The 1995

National League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring ...

(NLDS), the opening round of the 1995

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Saturday, October 7, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. As a result of both leagues realigning into three divisions in 1994, it marked the first time in major league history that a team could qualify for postseason play without finishing in first place in its league or division. The teams were: *

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

(Eastern Division champion, 90–54) vs.

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

(Wild Card, 77–67): Braves win series, 3–1. *

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(Central Division champion, 85–59) vs.

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

(Western Division champion, 78–66): Reds win series, 3–0.The team listed first had home field advantage, which was not tied to playing record but was predetermined. Also, the team with home field advantage played the first two games on the road, with potentially the last three at home, in order to reduce travel. Had the 1995 NLDS been played under the 1998-2011 arrangement, then Atlanta (1) would've still played against Colorado (4) and Cincinnati (2) would have likewise still faced Los Angeles (3). Under the 2012-present format, which removed the prohibition against teams from the same division meeting in the Division Series, the matchups also would have been Atlanta-Colorado and Cincinnati-Los Angeles. Every participant in this year’s NLDS was a member of the old NL West in 1993 (Colorado’s inaugural season). The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds went on to meet in the NL Championship Series (NLCS). The Braves became the National League champion and defeated the American League champion

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

in the

1995 World Series The 1995 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1995 season. The 91st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Atlanta Braves and the Ameri ...

Matchups

Atlanta Braves vs. Colorado Rockies

Cincinnati Reds vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Atlanta vs. Colorado

Game 1

Coors Field Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995, the park is located in Denver's Lower Downtown neighborhood, two blocks from Union Station. The ...

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Game 1 was a match-up between aces:

Greg Maddux Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams. Maddux is best known for his accomplishments while playing for the Atlanta Braves ...

for the Atlanta Braves and

Kevin Ritz Kevin D. Ritz (born June 8, 1965) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Ritz grew up in Bloomfield, Iowa. He is an alumnus of William Penn University and Indian Hills Community College. Ritz was drafted by the Detro ...

for the Colorado Rockies. Ritz and Maddux worked their way out of minor trouble early on, but, in the top of the third,

Marquis Grissom Marquis Deon Grissom (born April 17, 1967) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and ...

broke the scoreless tie with a shot to make it 1–0. However, the Rockies soon answered in the bottom of the fourth. After Maddux got

Dante Bichette Alphonse Dante Bichette Sr. (; born November 18, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player, currently employed by the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the California An ...

to ground out, he walked

Larry Walker Larry Kenneth Robert Walker (born December 1, 1966) is a Canadian former professional baseball right fielder. During his 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. I ...

. Then a single by Andrés Galarraga moved Walker to third. Ellis Burks's sac fly brought Walker home. The next batter,

Vinny Castilla Vinicio "Vinny" Castilla Soria (; born July 4, 1967) is a Mexican former Major League Baseball third baseman who played his best years with the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves. Previously, he played with the Atlanta Braves (1991–1992, 200 ...

, would hit a two-run homer to give Colorado its first lead of the night, but In the top of the sixth,

Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012. The Braves chose Jones with the List of first ov ...

led off with a home run to make it a one-run game.

David Justice David Christopher Justice (born April 14, 1966) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves (1989–1996), Cleveland Indians (1997–2000), New York Yanke ...

then walked just before a single by

Ryan Klesko Ryan Anthony Klesko (born June 12, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and corner outfielder who played for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. He attended Westminster High School in Westminster, C ...

. An error during the play by Burks moved Justice to third. Steve Reed relieved Ritz and

Luis Polonia Luis Andrew Polonia Almonte (born December 10, 1963) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He currently resides in Santiago, in the Dominican Republic, his hometown. Signed by the Oakland Athletics as an amateur f ...

reached on a fielder's choice, bringing Justice home to tie the game. The Braves would load the bases, but Maddux struck out to end the inning. In the top of the eighth, Mike Munoz took the mound for Colorado. He got two quick outs, but surrendered a single to Klesko. Darren Holmes came in and gave up a single to

Javy López Javier "Javy" López Torres (born November 5, 1970) is a Puerto Rican former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves (1992–2003), Baltimore Orioles (2004–2006) and Boston Red Sox (2006). He batted and threw right- ...

. Dwight Smith followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to center to give the Braves a 4–3 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Bichette walked off Greg McMichael, then moved to third on a single by Walker and an error by Justice on the play. Galarraga would then reach on a fielder's choice (on a diving stop by Chipper Jones robbing the Big Cat of extra bases), with Walker out at second.

Alejandro Peña Alejandro Peña Vásquez (born June 25, 1959) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Listed at 6' 1" , 200 lb. , he batted and threw right-handed. Peña made his Major League debut on August 13, 1981 (in time to be included on t ...

came on to face Burks with one out. Burks doubled to tie the game at four apiece, but Pena got the next two outs.

Curt Leskanic Curtis John Leskanic (; born April 2, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched from 1993 to 2004 for the Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Boston Red ...

came on in the top of the ninth and got two outs, but gave up a home run to Chipper Jones. The Braves now had a 5–4 lead, but the Rockies tried to mount a rally in the bottom half off Mark Wohlers. With one out,

Mike Kingery Michael Scott Kingery (born March 29, 1961), is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues, primarily as an outfielder, from 1986–1992 and 1994–1996. Kingery's career high for home runs in a season was 9, set in 198 ...

singled and was followed by another single by Bichette. Walker was then walked, loading the bases with only one out. That put the winning run in scoring position. Wohlers, however, was able to get Galarraga and pitcher

Lance Painter Lance Telford Painter (born July 21, 1967) is an English former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played for the Colorado Rockies (-), St. Louis Cardinals (-, ), Toronto Blue Jays (-), and Milwaukee Brewers (). Although he started 28 g ...

(Rockies skipper

Don Baylor Don Edward Baylor (June 28, 1949 – August 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and manager. During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close to home plate (" crowdin ...

had run out of position players in his first postseason game as manager) to strike out to end the game and give the Braves a well-earned victory.

Game 2

Game 2 matched Atlanta pitcher

Tom Glavine Thomas Michael Glavine (born March 25, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, for the Atlanta Braves (1987–2002, 2008) and New York Mets (2003–2007). With 164 victories durin ...

against the man who made the final out in Game 1,

gave the Braves the lead with a lead off home run in the top of the first. Glavine then held the Rockies to one hit in the first two innings. In the top of the third, the Braves struck again when

Mark Lemke Mark Alan Lemke (born August 13, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball player and current broadcaster. Nicknamed "the Lemmer", he was a popular second baseman for the Atlanta Braves from to . He won the 1995 World Series with the Braves over ...

singled and

had a bunt single. After

Fred McGriff Frederick Stanley McGriff (born October 31, 1963) is an American former first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for six teams from 1986 through 2004. He was one of the most consistently productive powers hitters of the 1990s, po ...

struck out,

walked to load the bases with only one out.

's sac fly made it 2–0, but the Braves could muster no more runs as

struck out to end the inning. In the top of the fourth, Grissom again went deep with two outs to make it 3–0 Braves. All was silent until the bottom of the sixth. With one man out, Ellis Burks reached on an error by Jeff Blauser.

then singled to center to put runners on the corners. Then,

hit a mammoth three-run home run to tie the game at three. In the bottom of the eighth, the Rockies took the lead when Andrés Galarraga drove home Bichette with a double off Alejandro Pena after Bichette had reached with a double of his own off Steve Avery. The Rockies were now three outs away from tying the series at one game apiece, but the Braves would not give in. Jones doubled to left to lead off the top of the ninth off

, then came home on a single by McGriff off Mike Munoz to tie the game. With two outs now,

Mike Devereaux Michael Devereaux (born April 10, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round of the amateur draft and made his debut on September 2, 1987. Along with the Dodgers, Dev ...

singled off Darren Holmes, then

Mike Mordecai Michael Howard Mordecai (born December 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball infielder, who played for the Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, and Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since 2010, he has worked in the Tor ...

followed with another single that drove home McGriff to give the Braves the lead. An errant throw to first by Eric Young, his second error of the game, allowed two more runs to score to give the Braves a 7–4 lead. Mark Wohlers saved the game in the bottom half to give the Braves a two-games-to-none lead going home.

Game 3

Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, often referred to as Fulton County Stadium and originally named Atlanta Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in the southeastern United States, located in Atlanta. The stadium was home of the Atlanta Braves of th ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

The potential clincher pitted

Bill Swift William Charles Swift (born October 27, 1961) is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher. Swift played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies. Scholastic career ...

against

John Smoltz John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967), nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time A ...

. A wild pitch by Smoltz allowed Eric Young, who walked and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, to score to make it 1–0 Rockies. Then Young made it 3–0 when he homered with one man on in the third. But the Braves put together three runs in the fourth thanks to an RBI double by

after a single and walk followed by a two-run single by

. During the final play of the inning, Jeff Blauser struck out and sprained his ankle in doing so, putting him on the bench for the rest of the postseason. The Rockies quickly responded with a two-run homer by

in the sixth. But the Braves would chip away at the score in the seventh when

doubled home Klesko, who singled to lead off

, off Mike Munoz. Then in the ninth, the Braves would tie the game thanks to a two-out, pinch hit RBI single by

off Darren Holmes, the run charged to

Bruce Ruffin Bruce Ruffin (born 17 February 1952)Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p.260 is a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae artist. Biography Ruff ...

. With Mark Wohlers on the mound in the tenth, after a two-out double and intentional walk, the Rockies would put together back-to-back RBI singles by Andres Galarraga and Castilla to make it 7–5.

Mark Thompson Mark Thompson may refer to: Sports * Mark Thompson (American football) (born 1994), American football player * Mark Thompson (baseball) (born 1971), baseball player * Mark Thompson (footballer) (born 1963), former Australian rules football prem ...

retired the Braves in order in the bottom half to give the Rockies their first ever postseason win.

Game 4

was matched against

Bret Saberhagen Bret William Saberhagen (; born April 11, 1964) is an American former professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox fro ...

, who was hoping to keep Colorado's momentum intact. The game was scoreless into the third when

launched a three-run homer with one out after back-to-back singles in the top of the third. But the Braves responded in the bottom of the inning. After back-to-back two-out singles,

's two-run double cut the Rockies' lead to one before

's home run put the Braves up 4–3. Next inning, after a single and walk, Eric Young's errant throw to first, his third error in the series, on

Rafael Belliard Rafael Leonidas Belliard Matias (born October 24, 1961) is a retired professional baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1982 to 1998 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves. He was a member of Atlanta's 1995 W ...

's fielder's choice allowed

to score from, then

's RBI double made it 6–3. McGriff's second home run of the game in the fifth off

made it 7–3. The Rockies got that run back in the sixth on

's home run, but in the bottom of the inning,

followed back-to-back two-out singles with an RBI double. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Mike Munoz relieved Ritz and allowed a two-run single to McGriff. Alejandro Pena pitched two scoreless innings of relief as the Braves would advance to the 1995 National League Championship Series with a 10–4 win.

Composite box

1995 NLDS (3–1):

over

Cincinnati vs. Los Angeles

Game 1

Tuesday October 3, 1995 5:05 PM (PT)

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Pete Schourek of the Reds faced Ramón Martínez of the Dodgers in Game 1. Back-to-back singles with one out got the rally started in the top of the first for the Reds. After

Reggie Sanders Reginald Laverne Sanders (born December 1, 1967) is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed. He played professionally with the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, San ...

popped out,

Hal Morris William Harold Morris III (born April 9, 1965) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for several teams from 1988 to 2000, including an eight-year stint with the Cincinnati Reds. From until 2016, he was the d ...

struck the game's first blow by doubling home the two runners on base. Then Benito Santiago hit a two-run home run to make it 4–0 Reds. In the top of the fifth, after a leadoff double and single, Benito Santiago's sacrifice fly made it 5–0 Reds. After a double, John Cummings relieved Martinez and allowed a two-run double to

Jeff Branson Jeffrey Dale Branson (born March 10, 1977)"Catching up with....Jeff Branson". ''Soap Opera Digest''. July 8, 2013. p. 45. is an American actor. He is known for his role as Ronan Malloy on ''The Young and the Restless'', Jonathan Lavery on ''All ...

. The Dodgers scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth on Brett Butler's RBI single with two on, then added another run next inning on

Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007. He currently serves as the manager of the Italian national baseball te ...

's home run, but could not score again off Schourek, Mike Jackson or

Jeff Brantley Jeffrey Hoke Brantley (born September 5, 1963) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons, from to . Brantley currently is a broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds. Early care ...

as the Reds took a 1–0 series lead with a 7–2 win.

Game 2

Wednesday October 4, 1995 5:05 PM (PT)

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Former 20-game winner John Smiley of the Reds faced

Ismael Valdez Ismael may refer to: People * Ismael Balkhi, a political activist from Afghanistan * Ismael Blanco (born 1983), an Argentine professional footballer * Ismael Prego "Wismichu", a Spanish youtuber * Ismael Villegas, a Puerto Rican Major League Bas ...

of the Dodgers in Game 2.

Eric Karros Eric Peter Karros (born November 4, 1967) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Karros played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1991 to 2004 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland Athletics. He was the Nati ...

, who would drive in all the Dodgers runs, got them on the board with an RBI double in the first to score Brett Butler, who singled to leadoff and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.

put the Reds up 2–1 with a two-run home run in the top of the fourth, but Karros responded with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at two. Raúl Mondesí was ejected from the game in between innings in the eighth on his way to right field, when he badmouthed umpire Bob Davidson for a play at home in the seventh that went the Reds' way. In the eighth, the Reds took the lead on a

Barry Larkin Barry Louis Larkin (born April 28, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player. He played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2004. He briefly played in the minor leagues before making h ...

single that scored

Mariano Duncan Mariano Duncan Nalasco (born March 13, 1963) is a retired second baseman and shortstop who played for several Major League Baseball teams during his 12-year career. He was the infield coach and first base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers under ...

, who singled with one out and stole second off

Antonio Osuna Antonio Pedro Osuna (born April 12, 1973) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, and Washington Nationals during his 11-year Major League Ba ...

. In the ninth, the Reds loaded the bases on three walks with one out off

Kevin Tapani Kevin Ray Tapani (born February 18, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001. Early life Tapani was raised in Es ...

, then Mark Lewis's fielder's choice off

Mark Guthrie Mark Andrew Guthrie (born September 22, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for several teams between 1989 and 2003 and was a member of the 1991 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins. Career After graduating from ...

and Duncan's RBI single off

Pedro Astacio Pedro Julio Astacio (born November 28, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He has played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1992–1997), Colorado Rockies (1997–2001), Houston Astros (2001), New York Mets (2002–2003), Boston Red Sox (20 ...

made it 5–2 Reds. In the bottom half, a leadoff single off

gave the Dodgers life. With one out, Karros hit his second home run of the game to make it 5–4 Reds. However, Brantley got the next two men out to save Game 2 and give the Reds a two-game lead going to Cincinnati.

Game 3

Friday October 6, 1995 8:07 PM ET

Riverfront Stadium Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 Major League Baseball season, 1970 throug ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

Soon-to-be-named National League Rookie of the Year

Hideo Nomo is a Japanese former baseball pitcher who played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He achieved early success in his native country, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to . He then exploited a l ...

of the Dodgers faced playoff-savvy David Wells of the Reds. A two-run home run by Ron Gant got the scoring started for the Reds in the third. The Dodgers would cut the lead in half when

reached second due to right fielder

dropping his fly ball, then scored on an RBI single by Raúl Mondesí in the fourth, but Bret Boone's home run in the bottom of the fourth gave the Reds that run back. Then, in the sixth, Nomo began to lose his control, giving up two singles, a walk, and wild pitch. Then pinch hitter Mark Lewis came up and socked a grand slam off

to make it 7–1 Reds. Next inning, the Reds loaded the bases on a single and two walks off John Cummings when Mike Jackson cleared them to make it 10–1 Reds. The Dodgers changed pitchers five times as the Reds advanced to the 1995 National League Championship Series with a series sweep. As of 2021, this is the Reds' most recent playoff game victory at home, and the 1995 NLDS remains the most recent playoff round won by the Reds.

Composite box

1995 NLDS (3–0):

over

References

External links

ATL vs. COL at Baseball-ReferenceCIN vs. LAD at Baseball-Reference
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