1991 Atlanta Braves season

Major League Baseball season March 2026 November 2013 Atlanta Braves 1991 National League championsNational League West champions National League West Fulton County Stadium Atlanta 94–68 (.580) 1st Ted Turner John Schuerholz Bobby Cox WTBSTBS Superstation(Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton)SportSouth(Ernie Johnson) WSB(Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton, Dave O'Brien) The 1991 Atlanta Braves season was the 26th in Atlanta and the 121st overall. They became the first team in the National League to go from last place one year to first place the next, doing so after remaining 9.5 games out of first at the All Star break. Coincidentally, the Braves' last-to-first feat was also accomplished by the 1991 Minnesota Twins, the team they would face in the 1991 World Series. The last Major League Baseball team to accomplish this was the 1890 Louisville Colonels of the American Association. The 1991 World Series, which the Braves ultimately lost, has been called the greatest World Series in history by ESPN. Despite finishing last in the National League West in 1990, the Braves managed to overtake the Los Angeles Dodgers to get the first place in 1991, clinching the division on the penultimate day of the regular season.For the Dodgers, 4 Days Gone Wrong Michael Martinez New York Times October 6, 1991 S1Miracle Is Now Official: The Braves Win It! Murray Chass New York Times October 6, 1991 S1 Murray Chass This was the first of three consecutive division titles won by the Braves. Offseason December 3, 1990: Terry Pendleton was signed as a free agent by the Braves.Terry Pendleton at Baseball Reference December 5, 1990: Sid Bream was signed as a free agent by the Braves.Sid Bream at Baseball Reference December 7, 1990: Juan Berenguer was signed as a free agent by the Braves.Juan Berenguer at Baseball Reference January 19, 1991: Jerry Willard was signed as a free agent by the Braves.Jerry Willard at Baseball Reference January 30, 1991: Deion Sanders was signed as a free agent by the Braves.Deion Sanders at Baseball Reference February 8, 1991: Jim Vatcher was selected off waivers from the Braves by the San Diego Padres.Jim Vatcher at Baseball Reference March 9, 1991: Randy St. Claire was signed as a free agent by the Braves.Randy St. Claire at Baseball Reference Regular season Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Pena combined for a no-hitter on September 11, 1991, in a 1–0 shutout win over the San Diego Padres. The 13th no-hitter in franchise history, attendance was 20,477 at Fulton-County Stadium.100 Things Braves Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die: Revised and Updated, Jack Wilkinson, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2019, ISBN 978-1-62937-694-3, p.172 Opening Day starters Rafael Belliard Sid Bream Ron Gant Mike Heath David Justice Terry Pendleton Deion Sanders John Smoltz Jeff Treadway Season standings Atlanta Braves Record vs. opponents ATL Notable transactions April 1, 1991: Jimmy Kremers and a player to be named later were traded by the Braves to the Montreal Expos for Otis Nixon and Boi Rodriguez (minors). The Braves completed the deal by sending Keith Morrison (minors) to the Expos on June 3, 1991.Otis Nixon at Baseball Reference May 6, 1991: Kevin Castleberry (minors) was traded by the Braves to the Chicago White Sox for Danny Heep.Danny Heep at Baseball Reference June 14, 1991: Rick Mahler was signed as a free agent by the Braves.Rick Mahler at Baseball Reference June 17, 1991: Danny Heep was released by the Braves. August 8, 1991: Rick Mahler was released by the Braves. August 28, 1991: Tony Castillo and a player to be named later was traded by the Braves to the New York Mets for Alejandro Peña. The Braves completed the deal by sending Joe Roa to the Mets on August 29.Alejandro Peña at Baseball Reference September 29, 1991: Turk Wendell and Yorkis Pérez were traded by the Braves to the Chicago Cubs for Damon Berryhill and Mike Bielecki.Damon Berryhill at Baseball Reference Notable events July 31, 1991: Two-sport star Deion Sanders helps the Atlanta Braves overcome a 6–2 deficit with a three-run homer in the fifth inning in an 8–6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The next day, Sanders reports to the Atlanta Falcons for training camp, as his NFL contract stipulated. September 11, 1991: Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers, and Alejandro Peña combine to no-hit the San Diego Padres, the seventh no-hitter of 1991. Controversy ensues when Tony Gwynn apparently ends the no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning but the official scorer rules it an error on Terry Pendleton. September 16, 1991: Otis Nixon, the league's leading base stealer, fails a drug test and is suspended for 60 days, consisting of the rest of the 1991 baseball season and the first six weeks of the 1992 season. The Braves lose the first two games without Nixon but rebound to win the National League pennant. Draft picks June 3, 1991: 1991 Major League Baseball draft Mike Kelly was drafted by the Braves in the 1st round (2nd pick). Player signed July 22, 1991.Mike Kelly at Baseball Reference Jason Schmidt was drafted by the Braves in the 8th round. Player signed June 14, 1991.Jason Schmidt at Baseball Reference Roster 1991 Atlanta Braves Roster Pitchers 33 Steve Avery 48 Juan Berenguer 36 Mike Bielecki 36 Tony Castillo 18 Jim Clancy 40 Marvin Freeman 47 Tom Glavine 32 Charlie Leibrandt 42 Rick Mahler 50 Kent Mercker 49 Jeff Parrett 26 Alejandro Peña 46 Dan Petry 42 Armando Reynoso 43 Doug Sisk 25 Pete Smith 29 John Smoltz 46 Randy St. Claire 30 Mike Stanton 43 Mark Wohlers Catchers 49 Damon Berryhill 19 Francisco Cabrera  8 Mike Heath 10 Greg Olson 31 Jerry Willard Infielders 11 Mike Bell  2 Rafael Belliard  4 Jeff Blauser 12 Sid Bream 45 Vinny Castilla 17 Danny Heep 14 Brian Hunter 20 Mark Lemke  9 Terry Pendleton 34 Rico Rossy 15 Jeff Treadway Outfielders  5 Ron Gant 16 Tommy Gregg 23 David Justice 17 Keith Mitchell  1 Otis Nixon 24 Deion Sanders 27 Lonnie Smith Manager  6 Bobby Cox Coaches 26 Jim Beauchamp (bench) 39 Pat Corrales (first base) 38 Clarence Jones (hitting) 54 Leo Mazzone (pitching) 22 Jimy Williams (third base) 52 Ned Yost (bullpen) Player stats = Indicates team leader = Indicates league leader Batting Starters by position Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases Pos Player G AB R H Avg. HR RBI SB C Greg Olson Greg Olson (baseball) 133 411 46 99 .241 6 44 1 1B Sid Bream 91 265 32 67 .253 11 45 0 2B Jeff Treadway 106 306 41 98 .320 3 32 2 3B Terry Pendleton 153 586 94 187 .319 22 86 10 SS Rafael Belliard 149 353 36 88 .249 0 27 3 LF Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith (baseball) 122 353 58 97 .275 7 44 9 CF Ron Gant 154 561 101 141 .251 32 105 34 RF David Justice 109 396 67 109 .275 21 87 8https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/1991.shtml 1991 Atlanta Braves Statistics Other batters Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases Player G AB R H Avg. HR RBI SB Otis Nixon 124 401 81 119 .297 0 26 72 Jeff Blauser 129 352 49 91 .259 11 54 5 Brian Hunter Brian Hunter (first baseman) 97 271 32 68 .251 12 50 0 Mark Lemke 136 269 36 63 .234 2 23 1 Mike Heath baseball 49 139 4 29 .209 1 12 0 Deion Sanders 54 110 16 21 .191 4 13 11 Tommy Gregg 72 107 13 20 .187 1 4 2 Francisco Cabrera Francisco Cabrera (baseball) 44 95 7 23 .242 4 23 1 Keith Mitchell Keith Mitchell (baseball) 48 66 11 21 .318 2 3 3 Mike Bell Mike Bell (first baseman) 17 30 4 4 .133 1 1 1 Jerry Willard 17 14 1 3 .214 1 4 0 Danny Heep 14 12 4 5 .417 0 3 0 Vinny Castilla 12 5 1 1 .200 0 0 0 Damon Berryhill 1 1 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Rico Rossy 5 1 0 0 .000 0 0 0 Pitching Starting pitchers Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts; BB = Bases on Balls Player G IP W L ERA SO BB Tom Glavine 34 246.2 20 112.55 192 69 Charlie Leibrandt 36 229.2 15 13 3.49 128 56 John Smoltz 36 229.2 14 13 3.80 148 77 Steve Avery Steve Avery (baseball) 35 210.1 18 8 3.38 13765 Pete Smith Pete Smith (baseball, born 1966) 14 48.0 1 3 5.06 29 22 Armando Reynoso 6 23.1 2 1 6.17 10 10 Other pitchers Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts; BB = Bases on Balls Player G IP W L SV ERA SO BB Rick Mahler 13 28.2 1 1 0 5.65 16 12 Relief pitchers Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts; BB = Bases on Balls Player G IP W L SV ERA SO BB Juan Berenguer 49 64.1 0 3 17 2.24 5320 Mike Stanton Mike Stanton (left-handed pitcher) 74 78.0 5 5 7 2.88 5421 Kent Mercker 50 73.1 5 3 6 2.58 62 35 Marvin Freeman 34 48.0 1 0 1 3.00 34 13 Jim Clancy Jim Clancy (baseball) 24 34.2 2 3 3 5.71 17 14 Randy St. Claire 19 28.2 0 0 0 4.08 30 9 Dan Petry 10 24.1 0 0 0 5.55 9 14 Jeff Parrett 18 21.1 1 2 1 6.33 14 12 Mark Wohlers 17 19.2 3 1 2 3.20 13 13 Alejandro Peña 15 19.1 2 0 11 1.40 13 3 Doug Sisk 14 14.1 2 1 0 5.02 5 8 Tony Castillo Tony Castillo (pitcher) 7 8.2 1 1 0 7.27 8 5 Mike Bielecki 2 1.2 0 0 0 0.00 3 2 National League Championship Series 1991 National League Championship Series Avery's successful season continued with one of the greatest postseason performances of all time. He shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates for 16.2 innings over two games and accumulated two 1-0 wins. His performance earned him MVP honors for the 1991 NLCS. Game 1 October 9: Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Team123456789RHEAtlanta000000001151Pittsburgh10200101X581W: Doug Drabek (1-0)   L: Tom Glavine (0-1)   S: Bob Walk (1)HR: ATL – David Justice (1)  PIT – Andy Van Slyke (1)Pitchers: ATL – Glavine (6), Wohlers (1), Stanton (1)  PIT – Drabek (6), Walk (3)Attendance: 57,347  Time: 2:51 Game 2 October 10: Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Team123456789RHEAtlanta000001000180Pittsburgh000000000060W: Steve Avery (1-0)   L: Zane Smith (0-1)   S: Alejandro Peña (1)HR: ATL – None   PIT – NonePitchers: ATL – Avery (81 3), Pena (2/3)  PIT – Z. Smith (7), Mason (1), Belinda (1)Attendance: 57,533  Time: 2:46 Game 3 October 12: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta Team123456789RHEPittsburgh1001001003102Atlanta41100013X10110W: John Smoltz (1-0)   L: John Smiley (0-1)   S: Alejandro Peña (2)HR: PIT – None  ATL – Greg Olson (1), Ron Gant (1), Sid Bream (1)Pitchers: PIT – Smiley (2), Landrum (1), Patterson (2), Kipper (2), Rodriguez (1)  ATL – Smoltz (61 3), Stanton (2/3), Wohlers (1/3), Pena (12 3)Attendance: 50,905  Time: 3:21 Game 4 October 13: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta Team12345678910RHEPittsburgh01001000013111Atlanta2000000000271W: Stan Belinda (1-0)   L: Kent Mercker (0-1)   S: NoneHR: PIT – None  ATL – NonePitchers: PIT – Tomlin (6), Walk (2), Belinda (2)  ATL – Leibrant (62 3), Clancy (1/3), Stanton (2), Mercker (2/3), Wohlers (1/3)Attendance: 51,109  Time: 3:43 Game 5 October 14: Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta Team123456789RHEPittsburgh000010000162Atlanta000000000091W: Zane Smith (1-1)   L: Tom Glavine (0-2)   S: Roger Mason (1)HR: PIT – None  ATL – NonePitchers: PIT – Z. Smith (72 3), Mason (11 3)  ATL – Glavine (8), Pena (1)Attendance: 51,109  Time: 2:51 Game 6 October 16: Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Team123456789RHEAtlanta000000001170Pittsburgh000000000040W: Steve Avery (2-0)   L: Doug Drabek (1-1)   S: Alejandro Peña (3)HR: ATL – None  PIT – NonePitchers: ATL – Avery (8), Pena (1)  PIT – Drabek (9)Attendance: 54,508  Time: 3:09 Game 7 October 17: Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Team123456789RHEAtlanta300010000461Pittsburgh000000000060W: John Smoltz (2-0)   L: John Smiley (0-2)   S: NoneHR: ATL – Brian Hunter (1)  PIT – NonePitchers: ATL – Smoltz (9)  PIT – Smiley (2/3), Walk (41 3), Mason (2), Belinda (2)Attendance: 46,932  Time: 3:04 World Series 1991 World Series Game 1 October 19, 1991, at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota Team123456789RHEAtlanta000001010261Minnesota00103100X591W: Jack Morris (1-0)   L: Charlie Leibrandt (0-1)  S: Rick Aguilera (1)HR: MIN – Greg Gagne (1), Kent Hrbek (1) Game 2 October 20, 1991, at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota Team123456789RHEAtlanta010010000281Minnesota20000001X341W: Kevin Tapani (1-0)   L: Tom Glavine (0-1)  S: Rick Aguilera (2)HR: MIN – Chili Davis (1), Scott Leius (1) Game 3 October 22, 1991, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta Team123456789101112RHEMinnesota1000001200004101Atlanta010120000001582W: Jim Clancy (1-0)   L: Rick Aguilera (0-1)  HR: MIN – Chili Davis (2), Kirby Puckett (1)  ATL – David Justice (1), Lonnie Smith (1) Game 4 October 23, 1991, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta Team123456789RHEMinnesota010000100270Atlanta001000101380W: Mike Stanton (1-0)   L: Mark Guthrie (0-1)  HR: MIN – Mike Pagliarulo (1)  ATL – Terry Pendleton (1), Lonnie Smith (2) Game 5 October 24, 1991, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta Team123456789RHEMinnesota000003011571Atlanta00041063X14171W: Tom Glavine (1-1)   L: Kevin Tapani (1-1)  HR: ATL– David Justice (2), Lonnie Smith (3), Brian Hunter (1) Game 6 October 26, 1991, at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota Team1234567891011RHEAtlanta00002010000391Minnesota20001000001490W: Rick Aguilera (1-1)   L: Charlie Leibrandt (0-2)  HR: ATL– Terry Pendleton (2)  MIN– Kirby Puckett (2) Game 7 October 27, 1991, at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota Team12345678910RHEAtlanta0000000000070Minnesota00000000011100W: Jack Morris (2-0)   L: Alejandro Peña (0-1)   For the first time since 1962, a seventh game of the World Series ended with a 1–0 verdict.Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.367, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, 978-0-451-22363-0 It was also the second time in five that the home team won all seven games of a World Series. Award winners Steve Avery, NLCS MVP Bobby Cox, Sporting News Manager of the Year Award Ron Gant, OF, Silver Slugger Tom Glavine, National League Pitcher of the Month, May Tom Glavine, National League Cy Young Award Tom Glavine, Silver Slugger Tom Glavine, The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award David Justice, National League Player of the Month, May Terry Pendleton, National League Most Valuable Player 1991 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Tom Glavine, pitcher, starter Team leaders Home runs – Ron Gant (32) Runs batted in – Ron Gant (105) Batting average – Terry Pendleton (.319) Hits – Terry Pendleton (187) Stolen bases – Otis Nixon (72) Walks – Otis Nixon (71) Wins – Tom Glavine (20) Earned run average – Tom Glavine (2.55) Strikeouts – Tom Glavine (192) Saves – Juan Berenguer (17) Farm system Minor League Baseball AAA Richmond Braves International League Phil Niekro AA Greenville Braves Southern League Chris Chambliss A Durham Bulls Carolina League Grady Little A Macon Braves South Atlantic League Roy Majtyka Rookie Pulaski Braves Appalachian League Randy Ingle Rookie GCL Braves Gulf Coast League Jim Saul Rookie Idaho Falls Braves Pioneer League Steve CurryLEAGUE CHAMPIONS: PulaskiJohnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 References 1991 Atlanta Braves at Baseball Reference Atlanta Braves on Baseball Almanac See also 1991 National League Championship Series 1991 World Series 100% Category:Atlanta Braves seasons Atlanta Braves season Category:National League West champion seasons Category:National League champion seasons Atlanta Braves