The Braves and Pirates returned to the playoffs this year, and fought another close battle. The series went to a seventh game, and it appeared that the Pirates had it won, entering the ninth with a two-run lead. But the Braves came back, winning the game on a two-out, bases loaded single by Francisco Cabrera. In the later years of the Braves' dynasty, their fans tired of their predictable ways; but in the early years they played some memorable and entertaining series.

         The Cy Young Award winner was a future Brave, Greg Maddux. At this time, Maddux was not yet "The Professor". He had taken a step forward to become the best pitcher in the league, and a couple of years later would progress to become one of the best pitchers in baseball history. Maddux left the Cubs after this season to join Atlanta, a move that was wildly successful for both player and team.
        The Braves had surprised everyone by winning in 1991. This year, they proved that they were not a fluke. Ace pitcher Tom Glavine also proved that he was not a fluke, finishing second in the Cy Young vote behind his future teammate (and commercial co-star) Maddux. Glavine was still the ace of an outstanding Atlanta pitching staff that included Steve Avery, John Smoltz, and Charlie Leibrandt.
        Maddux has since developed a reputation for being one of the best control pitchers in baseball history. But this year, it was Bob Tewksbury who almost completely stopped giving out the free passes. Tewksbury was a 31-year-old journeyman without great stuff; this year, he discovered he could throw strikes, and not get hit hard. He was great, but this success was short-lived. Tewksbury quickly aged, and though his control remained excellent, he started to get hit hard by opposing hitters.
        This was probably the best season in the epic career of Mike Morgan. Morgan was a high school star who skipped the minor leagues, and joined the Oakland Athletics in 1978, at age 18. By 1990, Morgan had been in the majors for ten years, and still did not have a winning record. His teams included Oakland, New York, Toronto, Seattle, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. With two straight winning seasons, Morgan appeared ready to make a run at evening his career won-loss record, but he followed up with some more losing seasons. Morgan is still pitching, at age 40, and had a winning record in 1999 with Texas; his career won-loss record currently stands at 134-180.
        Doug Jones had a heck of a year with Houston. Jones is another old survivor; at this writing he is still pitching well, at age 43. Jones began his career with Milwaukee in 1982, appeared in four games, then disappeared. He resurfaced with Cleveland in 1986, and had a string of brilliant seasons. Jones struggled in 1991, but this year joined Houston and was again brilliant. Jones has had a habit of putting together some outstanding seasons, followed by a stinker that has forced him to move to another city. But he has been around a long time now, and has had many outstanding seasons; he currently has 301 career saves.