Earlier this year, the Seattle Mariners' talented center fielder Julio Rodriguez led the team to the playoffs again after 21 years . Seeing this talented team, it seems like a new era is right in front of them. However, young fans would not have thought that more than 20 years ago, this team was only one step away from moving out of Seattle. Just as we reviewed Game 7 of the Cardinals' 2006 National League Championship Series in our last issue, today we will introduce to you that classic game that guarded the lights of Seattle baseball and had a profound impact on baseball history - the fifth game of the 1995 American League Division Series .
The 1995 American League Division Series series between the Mariners and the Yankees was at the center of a crossroads for both teams. Before this year, the Mariners had only had two seasons with a winning rate of more than 50% since the team was founded in 1977, and had never made the playoffs.. With a poor record, the ball market is naturally quite sluggish. In games at their old home, the Kings Dome, it is common to see a deserted audience of less than 20,000 spectators. What's worse is that compared to the American East or California teams that are closer to the city, Seattle, despite its beautiful and livable environment, is far away from any other major league team. As a result, the Mariners players' away travel distance every season is among the best in the major leagues. This team also has the "notoriety" of being "far from home" all year round, making it extremely difficult to recruit free agents.
Due to poor performance and the inability to attract good players, the Mariners' management tried to cooperate with the government to build a new stadium to boost the attractiveness of the ball market and the team. However, the funds to build the stadium must be obtained through tax increases. Unfortunately, the proposal to raise funds to build a new stadium through a tax increase in September 1995 was rejected in a local referendum. The Mariners, who seemed unable to build a new stadium, were about to move away from Seattle to the warmer climate of Tampa, Florida.
Despite the constant off-field disputes, the Mariners showed great resilience in 1995. On August 2, the Mariners recorded only 43 wins and 46 losses. They were 13 games behind the division leader Angels and finally waited for the belated spring in the middle of this month. With the Mariners' first-generation talented center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. Jr. returned from injury after being absent for two and a half months on August 15. The Mariners set sail and pursued their opponents frantically. achieved a record of 27 wins and 16 losses in the remaining season, wiping out more than 10 games in a month and a half, forcing the originally leading Angels into a decisive play-off game , and relying on the great left-hander "Troll" Randy Johnson Johnson's complete shot victory narrowly qualified for the playoffs..
The 1995 American League Division Series was the first postseason that the Mariners had not seen for a long time since the team was founded. For the Yankees, who originally had victory written into their DNA, it was also a long time to wait. Since losing the World Series in 1981, the Yankees have fallen into a historical trough. In the era when there were no wild cards, they were unable to advance to the playoffs for 13 years. Even though they had the best record in 1994, they fell short because of the players' union strike that cut the season in half.
3 years is neither short nor long in life, but for a baseball player, it may be an entire career. Yankee legend Don Mattingly, who entered the major leagues in 1982, was just such a relic of an era with a rough fate. He played without concern for his own safety, always using dangerous flying moves when defending for the team's victory, so he suffered from injuries and his peak period was extremely short. But in the mid-1980s, he was one of the best players in the major leagues. He won the American League Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award for three consecutive years from 1985 to 1987, and ranked first and second in the American League MVP voting in 1985 and 1986.
Mattingly not only had superb skills, but was also an interesting soul. In an ordinary home game in 1992, as a first baseman, when chasing a foul ball to the auditorium, the scene of Mattingly taking popcorn from the hands of the young fans sitting in the first row and stuffing it into his mouth became a classic scene in baseball history.. It is precisely because Mattingly's seriousness and dedication to baseball and his affinity with fans perfectly match the public's highest expectations for the Yankees, a metropolitan super-rich club. As the captain of the Yankees, Mattingly is deeply loved by Yankee fans and respected by his teammates, and earned the nickname "Donnie Baseball" . It is a pity that the highlight period of the 1985 American League MVP was completely separated from the glory of the Yankees' history. He was already scarred and ready to retire in 1995, but he had not played a single playoff game.
"Sending Tang to the playoffs" has also become the goal of the Yankees this year. With a record of only 57 wins and 59 losses on August 31, they completed a counterattack in September, finishing with a wave of 22 wins and 6 losses to win the first wild card in the history of the major leagues and advance to the playoffs. Mattingly also cherished this belated playoff experience, hitting a .474 batting average in the first four games. Unfortunately, the Yankees were reversed by the Mariners with a 5-point lead in the fourth game. In the end, both sides won two home games in the first four games, and ushered in a life-or-death battle at the King's Dome in Seattle's home court with a total score of 2-2.
If we scan the benches of the two teams in this game from the perspective of a 2022 traveler, it is difficult not to be attracted by the bright stars on the bench. On the Mariners side, in addition to the aforementioned "Troll" Johnson who started the third game on the edge of the season playoffs and this series, there is 0-year-old Alex Rodriguez (Alex Rodriguez). On the Yankees side, among the "Yankees Four" we are familiar with, Jorge Posada was the team's substitute catcher at the time, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. Rivera was on standby as a relief pitcher, and future Yankees captain Derek Jeter, although he came to Seattle with the team, did not make the playoff roster and could only be a spectator in this game without paying for a ticket.
The coach in charge of the Yankees at this time is more familiar to current fans. He is the current Mets coach Buck Showalter (Buck Showalter) who won the National League Best Manager Award in 2022. Although he had shown the potential to become a famous coach at that time, was always criticized for favoring veterans and not daring to use young people. Of course, the key figures in this game are the players on the court. In addition to Griffey Jr., the well-known starters for the Mariners are Edgar Martinez, the greatest designated hitter in the history of the major leagues. In addition to Mattingly, the Yankees' starting pitchers are the 1994 AL Cy Young Award winner and David Cohen, who was acquired in a mid-season trade in 1995. Cone).
The 1995 season was shortened due to the players' union strike, which posed a challenge to the physical reserves of many starting pitchers. During this entire season, Cohen, as the team's ace, tml2 has pitched more than 130 balls in 14 games. In the first game of the divisional battle before that, he also held out for 8 innings and threw 135 balls . Even if he was not at the end of his strength, he was already exhausted physically and mentally. Facing Cohen, Mariners coach Lou Piniella's instruction was to play more patiently to wear him down.
In the bottom half of the third inning, Mariners second baseman Joey Cora, the brother of current Red Sox coach Alex Cora, first broke the deadlock. This player who had only hit 7 home runs in the previous 8 major league seasons took the lead in knocking a hit from Cohen, giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead. The Yankees, who had stabilized the situation, reversed the score in the first half of the fourth inning when Paul O'Neill hit a two-run shot . In the second half of the inning, the Mariners tied the score again, and then the two sides continued to be in a stalemate until the first half of the sixth inning.
After striking out the first batter of the inning, Mariners starting pitcher Andy Benes fell into turmoil. walked three Yankees players in a row . At this time, it was none other than Yankee first baseman Mattingly who stepped into the batter. This Yankee hero has waited too long for this moment, and too hopes to reach the other side of his dream at the end of his career through his own efforts. He turned his anger at his unfortunate fate and wasted years into a powerful hit. swept a deep hit to left field in the opposite direction. The Yankees ran back 2 runs and took a 4-2 lead . For the Mariners, the great luck among the misfortunes was that the ball bounced out of the field after landing, forming an in-field rule second base hit, which also prevented the Yankees' first base runner from scoring.. What is sad is that, looking back from today's perspective, this turned out to be Mattingly's last hit and last RBI in his 14-year glorious major league career with more than 2,000 hits and 1,000 RBIs.
After Bennes struggled to handle the endgame, Cohen, who held a two-point lead, also struggled to squeeze out the last bit of energy in his body and held on for two consecutive half-games. The team was two points behind, and the situation was extremely unfavorable. Even the fans in the audience were enveloped in pessimism. The originally noisy King's Dome also fell silent. Under such a situation, Mariners coach Pinella found a way to revive the morale of the scene. He decided to let "Troll" Johnson go to the bullpen to warm up .
Like Cohen, Johnson, who started the playoffs and the third game of the divisional round after three days of short rest, was also exhausted. Before the game, Johnson, who had only rested for one day, told Piñera that he could only help the team for one more game at best. But when the Giant, who had an astonishing record of 18 wins and 2 losses during the season, walked to the Kings Dome next to the base line, completely exposed in the sight of the fans, and went to the bullpen area to start warming up, the home audience was excited, and the originally quiet stadium became heated again.
When the Mariners rekindled hope, the Yankees' Cohen was exhausted. Entering the second half of the eighth inning, Cohen, who had pitched more than 110 pitches, was hit by Griffey Jr. to close the score. Then the Mariners relied on two walks and a hit to form a bases-loaded situation.
At this time, he was only 39 years old. The very immature Yankees coach Showalter was also experiencing the playoffs for the first time. He did not yet have the rich experience to judge the situation in a big scene. When the pitching coach went to the pitcher's mound to discuss, En didn't dare to look at the coach, and his body language showed a lot of signals that he could no longer hold on. Showalter still stubbornly believed in the veteran, instead of letting Rivera, the future legendary closer who was already prepared in the bullpen, come on to solve the crisis..
While Showalter ignored the obviously bad body language of his ace, the sailors took Cohen's situation in their eyes. They saw that Cohen had completely lost confidence in his straight ball at this time, so they patiently waited for Cohen's other balls. Finally, Cohen pitched the third walk of the inning, allowing the Mariners to squeeze back the tying run with the bases loaded.When Cohen was removed from the mound and walked back to the Yankees bench with endless self-blame, Jeter, the future Yankees captain who was only 21 years old at the time and was not even on the playoff roster, showed his innate leadership in that overlooked moment and walked up to Cohen first, comforting the veteran who had thrown 147 pitches in this game..
Although Showalter belatedly replaced Rivera, who displayed the calmness that fans would become familiar with over the next two decades, easily struck out the Mariners' last batter of the half with the bases loaded, but the Yankees' lead was gone.
In the first half of the ninth inning, the Yankees got a chance to exceed the score again. The first two batters successfully reached base. Facing the unfavorable situation of having people on first and second base and no one out, Piñera also played the last ace in his hand. replaced Johnson to face Wade Boggs, who had hit more than 3,000 hits in his career. (Wade Boggs). The young Showalter made another mistake. He actually hit the code that made the future Hall of Fame third baseman hit .324 with a season batting average of .324, but did not have a sacrifice hit all season. Facing Johnson's inside-side straight ball with a speed of nearly 100 miles per hour, Boggs seemed at a loss. soon fell behind in the number of balls, and was eventually struck out by Johnson . Johnson, who became more and more courageous as he fought, got two outs in a row, resolving the crisis in this half of the inning.
Johnson, who was only supposed to last one inning, held on to the ninth inning, and held on to the 10th inning as the game entered overtime. On the Yankees side, Showalter trusted 1993 AL Cy Young Award winner Jack McDowell, who pitched 15-10 that season, more than Pettitte, who was also warming up in the bullpen. Taking over from Rivera, McDowell also held on to the ninth and 10th inning, dragging the game into the 11th inning .
Facing many great pitchers, the ones who have the most experience in playing are often not necessarily the famous and outstanding batters, but rather some unknown figures. As the most feared pitcher in the history of the major leagues, Johnson also has his own nemesis, that is his namesake, the Yankees ninth infielder Randy Velarde (Randy Velarde). In his 16-year major league career, this tool player only played more than 100 games as the absolute main force in five seasons, but he was particularly good at facing the great Johnson. Prior to this, actually hit 18 hits in 39 at-bats against Johnson, with a batting average of .462. What's more, when he came on to bat in the first half of the 11th inning, he faced a tired monster who had only rested for one day and pitched more than two innings. With a man at second base and one out, Willard lived up to expectations and swept out a hit in the blank space between the three defense zones to help the Yankees take the lead again 5-4..
Although Johnson struggled to get two more outs, Piñera also knew that Johnson, who had already thrown 44 pitches, would never be able to hold on any longer. In the second half of the 11th inning, facing McDowell who also only had one day off, the Mariners sounded the last charge. After Cora escaped Mattingly's contact with a bunt and an unconventional base slide, and slid to first base, Griffey Jr. followed with a hit, helping the Mariners form a scoring opportunity with people on first and third base and no one out.. It was Martinez, the Mariners' designated hitter, who stepped into the strike zone at this time.
Facing McDowell, Martinez, who has a batting average of .356 and the most doubles in the major leagues with 52 doubles this season, pulled the ball out for a hit to left field..Unlike Mattingly's previous two-base hit, Martinez hit the ball in a shallower position. Cora at third base ran back to tie the score , and then little Griffey at first base was like a whirlwind, starting from first base quickly and smoothly, sweeping through all bases, and successfully slid to home plate the moment before the pass arrived. Goodbye hits! The Mariners came back to defeat the Yankees and advanced to the American League Championship Game in a life-or-death battle..
Although after that, the Mariners still lost to the powerful Indians and missed the World Series, but at least this classic life-and-death battle in the American League Division Series made the local government realize the deep bond between this team and the local audience. Less than a month after the game ended, the bill was passed in other ways to raise funds for the construction of a new stadium for the Mariners, which also kept the team in Seattle. Starting in 1996, the young Alex Rodriguez grew into another superstar of the Mariners, and together with Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, he took the lead in the team in the following years.
The teams and people affected by this game are not just the Mariners generals? After the game, Showalter, who had poor on-field management, shed tears in the locker room. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner Steinbrenner angrily walked to the door of the locker room and said: "There will definitely be changes." This personality boss who is far less patient with the head coach than his son did exactly this. will lead the team for four years at the end of the season and quickly bring the Yankees back to the playoffs from an underdog with a winning record of less than half. Showalter, who was among the contenders, fired and hired New York native Joe Torre who had a mediocre coaching career but had a talent that was extremely suitable for coaching in a place like New York where the attention, media and fan expectations and pressure are extremely high. Torre).
Under Torre's command, young players such as Jeter, Rivera, Petit and Posada who did not get many opportunities under Hewalter, who trusted the veteran more, were reused, and started a dynasty of four championships in five years in the following year. The only regret is that the infinite glory and brilliance that followed have nothing to do with Mattingly, who dedicated his entire playing career to the team but unfortunately missed the World Series. After this life-and-death battle in the American League Division Series, Mattingly bid farewell to the football world and officially announced his retirement in 1997, ending his tragic career of guarding the Yankees' glory in the darkest night but never seeing the light of day. The man who replaced him as the Yankees first baseman was none other than Mariners first baseman Tino Martinez, who shared first base with him in this divisional round.
In addition, I have to say that there are two pitchers who left a deep mark on this game, the Yankees' Cohen and the Mariners' Johnson. At a time when the players' union had just gone on strike and the players' pure enthusiasm for baseball was questioned by the fans, the two pitchers did their best for this game and the team's victory, regardless of their own futures, and burning their firm beliefs once again made the fans at that time feel the blood and passion of baseball that has never changed in a century .
Although the Mariners and Yankees overused Johnson and Cohen in 1995, which caused both of them to suffer serious injuries a year later, this did not affect their subsequent careers too much. On the contrary, their "good days" are still to come. Johnson pitched in the major leagues for another 14 seasons after that, until he was 45 years old. In 2009, he announced his retirement after becoming the last 300-win pitcher in the major leagues.. Cohen won the Yankees' contract extension through this glorious performance despite defeat, and became an indispensable member of the Yankees' glorious years of four championships in the next five years. In 1999, he pitched the 16th complete game in the history of the major leagues .
Failure is regrettable, but it is undeniable People are often better at learning lessons from unforgettable failures than success.. Although Showalter's poor scheduling in this life-and-death battle in the American League Division Series made Showalter burst into tears and sack him sadly, this was not the end of his coaching career. Time dyes black hair into silver, turns a young coach into an old coach, and allows Showalter to grow into a top coach step by step. So far, he has won 1,600 games in his coaching career, led four different teams to the playoffs, and became the third person in the history of the major leagues to win the best coach of the season . But at this time, he is still working hard to win his first World Series championship. Perhaps returning to New York and taking charge of the Mets with bottomless wallets will help him realize this dream.
This great game that put both the Mariners and Yankees at crossroads in the right direction had a by-product besides keeping the Mariners in Seattle and enabling the Yankees to make changes to the top. failed to usher in the Mariners Tampa did not lose his enthusiasm for baseball. Three years later, he entered the major leagues by establishing a new team , and this was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays , the predecessor of the Rays. Baseball is like life, it cannot always be smooth sailing, but only when it is full of ups and downs, tears and laughter, and full of unknowns, allowing people to continue exploring and learning, will it be the most memorable time .
One game changed the fate of many people, even several teams and countless fans. . Can't this be called a classic game?
Do you think Julio Rodriguez can fulfill the long-cherished wish of his predecessors and lead the Mariners to the World Series? And can Aaron Judge, who has just renewed his contract, lead the Yankees, who have missed the World Series since 2009, back to the top? Hurry up and discuss with us in the comment area ~
