Ring the Bell: An Alternate MLB History

[WB18]

1993 WORLD SERIES SERIES
GAME 6, BOTTOM OF 9TH INNING
SkyDome Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Everyone thought it was gone. Everyone thought that Joe Carter would be the hero. Everyone thought the Toronto Blue Jays had just won the World Series.

Here's Sean McDonough on the call for CBS.

"Well hit down the left field line, way back and... CAUGHT! OH MY GOODNESS! What a catch by Milt Thompson in left field to save the game! Runners advance to second and third with two outs. Oh, what a catch in left by Thompson!

Just like that, the Phillies were still alive.

Phillies closer Mitch Williams would retire the next batter John Olerud on just one pitch, a pop up to first basemen John Kruk. Kruk made the easiest catch of his life to send it to game 7 two nights later.

Final score:
Philadelphia Phillies 6
Toronto Blue Jays 5

 

[Servo1991]

As a Phillies fan, you have my attention.

 

[1940LaSalle]

As a Phillies fan, you have my attention.

That makes two of us. However,since the 1993 Phillies were pretty much lightning in a bottle, I have to wonder about the likely negative long-term effects (this is Philadelphia, after all, where the glass is always half empty).

 

[WB18]

That makes two of us. However,since the 1993 Phillies were pretty much lightning in a bottle, I have to wonder about the likely negative long-term effects (this is Philadelphia, after all, where the glass is always half empty).

Yeah, Philly fans have had it rough. The Eagles, Phillies, 76ers and Flyers come oh so close but fall short at the end. (Except for the 2008 Phillies and 2017 Eagles in recent memory). But these Phillies could keep these guys on the '93 team (Curt Schilling, John Kruk, Jim Eisenriech, Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton), maybe get someone like Derek Jeter or Ichiro down the road, and you have quite the team. Maybe Mitch Williams career doesn't fall apart if they win game 6. 1994 would still be a challenge for the Phils because Atlanta was still good and the Expos were on a tear that year until the strike hit. Speaking of the Strike, I don't know to handle it. I know I want a 94 postseason but it seemed the strike was inevitable, I might have the strike occur during the offseason and have the start of the 1994 season postponed.

 

[Servo1991]

Yeah, Philly fans have had it rough. The Eagles, Phillies, 76ers and Flyers come oh so close but fall short at the end. (Except for the 2008 Phillies and 2017 Eagles in recent memory). But these Phillies could keep these guys on the '93 team (Curt Schilling, John Kruk, Jim Eisenriech, Lenny Dykstra, Darren Daulton), maybe get someone like Derek Jeter or Ichiro down the road, and you have quite the team. Maybe Mitch Williams career doesn't fall apart if they win game 6. 1994 would still be a challenge for the Phils because Atlanta was still good and the Expos were on a tear that year until the strike hit. Speaking of the Strike, I don't know to handle it. I know I want a 94 postseason but it seemed the strike was inevitable, I might have the strike occur during the offseason and have the start of the 1994 season postponed.

Well, the main issue with the 93 Phils would be that a lot of the core, like Dykstra and Daulton, were all in their 30s, so they may not have a lot left in the tank going by OTL. Schilling would probably be the centerpiece of the team going forward. Plus, the Phillies may be able to attract free agents with a World Championship then.

Mentioning the strike does bring up the possibility of Selig only serving as Acting Commissioner. Not sure who could replace him though. I'd say Bush, but the research shows he already declared for the Texas Governor's race in November of 1993, so it might be too late to butterfly that away.

 

[WB18]

Well, the main issue with the 93 Phils would be that a lot of the core, like Dykstra and Daulton, were all in their 30s, so they may not have a lot left in the tank going by OTL. Schilling would probably be the centerpiece of the team going forward. Plus, the Phillies may be able to attract free agents with a World Championship then.

Mentioning the strike does bring up the possibility of Selig only serving as Acting Commissioner. Not sure who could replace him though. I'd say Bush, but the research shows he already declared for the Texas Governor's race in November of 1993, so it might be too late to butterfly that away.

Yeah, Schilling would most likely be the main attraction in Philly moving forward. Free agency as usual is a way to build a team, especially since most of the 93 team is getting old. The strike does bring up the commissioner debate. This is only October, so Bush could change his mind, not to get Political or anything.

 

[WB18]

1993 World Series: Game 7
Philadelphia Phillies @ Toronto Blue Jays
SkyDome, Toronto.

Game 7 would see the Phillies send game 3 loser Danny Jackson to the mound, while Toronto countered with game 4 starter Todd Stottlemyre. From the start, game 7 was a thriller. In the bottom of the first, Toronto struck the first blow when Joe Carter doubled, scoring Paul Molitor from second to make it 1-0 Toronto. Jackson would walk the next two batters to load the bases with two outs. Jim Fregosi came out to talk to him, and it seemed to calm him down. Jackson would retire the next 6 Blue Jays in a row. Stottlemyre also ran into trouble in the fourth, when Mariano Duncan hit a homer to right field to tie the game, followed by a triple for John Kruk, but was able to retire the next two batters by strikeout. Then in the top of the fifth, Kevin Stocker hit a double into center that gave Philadelphia a 3-1 lead and knocked Stottlemyre out of the game. Tony Castillo came out and proceeded to allow a home run to Mickey Morandini, making it 5-1 Phillies. Danny Jackson, meanwhile, was in the game of his life, retiring Blue Jay after Blue Jay. Trouble brewed however, in the seventh.

Just like in game 6, a team in lead 5-1 going into the seventh and ran into trouble. Only this time it was the Phillies who were in the sticky situation. Roberto Alomar started the inning with a single. Then, Tony Fernandez hit a ground rule double that sent Alomar to third. Next, Ed Sprague would hit a ground ball that got passed John Kruk which scored Alomar to make it 5-2. It could have been worse, but Fernandez tripped on third base and got back to the bag. Pat Borders would then walk to load the bases. Rickey Henderson then hit a single to left-center that made it 5-4 Phillies. Jackson would be pulled in favor of game 5 starter Curt Schilling on just three days rest. Devon White then grounded into a double play, but Paul Molitor, to chants of "MVP" would be walked on four straight pitches to bring up Joe Carter. To the relief of Phillies fans, Carter would be intentionally walked and John Olerud would ground out to end the inning with the Phillies still in the lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the Phillies still up 5-4, Mitch Williams would be sent to the mound to get the most important 3 outs of his life. Rickey Henderson would fly out to center, where Lenny Dykstra would make the catch for the first out. Devon White would then walk on four straight pitches, sending the tying run on. Paul Molitor would then be hit by a pitch to make it first and second with one out. After Joe Carter popped out to left, that sent up pinch hitter Luis Sojo would step up, if he gets a hit, the game would be tied. A home run, and the Blue Jays repeat as Champions. What happened next is baseball lore.

"Sojo hits it to right in front of Eisenreich. White is on his way home. Here comes Eisenreich's throw to the plate and they GET HIM! He threw the ball perfectly to the plate, Daulton picked it up and tagged White just in time and the Philadelphia Phillies have won the World Series for the first time in 13 years!"

- Sean McDonough, calling the game for CBS

The SkyDome suddenly went quiet. Jim Eisenreich had made a prefect throw home to the catcher Darren Daulton, who applied an even better, World-Series clinching tag. Then Eisenreich famously took off his shirt to celebrate.

After all of this, every baseball fan was asking themselves:
"When will they strike?"

 

[Servo1991]

1993 World Series: Game 7
Philadelphia Phillies @ Toronto Blue Jays
SkyDome, Toronto.

Game 7 would see the Phillies send game 3 loser Danny Jackson to the mound, while Toronto countered with game 4 starter Todd Stottlemyre. From the start, game 7 was a thriller. In the bottom of the first, Toronto struck the first blow when Joe Carter doubled, scoring Paul Molitor from second to make it 1-0 Toronto. Jackson would walk the next two batters to load the bases with two outs. Jim Fregosi came out to talk to him, and it seemed to calm him down. Jackson would retire the next 6 Blue Jays in a row. Stottlemyre also ran into trouble in the fourth, when Mariano Duncan hit a homer to right field to tie the game, followed by a triple for John Kruk, but was able to retire the next two batters by strikeout. Then in the top of the fifth, Kevin Stocker hit a double into center that gave Philadelphia a 3-1 lead and knocked Stottlemyre out of the game. Tony Castillo came out and proceeded to allow a home run to Mickey Morandini, making it 5-1 Phillies. Danny Jackson, meanwhile, was in the game of his life, retiring Blue Jay after Blue Jay. Trouble brewed however, in the seventh.

Just like in game 6, a team in lead 5-1 going into the seventh and ran into trouble. Only this time it was the Phillies who were in the sticky situation. Roberto Alomar started the inning with a single. Then, Tony Fernandez hit a ground rule double that sent Alomar to third. Next, Ed Sprague would hit a ground ball that got passed John Kruk which scored Alomar to make it 5-2. It could have been worse, but Fernandez tripped on third base and got back to the bag. Pat Borders would then walk to load the bases. Rickey Henderson then hit a single to left-center that made it 5-4 Phillies. Jackson would be pulled in favor of game 5 starter Curt Schilling on just three days rest. Devon White then grounded into a double play, but Paul Molitor, to chants of "MVP" would be walked on four straight pitches to bring up Joe Carter. To the relief of Phillies fans, Carter would be intentionally walked and John Olerud would ground out to end the inning with the Phillies still in the lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the Phillies still up 5-4, Mitch Williams would be sent to the mound to get the most important 3 outs of his life. Rickey Henderson would fly out to center, where Lenny Dykstra would make the catch for the first out. Devon White would then walk on four straight pitches, sending the tying run on. Paul Molitor would then be hit by a pitch to make it first and second with one out. After Joe Carter popped out to left, that sent up pinch hitter Luis Sojo would step up, if he gets a hit, the game would be tied. A home run, and the Blue Jays repeat as Champions. What happened next is baseball lore.

"Sojo hits it to right in front of Eisenreich. White is on his way home. Here comes Eisenreich's throw to the plate and they GET HIM! He threw the ball perfectly to the plate, Daulton picked it up and tagged White just in time and the Philadelphia Phillies have won the World Series for the first time in 13 years!"

- Sean McDonough, calling the game for CBS

The SkyDome suddenly went quiet. Jim Eisenreich had made a prefect throw home to the catcher Darren Daulton, who applied an even better, World-Series clinching tag. Then Eisenreich famously took off his shirt to celebrate.

After all of this, every baseball fan was asking themselves:
"When will they strike?"

Wow, not how I expected the Phillies to win. Eisenreich and Daulton will never have to pay for a drink in Philly ever again! Plus, I really want to hear how Harry Kalas would've called that play.

 

[WB18]

Wow, not how I expected the Phillies to win. Eisenreich and Daulton will never have to pay for a drink in Philly ever again! Plus, I really want to hear how Harry Kalas would've called that play.

Here's Harry Kalas (RIP) call of that final play

"The 1-0 pitch, swing and a hit to right, here comes White, oh no, Eisenreich throws and... (at this moment, Richie Ashburn interrupts Kalas) THEY GOT HIM! (Kalas) HE IS OUT!!, HE IS OUT! Ladies and Gentlemen, He is Out and the Phillies are World Champions of Baseball! This crowd here at the SkyDome is stunned! What a throw from Jimmy Eisenreich to Daulton and Devon White is Out! What a scene here on the Diamond as Phillies win this game 5-4, oh how sweet it is!

- Harry Kalas call on WOGL radio Philadelphia

That would have definitely been rare, the tying run in game 7 of the world series being thrown out at home to end the series. Never happened before or since, to Phillies fans it's simply called "The Tag". People in Philly still walk up to Jim Eisenreich and Darren Daulton to tell them where they were when it happened.

 

[WB18]

1993-1994 MLB OFFSEASON NEWS

Trades/Free Agency

- Philadelphia Phillies CF Lenny Dykstra is traded to the Kansas City Royals for CF Brian McRae and SP David Cone.

- Rickey Henderson signs a 2 year contract with the California Angels.

- Eddie Murray signs a one year contract with the Chicago White Sox.

- Texas Rangers 1B Rafael Palmerio is traded to the Montréal Expos for 1B Greg Colbrunn.

- Michael Jordan, the phenom basketball star who has won 3 straight NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, retires in his prime and signs a contract with the Chicago White Sox.

Other:

- On January 5, 1994, owners voted in former Texas governor canadite George W. Bush as the new Commissioner of Baseball.

- On November 30th, the San Francisco Giants announce plans for a new ballpark in San Jose which should be complete by opening day of 1997.

- Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is completed over the offseason.

- New Commissioner Bush announces intentions for another MLB expansion in 1998.

- Steve Carlton is elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

- The Oakland A's are flirting with relocation. Buffalo, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Washington DC and Las Vegas appear to be frontrunners


UP NEXT.........

 

[Servo1991]

Well, you can just hear the jeers from Philly after the Dykstra trade

 

[WB18]

Well, you can just hear the jeers from Philly after the Dykstra trade

I feel like it could work out for both sides, McRae wasn't bad, just played on some bad luck teams, put up some good numbers. Cone had a solid career too and Lenny was getting old, even though he nearly won MVP the previous year, plus he had some off field trouble. The Phillies also traded for Mo Vaughn from the Red Sox in exchange for some draft picks.

 

[WB18]

THE STRIKE OF 1994

Even before the 1993 season ended with Darren Daulton tagging Devon White for the final out in Game 7, owners had been arguing about a new idea called the "salary cap". The United States was in an economic slump, and the operating cost was slashed from $1.87 billion to $1.2 billion. The bickering had kept on going through the offseason. And not to mention that the CBA was now expired. The players were tired of this. It was time to strike.

"If the Major League owners do not inform us a decision of the salary cap issue by Opening Day this year, then the Major League Baseball Players Association will go on a labor strike until an agreement can be solved."
-MLBPA press release in Sports Illustrated, March 16, 1994

Those few days became crucial to the owners, the players, and the league. The league could not go on strike again. The league would not want to endure another strike like it did in 81. The players and owners had been at odds with one another. Then it happened. On March 20, 1994, the players union voted to go on strike.

Stadiums remained quiet and empty throughout the spring months. MLB was losing money. This strike was hurting the brand. Fans were turning on other sports like NASCAR, the NHL, and the NBA.

In the eyes of most owners, Donald Fehr was the guy who started this fiasco. It was not a surprise that some of the owners wanted to curse and scream at Fehr. But Fehr stood his ground.

The owners and Major League Baseball were looking at the government to solve this mess. After months of talks, on June 6, 1994, the players voted to return to work if a judge had supported the Labor Relations Board's unfair practices complaint. MLB was back.

This season was shortened to 100 games, and the All Star Game was moved to a month before the Playoffs.

The MLB was back. It wanted to be better than ever.

Up next... the 1994 MLB Season.

 

[NyQuil]

Consider me tuned in!

 

[NyQuil]

1993-1994 MLB OFFSEASON NEWS

Trades/Free Agency

- Philadelphia Phillies CF Lenny Dykstra is traded to the Kansas City Royals for CF Brian McRae and SP David Cone.

- Rickey Henderson signs a 2 year contract with the California Angels.

- Eddie Murray signs a one year contract with the Chicago White Sox.

- Texas Rangers 1B Rafael Palmerio is traded to the Montréal Expos for 1B Greg Colbrunn.

- Michael Jordan, the phenom basketball star who has won 3 straight NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, retires in his prime and signs a contract with the Chicago White Sox.

Other:

- On January 5, 1994, owners voted in former Texas governor canadite George W. Bush as the new Commissioner of Baseball.

- On November 30th, the San Francisco Giants announce plans for a new ballpark in San Jose which should be complete by opening day of 1997.

- Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is completed over the offseason.

- New Commissioner Bush announces intentions for another MLB expansion in 1998.

- Steve Carlton is elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

- The Oakland A's are flirting with relocation. Buffalo, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Washington DC and Las Vegas appear to be frontrunners


UP NEXT.........

Bonds still goes to the Giants?

 

[Servo1991]

Bonds still goes to the Giants?

Bonds had already signed with the Giants in the 92-93 off-season, so before the POD.

 

[NyQuil]

Bonds had already signed with the Giants in the 92-93 off-season, so before the POD.

Also are the 1994 Hall of Fame veterans committee picks the same? Leo Durocher and Phil Rizzuto.

 

[WB18]

@NyQuil

Welcome to the series! Always nice to have new people come on board to this! And yes, Bonds still sings with the Giants, but during the 90s, they had plans to build a stadium in San Jose, which isn't far from San Fran, so it would be like they were moving to a suburb. The stadium plans fell through due to the referendum getting rejected IRL. But here, the referendum passes, from concepts it looked like a nice stadium they planned.

Giants new San Jose ballpark concept

 

[NyQuil]

@NyQuil

Welcome to the series! Always nice to have new people come on board to this! And yes, Bonds still sings with the Giants, but during the 90s, they had plans to build a stadium in San Jose, which isn't far from San Fran, so it would be like they were moving to a suburb. The stadium plans fell through due to the referendum getting rejected IRL. But here, the referendum passes, from concepts it looked like a nice stadium they planned.

View attachment 628338
Giants new San Jose ballpark concept

Thank you so much!

Also hopefully we see Dick Allen elected by the Hall or Torre as a player in this TL!

 

[WB18]

1994 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON
MLB's 125th ANNIVERSARY

Fans called June 13, 1994, the day that baseball was finally back, Liberation Day. To Chicago White Sox fans, it was the first time they saw His Airness in a baseball uniform. Yes, Michael Jordan was in the Majors.

And he didn't do so good.

The hype was led with backlash. Jordan hit .207, 6 HR's, 28 RBI's, and struck out 63 times. His Airness was looking more like His Crappyness.

In the NL East, the Phillies, Expos and Braves waged a war for division supremacy, both figuratively and literally. After a Expos-Phillies game on a hot July night in Philly, the Expos decided to stop by a local bar on the way to their hotel. Unfortunately, the Phillies had the same idea. It didn't take long for the trash-talk to escalate and soon enough both teams found themselves brawling right there in the bar. Several Philadelphia fans joined in before police showed up and ordered the Montreal players to get out or spend the night in jail. Expo youngsters Larry Walker and Pedro Martinez refused to leave unless the Phillie players were bounced as well. As Walker and Martinez were taken away, word got back to commissioner George W Bush about the incident. Before he could even decide what to do about the next game in the three-game set between the two, Expos ownership was already on their way to Philadelphia to bail out their players. The following night, Martinez pitched a four-hitter and Walker hit a home run in a 4-1 Montreal win. Ultimately, the Expos took the division by just 2 games as the Phillies came in second, having to settle for the first ever NL Wild Card.

The NL Central race was also very close, but the Houston Astros took it over the Cincinnati Reds by just 3 games with Jeff Bagwell having a sensational season, winning NL MVP with 42 home runs, hitting .386 and having a .752 slugging percentage.

Not to be outdone, the NL west race was close to as the Dodgers, Giants and surprising Rockies had shots at the division. Colorado would fade late in the season, thanks to an injury to Andres Galarraga. In the Final series of the season, the Dodgers lead the Giants by a game going in. The Giants swept the Padres, while the Dodgers lost 2 out of 3 to the Rockies to give San Fran their first division title since 1989.

In the AL, the evil empire is back as the Yankees spent the summer beating up on the AL East. Cal Ripken Jr continues to come close to breaking Lou Gehrig's Iron Man record for most consecutive games played but his O's are powerless against a soon-to-be dominant Yankee team. The Central would be won by the White Sox as expected but the Cleveland Indians broke out onto the scene, led by Albert Belle and Jim Thome, the ladder winning AL MVP with 37 home runs and 76 RBI's. Out in the AL West, the teams in there were so bad it seemed like nobody wanted to win it. But in the End, thanks to a late season collapse by the Rangers (who went 2-8 in their final 10) the California Angels won the division with a 50-50 record. Many baseball fans were calling for a flex rule to be imposed, which would send a team with a better record to the playoffs instead of a division winner (In this case, both the Orioles and Blue Jays had better records than the Angels).

But over all, the 125th anniversary for professional baseball was a very interesting affair.

AMERCIAN LEAGUE STANDINGS

EAST:
New York Yankees (64-36)
Baltimore Orioles (57-43)
Toronto Blue Jays (51-49)
Boston Red Sox (41-59)
Detroit Tigers (35-65)

CENTRAL:
Chicago White Sox (65-35)
Cleveland Indians (61-39) (WC)
Kansas City Royals (49-51)
Milwaukee Brewers (42-58)
Minnesota Twins (42-58)

WEST:
California Angels (50-50)
Texas Rangers (48-52)
Seattle Mariners (46-54)
Oakland Athletics (38-62)


National League Standings
EAST:
Montreal Expos (68-32)
Philadelphia Phillies (66-34) (WC)
Atlanta Braves (59-41)
New York Mets (47-53)
Florida Marlins (44-56)

CENTRAL:
Houston Astros (57-43)
Cincinnati Reds (54-46)
St Louis Cardinals (47-53)
Chicago Cubs (40-60)
Pittsburgh Pirates (39-61)

WEST:
San Francisco Giants (60-40)
Los Angeles Dodgers (58-42)
Colorado Rockies (52-48)
San Diego Padres (45-55)

WC = Wild Card

Awards
AL MVP - Jim Thome, Cleveland Indians
AL Cy Young - Scott Sanderson, Chicago White Sox
AL Manager of the Year - Mike Hargrove, Cleveland Indians

NL MVP - Jeff Bagwell, Houston Astros
NL Cy Young - Curt Schilling, Philadelphia Phillies
NL Manager of the Year - Felipe Alou, Montreal Expos