The 1991 Atlanta Braves season was the 26th in Atlanta and the 121st overall. They became the first team in the National League to go from last place one year to first place the next. This feat was also accomplished by the 1991 Minnesota Twins. The last Major League Baseball team to accomplish this was the 1890 Louisville Colonels of the American Association. The Braves had a last place finish in 1990 but managed to overtake the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West clinching the division on the next to the last day of the regular season. This division title was the first of 14 consecutive division titles by the Braves, which lasted until 2005.
Offseason
December 3, 1990: Terry Pendleton was signed as a free agent by the Braves.
December 5, 1990: Sid Bream was signed as a free agent by the Braves.
January 19, 1991: Jerry Willard was signed as a free agent by the Braves.
January 30, 1991: Deion Sanders was signed as a free agent by the Braves.
July 31, 1991: Two-sport star Deion Sanders helps the Atlanta Braves overcome a 6-2 deficit with a three-run homer in the fifth inning in an 8-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The next day, Sanders reports to the Atlanta Falcons for training camp, as his NFL contract stipulated.
September 11, 1991: Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers, and Alejandro Peña combine to no-hit the San Diego Padres, the seventh no-hitter of 1991. Controversy ensues when Tony Gwynn apparently ends the no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning but the official scorer rules it an error on Terry Pendleton.
September 16, 1991: Otis Nixon, the league's leading base stealer, fails a drug test and is suspended for sixty days, consisting of the rest of the 1991 baseball season and the first six weeks of the 1992 season. The Braves lose the first two games without Nixon but rebound to win the National League pennant.
*Mike Kelly was drafted by the Braves in the 1st round. Player signed July 22, 1991.
*Jason Schmidt was drafted by the Braves in the 8th round. Player signed June 14, 1991.
Roster
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
Pos
Player
G
AB
R
H
Avg.
HR
RBI
SB
C
133
411
46
99
.241
6
44
1
1B
91
265
32
67
.253
11
45
0
2B
106
306
41
98
.320
3
32
2
3B
153
586
94
187
.319
22
86
10
SS
149
353
36
88
.249
0
27
3
LF
122
353
58
97
.275
7
44
9
CF
154
561
101
141
.251
32
105
34
RF
109
396
67
109
.275
21
87
8
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
Player
G
AB
R
H
Avg.
HR
RBI
SB
124
401
81
119
.297
0
26
72
129
352
49
91
.259
11
54
5
97
271
32
68
.251
12
50
0
136
269
36
63
.234
2
23
1
49
139
4
29
.209
1
12
0
54
110
16
21
.191
4
13
11
72
107
13
20
.187
1
4
2
44
95
7
23
.242
4
23
1
48
66
11
21
.318
2
3
3
17
30
4
4
.133
1
1
1
17
14
1
3
.214
1
4
0
14
12
4
5
.417
0
3
0
12
5
1
1
.200
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
.000
0
0
0
5
1
0
0
.000
0
0
0
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings Pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts; BB = Bases on Balls
Player
G
IP
W
L
ERA
SO
BB
34
246.2
20
11
2.55
192
69
36
229.2
15
13
3.49
128
56
36
229.2
14
13
3.80
148
77
35
210.1
18
8
3.38
137
65
14
48
1
3
5.06
29
22
6
23.1
2
1
6.17
10
10
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings Pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts; BB = Bases on Balls
Player
G
IP
W
L
SV
ERA
SO
BB
13
28.2
1
1
0
5.65
16
12
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings Pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts; BB = Bases on Balls
Avery's amazing season continued with one of the greatest postseason performances of all-time. He shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates for 16.2 innings over two games and accumulated two 1-0 wins. His performance earned him MVP honors for the 1991 NLCS.
October 20, 1991, at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game 3
October 22, 1991, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
Game 4
October 23, 1991, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
Game 5
October 24, 1991, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta
Game 6
October 26, 1991, at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game 7
October 27, 1991, at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota For the first time since 1962, a seventh game of the World Series ended with a 1-0 verdict. It was also the second time in five that the home team won all seven games of a World Series.
