The 1995 League Championship Series marked the second round of the postseason -- the first time a second round was required to get to the World Series. The only exception had been 1981, when the season was split into halves due to a labor stoppage.

Atlanta was bidding for a third consecutive World Series appearance, excluding the wiped-out postseason of '94. The Braves made short week of Cincinnati to punch that return ticket, and a surprising bench player came through with an important contribution: Mike Devereaux. The former Baltimore outfielder had signed with the White Sox as a free agent after the 1994 season, and he had been traded to Atlanta on Aug. 25. In the 11th inning of Game 1, he came up with two out and Fred McGriff on second, facing right-hander Mike Jackson. On a 2-and-1 pitch, Devereaux singled to center, scoring the Crime Dog with what would be the winning run.

The bottom of that inning had plenty of intrigue, with regular Braves starter Steve Avery forced to come in to face Mariano Duncan, walking him to put men at the corners with one out. That's when Greg McMichael came out of the bullpen to induce Reggie Sanders into one of the biggest double plays in Atlanta Braves history to that point. The Braves were off and running, and they would wind up clinching with a 6-0 shutout -- including a three-run homer by Devereaux that would clinch NLCS MVP.

Game 2 would be notable as the last postseason game ever played at Riverfront Stadium -- site of so many great postseason performances by the Big Red Machine.

A colossal World Series matchup was set, featuring two powerhouse teams that each had the best record in its league during the regular season and each had won seven games already in a new kind of postseason. Someone was going to make history in the coming days, in Atlanta or Cleveland.

Path to the NLCS
NLDS: Atlanta over Colorado (3-1); Cincinnati over Los Angeles (3-0)?

Managers: Bobby Cox, ATL; Davey Johnson, CIN

MVP: Mike Devereaux