Late in the 1992 season, the Texas Rangers traded Sierra (along with pitchers Bobby Witt and Jeff Russell) to the Oakland Athletics for Jose Canseco. Alas, the A’s, who won their fourth AL West title in five years in 1992, were at the end of their dynasty. Even though Oakland won the AL pennant in 1988, 1989, and 1990, the ’92 team fell short, losing to Toronto in six games in the ALCS. However, it wasn’t Sierra’s fault, as he batted .333 during the series, including a big home run off David Cone in Game Five to help the A’s stave off elimination.
In 1995 with the Yankees, Sierra had a few big hits in the Division Series against Seattle, but was the forgotten man in long-time Yankee captain Don Mattingly’s first (and only) postseason action. Sierra belted home runs in the first two games of the series, and nearly made it into Yankees postseason lore in extra innings in Game Two. Alas, his heroics have long been forgotten as people probably remember only Jim Leyritz’s walk-off home run off Tim Belcher in the 15th inning of that game. But it was Sierra’s RBI double in the 12th inning that tied the game and helped prolong the contest. In fact, he was oh so close to getting the game-winning hit.
With the Yankees trailing 5-4 and two outs in the bottom of the 12th at Yankee Stadium, Sierra’s deep drive off Belcher with two runners on almost went out of the ballpark for a walk-off three-run homer. But it fell just inches shy of being a home run, instead hitting the top of the left-field fence for a double. Jorge Posada (in the game as a pinch-runner for Wade Boggs) scored to tie the game, but a sliding Bernie Williams was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base as Sierra looked on in disbelief. Ruben had come oh so close to winning the game in one of two ways, as he nearly hit a home run, and Williams was barely thrown out for the final out of the inning to keep the game going. (What was impressive about Sierra’s clutch hit was that the Mariners bullpen had put up these numbers prior to his at-bat: 6.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 SO.)
Alas, the Yankees went on to blow the 2-0 series lead once the series shifted to the Kingdome as their bullpen collapsed in the final two games. The series isn’t known for Sierra’s heroics, but for Mattingly, Leyritz, David Cone, Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., and Edgar Martinez. But Sierra definitely had a few memorable hits, two homers and that game-tying 12th-inning double. He even homered as the front-end of back-to-back dingers for him and Mattingly in the sixth inning of that Game Two to knock out Andy Benes and give New York a brief 3-2 lead.
In 1996, the Yankees had a huge lead over the Orioles in the AL East, but the team, tired of Sierra’s attitude and lack of production, dealt him to lowly Detroit for Cecil Fielder before the trading deadline. The Yankees went on to win the World Series that year, and again in 1998, 1999, and 2000.
Sierra surfaced with the Seattle Mariners in 2002. With DH Edgar Martinez out of the lineup because of injuries, Sierra filled in as the M’s designated hitter (as well as seeing action in left field) and managed to get over 400 at-bats. He contributed 13 homers and 60 RBIs. For a while, it looked like the Mariners would make it to the postseason, as they got off to a similar start as their historic 116-win season from 2001. Alas, the wheels came off, and the M’s were knocked out of first place for good in the final week of August and finished behind the playoff-bound A’s and Angels in the AL West.
In 2003, Sierra returned to the Yankees as a pinch-hitter/reserve outfielder and played in his first ever World Series. And he had a big hit too. In Game Four, with the Yankees leading Florida two games to one and trailing 3-1 in the ninth inning, Sierra delivered a game-tying two-run pinch-hit triple to help Roger Clemens avoid the loss. But the Yankees still lost the game in extra innings and the series in six games. No ring for Sierra.
In 2004, he came oh so close once more. With the Yankees trailing the Minnesota Twins 5-2 in Game Four of the Division Series, Sierra’s three-run homer in the eighth tied the game. New York went on to win the contest, eliminating the Twins. The Yankees then took a 3-0 lead in the ALCS over the Boston Red Sox, only to lose the final four games, becoming the first team in baseball history to ever blow a 3-0 postseason series lead.
Thus, Sierra retired without winning a championship ring. But he definitely came close several times. He also certainly delivered for the A’s and Yankees in postseason play—batting .264 with five home runs and 21 RBIs in 31 games in his postseason career—and was the forgotten man in 1995. Oh, so close.
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