The Out of the Park helps me gets simulations done in a quicker manner than say someone doing a APBA Season replay, while it keeps the general manager in me sharp for APBA projects.
For those that are not familiar with the 1993 No Expansion project (that I have been doing through both Out of the Park 18 & 19). I created an alternate reality in which no further expansion in 1993 & 1998 occur -- Meaning no Marlins, no Rockies, no Rays & no D-Backs. This of course would lead to an alternate route that would lead to numerous different decisions by the 26 existing franchises.
I decided to run the Atlanta Braves, because they are my National League team, and was in love with those 90's Braves, with Greg Maddux, John Smoltz & Tom Glavine all ranking as all-time favorites with me -- between just those 3 players, I probably have a 1,000 total baseball cards of them.
I also got a little redemption back for the 1993 Atlanta Braves by winning the 2016 Greater Michigan APBA Baseball Tournament II, while they went 11-2 during the entire championship run.
I started with the 1992 off-season, as a start point, while clicking off the automatic expansion, keeping commissioner decisions in my hands.
Season-to-Season Recap
Atlanta would reach the 1992 World Series in a rematch against the Minnesota Twins, but we would once again fall short to the Twinkies, this time in disastrous fashion (in which I can't find the old post for some reason)... but had a 2-1 series lead, with a 6-run lead I want to say in the 9th, when everything went to hell, and the Minnesota Twins scored 7 runs to come back and win, tying the series, in which the Braves never recovered from that inning, losing the next two games & series.
The Braves would almost slide and miss the playoffs in 1993, but hold on for the division title over the Houston Astros. They would end up getting swept by Andres Galarraga & the eventual World Champion Montreal Expos in the National League Championship Series; Montreal would go on to defeat the Oakland Athletics, 4-2 in the 1993 World Series.
The Braves would win the N.L. West for a 4th consecutive season during 1994. Yes, there was a full season, plus playoffs in this alternate 1994. The Braves (103-59) won the division pretty easy, this time over the Los Angeles Dodgers by 16 games.
They would be outplayed once again by the Montreal Expos, 4-1. The Expos (103-59) won the hard-fought N.L. East by only 5 games over Barry Bonds & the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bonds signed a 6-year deal worth $24 million prior to the 1994 season, with a possible player opt out after the 1995 season.
The Montreal Expos repeated as World Champions in all-Canada 1994 World Series, taking the Blue Jays, 4-1. The Blue Jays reached their first World Series by defeating the defending American League Champion Oakland Athletics, who had better luck continuing their postseason success further than their real-life MLB counterparts -- partly due to continuing strong pitching staffs with pitchers such as Kevin Brown, Bob Tewksbury, Mark Langston & Terry Mulhollnad, while Jose Canseco & Mark McGwire actually stayed healthy.
The 1995 Atlanta Braves found themselves strapped for cash, while committed to plenty of contracts. The Braves would make no major trades come the trade deadline, while the Los Angeles Dodgers who were chasing Atlanta all year, would land starting pitcher Chuck Finley from California. The Dodgers would eventually catch the Braves, and end their playoff streak by winning the N.L. West.
The Dodgers rode a three-man playoff rotation of Tom Candiotti, Finley & a young Pedro Martinez, while they would go on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2 in the NLCS, while winning the 1995 World Series over the Chicago White Sox, 4-2.
Plenty of changes happened for the Braves to setup their 1996 World Championship run, prior to the season. The Kansas City Royals countered one of my offers, by acquiring outfielder David Justice in exchange for outfielders Johnny Damon and Brian McRae. Another deal is that I traded Fred McGriff away to the World Champion Dodgers to make room for up-and-coming Jason Giambi on the roster. McGriff's haul wasn't much (due to the fact that I was trying to shed payroll), which involved a handful of small pieces, one of those pieces was Mark Mimbs, who served as a good left-handed specialist for me during my 1996 run.
The Braves would come head-to-head with the Montreal Expos once again in the National League Championship Series for the 4th time in 5 years. The Expos, this time were led by Barry Bonds, who opted out of his contract with the Pirates, and then signed a 6-year deal worth $40.2 million with Montreal. Braves would go on to win their first postseason series against Montreal since 1992, winning the series, 4-1.
The Toronto Blue Jays won the American League Championship Series, 4-3 over the Texas Rangers.
1996 World Series
Game 1
It was all hitting by both teams, a combined 28 hits, while the Blue Jays would take the Atlanta Braves in Game 1. Jeff Kent and Derek Bell would each collect 4 hits for the Jays, while Kent homered, doubled, hit 2 singles & knocked in 4 ribbies.
Kent batted .308 with 33 HR & 123 RBI during 1996, he already has 123 career homers & 502 RBI over the first 5 years of his career; Kent has reached the century mark 3 times in the RBI category.
Greg Maddux allowed some crooked numbers: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER & 3 K (80 pitches)
Blue Jays win 8-6.
Game 2
Jeff Blauser was the overall hero for the Braves, his 2-run homer during the bottom of the 6th, put the game further out of reach, making it 7-0, in which the score would stick.
John Smoltz would only go 4 innings (2 H, 0 ER, BB & 5 K), as Doug Drabek would pitch 2 innings of relief to earn the win.
Game 3
Tom Glavine would go 6 strong innings, allowing 6 hits and just 2 runs & a walk, while striking out 6 Jays on 90 pitches.
For the Braves' hitters it was a group effort, while Deion Sander's 2-run home run in the 8th, gave Atlanta more breathing room, on their way to a 7-2 victory.
Game 4
The Braves scrapped together a 4-0 lead by the top of the 5th, on fielder's choices and sac flies, but the Jays would not give up. Mickey Tettleton would hit a 3-run home run off Greg Maddux during the bottom of the 7th, to cut the Braves lead to a run, making it 5-4.
Deion Sanders would once again add insurance with a solo home run in the 8th, to give Braves a 6-4 lead -- that run would be crucial with Mark Wohlers giving up a run to earn his 3rd save of the postseason.
The Braves definitely wanted to walk away with a win in Game 4 (which they did) and not end up giving the Blue Jays new life this series.
A 3-1 series lead now gives the Braves quite the advantage moving forward.
Game 5
Chipper Jones (Atlanta) would hit a solo HR in the first, while Jeff Kent (Toronto) would even up the game with an RBI double to make it a 1-1 ballgame.
John Smoltz was not exactly sharp allowing 4 walks & 3 hits through 5 innings, but only allowed a run.
The Braves would rely on clutch relief from Doug Drabek, Dan Plesac, Roberto Hernandez & Alan Benes & clutch pinch-hitting, which came from Aaron Guiel, who pinch-hit for Mark Lemke, and hit a sac fly to right, to drive in (Brian McRae) the go-ahead run, to make it 2-1.
Benes would get the 1.2 inning save, usual closer Mark Wohlers didn't have much in the tank, while the Braves' bullpen was worked more than usual in this series. Benes, was used much in the way of real-life's 2017 Houston Astros did with Lance McCullers Jr.
The Braves win their first World Series in the city of Atlanta.
Now we'll have to see what the Braves do for an encore, it won't come easy.
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