Cincinnati Reds: Hatcher and Sabo bash the Bash Brothers
The 1990 World Series matched the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland A’s. The Series where the Bash Brothers as we knew them should have been showcased, were forced to the back burner by a new pair of hitting titans, named Hatcher and Sabo.
By the time the 1990 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland Athletics came around the Bash Brothers featuring Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, were well known for their towering home runs and shoulder pound celebrations.
Billy Hatcher was with his fourth team in seven years and Chris Sabo was just in his third year in the league. As the two-duos converged on the nation’s biggest stage, only one would emerge champions. Hatcher and Sabo.
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McGwire and Canseco combined for 76 home runs in the regular season that year, many of which were tape-measure shots. If the Bash Brothers collected a hit, 30% of the time the hit was a home run. They combined for two triples on the year and a limited number of doubles. All or nothing with these guys.
Fans became accustomed to the home runs and didn’t expect anything less.
Billy Hatcher was a vagabond of sorts who had already been traded three times in his career up to the point. Hatcher had only one season with over ten home runs and it came in 1987, the closest he came to hitting .300. Hatcher didn’t come with much fanfare, but he was a consummate pro’s pro.
Chris Sabo was already on a lot of people’s radar, having won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1988. By 1990 Sabo was really swinging the stick. Known more of a gap, doubles hitter up to the point, he had broken out with 25 home runs in ’90. Regardless of his hitting, he was far from the star of a team that boasted Paul O’Neill and Eric Davis. Even Barry Larkin carried more clout.
The stage was set for the Fall Classic, the Bash Brothers from Oakland against the Nasty Boys of Cincinnati. Hatcher and Sabo were not only overshadowed by other hitters on the team, but they also took a back seat to a trio of relievers as well.
When the bright lights shone through, Hatcher and Sabo hit, and hit, and hit some more, while McGwire and Canseco wilted.
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In the Cincinnati Reds four-game sweep of the A’s Hatcher and Sabo combined for 18 hits, while the other Reds tallied 27 total. Sabo led the team in home runs and runs batted in. Hatcher lead the team in doubles and runs scored.
The two were a two-man hit parade while the Bash Brothers were a combined 4-26 with a lone extra-base hit. The much-ballyhooed bats of the A’s were overmatched by the Reds pitchers and outdone by the Reds little known lumber.
After a couple more seasons with the Reds, Hatcher would move on to three other teams before ending his career in 1995. Sabo, too, would play for three other teams before coming back to Cincinnati to retire after the ’96 season.
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The two had solid yet not spectacular careers, and they’ll always be remembered for the time they out bashed the Bash Brothers on baseball’s biggest stage.