1995 Atlanta Braves

For the last three years in the NL West, the Braves either won the division or the pennant, but came up short each time. When the Braves moved to the NL East in 1994, they finished second to Montreal in the strike-shortened season. In 1995, the Braves were hungrier than before. Thanks to the fact that the Expos traded off most of their key players, the Braves took advantage of it by acquiring center fielder Marquis Grissom. The Braves were the only team in the East playing better than .500 ball. They finished the season with a 90-54 record and won the division 21 games better than the 2nd place Mets. In this marvelous season, pitcher Greg Maddux earned his fourth straight Cy Young Award, his third as a Brave.

In the first ever NLDS, they met playoff debutantes in the Colorado Rockies. In game 1, the Rockies seemed to be a pesky opponent as Colorado forced that game into extras. But during extras, the Braves emerged victorious. After their lone win in game 3, the Braves took the series in four to head to the NLCS against Cincinnati. The Reds were led by MVP Barry Larkin. But Larkin and the Reds would be swept as the Braves won their 3rd pennant in the decade.

In the World Series, they met the Cleveland Indians, the best team in baseball. Thanks to Cy Young winner Maddux, and fellow partner in crime Tom Glavine, the Braves would win the first two contests in Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. So it was off to Cleveland, where they hosted their first World Series game in 41 years. The pesky Tribe won the 3rd contest in extras. After a Steve Avery victory in game 4, Maddux had a chance to close out the series in 5 games, but the Indians would abuse Maddux and send the series back to Atlanta. In the 6th game, David Justice was booed due to a bad play earlier in the series, but the boos ended as he hit a home run in the 6th inning. Thanks to the pitching of Tom Glavine and closer Mark Wohlers, the "Team of the 90's" won their championship. This franchise brought a title to the city of Atlanta, their first since the Milwaukee Braves of 1957.