It’s hard to believe that in the days of 20 game winners, a team that was never in second place did not have one 20 game winner on their roster. Tom Browning, or as us baseball fans like to call him, “Mr. Perfect” led the Reds with 15 wins on the season. How does this happen, everyone asks? I have two words for you, the two most feared words in all of baseball: Nasty Boys.
The Nasty Boys were the best bullpen in baseball history. They consisted of three relentless relievers - Norm Charlton, Rob Dibble, and Randy Myers - who all could spit in the upper-90s. Whether it was shutting down hitters or plowing catchers, the Nasty Boys were willing to do whatever it took to win games. They were unselfish, sharing the role of closer between them, and Norm Charlton even filled in as a starter throughout the season.
In the deciding game of the World Series, the Reds manager, Sweet Lou, replaced
Senor Smoke (Jose Rijo) in favor of Randy Myers to face pinch-hitter Jose Canseco. Myers finished the game by striking out a juiced-up Canseco, and then getting the final out popped up to Todd Benzinger at first base, making people ask who can’t the Nastiest of the “Nasty Boys” get out? The answer to that is simple: Nobody.
The Nasty Boys will forever live in baseball infamy as the last great bullpen and the last team to keep steroids from winning the World Series.