Blue Jays: 1993 World Series Champions Quiz

Answer: .400 batting average

Olerud had been touted as a gifted prospect for years due to his patience at the plate and the fluid nature of his swing, but he had been unable to realize his potential and achieve elite results. It came together in '93 in dramatic fashion, and for the first two thirds of the season he was unstoppable. Though he cooled off significantly at season's end, his average of .363 was easily good enough for the batting title.

He also led the league in on-base percentage, doubles, enjoyed a 26 game hit streak and finished 3rd place in MVP voting.

Answer: 7

The starting lineup of the American League all-star team looked conspicuously like the Blue Jays, with 2nd baseman Roberto Alomar, designated hitter Paul Molitor, right fielder Joe Carter, and Olerud occupying the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th spots respectively. Also included on the team were center fielder Devon White, and pitchers Pat Hentgen and Duane Ward. Gaston was criticized in the media for the number of players selected from his own team and was booed by the fans at Baltimore's Camden Yards for sending out Duane Ward in the 9th inning, leaving home player Mike Mussina unused in the bullpen.

The AL won the game 9-3.

Answer: True

With team chemistry cited as being as much a consideration as averages were, the lineup was shuffled and White bumped to the 2nd spot. Alomar and Molitor, who had been batting 2nd and 3rd respectively began alternating between the 3rd and 6th spots, depending on whether the opposing starting pitcher was left or right handed.

This left Carter in the cleanup spot despite the fact that his average on the season was significantly lower than many or his teammates, and Olerud remained 5th. Henderson went on to bat a slim .215 as a Jay, though he did manage to score 37 times in 44 games.

Answer: Finish the season with the three league leaders in batting

On the last game of the season, Alomar upped his batting average to .326, moving him from 4th place to 3rd, behind only Olerud and Molitor, who finished the year with an average of .332.

Answer: George Bell

Bell was one of the Jay's most successful and popular players during 12 years with the team. He set team records for single season and career home runs, became the first player in team history to win the AL MVP award in 1987, and played a crucial role in the team winning its first two AL East pennants.

After leaving as a free agent after the 1990 season, Bell signed with the White Sox a year later for the start of the 1992 season. Despite initial success with the team, in '93, lack of production and a well-publicized feud with White Sox manager Gene Lamont resulted in Bell seeing no action during the series, denying the series an element of drama that Jay's fans may or may not have welcomed. The Blue Jays won the series in six games.

Answer: John Olerud

In order to keep Molitor's hot bat in the lineup, Gaston put him at 1st base and made the unprecedented decision to bench the AL batting champion. The move paid off as Molitor went 3 for 4 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored in a 10-3 Blue Jay win. For games 4 and 5, Molitor would replace Ed Sprague at 3rd base, allowing Olerud to resume his place at 1st and his regular spot in the lineup.

Answer: Todd Stottlemyre

Despite coming to bat for the first time in his major league career, Stottlemyer reached base on a walk from Phillis starter Tommy Green in the top of 2nd inning. Three batters later, Alomar singled, and Stottlemyre, wearing a puffy windbreaker that ballooned as he ran, hesitated near 2nd base, then accelerated for third, where he belly flopped in comic fashion and was called out. Things didn't get better for him when returned to the mound in the bottom of the inning with an open wound clearly visible on his chin. Already on the hook for four runs, he gave up two more and was replaced for the start of the 3rd.

Answer: 15-14

Baseball games are remembered for big moments and eventful innings, and perhaps no nine-inning game has more of them than game 4 of the '93 series. On a rainy Philadelphia night, both teams sent questionable starters to the mound against explosive lineups, and offense was produced in abundance. All told, the two teams combining for 32 hits off of 11 pitchers, 18 of them for extra bases. Both teams twice came back from deficits to take the lead, including the Jays coming from 5 runs behind in the 8th, and when it was all said and done, the scoreless 9th, the only scoreless inning of the game, itself came as a shock. The Blue Jays won the game to take a 3-1 series lead.

Answer: Lenny Dykstra

Though the Jays solved the Phillis, and their pitching staff in particular, they never solved Dykstra, who was a one-man wrecking crew throughout the series. Batting in the lead-off spot, the center fielder was the Phillis' most consistent source of power, hitting a record tying 4 home runs in the series and producing 8 RBIs.

In game 6, he hit a three-run homer in the 7th inning to cut a four-run Blue Jay lead to one run, knocking Blue Jay starter Dave Steward from the game and igniting the Phillis, who scored twice more that inning to take a 7-6 lead in the game. Ultimately, the final result wasn't affected, but Dykstra's persistence was instrumental in setting the stage for the dramatic 9th inning and Carter's historic home run.

Answer: Paul Molitor

In a series all about offense, it is only fitting that the most valuable player award go the the team's DH, and even by World Series MVP standards, Molitor's offensive numbers were completely off the charts. In the series' 6 games, Molitor batted .500, which tied a major league record, hit 6 extra-base hits, including 2 home runs, and scored a remarkable 10 times. Molitor was one of only a handful of players on the team to have never won a World Series Championship, having joined the team in the off-season, making his success in the series particularly significant, and a high point in his hall of fame career. Dave Stewart was awarded MVP of the ALCS.