The 1993 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) season. The 90th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the defending World Series champion and American League (AL) champion Toronto Blue Jays and the National League (NL) champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Blue Jays defeated the Phillies in six games, becoming the seventh franchise in MLB history to win back-to-back championships.
With Toronto ahead three games to two in the Series, but trailing Game 6 by a score of 6–5 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Joe Carter hit a game-winning three-run home run to clinch Toronto's second consecutive championship (the first team to repeat as champions since the 1977–78 Yankees).
This was only the second Series concluded by such a home run (the first was on a Bill Mazeroski home run for the Pittsburgh Pirates, in the bottom of the ninth in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series), and the first such occasion where a come-from-behind walk-off home run won a World Series. This victory was the last major North American professional sports championship won by a Canadian team until the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Finals.
This was the fourth World Series with games played entirely on artificial turf, following the series of , , and . A fifth occurred in , although that was a neutral-site series during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sixth would be the 2023 World Series.
Larry Andersen was the only member of the Phillies who had played for the team in its previous World Series appearance in (although he played for several other teams from 1986 to 1992). Darren Daulton had been a late season call-up in 1983, but only served as the bullpen catcher in the World Series that year.
To date, this remains Toronto's last World Series victory, as well as the most recent championship in any of the four major leagues to be won by a Canadian team at their home venue. The Jays would not return to the World Series until 32 years later, in 2025. They also did not return to the playoffs after 1993 until 2015.
Summary Nick Leyva, who was fired as the Phillies manager 13 games into the 1991 season after going 4–9, and replaced by Jim Fregosi, was the 3B coach for the Blue Jays. Leyva was the AAA Syracuse manager, but got the call up to the MLB staff after regular 3B coach Rich Hacker was badly injured in a car crash in July.
Matchups
Game 1
The Series' first game sent two staff aces—Curt Schilling for Philadelphia and Juan Guzman for Toronto—against one another. The result was less than a pitcher's duel, however, as both teams scored early and often. The Philles struck first in the top of the first on RBI singles by John Kruk and Darren Daulton aided by two walks. In the bottom of the second, after two singles and a wild pitch, Paul Molitor's single and Tony Fernandez's groundout scored a run each to tie the game. The Phillies took a 3–2 lead in the third inning when Mariano Duncan hit a leadoff single, stole second and scored on Kruk's single, but the Blue Jays tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Devon White reached third base on left fielder's Milt Thompson's error and scored on Joe Carter's sacrifice fly. The Phillies retook the lead in the fifth inning when Duncan tripled with one out and scored on a wild pitch, but White hit a home run to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. The next inning, John Olerud hit a home run to put Toronto on top 5–4. In the seventh, after two one-out singles, Schilling was relieved by David West, who allowed an RBI double to White and two-run double to Roberto Alomar to pad Toronto's lead to 8–4. The Phillies got a run in the ninth when Kruk hit a leadoff single, moved to second on an error and scored on Jim Eisenreich's two-out single, but Duane Ward got Ricky Jordan to fly out to end the game as Toronto won 8–5. Al Leiter pitched innings—in relief of an erratic Juan Guzman, who walked four in just five innings—for his first World Series win. Kruk had three hits for Philadelphia. Alomar made an amazing diving catch on a Lenny Dykstra looper behind first in the top of the fifth.
Game 2
In the second game of the Series, ALCS MVP Dave Stewart was on the mound for Toronto and Terry Mulholland started for Philadelphia. Philadelphia jumped out to an early lead: in the third inning, After two walks, John Kruk and Dave Hollins hit back-to-back RBI singles, then Jim Eisenreich followed with a three-run home run to deep right-center to put them up 5–0. Toronto got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning courtesy of a Joe Carter two-run home run to left, then cut the Phillies' lead to 5–3 in the sixth when Roberto Alomar singled with two outs and scored on Tony Fernandez's double, but the Phillies got that run back in the seventh on Lenny Dykstra's home run off Tony Castillo. Toronto cut the lead to 6–4 in the eighth when Paul Molitor hit a leadoff double off Roger Mason, stole third and scored on John Olerud's sacrifice fly off Mitch Williams. Alomar then walked and stole second, but was caught stealing third to end the inning. Williams then pitched a scoreless ninth as the Phillies won to tie the series. Mulholland pitched innings, allowing three earned runs, for the win.
Game 3
The West Chester University "Incomparable" Golden Rams Marching Band performed the pregame show for Game 3.
As he had in the preceding World Series, when the 1993 edition moved into the National League ballpark Toronto manager Cito Gaston was faced with a decision regarding his designated hitter. In 1992, Dave Winfield was Gaston’s regular DH but in the three games the series was played in Atlanta, he inserted him into the lineup in his natural position of right field; in two of those games Gaston moved his regular right fielder, Joe Carter, to first base and kept John Olerud out of his lineup. This time, with Paul Molitor in his lineup, Gaston again had to decide whether or not to keep Olerud, who led the major leagues with a .363 batting average and was a good defensive first baseman, in the lineup or replace him with the veteran Molitor, who at this point in his career had mostly been a regular DH and could only play first base if needed. Against a left-handed pitcher, Gaston decided to stick with the right-handed veteran Molitor, but had left-hitting Olerud on the bench if needed later in the game.
The Blue Jays sent future Cy Young winner Pat Hentgen to the mound for Game 3. The Phillies countered with veteran Danny Jackson, who was one of the few Phillies that had pitched in a World Series; he was part of the 1985 Kansas City and 1990 Cincinnati teams that won World Series championships.
The Blue Jays struck for two runs before recording an out. After Rickey Henderson’s leadoff single and Devon White’s walk, Molitor tripled to drive them both in. Joe Carter then extended the Toronto lead to 3–0 with a sacrifice fly, but Jackson got out of the inning by retiring Roberto Alomar and Tony Fernandez.
The Phillies got two runners in scoring position with one out in their half of the first, with Mariano Duncan and John Kruk singling and an error by Carter enabling both runners to advance a base. Hentgen ended the threat by striking out Dave Hollins and Darren Daulton; the Phillies only got one more man on base before the sixth inning.
Molitor struck again with two out in the fourth, hitting a solo home run to extend the lead to four. Carter, Alomar, and Fernandez followed with singles to load the bases, but Jackson struck out Ed Sprague Jr. to end the inning without further damage. Jackson would be lifted for a pinch hitter in the fifth.
In the sixth, Phillies reliever Ben Rivera gave up a leadoff single to Alomar. With Fernandez up, the speedy second baseman stole second and third and scored on a sacrifice fly by his double-play partner. The Phillies got on the board in the bottom of the inning on a single by Jim Eisenreich that drove in Kruk. This was Hentgen’s last inning of work; Danny Cox would come on for the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, Henderson hit a leadoff double, then scored on a triple by White. After a walk by Molitor and a Carter strikeout, Alomar's RBI single made it 7–1 in favor of Toronto. Bobby Thigpen relieved Rivera and walked Fernandez before Sprague's sacrifice fly made it 8–1.
The Phillies managed a run off Cox in the seventh, with a string of singles by Milt Thompson, Lenny Dykstra, and Duncan with one out resulting in Thompson scoring. The Blue Jays finished their offensive output in the top of the ninth with an RBI triple by Alomar that scored Molitor and a single by Fernandez that followed to bring in Alomar. Thompson hit a solo home run against Toronto closer Duane Ward in the bottom of the ninth to finish out the scoring, and the Blue Jays emerged with a 10–3 victory and a two-games-to-one lead in the series.
Game 4
In the fourth game of the Series, Toronto sent Todd Stottlemyre to the mound while Philadelphia countered with Tommy Greene. It had been a rainy day in Philadelphia, which water-logged the aging turf at Veterans Stadium, making for particularly slippery conditions.
Toronto loaded the bases in the first on a double, walk and single. Paul Molitor walked to force in a run before Tony Fernandez's single scored two more. In the bottom half, three walks loaded the bases for the Phillies before Jim Eisenreich walked to force in a run, then Milt Thompson's three-run triple put the Phillies up 4–3. Lenny Dykstra's two-run home run next inning made it 6–3 Phillies. In the top of the third, after a one-out walk and single, consecutive RBI singles by Tony Fernandez and Pat Borders cut the lead to 6–5. Roger Mason relieved Greene and after a groundout and walk, Devon White's two-run single put Toronto up 7–6, but the Phillies tied the game in the fourth when Dykstra doubled with two outs off Al Leiter and scored on Mariano Duncan's single. Next inning, after a leadoff single, Darren Daulton's two-run home run put the Phillies up 9–7. After another single, Thompson's RBI double made it 10–7, then Dykstra's second home run of the game made it 12–7 Phillies.
In the sixth, White hit a leadoff double before scoring on Roberto Alomar's single off David West. After a single and hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Fernandez's RBI groundout cut the Phillies' lead to 12–9, but they added a run in the bottom half when Dave Hollins hit a leadoff double off Tony Castillo and scored on Thompson's two-out single. Next inning, a hit-by-pitch to Daulton with the bases loaded made it 14–9 Phillies. In the eighth, though, after a one-out single and walk off Larry Andersen, Molitor's RBI double made it 14–10 Phillies. Fernandez then hit an RBI single off Mitch Williams. A walk loaded the bases, then after a strikeout, Rickey Henderson's single and White's triple scored two runs each to put Toronto ahead 15–14. Duane Ward earned the save, retiring the last four Phillies batters.
Three new World Series records were set, including the longest game (4:14), most total runs scored in a single game (29), and most runs scored by a losing team (14). Also, Charlie Williams became the first African American to serve as the home plate umpire for a World Series game.
Two death threats directed towards Mitch Williams were phoned into Veterans Stadium as soon as it became evident that Williams was going to be the losing pitcher of Game 4. Williams was not aware of the death threats until after Game 5.
Game 5