World Series Flashback: 1993—Game One
June 16, 2009 by kevin mcguire
Filed under Fan News
In 1993 the Phillies pulled off a miraculous worst-to-first season. They stunned the baseball world by clinching the National League pennant in six games over the heavily favored Atlanta Braves.
Led by MVP candidate Lenny Dykstra, catcher Darren Daulton, first baseman John Kruk, and an emerging ace pitcher in Curt Schilling, the Phillies faced off with the defending World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays.
This World Series had a little bit of everything, from great hitting to clutch pitching (and not so clutch pitching), and of course, rain delays.
We start our phlashback with a look at Game One, played in Toronto.
Toronto Blue Jays (95—67) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (97—65)
Game One: Blue Jays Win 8—5, Take 1—0 Series Lead
Things looked good early for the surprising National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. With emerging ace Curt Schilling taking the mound against the defending World Series champion Toronto Blue Jays, it was the offense that got everything started in the first inning.
Lenny Dykstra did what he did best for the Phillies, leading the game off with a walk. Dykstra quickly put himself in scoring position with a stolen base. After Mariano Duncan struck out, John Kruk hit a single to left field.
Toronto tried to duplicate the Phillies’ success in the bottom of the first, with Rickey Henderson drawing a lead-off walk off from Schilling. However, Schilling got Devon White to ground in to a double play and then struck out Roberto Alomar looking to end the inning.
Toronto got to Schilling in the second inning to tie the game up. They did so with three singles and were aided by a wild pitch from Schilling. The Phillies regained the lead quickly in the third inning when Kruk scored Duncan on a single. The back and forth continued in the bottom of the inning with Joe Carter using a sacrifice fly to score White.
Duncan would give the Phillies the lead once more in the fifth inning when he scored on a Guzman wild pitch to Kruk, but the Blue Jays tied it right back up in the bottom of the fifth. Devon White hit a solo home run off of Schilling to tie the game at four heading to the sixth inning.
Toronto used the long ball once more to take their first lead of the game in the sixth inning. After Toronto reliever Al Leiter held off a Phillies rally in the top of the sixth by getting Kruk to strike out with two base runners and two outs, eventual World Series MVP John Olerud took Schilling deep for a solo home run to right field. The homer gave Toronto a 5-4 lead.
The Blue Jays pushed their lead to 8-4 in the seventh inning, using back-to-back doubles from White and Alomar off Phillies reliever David West. West had replaced Schilling in the same inning after Schilling gave up two singles to Pat Borders and Ricky Henderson. West was then replaced by Larry Anderson, who got the Phillies out of the inning.
Toronto held Philadelphia at arm’s length the rest of the way, allowing the NL champs to score just once more. In the ninth inning Kruk reached second base on an error to lead off the final frame. After Dave Hollins and Daulton struck out to Toronto closer Duane Ward, Eisenreich hit a single to give the Phillies some late hope.