Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS between the Pirates and Braves will be forever defined by its final pitch, a two-out fastball from Pittsburgh’s Stan Belinda that Atlanta pinch-hitter Francisco Cabrera lashed into left field to plate two runs and send the Braves to the World Series.
But by the time Sid Bream juuuust beat Barry Bonds’ throw to the plate to score the winning run, the Pirates and Braves had already played a dramatic 8 2/3 innings that included other big moments and themes that were soon overshadowed by Cabrera’s heroics. Had they gone slightly differently, an alternate history might have played out.
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Here are seven things you might not remember about that dramatic Game 7 on Oct. 14, 1992.
1. The Braves almost blew a 3-1 series lead.
Had Atlanta lost Game 7, it would’ve been one of the more epic collapses in postseason history to that point. In jumping out to a 3-1 series lead, the Braves outscored the Pirates 26-13 during the first four games of the series and, aside from falling victim to Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball in Game 3, looked to be in complete control. That the series even got to Game 7 was improbable, but it happened because …
2. The Braves’ bats came in cold (so did their pitching).
The Braves’ offense was near-silent through the first eight innings, and had been mostly subdued since Game 4. Before Atlanta put up three runs in the ninth inning to win Game 7, the Braves had scored just five runs over their previous 29 2/3 innings.
Before that ninth inning, the Pirates had outscored the Braves 22-8 in Games 5, 6 and 7. Related to that …
3. The Braves blew a golden chance to tie the game.
It seemed like it was going to be the Pirates' night after they escaped a major jam in the bottom of the sixth. The Braves got three straight singles to open the frame and looked poised for a big inning with the bases loaded, nobody out and the 2-3-4 hitters due up. But then Jeff Blauser lined a ball to third baseman Jeff King, who was playing near the bag and stepped on third to double up Mark Lemke. Terry Pendleton then lined out to left field to end the rally and keep the Pirates in front. Coincidentally, Pittsburgh had a similar missed opportunity when they left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh.
4. David Justice had a huge assist.
The Pirates nearly added a crucial insurance run in the top of the eighth when King doubled down the right field line with Orlando Merced on first. Merced got the green light around third, but David Justice nailed him at the plate with a strong throw from deep right to keep the score 2-0.
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5. A ninth-inning error keyed the Braves’ comeback.
Cabrera likely never would’ve come to bat in the ninth inning had the Pirates’ Jose Lind cleanly fielded a grounder from Justice several batters earlier. With Pendleton on second base with no outs after a lead-off double, Justice grounded sharply toward Lind, who went to his right to try to backhand the ball. Instead, it ticked off his glove and rolled into the outfield, allowing Justice to reach safely. From there, the rally was on, and the tying and winning runs that scored moments later were unearned.
6. The game had two home plate umps.
Randy Marsh, the umpire who called Bream safe on the bang-bang, game-winning play, wasn’t the original home plate umpire. Marsh moved from first base to behind the plate after John McSherry, the first home plate ump, left the game in the second inning and was hospitalized with extreme dizziness. It’s possible McSherry would’ve seen Bream’s slide differently and, in the days before replay review, led to a different outcome.
7. The game’s ending provided an MLB first.
Cabrera’s hit not only gave the Braves the pennant, it provided another bit of baseball history. It was the first time that a team was one out away from losing in a winner-take-all situation but won on the game’s final pitch. Likewise, Cabrera is the only hitter in postseason history to win a series with a hit in an at-bat during which an out would’ve resulted in a series loss. Take it away, Skip Caray.
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The Braves rode the high of their Game 7 comeback win to a 3-1 victory in the first game of the World Series against the Blue Jays, but ultimately fell short in the Fall Classic for the second straight year, losing to Toronto in six games.
But Game 7 was the highlight of the entire 1992 postseason, and for some Braves fans provided an even bigger thrill than when the team won the World Series three years later.
As evidence of its legendary status, it was named by MLB Network in 2011 as the fourth-greatest game in baseball history.
