1999 World Series
Encyclopedia
The 1999 World Series, the 95th edition of Major League Baseball
's championship series
, featured a rematch between the defending champions New York Yankees
(representing the American League) against the Atlanta Braves
(representing the National League) during the month of October, with the Yankees sweeping the Series in four games for their second title in a row, third in four years, and 25th overall. It is remembered for Chad Curtis
' home run in Game 3, which gave the Yankees a 6–5 victory and Game 2, featuring Jim Gray
of NBC's infamous interview with Pete Rose
.
The 1999 World Series also featured the All Century Team, featuring the greatest players of the twentieth Century voted by both the fans and sport writers. One of the players on the All Century Team, Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio
, had died in March of that year, causing the Yankees to honor him by wearing a black #5 on their sleeves.
in Atlanta, Georgia
The 1999 series opened with Greg Maddux
facing Orlando Hernández
in Game 1. The Braves got on the board first in the series when Chipper Jones
launched a home run down the right field line in the fourth. That would be the only hit that El Duque would allow through seven innings while striking out ten Atlanta batters. Maddux pitched scoreless into the eighth before running into major trouble, which began when Scott Brosius
singled for the third time in the game. Pinch hitter Darryl Strawberry
walked and Chuck Knoblauch
reached when Braves first baseman Brian Hunter mishandled his sacrifice bunt attempt. Derek Jeter
stroked a single into left with the bases loaded driving in a run. With still none out and the bases juiced, Atlanta reliever John Rocker
gave up a two-run single to Paul O'Neill through the right side making it 3–1 Yankees. Later in the inning, Rocker walked Jim Leyritz
with the bases loaded to force home another run. Mariano Rivera
picked up the save to wrap up the 4–1 victory.
in Atlanta, Georgia
Game 2 featured the presentation of the All-Century team
and an explosion of Yankees runs off Atlanta starter Kevin Millwood. In the first inning, Knoblauch, Jeter, and O'Neill opened the game with singles. After a double-play groundout, both Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius drove in a run each to gave the Yankees a 3–0 in the first. From there the Yankees and David Cone
coasted to a 7–2 win. This was the last victory of a World Series Game 2 on the road until the Texas Rangers won Game 2 of the 2011 World Series in St. Louis.
Golfer Payne Stewart
, a good friend of Braves third baseman Chipper Jones
, died between Games 2 and 3. Yankees right fielder Paul O'Neill's father died a few hours before Game 4.
Game 3 in New York matched up lefties Andy Pettitte and Tom Glavine, and Pettitte was rocked early. Bret Boone drove in Gerald Williams with a RBI double in the first. In the third, Brian Jordan had an RBI single scoring Boone, and Jose Hernandez doubled in Jordan and Andruw Jones and in the fourth, Bret Boone doubled in Gerald Williams for a second time in the game to make the score 5–1. Glavine was sharp but gave up solo homers to Tino Martinez and Chad Curtis in the middle innings trimming the Braves lead to 5–3. The Yankees bullpen was solid, holding the Braves scoreless after Pettitte left the game. In the eighth, Glavine surrendered a two-run homer to Knoblauch to tie up the game at 5–5. The score remain knotted until the bottom of the tenth when Chad Curtis blasted a walk-off home run—his second home run of the game—off Mike Remlinger, giving the Yankees a commanding 3–0 lead in the Series.
Game 4 featured a battle of hard-throwing Cy Young award winners, Roger Clemens and John Smoltz. In the third inning, the Yanks broke through when Tino Martinez singled off Ryan Klesko's foot with the bases loaded, driving in two runs. Jorge Posada followed with another RBI single, making the score 3–0. Clemens, seeking his first World Series victory, was outstanding, the only Braves scoring coming in the seventh when Boone singled in Walt Weiss. Jim Leyritz added another Yankees run with a solo shot in the eighth, adding to his legacy as a great postseason performer and as one of the thorns at the side of Braves fans. Rivera, who was named Series MVP, got Keith Lockhart to fly out to LF for the final out.
The 1999 New York Yankees became the first team to win the World Series in consecutive sweeps since the 1938–1939 Yankees. It was the first sweep by a team without home-field advantage since when Baltimore swept the Dodgers. The Yankees' 11–1 postseason record was the best ever, tied by the Chicago White Sox
in . The Yankees players were each paid $326,000 for this World Championship.
With the Yankees sweep of the Braves, this was the second time in 1999 that a New York City team had swept a team from Atlanta out of a playoffs; the Knicks
had swept the Hawks
in the second round of the NBA Playoffs
during their Cinderella
run to the NBA Finals
, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs
. It would also mark the final time the Yankees clinched the championship at the old Yankee Stadium.
The powerhouse Braves batted just .200 in the 4-game Series.
(A.L.) over Atlanta Braves
(N.L.)
's 39th and, to date, final World Series telecast. Fox
would air the next World Series as part of the contract in place, and acquired the exclusive broadcast rights of Major League Baseball beginning in 2001. Bob Costas
provided play-by-play while Joe Morgan
served as analyst for the series. Hannah Storm
served as pre-game host with Barry Larkin
serving as the analyst. The field reporters were Jim Gray
(Yankees
dugout) and Craig Sager
(Braves
dugout) on loan from Turner Sports
.
With the Knicks
having played in the NBA Finals
in June, this was the second championship series in 1999 NBC broadcast involving teams from New York. Bob Costas, Jim Gray, and Hannah Storm were involved both times. Costas with play-by-play, Gray as a reporter, and Storm as pre-game host. This was the most recent year of a same city hosting both NBA Finals and World Series in the same year.
Once again, ESPN Radio provided coverage of the World Series. Play-by-play man Jon Miller was joined in the booth by Rick Sutcliffe, who substituted for the unavailable Joe Morgan.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's championship series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, featured a rematch between the defending champions New York 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...
(representing the American League) against the Atlanta Braves
1999 Atlanta Braves season
-Offseason:*November 10, 1998: Bret Boone was traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Mike Remlinger to the Atlanta Braves for Rob Bell, Denny Neagle, and Michael Tucker.*December 1, 1998: Otis Nixon was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves....
(representing the National League) during the month of October, with the Yankees sweeping the Series in four games for their second title in a row, third in four years, and 25th overall. It is remembered for Chad Curtis
Chad Curtis
Chad Curtis is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from -, notably for the New York Yankees...
' home run in Game 3, which gave the Yankees a 6–5 victory and Game 2, featuring Jim Gray
Jim Gray (sportscaster)
Jim Gray is an American sportscaster. He has previously worked as a reporter with NBC Sports and CBS Sports. He is currently with Westwood One radio network, Showtime, Golf Channel, the Sacramento Kings, and ESPN/ESPN on ABC...
of NBC's infamous interview with Pete Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
.
Background
The New York Yankees won their second straight World Series and the second straight time the New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves in the World Series, the third consecutive time beating the Braves franchise (defeated the Milwaukee Braves in their 1958 Series).The 1999 World Series also featured the All Century Team, featuring the greatest players of the twentieth Century voted by both the fans and sport writers. One of the players on the All Century Team, Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
, had died in March of that year, causing the Yankees to honor him by wearing a black #5 on their sleeves.
Summary
Game 1
Saturday, October 23, 1999 at Turner FieldTurner 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 1999 series opened with 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...
facing Orlando Hernández
Orlando Hernández
Orlando Hernández Pedroso , nicknamed "El Duque", is a former Cuban right-handed baseball pitcher....
in Game 1. The Braves got on the board first in the series when 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...
launched a home run down the right field line in the fourth. That would be the only hit that El Duque would allow through seven innings while striking out ten Atlanta batters. Maddux pitched scoreless into the eighth before running into major trouble, which began when Scott Brosius
Scott Brosius
Scott David Brosius is a former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees . Brosius is currently the head baseball coach at Linfield College, his alma mater....
singled for the third time in the game. Pinch hitter Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder who is well-known both for his play on the field and for his controversial behavior off it...
walked and Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
reached when Braves first baseman Brian Hunter mishandled his sacrifice bunt attempt. Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter is an American baseball shortstop who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter's clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central...
stroked a single into left with the bases loaded driving in a run. With still none out and the bases juiced, Atlanta reliever 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...
gave up a two-run single to Paul O'Neill through the right side making it 3–1 Yankees. Later in the inning, Rocker walked Jim Leyritz
Jim Leyritz
James Joseph Leyritz is a former catcher and infielder in Major League Baseball.-Early years:Leyritz attended Turpin High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Middle Georgia Jr...
with the bases loaded to force home another run. Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer...
picked up the save to wrap up the 4–1 victory.
Game 2
Sunday, October 24, 1999 at Turner FieldTurner 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...
Game 2 featured the presentation of the All-Century team
Major League Baseball All-Century Team
In 1999, the Major League Baseball All-Century Team was chosen by popular vote of fans. To select the team, a panel of experts first compiled a list of the 100 greatest Major League Baseball players from the past century...
and an explosion of Yankees runs off Atlanta starter Kevin Millwood. In the first inning, Knoblauch, Jeter, and O'Neill opened the game with singles. After a double-play groundout, both Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius drove in a run each to gave the Yankees a 3–0 in the first. From there the Yankees and David Cone
David Cone
David Brian Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five...
coasted to a 7–2 win. This was the last victory of a World Series Game 2 on the road until the Texas Rangers won Game 2 of the 2011 World Series in St. Louis.
Golfer Payne Stewart
Payne Stewart
William Payne Stewart was an American professional golfer who won three majors in his career, the last of which occurred only months before he died in an airplane accident at the age of 42....
, a good friend of Braves third baseman 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...
, died between Games 2 and 3. Yankees right fielder Paul O'Neill's father died a few hours before Game 4.
Game 3
Tuesday, October 26, 1999 at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New YorkGame 3 in New York matched up lefties Andy Pettitte and Tom Glavine, and Pettitte was rocked early. Bret Boone drove in Gerald Williams with a RBI double in the first. In the third, Brian Jordan had an RBI single scoring Boone, and Jose Hernandez doubled in Jordan and Andruw Jones and in the fourth, Bret Boone doubled in Gerald Williams for a second time in the game to make the score 5–1. Glavine was sharp but gave up solo homers to Tino Martinez and Chad Curtis in the middle innings trimming the Braves lead to 5–3. The Yankees bullpen was solid, holding the Braves scoreless after Pettitte left the game. In the eighth, Glavine surrendered a two-run homer to Knoblauch to tie up the game at 5–5. The score remain knotted until the bottom of the tenth when Chad Curtis blasted a walk-off home run—his second home run of the game—off Mike Remlinger, giving the Yankees a commanding 3–0 lead in the Series.
Game 4
Wednesday, October 27, 1999 at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New YorkGame 4 featured a battle of hard-throwing Cy Young award winners, Roger Clemens and John Smoltz. In the third inning, the Yanks broke through when Tino Martinez singled off Ryan Klesko's foot with the bases loaded, driving in two runs. Jorge Posada followed with another RBI single, making the score 3–0. Clemens, seeking his first World Series victory, was outstanding, the only Braves scoring coming in the seventh when Boone singled in Walt Weiss. Jim Leyritz added another Yankees run with a solo shot in the eighth, adding to his legacy as a great postseason performer and as one of the thorns at the side of Braves fans. Rivera, who was named Series MVP, got Keith Lockhart to fly out to LF for the final out.
The 1999 New York Yankees became the first team to win the World Series in consecutive sweeps since the 1938–1939 Yankees. It was the first sweep by a team without home-field advantage since when Baltimore swept the Dodgers. The Yankees' 11–1 postseason record was the best ever, tied by the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in . The Yankees players were each paid $326,000 for this World Championship.
With the Yankees sweep of the Braves, this was the second time in 1999 that a New York City team had swept a team from Atlanta 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 ....
. It would also mark the final time the Yankees clinched the championship at the old Yankee Stadium.
The powerhouse Braves batted just .200 in the 4-game Series.
Composite box
1999 World Series (4–0): New York YankeesNew 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...
(A.L.) over 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....
(N.L.)
Media coverage
This was NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's 39th and, to date, final World Series telecast. Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
would air the next World Series as part of the contract in place, and acquired the exclusive broadcast rights of Major League Baseball beginning in 2001. 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:...
provided play-by-play while Joe Morgan
Joe Morgan
Joe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...
served as analyst for the series. Hannah Storm
Hannah Storm
Hannah Storm is an American television sports journalist, serving as co-anchor of ESPN's SportsCenter Monday–Thursday mornings, and is also host of the NBA Countdown pregame show on ABC as part of the network's NBA Sunday game coverage.-Early life and career:Storm was born in Oak Park, Illinois,...
served as pre-game host with Barry Larkin
Barry Larkin
Barry Louis Larkin is a retired Major League Baseball player. Larkin played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds from 1986 to 2004 and was one of the pivotal players on the 1990 Reds' World Series championship team...
serving as the analyst. The field reporters were Jim Gray
Jim Gray (sportscaster)
Jim Gray is an American sportscaster. He has previously worked as a reporter with NBC Sports and CBS Sports. He is currently with Westwood One radio network, Showtime, Golf Channel, the Sacramento Kings, and ESPN/ESPN on ABC...
(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...
dugout) and Craig Sager
Craig Sager
Craig Sager , is currently a sportscaster for TNT and TBS. Sager is a graduate of Northwestern University. He has previously covered sports for CBS and CNN. His nickname is "America's Sideline Reporter"....
(Braves
1999 Atlanta Braves season
-Offseason:*November 10, 1998: Bret Boone was traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Mike Remlinger to the Atlanta Braves for Rob Bell, Denny Neagle, and Michael Tucker.*December 1, 1998: Otis Nixon was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves....
dugout) on loan from Turner Sports
Turner Sports
Turner Sports is the division of Turner Broadcasting System responsible for sports broadcasts on Turner channels including TBS, TNT, and TruTV, and for operating the interactive properties , , , and...
.
With 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...
having played in 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...
in June, this was the second championship series in 1999 NBC broadcast involving teams from New York. Bob Costas, Jim Gray, and Hannah Storm were involved both times. Costas with play-by-play, Gray as a reporter, and Storm as pre-game host. This was the most recent year of a same city hosting both NBA Finals and World Series in the same year.
Once again, ESPN Radio provided coverage of the World Series. Play-by-play man Jon Miller was joined in the booth by Rick Sutcliffe, who substituted for the unavailable Joe Morgan.