1998 San Diego Padres season

[edit] National League Championship Series

Main article: 1998 National League Championship Series

[edit] World Series

Main article: 1998 World Series

[edit] Game 1

October 17, 1998 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York

In Game 1, Kevin Brown took the hill for the Padres and he was opposed by Yankee ace and ALCS MVP David Wells. The Yankees began the scoring in the 2nd inning, when rookie Ricky Ledee laced a 2 run double into the right field corner with the bases loaded. Wells was battered hard for the only time in the postseason beginning with the 3rd when Greg Vaughn homered to rightcenter with a man aboard tying the game up at 2 runs apiece. In the 5th, Tony Gwynn smashed a 2 run shot off the facing of the upper deck and that was followed up immediately by Vaughn's second dinger of the night. Trailing 5-2, the Yanks made their comeback in the 7th. 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 3 run homer by Chuck Knoblauch that tied the game at 5. Later in the inning, a 2-2 count call by home plate umpire Rich Garcia would prove to be decisive. Mark Langston's pitch was shown on television replays to be a strike, which Rich Garcia called a ball. Tino Martinez would take advantage of Garcia's call and on the next pitch sent a grand slam into the upper deck making it a 9-5 lead. The Padres would only score one more run as the Yankees won game one 9-6.

[edit] Game 2

October 18, 1998 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York

In Game 2, the Bombers would go up 2-0 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.

[edit] Game 3

October 20, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California

With the Yankees up 2-0, they 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 6th 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 double down the line past Tino Martinez at first base. 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 8th, the call was made to Trevor Hoffman after Randy Myers walked Paul 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. With a 5-3 lead, the Yankees wrapped up the victory when Mariano Rivera picked up the save in the 9th to end it.

[edit] Game 4

October 21, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California

[edit] Award Winners

1998 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

[edit] References

• 1998 San Diego Padres team page at Baseball Reference
• 1998 San Diego Padres team page at Baseball Almanac