Ross Bernstein - World Series Winners: What It Takes to Claim Baseballs Ultimate Prize

Foreword by Paul Molitor

Winning the World Series as a member of the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays and getting a chance to hoist that beautiful Commissioners Trophy was the pinnacle of my 21-year career. The longer you play, the more you realize that winning a championship is the reason you play this game. When you first get to the major leagues, a lot of it is about having that dream of just making it to the show come to fruition. From there you spend time trying to get established, working on what it takes to stick around. When youre young you figure its just a matter of time before it happens, and then the longer you go without one, the more you become sort of desperate to win it. So for me to finally get there in my 16 th season, it definitely made me appreciate it even that much more. To finally be able to call yourself a world champion and to enter into that elusive winners circle is a pretty special thing. I feel bad for all the guys who never won one because its the ultimate. Again, its why we play this game. But the reality is that its pretty rare. Heck, I played for 21 seasons and only got one, so you never know. Im just glad that it finally worked out for me. Im grateful.

Toronto had an incredible team in 93. The Blue Jays had just won it the year before in 92, and they were determined to get the job done again. I came in that off-season and could see right way that the organization was committed to winning. Everybody was on board, starting with the front office. When the team went out and traded for Rickey Henderson that July, it was a big deal. It showed how committed the organization was to winning. We had Devon White and Robbie Alomar at the top of the lineup, yet they still went out and got the best lead-off hitter in the history of the game. That was quite a statement. It was a nice piece to add to a team that was trying to accomplish something so rarewinning back-to-back world championships.

We had a lot of great ballplayers on that team. In addition to Rickey, Robbie, and Devon, we also had Joe Carter, John Olerud, Jack Morris, Pat Hentgen, Dave Stewart, and Duane Ward, just to name a few. We were stacked, both hitting and pitching, with a group of veterans who had a lot of experience. We also had a great manager in Cito Gaston. Cito was the right man for that team. His leadership was just tremendous. He understood us, and he respected us. He knew when to get involved and when to back off, which is not always an easy thing to do as a leader. He just treated us like men, which we really appreciated.

I can tell you too that one of the big motivating factors on that team was for us to establish ourselves as a dynasty. The guys who were on the 92 team really wanted to win back-to-back titles. It hadnt been done since the 77-78 Yankees, and it was talked about a lot in the clubhouse. To repeat is huge in sports. It sort of validates you, and collectively we had a lot of resolve to accomplish that. Everything just fell into place for us. We got past the Yankees in the regular season, the White Sox in the playoffs, and then the Phillies in the World Series.

Without a doubt, over my entire 21-year career, the highlight came on the crack of Joe Carters bat off of Mitch Williams for the unbelievable walk-off home run in Game 6 of the World Series against the Phillies. I was standing on first base at the time and had the best seat in the house. I took off and was hoping to score if it hit the wall, but when I saw Pete Incaviglia looking up and knowing that it was gone, it was like I was floating around the bases. It was surreal. It was a moment that Ill always have. There I was, rounding second and then enjoying that last 180 feet to home plate where I was embraced by my teammates in one of the greatest moments in the history of baseball. The ensuing bedlam was something I will never forget either. The fans just about brought that dome down that night. It was incredible, so loud and so intense. The way it ended was just magic. To enjoy that moment with my teammates, to celebrate what we had accomplished that season, it was almost indescribable. The moments that followed in the locker room were special, as was the parade with all the fans in the great city of Toronto. What a thrill. It was beautiful.

Winning it with Toronto after spending my entire career in Milwaukee was a little bittersweet, though. I can still say to this day that if I had my druthers and I won a world championship, I wish it would have been as a Brewer. Id spent 15 years in Milwaukee and loved it there. I developed so many friendships and had so many wonderful memories there. Leaving there was tough, but I felt like I needed to move on. I felt like at that stage of my career that I would have a legitimate chance to win it in Toronto, and fortunately it all worked out for me. Ill forever be indebted to the organization for the opportunity to be a part of that team.

Id been on the other side of it too, back in 82, when I was with the Brewers and we lost to St. Louis. I remember how great it felt to beat the Angels to get to the World Series, but as great as that was it felt just as bad to lose to the Cardinals after we got there. We came up short, and that was tough. I was very disappointed and very emotional about it. I was a young player at the time, and we all thought wed get back several more times. We had a good nucleus of ballplayers and were pretty confident in ourselves. For whatever the reasons, though, we never made it back. We came close in 83 but didnt get in, and then things just kind of went backward from there. We never did get that opportunity again. Hey, thats baseball. You just never know in this game.

Hall of Famer Paul Molitor celebrates after his Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993.

Truth be told, I didnt start out real well in Toronto and even questioned myself as to whether or not I had made the right decision to leave. It gnawed at me for a while until things settled down and I found my groove. Its never easy leaving something thats comfortable in life, but every now and then you have to take a little bit of a leap of faith to better yourself. So looking back, I have no regrets. I loved playing in Milwaukee, I loved playing in Toronto, and I loved finishing my career in my home state of Minnesota.

It was such a memorable season for me on so many levels. One of the things I appreciated the most was when I finally felt like the fans had embraced me. I started off slowly but eventually found my groove that season. I will never forget the day I got my 200 th hit. They put it up on the scoreboard at the Sky Dome, and the fans gave me an incredible reaction. It really touched me emotionally. Having gone through the transition of coming from Milwaukee and being accepted, it was such a warm embrace that I will always remember fondly.

Perspective is so important in this game. I think about guys like Ernie Banks, a real legend in this game, who never got the opportunity to win one. Is he any less of a player or of a man because he didnt get that World Series ring? No, of course not. It shouldnt define you. I couldnt have been any happier and more satisfied in winning the World Series. No kidding. But would I have been an unfilled man if I hadnt? I cant say that I would. Baseball is what I did. Its not who I am. I think you learn over time that it has its place, but its not the end all, be all. Its nice and it brings a lot of nice perks, but this is a team game and no one man can win a championship. A lot of things have to happen during the course of any one season, and on top of all of that, you have to get a little bit lucky and have a few bounces go your way. Thats why winning them is so rare and so special. Like I said, its the ultimate. No one can ever take that away from you. Youre a champion for life.