Revisiting Ryan Klesko's Beastly Offensive 1995 World Series to Celebrate His Birthday

Ryan Klesko might have flown under the radar for a good chunk of his career, often overshadowed by more accomplished sluggers like Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, and Phil Nevin. However, the 1995 World Series between Klesko's Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians proved what a tremendous offensive talent the now 49-year-old slugger was.

Klesko launched home runs in the third, fourth, and fifth games of the series, driving in four runs as the Braves took home their only championship during the franchise's dominant run in the 1990s.

Klesko hit .313 in that World Series, with three of his five hits leaving the ballpark.

After a poor performance against the Yankees in 1996, Klesko would never get another shot at a ring. He left the Braves for the San Diego Padres in 2000. While he did make his only All-Star team and proceeded to club 133 home runs in seven seasons, he was largely an afterthought due to the lack of success in San Diego during the early part of the 2000s.

Klesko ended his career with an OPS+ of 128, a .279 average and 278 home runs in a very solid 16-year stint in the pros.

Klesko might never have been an overly popular player, as his best years with the Braves came after 1995 and his best years in San Diego were wasted on some bad Padres teams, but that legendary World Series helped immortalize him in MLB history forever.