1999 Atlanta Braves: Wrapping Up a Decade

1999 Atlanta Braves: Wrapping Up a Decade

[paypal_donation_button]1999 Atlanta Braves: Wrapping Up a Decade

Rounding out a decade of consistency which saw them make the playoffs almost every year, the Atlanta Braves became the model of consistency every other team in Major League Baseball wanted to replicate. Atlanta’s 1999 campaign was the culmination of the development of a roster that would take them back to the postseason on a regular basis, but also marked the end of a successful decade.

The Atlanta Braves went 103-59 in 1999, winning the National League East division by 6.5 games over the New York Mets. The Braves went 9-3 against the Mets in head-to-head play. The Braves went 56-25 at home and 47-34 on the road.

Third baseman Larry “Chipper” Jones became one of the most recognizable faces on the Braves as his solid play on the field helped elevate the Braves to great heights. Jones batted .319 with 45 home runs and 110 RBI’s off 181 hits, 41 doubles and 25 stolen bases. Catcher Javy Lopez batted .317 with 11 home runs, 78 hits and 18 doubles in 65 games. First baseman Ryan Klesko batted .297 with 21 home runs and 80 RBI’s off 120 hits and 28 doubles. First baseman Randall Simon batted .317 with 69 hits and 16 doubles in 90 games. Right fielder Brian Jordan batted .283 with 23 home runs and 115 RBI’s off 163 hits, 28 doubles and 13 stolen bases.

At the young age of 22 center fielder Andruw Jones played all 162 games for the Braves, batting .275 with 26 home runs and 84 RBI’s off 163 hits, 35 doubles, 5 triples and 24 stolen bases. Left fielder Gerald Williams batted .275 with 17 home runs and 68 RBI’s off 116 hits, 24 doubles and 19 stolen bases. Second baseman Bret Boone had 20 home runs and 63 RBI’s off 153 hits, 38 doubles and 14 stolen bases. Catcher Eddie Perez had 77 hits and 17 doubles. Shortstop Walt Weiss had 63 hits and 13 doubles. At the age of 40 left fielder Otis Nixon returned to the team he helped get to the World Series in the beginning of the 1990’s, and he would have 26 stolen bases in 84 games.

The main staple of the Braves had to be the pitching staff, and in particular the starting rotation. Starting pitcher Tom Glavine went 14-11 with 138 strikeouts and 2 complete games. Kevin Millwood went 18-7 with 205 strikeouts and a 2.68 ERA, recording 2 complete games. Greg Maddux went 19-9 with 136 strikeouts and a 3.57 ERA, recording 4 complete games. John Smoltz went 11-8 with 156 strikeouts and a 3.19 ERA, recording 1 complete game and 1 shutout.

Although his controversial actions and dialogue would result in a shortened career for him, closer John Rocker was very productive for the Braves in 1999 as he had 38 saves, 104 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA. Relief pitcher Mike Remlinger went 10-1 with 1 save and a 2.37 ERA. Kevin McGlinchy went 7-3 with a 2.82 ERA. Rudy Seanez went 6-1 with 3 saves and a 3.35 ERA. Russ Springer went 2-1 with 1 save and a 3.42 ERA. Terry Mulholland went 4-2 with 1 save and a 2.98 ERA.

Awards and accolades were definitely scooped up by Braves players as both Greg Maddux and Andruw Jones would win Gold Glove Awards for their positions. Chipper Jones would be named the National League Most Valuable Player and would win the Silver Slugger Award. John Smoltz would be named the Pitcher of the Month in April, and the classic 1999 MLB All-Star Game at Fenway Park in Boston would feature Brian Jordan and Kevin Millwood representing the Braves and the National League as reserves.

The National League Division Series pitted the Braves against the Houston Astros, and the Braves did handle the Astros well, but the Astros would take Game 1 on October 5 at Turner Field by the score of 6-1. Houston’s Shane Reynolds pitched 6 innings and gave up 7 hits, 2 walks and 1 run while recording 1 strikeout. In the top of the 2nd inning catcher Tony Eusebio had an RBI single. In the bottom of the 5th Gerald Williams had an RBI single. In the top of the 6th left fielder Daryle Ward hit a solo home run. In the top of the 9th center fielder Carl Everett had a sacrifice fly and third baseman Ken Caminiti blasted a 3-run home run.

In Game 2 on October 6 the Braves turned the series around with a 5-1 win. Kevin Millwood pitched a complete game, giving up only 1 hit and 1 run while recording 8 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 1st inning Brian Jordan had an RBI single. In the top of the 2nd Caminiti hit a solo home run. In the bottom of the 6th Eddie Perez had a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the 7th Jordan had his own sacrifice fly, and he would be followed by a pair of RBI singles by Ryan Klesko and Andruw Jones.

In Game 3 on October 8 at the Astrodome the Braves won 5-3. In the bottom of the 1st inning Caminiti had an RBI single, and then Eusebio drew a bases loaded walk to score first baseman Jeff Bagwell. In the top of the 6th Jordan belted a 3-run home run. In the bottom of the 7th pinch hitting left fielder Bill Spiers had an RBI single, and then in the top of the 12th Jordan gave Atlanta the separate it needed by getting a 2-run double.

In Game 4 on October 9 the Braves won 7-5 to put the Astros away. In the top of the 1st inning Chipper Jones had a sacrifice fly. In the top of the 3rd Bret Boone had an RBI single. In the top of the 6th Andruw Jones had an RBI single, and Perez and Williams would both follow with 2-run singles. In the bottom of the 7th Eusebio hit a solo home run. In the bottom of the 8th Caminiti creamed a 3-run home run, and shortstop Tim Bogar followed with an RBI double, but Houston ultimately fell short.

The National League Championship Series against the New York Mets would be more challenging for the Braves. In Game 1 on October 12 at Turner Field the Braves won 4-2. Greg Maddux pitched 7 innings and gave up 5 hits, 1 walk and 1 run but recorded 2 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 1st inning Boone had an RBI single. In the top of the 4th catcher Mike Piazza had an RBI groundout. In the bottom of the 5th Williams had an RBI single. In the bottom of the 6th Perez hit a solo home run. In the bottom of the 8th Walt Weiss had an RBI single. In the top of the 9th pinch hitting outfielder Todd Pratt had an RBI single.

In Game 2 on October 13 the Braves won 4-3. In the top of the 2nd inning right fielder Roger Cedeno had an RBI single, and in the top of the 5th pinch hitting third baseman, shortstop and outfielder Melvin Mora hit a solo home run. In the bottom of the 6th both Jordan and Perez smacked 2-run home runs. In the top of the 8th second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo had an RBI double, but New York fell short.

In Game 3 on October 15 at Shea Stadium the Braves blanked the Mets 1-0. Tom Glavine pitched 7 innings and gave up 7 hits and 1 walk while recording 8 strikeouts. In the top of the 1st inning the only Atlanta run came when Gerald Williams stole third base and Bret Boone stole second base. A throwing error allowed Williams to score.

The Mets attempted to come back in this series, starting with a 3-2 win over the Braves in Game 4 on October 16. In the bottom of the 6th inning first baseman John Olerud hit a solo home run. In the top of the 8th Atlanta countered with solo home runs hit by Jordan and Klesko. In the bottom of the 8th, however, Olerud gave New York a much needed lift by getting a 2-run single.

The Mets then beat the Braves again by the score of 4-3 in Game 5 on October 17. In the bottom of the 1st inning Olerud had a 2-run single. In the top of the 4th Chipper Jones had an RBI double, and Jordan followed with an RBI single. The score would remain tied at 2-2 all the way until the top of the 15th when pinch hitting second baseman Keith Lockhart had an RBI triple. Atlanta appeared to have the game until the bottom of the 15th when Pratt drew a bases loaded walk to score left fielder Shawon Dunston, and then third baseman Robin Ventura had a walk-off RBI single to win the game for New York. This game took 5 hours and 46 minutes to complete.

Game 6 on October 19 proved to be quite a marathon of scoring at Turner Field. In the bottom of the 1st inning, just like the case in Game 3, Gerald Williams stole third base and Bret Boone stole second base, and a throwing error allowed Williams to score. Brian Jordan then had an RBI single, Eddie Perez had a 2-run single, and first baseman Brian Hunter had a sacrifice fly. In the top of the 6th Mike Piazza had a sacrifice fly, and center fielder Darryl Hamilton followed with an RBI infield single. In the bottom of the 6th shortstop, third baseman and outfielder Jose Hernandez had a 2-run single. In the top of the 7th New York got closer to Atlanta with an RBI double by outfielder Rickey Henderson, and RBI single by John Olerud, and a 2-run home run creamed by Piazza.

In the top of the 8th Melvin Mora had an RBI single, and in the bottom of the 8th Brian Hunter tied the game with his own RBI single. The tie would be broken again in the top of the 10th when Todd Pratt had a sacrifice fly, but then in the bottom of the 10th shortstop Ozzie Guillen tied the game again with an RBI single. In the bottom of the 11th the Braves finally came through when Andruw Jones drew a bases loaded walk to score Gerald Williams. The Braves won this marathon of a game 10-9. Eddie Perez would be named NLCS Most Valuable Player.

The bittersweet ending to an otherwise amazing run in Atlanta Braves baseball came at the hands of the New York Yankees, who were in the middle of establishing a World Series dynasty. Though both teams matched up very well on paper, only the Yankees showed up in the Fall Classic as they swept the Braves 4 games to none to win their 2nd of 3 straight World Series Championships.

Nevertheless the Atlanta Braves had paved the way for other franchises in determining how to build a team from the ground up, making wise roster moves along the way. Manager Bobby Cox and his coaching staff played a big part in establishing Atlanta’s consistent winning.