The cruel NY Mets-Braves trade that ended up costing Atlanta a World Series

On August 28, 1991, the NL East New York Mets made a trade with the NL West Atlanta Braves. Two divisions per league at the time and no connection between the Mets and Braves as division rivals, it wasn’t really a big deal. Plus, the Mets weren’t competitive enough that year to actually add. They were trade deadline sellers willing to sell parts to buyers.

Reliever Alejandro Pena ended up going from the Mets to the Braves in this trade. The Mets picked up Tony Castillo and a player to be named later who became Joe Roa. Castillo had a 7.27 ERA with the Braves in limited action. He dropped it to 1.90 with the Mets. He’d end up traded in the offseason. Roa never made it to the big leagues with the Mets, debuting a few years later and pitching with several clubs.

The real twist in this trade is how it ended for Atlanta.

Alejandro Pena was excellent in the regular season, but one pitch spoiled this trade for the Braves

Pena had a 1.40 ERA with the Braves in the regular season. A 0.72 WHIP and 11 saves to go with it, Pena was a solution in the back of their bullpen and the final boss who’d help them win a World Series.

The Braves won the NL Pennant after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 7-game series. They’d go 7 games again in the World Series, up against the Minnesota Twins. Pena was excellent in the NLCS, tossing 4.1 innings of shutout baseball. He allowed just 1 hit. 

The series was heavy with former and future Mets as far as wins and saves. In fact, every game had a former or future Mets player win, lose, or save the game. Former Mets pitcher Rick Aguilera was 1-1 with a pair of saves for the Twins. Pena wouldn’t earn any saves, but would factor into the final pitch of the series.

In the bottom of the 9th, Pena saved the Braves from destruction. He entered with 2 on and nobody out and recorded a double play. After an intentional walk, he struck out the next hitter. Then came the 10th inning. A leadoff double followed by a successful sacrifice bunt led to the bases getting loaded with a pair of intentional walks. Then came Gene Larkin to the plate.

The series had been tied up thanks to a season-saving walk-off home run off the bat of Kirby Puckett in Game 6. Charlie Leibrandt was the victim there. This time, in a loser-go-home Game 7, Pena served up a single to Larkin. The World Series was over. The Twins walked off the Braves 1-0.

Pena became a free agent at the end of the season, but re-signed with the Braves. He’d go 1-6 with a 4.07 ERA. Although the Braves went back to the World Series, Pena wouldn’t appear in a single postseason game.

His story had a minor redemption as he would return to the Braves in 1995 and pitch well in the postseason until the World Series. He tossed just one inning and allowed a run versus the Cleveland Indians. The Braves were still victorious, less because of Pena and more so because this was the peak of their dominant pitching.

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