizona Diamondbacks , and Texas Rangers...

and their 100-win season. The 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...

won the Wild Card and were in for the first time since the 1988 National League Championship Series

1988 National League Championship Series

-Game 1:Tuesday, October 4, 1988 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe series opened with a classic pitching matchup, pitting the Dodgers' Orel Hershiser, who had won 23 games during the regular season and carried a Major League record 59 consecutive scoreless innings into the game,...

.

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:...

faced Randy Johnson

Randy Johnson

Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....

in Game 1. 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...

got the scoring started for the Mets in the top of the first with a one-out solo home run. Then a two-run homer by 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 ....

made it 3–0 Mets in the third. Jay Bell

Jay Bell

Jay Stuart Bell is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and second baseman who played for the Cleveland Indians , Pittsburgh Pirates , Kansas City Royals , Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets .He played his high school baseball at J.M...

's sac fly made it 3–1 in the bottom of the third. But 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....

's sacrifice bunt made it 4–1 Mets in the fourth. Erubiel Durazo

Erubiel Durazo

Erubiel Durazo Cárdenas is a Mexican baseball player. Durazo played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Oakland Athletics in Major League Baseball.-Major league career:...

's solo home run made it 4–2 in the bottom of the fourth. Then a two-run homer by Luis Gonzalez tied the game at four. The game remained tied into the ninth inning. A controversial move by manager Showalter allowed Johnson to stay in the game. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases and knocked Johnson out of the game. After the second out, Alfonzo hit a grand slam to put the Mets out in front 8–4. Armando Benitez

Armando Benítez

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

shut the D'Backs down 1–2–3 in the bottom half to finish the game.

Game 2, October 6

Bank One Ballpark

Chase Field

in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Kenny Rogers took on Todd Stottlemyre

Todd Stottlemyre

Todd Vernon Stottlemyre is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played 15 seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks. He is the son of Mel Stottlemyre, former New York Yankees pitcher. His brother...

, hoping to even the series before moving to New York. Both pitchers were on even terms into the third inning. The Mets got on the board thanks to an RBI groundout by Olerud in the third. But the Diamondbacks would load the bases against Rogers in the bottom of the third after two men were out. Then Greg Colbrunn

Greg Colbrunn

Gregory Joseph Colbrunn was a Major League Baseball player for 13 seasons.Colbrunn was part of the victorious Arizona Diamondbacks 2001 World Series winning team....

walked to tie the game at one. Then Steve Finley

Steve Finley

Steven Allen Finley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:Finley, who grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, attended Paducah Tilghman High School and Southern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in physiology and played for the baseball team from 1984–87.-College, Team USA,...

gave the Diamondbacks their first ever postseason lead with a two-run single to right field. Then Finley had two more RBIs with a double to center in the fifth. Two more runs with the bases loaded made it 7–1 Diamondbacks and the score would stand as the D'Backs evened the series at a game apiece.

Game 3, October 8

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
In Game 3, Omar Daal

Omar Daal

Omar Jesús Daal Cordero is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for 11 seasons, from through . Daal played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Montreal Expos , Toronto Blue Jays , Arizona Diamondbacks , Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles...

faced 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...

. The Diamondbacks blew opportunities in the first two innings and that would cost them as the Mets would take a 1–0 lead on Ordonez's RBI single that scored 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...

. An RBI single by Olerud and an error by Andy Fox

Andy Fox

Andrew Junipero Fox is an American professional baseball coach and a former Major League Baseball infielder.-Playing career:...

gave the Mets a 3–0 edge. But the Diamondbacks made it a one run game when pinch hitter Turner Ward

Turner Ward

Turner Max Ward , is a former professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from 1990-2001.-Career:...

hit a two-run homer in the fifth. The game would be put away, however, in one half inning. In the bottom of the sixth, the Mets put together four RBI hits that scored six runs. That made it 9–2 and that would be the final score.

Game 4, October 9

Shea Stadium

in Queens, New York
In the potential clinching Game 4, Brian Anderson

Brian Anderson (pitcher)

Brian James Anderson is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher, who played 13 season for five teams, as well as a sports broadcaster and coach. Currently, Anderson is the color commentator on the Rays TV crew on Sun Sports....

faced 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....

. The game would remain scoreless until the bottom of the fourth. Then 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...

's leadoff homer made it 1–0 Mets. But the D'Backs would respond when Greg Colbrunn

Greg Colbrunn

Gregory Joseph Colbrunn was a Major League Baseball player for 13 seasons.Colbrunn was part of the victorious Arizona Diamondbacks 2001 World Series winning team....

homered to tie the game in the fifth. Then Agbayani's RBI double made it 2–1 Mets. But Jay Bell

Jay Bell

's two-run double gave the Diamondbacks the lead in the eighth. It appeared that Game 5 was going to be a reality. But the Mets tied the game in the bottom half thanks to a pinch hit sacrifice fly by Roger Cedeno

Roger Cedeño

Roger Leandro Cedeño , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and switch-hitting batter who had an 11-year career playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and St. Louis Cardinals.Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an undrafted amateur free agent in...

. As the game moved to extra innings, John Franco came on in relief in the tenth and shut the Diamondbacks down 1–2–3. Against Matt Mantei

Matt Mantei

Matthew Bruce Mantei [MAN-tie] is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. In his career, Mantei played with the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox. He batted and threw right-handed.-Career:...

, the Mets would win the series when 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....

hit a solo home run to center field. Steve Finley failed to catch the ball after making a leap to the wall.

Composite box

1999 NLDS (3–1): 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...

over Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks

External links

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