Bruce Bochy

1998 World Series Official Film (New York Yankees v San Diego Padres)

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• published: 25 Feb 2016
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The 1998 World Series, the 94th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, matched the New York Yankees of the American League and the San Diego Padres of the National League. The Yankees swept the Series in four games to capture their second World Series championship in three years and their 24th overall. For the first time, the same city—San Diego—hosted both the final World Series game and the Super Bowl the same year; not only were they held in the same city, they were both also held in the same stadium—Qualcomm Stadium. In Game 1, Kevin Brown took the hill for the Padres while the Yankees sent ALCS MVP David Wells to start. The Yankees began the scoring in the second inning, when rookie Ricky Ledee laced a two-run double into the right field corner with the bases loaded. However, the Padres battered Wells hard, beginning in the third inning when Greg Vaughn homered to right-center with a man aboard tying the game up at two runs apiece. In the fifth, Tony Gwynn smashed a two-run shot off the facing of the upper deck, followed up immediately by Vaughn's second dinger of the night. Trailing 5–2, the Yanks made a comeback in the seventh. Jorge Posada singled and Ledee walked, ending the night for Brown; it turned out to be a bad move by Padres manager Bruce Bochy. New York took advantage of the Padres bullpen with a three-run homer by Chuck Knoblauch that tied the game at five. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, a 2–2 count call by home plate umpire Rich Garcia would prove to be decisive. Mark Langston's pitch was shown to be borderline and Garcia called it a ball. On the next pitch, Tino Martinez sent a grand slam into the upper deck, giving the Yankees a 9–5 lead. The Padres would score one more run, but the Yankees won Game 1 9–6. In Game 2, the Bombers would go up 2–0 in the Series thanks to a dreadful outing by San Diego starter Andy Ashby. Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada would go yard to assist the Yankees on offense. New York started Cuban import Orlando Hernández, who was outstanding. In Game Three the Yankees sent David Cone to the mound to face former Yankee pitcher Sterling Hitchcock, the MVP of the NLCS. Both teams were kept off the scoreboard until the bottom of the sixth when Hitchcock himself led off the inning with a single off Cone. He and Qulivio Veras both scored two batters later when Tony Gwynn shot a single down the line past Tino Martinez at first base and Paul O'Neill committed a throwing error on the same play. Gwynn would also score in the inning to give San Diego a 3–0 lead. However, a half inning later the Yanks jumped on Hitchcock for two runs, beginning with a home run to left-center by Scott Brosius. The second run came in after Shane Spencer doubled and scored on an error by Ken Caminiti. In the eighth, the call was made to Trevor Hoffman after Randy Myers walked O'Neill to open the inning. Hoffman then walked Tino Martinez before Scott Brosius tagged a three-run blast over the fence in dead center. A Greg Vaughn sacrifice fly, scoring Quilvio Veras, cut the lead to 5–4 coming into the ninth, but the Yankees wrapped up the victory when Mariano Rivera picked up the save to end it. There was some criticism of Padres manager Bruce Bochy for using John Vander Wal as a pinch runner, leaving the responsibility of facing Rivera for the final at bat to Andy Sheets. Sheets struck out to end the game. Andy Pettitte, who struggled throughout the regular season and had turned in a poor start in the ALCS, outdueled Kevin Brown in Game 4, throwing 7 1⁄3 shutout innings. With the Yankees clinging to a 3–0 lead in the eighth, the Padres were able to get two batters on base against Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson; then with the count 2-0 to Ken Caminiti, the Yankees called upon Mariano Rivera. After Caminiti reached with a single to load the bases, Rivera was able to get Jim Leyritz, known for his clutch postseason home runs, to fly out to end the threat. Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth inning to end the Series. New York Yankees 1998 World Series Champions 2 Derek Jeter · 11 Chuck Knoblauch · 14 Hideki Irabu · 18 Scott Brosius (World Series MVP) · 19 Luis Sojo · 20 Jorge Posada · 21 Paul O'Neill · 22 Homer Bush · 24 Tino Martinez · 25 Joe Girardi · 26 Orlando Hernández · 27 Graeme Lloyd · 28 Chad Curtis · 29 Mike Stanton · 31 Tim Raines · 33 David Wells (ALCS MVP) · 36 David Cone · 38 Ricky Ledée · 39 Darryl Strawberry · 40 Darren Holmes · 42 Mariano Rivera · 43 Jeff Nelson · 45 Chili Davis · 46 Andy Pettitte · 47 Shane Spencer · 51 Bernie Williams · 55 Ramiro Mendoza Manager 6 Joe Torre · Bench Coach 50 Don Zimmer · Pitching Coach 34 Mel Stottlemyre · First Base Coach 53 José Cardenal · Hitting Coach 49 Chris Chambliss · Third Base Coach 30 Willie Randolph · Bullpen Coach 40 Tony Cloninger · Assistant Coach 57 Gary Tuck