1995 National League Championship Series
Encyclopedia
Game 1
Tuesday, October 10, 1995 at Riverfront StadiumCinergy Field
Riverfront Stadium , later known as Cinergy Field , was the home of the Cincinnati Reds National League baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals National Football League team. Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the stadium was best known as the home of "The Big Red Machine," as the...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
The opening game of the 1995 NLCS would be well-pitched and decided in extra innings. The only run allowed by 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...
, who would go seven innings, came on a Ron Gant
Ron Gant
Ronald Edwin "Ron" Gant is a former American Major League outfielder and second baseman earlier on who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds , St...
single following a 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...
triple in the fourth. Pete Schourek
Pete Schourek
Peter Alan Schourek is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1991 to 2001...
was lights out the entire game, but allowed the Braves to plate a run in the ninth to send the game to extra innings. In the eleventh inning, bench player Mike Devereaux
Mike Devereaux
Michael Devereaux is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the amateur draft and made his debut on September 2, 1987...
singled in Fred McGriff
Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff is a left-handed former Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in , the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both...
to give Atlanta a 2–1 lead. Manager Bobby Cox
Bobby Cox
Robert Joseph "Bobby" Cox is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. He first led the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981, and then managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He later rejoined the Braves in 1985 as a general manager...
needed to use three pitchers in the bottom of the inning, but Greg McMichael
Greg McMichael
Gregory Winston McMichael , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in relief in the Major Leagues from 1993-2000....
induced a double play that ended the game.
Game 2
Wednesday, October 11, 1995 at Riverfront StadiumCinergy Field
Riverfront Stadium , later known as Cinergy Field , was the home of the Cincinnati Reds National League baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals National Football League team. Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the stadium was best known as the home of "The Big Red Machine," as the...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
With 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...
on the mound, the Braves took an early 1–0 lead, then got a second run in the fourth on a Mike Devereaux
Mike Devereaux
Michael Devereaux is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the amateur draft and made his debut on September 2, 1987...
RBI double. Jeff Branson
Jeff Branson
Jeffrey Dale "Jeff" Branson is an American actor.-Life and career:Branson was born in St.Louis and originated the role of Jonathan Lavery on the ABC soap opera All My Children on June 15, 2004. Although he was off the air from mid-April until August 2005 while his character was believed dead in an...
stealing home in the fifth tied the game at two. That score held until the tenth inning, when the Braves scored four runs and took the game. Cincinnati reliever Mark Portugal
Mark Portugal
Mark Steven Portugal is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the major leagues from 1985 to 1999.-Career:Portugal attended Norwalk High School in Norwalk, California. He was signed by the Minnesota Twins in 1980...
's wild pitch allowed Mark Lemke
Mark Lemke
Mark Alan Lemke is a former Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "The Lemmer", he was a popular second baseman for the Atlanta Braves from to .-Biography:...
to scamper home with the go-ahead run. Javy López
Javy López
Javier López Torres is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Atlanta Braves , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...
followed with a three-run blast that blew the game open. This would be the final postseason game ever played in Riverfront Stadium.
Game 3
Friday, October 13, 1995 at Atlanta-Fulton County StadiumAtlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, often shortened to "Fulton County Stadium," was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.-History:...
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...
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...
went eight innings and only gave up one run in another strong start for an Atlanta starter. Lefty David Wells
David Wells
David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history...
, acquired by Cincinnati in anticipation of facing the predominantly left-handed Braves lineup in the playoffs, matched Maddux with a scoreless first five innings. But, right-handed Atlanta catcher Charlie O'Brien
Charlie O'Brien
Charles Hugh O'Brien is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Oakland Athletics , Milwaukee Brewers , New York Mets , Atlanta Braves , Toronto Blue Jays , Chicago White Sox , Anaheim Angels and Montreal Expos .While growing up in Tulsa, O'Brien attended and graduated...
belted a three-run homer in the sixth off Wells. Rookie 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...
hit a two-run shot in the seventh to make it 5–0 Braves. Mark Wohlers
Mark Wohlers
Mark Edward Wohlers is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Atlanta Braves from to...
earned the save in the ninth as the Braves held on for a 5–2 victory.
Game 4
Saturday, October 14, 1995 at Atlanta-Fulton County StadiumAtlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, often shortened to "Fulton County Stadium," was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.-History:...
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...
Steve Avery
Steve Avery
Steven Thomas Avery is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who was a young star with the Atlanta Braves in the early 1990s.-Young Gun:...
, who was inconsistent all season, got the start for Atlanta and tossed six scoreless innings. Mark Lemke
Mark Lemke
Mark Alan Lemke is a former Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "The Lemmer", he was a popular second baseman for the Atlanta Braves from to .-Biography:...
hit an RBI single in the third to give Atlanta a 1–0 lead. The game remained close until the seventh, when series MVP Mike Devereaux
Mike Devereaux
Michael Devereaux is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the amateur draft and made his debut on September 2, 1987...
hit a three-run shot in a five-run Atlanta inning. Ahead 6–0, Bobby Cox
Bobby Cox
Robert Joseph "Bobby" Cox is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. He first led the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981, and then managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He later rejoined the Braves in 1985 as a general manager...
took no chances and used closer Mark Wohlers
Mark Wohlers
Mark Edward Wohlers is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Atlanta Braves from to...
to finish off the Reds in the ninth. The shutout victory completed a surprisingly easy sweep of Cincinnati and sent the Braves to their third World Series in five years.
The Reds offense only managed to score five runs in four games off Atlanta's pitching staff, even with the fact that the first two contests went to extra-innings.
This was the only NLCS to end in a four-game sweep until 2007
2007 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Thursday, October 11, 2007 at Chase Field in Phoenix, ArizonaThe Rockies took a 1–0 series lead behind a strong innings from starter Jeff Francis. Arizona scored first on a first-inning RBI double by Eric Byrnes, but lost the lead two innings later when Colorado right fielder Brad Hawpe...
, when the Colorado Rockies
2007 Colorado Rockies season
The Colorado Rockies' 2007 season started off with the team trying to improve on their 2006 record . They finished with a franchise record of 90 wins in 163 games and earned a playoff berth as the National League Wild Card team. The Rockies swept their first seven playoff games en route to winning...
defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks
2007 Arizona Diamondbacks season
The Arizona Diamondbacks' 2007 season started with the Diamondbacks attempting to win the NL West Division. The Arizona Diamondbacks' biggest move in the offseason was when, on January 9, 2007, they got their 2001 World Series co-MVP back, pitcher Randy Johnson after making a blockbuster deal with...
in four games.
Former Brave Ron Gant would play against his former team with the Reds, then again the next year as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Composite box
1995 NLCS (4–0): Atlanta BravesAtlanta 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 Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....