Rickey Henderson went 2 for 4 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI, powering the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays to a 7-1 victory over the 1994 Chicago White Sox. One of those home runs came on the 1st pitch of the game, as Henderson took Alex Fernandez deep. Joe Carter added another solo shot later in the 1st. John Olerud added a 2-run single in the 2nd to make it 5-0, as Fernandez would last just 4 innings. Fernandez allowed 7 runs on 9 hits. Kirk McCaskill and Scott Sanderson held Toronto scoreless the rest of the way, but it was too late. Pat Hentgen allowed just 1 run on 5 hits, and Danny Cox allowed one more hit in the final two innings, striking out 4 in a row. The Blue Jays are one game away from an upset sweep, as the series heads to Toronto. Despite the win, Roberto Alomar had a rough day at the plate, grounding into 3 double plays.

’93 Blue Jays @ ’94 White Sox – 9/2/24

Dwight Gooden allowed just 5 hits and 2 runs in 8 innings, pitching the 1990 New York Mets to a 3-2 victory over the 1999 Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona used their speed to manufacture their two runs, both coming after stolen bases put players in scoring position. Luis Gonzalez singled and stole 2nd in the 1st inning before scoring on a Matt Williams single. In the 6th, Tony Womack singled and stole a base to lead off the inning, moved to 3rd on one groundout and scored on another. Gooden shut down the Diamondback offense the rest of the game, striking out 5. Omar Daal was nearly as good, but a couple of mistakes cost him and Arizona the game. Howard Johnson hit a solo home run for the Mets in the 2nd. In the 3rd, Dave Magadan and Gregg Jefferies had back-to-back RBI base hits. In 8 innings, Daal allowed 7 hits and struck out 8. John Franco pitched a perfect 9th for New York, collecting his 1st save of the tournament. The series heads to Arizona as the Diamondbacks hope to avoid the sweep, and an early exit from the Tournament.

’99 Diamondbacks @ ’90 Mets – 9/2/24

Kevin McReynolds hit a 2-out 3-run home run in the 1st against Randy Johnson, as the 1990 New York Mets topped the 1999 Arizona Diamondbacks 7-2 to take a 1-0 series lead in the Best of the 1990s Tournament. The Mets scored 3 runs in the 2nd, capped by Gregg Jefferies 2-run double. Overall, Johnson allowed 7 runs on 9 hits in just 5 innings. Johnson did show flashes of greatness, striking out 7. Meanwhile, Frank Viola pitched a complete game, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits to earn the win. Jay Bell made two errors, but neither of them cost the Diamondbacks any runs. Arizona will look to bounce back at Shea Stadium tomorrow.

’99 Diamondbacks @ ’90 Mets – 9/1/24

Jack McDowell held the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays to just one run in 7 innings in the 1st game of the Best of the 1990s Tournament, but Toronto never gave up, eventually topping the 1994 Chicago White Sox 7-6 in 11 innings. The Sox broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning with 5 straight baserunners with 2 outs, jumping out to a 5-1 lead with two 2-run singles from Julio Franco and Darrin Jackson. In the 8th, the Jays would finally get to a tiring McDowell. John Olerud singled and Roberto Alomar tripled to start the inning. Joe Carter grounded out, but Paul Molitor doubled to end McDowell’s day. Paul Assenmacher struck out Tony Fernández, but Devon White followed with a 2-run homer to tie the game. In the 11th, José DeLeón walked White and Ed Sprague to lead off the inning, and Pat Borders sacrificed them over. Rickey Henderson followed with his 1st hit of the game, a 2-run single to give Toronto the lead. Duane Ward had a shaky save, loading the bases with 2 outs and unloading a wild pitch to cut the lead to 7-6 and put the tying run 90 feet from home, but Robin Ventura flew out to end the game. White finished 3 for 4 with a walk and 2 steals. In fact, the Blue Jays stole 5 bases in the game, but also got picked off twice. Tony Castillo allowed just 1 hit in 3 innings of relief to pick up the win and give Toronto a 1-0 series lead. Joey Cora strained his wrist and is expected to miss the rest of the series.

Blue Jays @ White Sox – 9/1/24