1991 Atlanta Braves Season Retrospective

[selmaborntidefan]

October 1, 1991
Atlanta Braves 7 (W: Stanton, 5-5; SV: Pena, 13)
Cincinnati Reds 6 (L: Dibble, 3-5)
91-67
2nd place
1 game behind

Un-"Believe"-able!!

Braves rally from 6-0 down to stay one behind LA!

Anyone who did not believe the Atlanta Braves are a team of destiny on their way to a pennant prior to tonight's game believes now. And how. It was only the most incredible win in the entire 25-year history of the Atlanta franchise. The Dodgers have long called themselves a team of destiny, but they may have to settle for destiny's runner-up in 1991.

Tonight at just a few minutes after eight pm, the prognosis for the Atlanta Braves was as bleak as it has been all season. When Joe Oliver's grand slam off of Charlie Leibrandt capped the scoring of the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning, even the most diehard Atlanta fan could be forgiven if he turned off the television or switched the channel to watch the new family comedy "Home Improvement," particularly since the chauvinistic protagonist was attempting to tune in a Detroit Lions football game on a hidden earpiece while having a romantic dinner with his wife. Braves fans likely rolled with laughter at the zealous fan who left his wife at the dinner table on his anniversary and could be seen through the kitchen window screaming, "Touchdown!" And the Braves fan could no doubt relate as many a fan has spent this September acting the same. Better to laugh than cry. The smart fans, though, flipped the channel back over to see the Braves gradually climb back into the contest. And there's a term for those who watched the game right up until Barry Larkin struck out to end the game: absent from work on Wednesday. What Braves fan could go to sleep after perhaps the most improbable regular season win in the history of franchise, at least one available on video tape?

The Braves gave up a quick touchdown in the bottom of the first, falling six runs behind the defending world champions. With Cy Young candidate Jose Rijo on the mound. Who has not a lost a single game at Riverfront Stadium in one full calendar year. But the Braves pieced together enough runs to close the gap to one when they again faced Rob Dibble in the bottom of the ninth. Six weeks ago, the Braves entered the pennant race when unsung catcher Francisco Cabrera golfed a three-run shot into the seats to tie a game the Braves eventually won. Tonight, the Braves went one better when Cincinnati-born David Justice launched a missile into the right-field seats with one out in the ninth to give Atlanta an incredible 7-6 lead. Alejandro Pena continued his success as a closer, and the Braves didn't even care that the Dodgers won their game on the West Coast later, the most amusing detail of their night being the reactions of their gregarious manager Tommy Lasorda.




AP Photo - David Justice is all smiles as he greets Deion Sanders at home after driving in the winning runs in Atlanta's 7-6 win over the Reds in Cincinnati. Umpire Mike Winters is in the background.

It may have been the most "team" win the Braves have had all year long. A game where they looked left for dead became a victory that made them glad to be alive. Pete Smith, who has lost the fifth starter's job more than once, kept the Braves alive. New acquisition Mike Bielecki contributed as did third-string catcher Jerry Willard, who drove in a run despite a .091 batting average. And one of the largest contributions came from Deion Sanders, whose steal of second before Justice's lightning strike could well have backfired strategically for the Braves. And Norm Charlton, in a no-win situation where the pennant race was concerned, did all he could to help the Dodgers with solid pitching.

The Braves didn't score in the first three innings, no surprise against Rijo. But with two outs in the fourth, the Braves began to stir. Ron Gant walked, stole second, and scored on a double by pinch-hitter Tommy Gregg. Willard then pinch-hit for starter Charlie Leibrandt and singled Gregg home to cut the lead to four. An inning later, Terry Pendleton drilled a solo homer off Rijo that cut the lead in half halfway through the game.

The key for Atlanta, though, was to not give up runs already regained. Pete Smith, whose arm troubles are well documented, took over for Leibrandt and threw his best three innings of the year, giving up only two hits and walking one. When it was time for Smith to hit to lead off the seventh, Braves Manager Bobby Cox sent Jeff Treadway to the plate, and he singled. When Lonnie Smith walked, the Braves suddenly had the tying run at bat with nobody out. Rijo got the hook in favor of Charlton and what followed was the most exciting play of the season for the Braves, a play where they did almost everything wrong but it turned out all right. For one play the Braves went back to their 80s ineptitude but got away with it to show that maybe the corner has indeed been turned.


"I gotta borrow it from ya, Dad - Holy COW!" - Skip Caray

Mariano Duncan normally plays second base but thanks to injuries, he was playing in center field tonight. As in for the first time ever in his major league career. Charlton came on with the tying at the plate in the form of the light-hitting Mark Lemke. The Lemmer nailed the pitch from Charlton into deep center field, all the way to the fence. With the ball rising, Braves announcer Skip Caray's voice got louder as the ball approached the wall as a home run would tie the contest. Duncan appeared to lose the ball in the lights and misplayed it. He then relayed it to Barry Larkin behind second base, who turned to relay and then got confused. As it turned out, Larkin wasn't nearly as confused as the Braves' baserunners.

Treadway had rounded third and then held up, but when he turned around, he saw Lonnie Smith chugging into third while Lemke was heading for second. All hell broke loose as Reds second baseman Bill Doran waved frantically behind second base. Larkin, with a puzzled look, tossed the ball to Doran, who turned around to see Treadway heading for the plate. Doran fired to Oliver, but his throw was so high that the catcher had to leap to grabit while Treadway went past him and promptly missed home plate. But Treadway dove back in under the tag and was called safe, and the Braves were suddenly only trailing by a score of 6-4, and had the go ahead run at the plate with nobody out. Oliver was injured on the play and replaced by Donnie Scott. A Pendleton single brought Smith home from third, and the Braves were only down 6-5 with runners on first and second.

But Charlton was nothing if not resilient. He got the dangerous Justice to pop up and then trumped his own ace by throwing a wild pitch that moved both runners up a base. With the tying run in scoring position, the Reds made the unusual choice - correct in this instance - of walking Ron Gant to load the bases. Charlton then struck out Brian Hunter and got Greg Olson to line out to end the inning. Bielecki came on and loaded the bases with two outs, but reliever Mike Stanton retired Doran to close out the seventh.

Then came the truly remarkable.

Rob Dibble, the majors' hardest thrower, came on to close out his 32nd save of the year. But Dibble has been in a bit of a slump lately, blowing three of his last five opportunities. Lemke hit another single and was replaced by pinch-runner Deion Sanders, who stole second. The Braves had three chances to tie the game, but they got more. After Dibble got Pendleton to fly to center, Justice stepped to the plate and launched a moon shot into the second deck that jolted Skip Caray to shout, "Braves LEAD! Braves LEAD! Braves LEAD!" After Justice crossed the plate to give the Braves a 7-6 lead, Skip paid tribute to his father, Chicago Cubs' beloved announcer Harry Caray by saying, "I gotta borrow it from ya, Dad - Holy COW!" On the final two words, Skip clearly altered his voice to match the familiar refrain of his father. Pena came on and got the Reds out in order, and Atlanta had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

In Los Angeles, the Dodgers won, 3-1, and the Braves were so happy to only be one game out, they didn't even care. The same cannot be said, however, for Tommy Lasorda. After the Reds tore out to a 6-0 lead, one reporter at Lasorda's pregame lasagna buffet asked him how it felt to have the game in the bag with Rijo leading by six against Atlanta. But Lasorda wouldn't bite (other than the lasagna), saying that anything can happen in baseball. He warned anyone who would listen: "Be clear - it's NOT over." The Dodgers were giddy, Mike Sharperson smiling and saying, "Man, they may be in for a long night." Lasorda left the clubhouse for a television interview and came back to hear that the Braves had cut the deficit to 6-3. He intoned, "Oh no," and took another bite of lasagna. After several phone calls and a few visits, word gets to Lasorda that the Braves have narrowed the gap to 6-5. In the first inning of his team's game, a message came to Lasorda - the Braves had taken a 7-6 lead. The only thing that would have made it better is if the game had ended a half-hour earlier before the Dodger game started. Lasorda's reaction would not have been acceptable even on cable television.

For the fourth straight night, the Atlanta Braves scored the winning run in the eighth inning or later. This isn't pressure. This isn't anxiety. This isn't the typical Atlanta choke.

This is more fun than any Braves fans of the Atlanta era have ever known. And the ride isn't over yet.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 2, 1991
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Glavine, 20-11; SV: Pena, 14)
Cincinnati Reds 3 (L: Scudder, 6-9)
92-67
1st place

BRAVES RETURN TO ATLANTA IN 1ST WITH PENNANT ON THE LINE; GLAVINE CAPTURES 20TH IN 6-3 WIN; BLUE JAYS CAPTURE AL EAST FOR THIRD TIME IN SEVEN SEASONS, WILL FACE MINNESOTA

And then there was one. One series left for each team to determine who goes to the playoffs and who just goes. After a week of doing nothing but winning baseball games, the Atlanta Braves finally - finally - got the break they feel will propel them into the NLCS against the Pirates. And it all comes down to the magic number "6," the number on the back of turnaround Manager Bobby Cox's uniform. The Braves have won six games in a row to match the blistering pace of the Dodgers, who had gone 22-8 in their last thirty games heading into tonight's competition. The Braves have gone 19-11 during the same time frame, a pace of .633 that is nothing to be ashamed of. The two teams played six games, splitting them at three apiece. And then there's the six-run inning, which in the last two nights has become as common as mosquitoes in the ballpark in Atlanta.

Last night, the Cincinnati Reds scored six runs in the first inning with their best pitcher on the mound, a deficit it took the Braves the entire came to overcome. Tonight, the Braves returned the favor, tearing out to a 6-0 lead before Tom Glavine ever even walked to the mound to throw his first pitch. Just like the Reds, the Braves scored six runs in the first with their best pitcher on the mound. And the Reds, unlike the Braves, got two quick runs back in the first inning tonight. And oh yes, they got six hits on Atlanta's pitching. And then just as if to show that it was no coincidence, the San Diego Padres blew open a 3-3 tie against the Dodgers with a rousing six-run eighth inning that put away the game, the Dodgers, and the lead they'd held on the Braves since September 18. The Braves were in the air flying back home when the Padres lifted Atlanta into first place, but air traffic control made sure the Braves knew before they landed at Hartsfield Airport. They probably arrived around six.

Tom Glavine won his 20th game of the season, a total that will likely net him this year's Cy Young Award. Glavine is the first Braves pitcher since Phil Niekro in 1979 to win at least 20 games. But it didn't come without some of the same struggles he has had in the first inning in the second half of the season.

Atlanta's good night began when Reds starter Scott Scudder hit Lonnie Smith with a pitch, sending him to first. Mark Lemke popped out but then replacement catcher Donnie Scott, a 30-year old career minor leaguer who has played only slightly more than a full season of big league games, comitted a passed ball that moved Smith to second. Terry Pendleton tripled to score Smith and give Atlanta the lead and then scored himself on a double by David Justice. Ron Gant, again with a runner in scoring position, struck out, but Sid Bream drew a walk and then Greg Olson singled Justice home to spot Atlanta a three-run lead. Scudder then walked Rafael Belliard to load the bases and then walked Glavine to make it 4-0 ,Atlanta. Lonnie Smith singled to score two more runs, and the Braves loaded the bases again when Scudder walked Lemke. Fortunately for the Reds, Scudder induced Pendleton to ground out to end the inning, but the Braves took the field with a 6-0 lead.

A walk to Bill Doran, an error by Pendleton off the bat of Chris Sabo, and a single by Carmelo Martinez slashed Atlanta's lead to 6-2, but Glavine maintained enough control to stifle any threats. The Braves offense took the rest of the evening off and though Glavine had baserunners in no less than five of the eight innings he pitched, the Braves cruised through the night. A Jeff Reed double followed by a Billy Hatcher single added another run, but it was mere cosmetics, particularly when Glavine retired Hatcher on a double play grounder by Doran. Alejandro Pena came on for his 14th save, and the Braves completed a 6-0 road trip with momentum.

Tim Belcher gave Los Angeles seven strong innings and left with a 3-3 tie, but Kevin Gross came as the Dodgers' evening came apart. Five infield singles and a throwing error by Eddie Murray sent 11 Padres hitters to the plate, six of whom scored in a 9-4 San Diego win.

Joe Carter won the pennant for Toronto with a game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth. Facing Angels closer Bryan Harvey, who entered with a one-run lead, Toronto scored two runs when Devon White on a single and a wild throw on an attempted double play off the bat of Roberto Alomar scored White to tie the game and put Alomar at second. The fiery second baseman quickly stole third, and Carter's single scored Alomar to give the Blue Jays their third pennant since 1985. It's also an accomplishment for Braves Manager - and the man who largely built the Toronto baseball team - Bobby Cox. Cox drafted or traded for no fewer than nine of the players that will be on Toronto's 25-man roster in the LCS - and traded two others (Duane Ward and Jim Acker) from Atlanta to the Blue Jays.

Greg Maddux pitched a complete game shutout for the Cubs, 1-0 over the Phillies, for his 14th win of the season. Maddux ends the year at 14-11 with a 3.35 ERA. The Pirates lost in 12 innings to the Mets 9-6, in a "who cares" contest that Pittsburgh extended by scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Most teams would have just ended the game there.

The Braves and Dodgers have tomorrow off, so we'll cover the end of season leaders or potential leaders in categories yet to be decided this season.

Dodgers Feeling the Pressure??

The postgame interviews from the Dodgers-Padres game already figured to be very stressful, but who would have imagined that a team supposedly with the advantage over Atlanta in coping with pennant race pressure would have some much anger directed in so many directions? While frustration over the 8th-inning collapse was inevitable, the Dodgers looked like an angry heel professional wrestler striking out in all directions. Lasorda again complained about the players Lou Piniella is playing against the Braves in Cincinnati. Piniella said that if Tommy wants to send him some of the 40 men on his current roster, Lou will be glad to play them and try to give him some help. San Diego pitcher Larry Andersen, who was traded to the Red Sox at the end of last season for the probable Rookie of the Year Jeff Bagwell - yet another awful trade in Boston history - now pitches for the Padres and said he was so excited at the prospect of the Braves winning the pennant that he wanted to go up to San Francisco just to see the Dodgers lose. The Giants have made multiple comments about how badly they want to eliminate the Dodgers, which has elicited an angry reply from Darryl Strawberry, who wonders, "Why weren't they so fired up when they were playing us and still in the race?" And Roger Craig, the Giants manager who won a World Series ring as a member of both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, said, "It will be better for baseball if the Braves win the pennant."

 

[tusks_n_raider]

This one is really coming down to the wire!!

 

[B1GTide]

This team would sweep today's team in embarrassing fashion.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 3, 1991
Off day
92-67
1st place


Sometime in the next 100 hours - a little bit more or less depending on when this reaches you - baseball's last pennant winner for 1991 will have been determined, possibly in less than 50 hours if one of the two teams wins the first two games of their series while the other loses. Four teams will go on: the Toronto Blue Jays will head to Minnesota to take on the Twins while the winner of the Atlanta-Los Angeles pennant race will head to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates. In a scheduling quirk that could not have been planned if the league office had wanted, the Blue Jays are already in Minneapolis for their final series of the season, so they will just stay put and play five games before heading back home for the resumption of the series north of the border. But all of the games are pretty much meaningless save for those fans who want to spend one last weekend or day together at the ballpark. Sure, the teams will use them to try out next year's players, but there's only two teams that matter, the Braves and the Dodgers.

Let's start with the Dodgers, the preseason favorite.

If you're the Dodgers, do you really want a playoff game at all? Not exactly what I mean since LA obviously wants to sweep the Giants and hope for Houston to upend Atlanta once. But let's say both teams sweep their remaining three games. If you're Los Angeles, do you really want a playoff game of any type? Every single play-in playoff game in NL history - five of them - has featured the Dodgers, who have lost four of them, though it should noted the one time they won was against the Milwaukee Braves in 1959. Sure, this one will be at home, but who is going to be the starting pitcher? Their ace, Ramon Martinez, won't be able to go because he has to pitch tomorrow night, and Mike Morgan is going Saturday. It might be Tim Belcher - unless, of course, he's needed to nail down a tie, in which case the starter is likely to be Orel Hershiser, which would be a fantastic choice if this was 1988, but it isn't, and neither is he (nor are the Braves). But a major frustration for the Dodgers has to also be that it's not like they've played poorly. You don't win 91-94 games by collapsing. At most, only three teams will have records better than the Dodgers, but if they lose the pennant - and especially to a team of upstarts like the Atlanta Braves - they will have to live with it for the rest of their lives despite having a couple of Hall of Famers on the team and maybe more if a few guys can continue to add enough to their career numbers.

And then there are the Braves, who have put a spark in baseball that has been missing for a few years.

The national pastime has had a rough go of it in the last two seasons. Baseball has endured the Pete Rose investigation that resulted in his banishment, the sudden death of the commissioner who suspended him, a World Series interrupted ten days by an earthquake, a lockout of the players by the owners in spring training, a major network whose broadcasts of the sport are so difficult to find that they're mockingly called Covers Baseball Sporadically, the firing just hours before Opening Day 1990 of the presumed lead baseball announcer Brent Musberger, an All-Star game delayed two hours in the middle of it by a rain delay, and two World Series matchups that rank among the most boring in history and both ended in sweeps by the victor. Baseball needs more problems like President Bush needs another tax increase.

But the Braves are a story unto themselves, a precisely matched group of young players with hope and veterans with a lot of post-season experience. And the master chess player Bobby Cox has moved pieces in and out at will and sometimes when forced. He has brought in players who have made key contributions that have kept the Braves alive. Pete Smith and Armando Reynoso had relatively forgettable years, but Atlanta could not have been here without the contribution of either. Two backup catchers, Francisco Cabrera and Jerry Willard, made major contributions to victories over the Reds. Take either away, and the Braves are not in first place. Take both away, and they're playing for 1992 this weekend. And the Braves have endured so many losses of key personnel and simply found a replacement and continued winning.

And let's admit what none of the major pundits want to say: the Braves have a HUGE advantage in the final series of the season. They're at home, LA is not. They're playing an easier opponent to beat. Jeff Juden, who starts game one for Houston, will make only his third career start and is still seeking his first win. And the Astros simply do not have the animus for the Braves that the Giants have had for the Dodgers since both teams played in the Big Apple. It is a questionable decision of the highest order that CBS is sending their top broadcasting team, Jack Buck and Tim McCarver, to San Francisco and sending the backup crew of Dick Stockton and Jim Kaat to Atlanta. CBS obviously thinks the Dodgers are going to win the pennant, which is only going to fire up a team that is already using emotion to stay afloat and on top of the NL West.

Projected Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Steve Avery vs Jeff Juden
Game 2: John Smoltz vs Mark Portugal
Game 3: TBD vs Pete Harnisch

A Cecil Fielder grand slam and a six-run eighth gave the Tigers a 10-5 rout over Boston and made Bill Gullickson the American League's first 20-game winner of the season. The White Sox swept a doubleheader from the Twins, both games going extra innings. Ten innings were needed for Chicago to capture a 3-2 win over reliever Rick Aguilera. After a brief rest, the two teams combined for 25 runs in 12 innings while swatting six home runs as the White Sox won, 13-12.

The players listed below will clearly finish the season as the leader. Categories still in obvious active competition will include the closest contenders:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Batting Avg - Julio Franco (.340)
HRs - Cecil Fielder, Jose Canseco (44)
Hits - Paul Molitor (211), Cal Ripken (208)
Runs - Molitor (129)
RBIs - Fielder (133)
Doubles - Rafael Palmeiro (47), Cal Ripken (45), Ruben Sierra (44)
Triples - Lance Johnson (13), Paul Molitor (13), Roberto Alomar (11), Devon White (10)
Steals - Alomar (53), Rickey Henderson (53), Tim Raines (51)
Wins - Gullickson (20), Scott Erickson (19), Mark Langston, Chuck Finley, Roger Clemens (18)
Saves - Bryan Harvey (45), Dennis Eckersley (43), Rick Aguilera (41)
Ks - Clemens (231), Randy Johnson (226)

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Batting Avg - Terry Pendleton (.319), Hal Morris (.318), Tony Gwynn (.317), Willie McGee (.313)
HRs - Howard Johnson (38)
Hits - Pendleton (185), Brett Butler (181)
Runs - Butler (112), Johnson (108)
RBIs - Johnson (115), Will Clark (114), Barry Bonds (113)
Doubles - Bobby Bonilla (44), Felix Jose (40)
Triples - Ray Lankford (15)
Wins - Tom Glavine (20), John Smiley (19)
Saves - Lee Smith (47)
Ks - David Cone (222)

William Shea, a lawyer whose help and guidance brought baseball back to the Big Apple in the National League with the franchise Mets in 1962, died yesterday at the age of 84. Shea was so beloved that the stadium where the team plays is named after him. Shea died due to complications of a stroke suffered in 1989.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Batting Avg - Terry Pendleton (.319), Hal Morris (.318), Tony Gwynn (.317), Willie McGee (.313)
HRs - Howard Johnson (38)
Hits - Pendleton (185), Brett Butler (181)
Runs - Butler (112), Johnson (108)
RBIs - Johnson (115), Will Clark (114), Barry Bonds (113)
Doubles - Bobby Bonilla (44), Felix Jose (40)
Triples - Ray Lankford (15)
Wins - Tom Glavine (20), John Smiley (19)
Saves - Lee Smith (47)
Ks - David Cone (222)

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 4, 1991
Atlanta Braves 5 (W: Avery, 18-8; SV: Pena, 15)
Houston Astros 2 (L: Juden, 0-2)
93-67
1st place
1 game ahead

BRAVES SEIZE ADVANTAGE BEHIND AVERY; MAGIC NUMBER IS 2

It's close, almost too close. It may be as close as tomorrow, or it may never arrive. Baseball fans won't be able to sleep tonight because of what tomorrow might bring - or may not. It's like waiting for Santa Claus, but it's all too real.

The Atlanta Braves, who have given baseball a much needed jolt of excitement, put themselves right where they wanted to be tonight, in control of their own destiny. There are two games left, and if the Braves win both, it doesn't matter what the Dodgers do, the Braves win the pennant. Thanks to four Houston errors - three by rookie Andujar Cedeno - and the nearly seven innings of no-hit pitching by 21-year old Steve Avery, the Braves beat the Houston Astros, 5-2. Hours later, the San Francisco Giants beat the Dodgers and their ace Ramon Martinez, 4-1. The Dodgers took the field knowing the Braves had a lead and would probably win, and they failed to come through. If the Braves win tomorrow and the Dodgers lose, the pennant belongs to Atlanta.

Of course, there's also the pessimism that accompanies being a sports fan of any team associated with Atlanta. This is a city that has never won anything of substance other than the 1968 Atlanta Chiefs, who won the soccer championship. And not only was that team primarily international players on loan, but the league folded prior to the next season. Atlanta sports is a dark history without championships and with a lot of high draft picks, none of whom ever seems to work out for Atlanta. But the hope is that that narrative is changing. An Atlantan is the world boxing heavyweight champion of the world, Evander Holyfield. And Georgia Tech won a share of last year's college football championship. So there is now a renewed hope that the bad days are gone, and the happy days are here. (Perhaps an interesting coincidence that the popular TV show "Happy Days" was set against the backdrop of the 1950s Milwaukee Braves success; Hank Aaron is referenced in several episodes). And it was indeed a happy day for Atlanta today.

Steve Avery has stepped forward to become the best pitcher in the game over the last month. Tonight, he got into the seventh inning before giving up a bloop hit to rookie Luis Gonzalez, who entered the game 0-for-13 against Avery and 0-for-23 against the Braves. Avery eventually gave up three hits, one a home run to Ken Caminiti in the ninth that ended his evening, but his overall pitching was stellar. Alejandro Pena got his 15th save of the season, and he has not yet blown a save since coming to Atlanta at the end of August.

The Braves again got out of the gate early. Ron Gant singled, stole second, went to third on a Sid Bream ground out, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Greg Olson. The next two batters, Rafael Belliard and Avery, both reached base on errors by Cedeno, Belliard coming around to score on a Lonnie Smith single that gave the Braves a 2-0 lead. With one out in the third, David Justice walked and an errant pickoff attempt went into the outfield and put Justice at third. He scored on a Gant double to make it 3-0. Pendleton's 22nd home run of the season pushed the lead to 4-0 that Atlanta held until the eighth.

After surrendering his first hit, Avery weakened slightly. Casey Candelae singled, moved to second on a walk, third on a fielder's choice grounder and home on yet another fielder's choice grounder. Avery traded a run for two outs. He got Jeff Bagwell to end the inning on a pop out. An error, an infield ground out, and two singles plated Gant with the fifth run, sending Avery to the hill for the ninth in command of a 5-1 lead. When Ken Caminiti drilled a home run off Avery leading off the night, he was done, and the crowd gave the youngster a standing ovation as he acknowledged their cheers with a tip of the cap. Pena came on and after giving up a single, retired the next three hitters and nailed down Atlanta's 92nd win of the season.

But although the players retreated to the clubhouse to watch the Dodgers on ESPN, the fans stayed. They cheered, they chanted, they chopped. It was almost a revivalistic experience. Among the impressed was Houston Astros catcher Craig Biggio. For nearly 15 minutes after the game ended, he remained, observing the chanting ritual and saying he had never seen anything like it in his life - but he hoped to one day experience something like it.

It's no secret the Giants hate the Dodgers. Well, let's be honest: everyone hates the Dodgers. I don't think the wives of the Dodger players even like the Dodgers, but the Giants are more vocal about these things. And after putting together a solid case for the Cy Young Award through August, Ramon Martinez would just as soon forget September. And he can now add October to that list. Martinez dug the Dodgers into too deep a hole to climb out of in the first inning. Willie McGee singled with one out and came home when Will Clark launched a home run into the Candlestick Park seats that gave San Fran a quick 2-0 lead. After Martinez retired Kevin Mitchell, Matt Williams joined the home run parade with a solo shot that made it 3-0. Word reached the Braves of this quick deficit during their game. Giants starter Bud Black has had a rough season, but he scattered seven hits in his six innings on the mound. He had one lapse in the fourth inning, when he followed up a Juan Samuel single with a balk that moved the runner to second. A single and a sac fly cut the lead to 3-1, but the Dodgers got no closer. Kevin Bass homered off reliever John Candelaria in the seventh to make it 4-1, and that's how it ended. The Dodgers fall out of first place for the first time since September 17th, and the Braves are in the catbird seat.

Not a baseball fan in the country will be able to sleep tonight. There's a pennant race going on, and the bandwagon is roaring towards the finish line. John Smoltz will face Mark Portugal tomorrow in Atlanta while Trevor Wilson faces Mike Morgan in San Francisco.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

BRAVES SHAKE UP WORLD WITH WORST-TO-FIRST PENNANT!!!

WORST TO FIRST MAKES BASEBALL HISTORY

Atlanta Baffles Experts, Dodgers, and Themselves With Miracle Season

If you are one of the millions who has become a fan of the sudden shocking rise of the Atlanta Braves in the nation's sports consciousness, pay close attention and never forget this: that rush of excitement, that jolt to your body when you hear about the latest win, that tremble of lost breath with each loss, that rush home to check the local news or ESPN SportsCenter to see how the Braves did is never, ever going to be the same again for the rest of your life. You have only one first time - and it just brought about the most unlikely pennant winner since the 1967 Boston Red Sox followed a ninth place finish with a pennant and seven-game World Series known to this day in Beantown as "The Impossible Dream." You may live to 100, but no pennant race will ever mean as much, feel as wonderful, or affect your life quite like the 1991 Braves knocking off the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers. And in a season that saw the Braves come back again and again, it was fitting that the man who made the greatest comeback of them all - John Smoltz - took the mound with the season on the line and carried the Braves to the promised land. After a horrific 2-11 start to the season, Smoltz went 12-2 to finish the season with a 14-13 record. And he saved his best for last, going the distance while scattering eight hits and giving up two runs in a 5-2 Atlanta win over the Astros that took only two hours and seventeen minutes to complete. Moments after the Braves nailed down their win, the Los Angeles Dodgers lost, 4-0, to the Giants, and the pennant flies high over the City Too Busy To Hate.

AP Photo: Braves catcher Greg Olson vaults into the arms of pitcher John Smoltz after the Braves beat the Astros, 5-2. The win clinches the Braves' first NL pennant since 1982.

As has been their custom most of the season, the Braves tore out of the starting gate with two quick runs that - once again - probably should have been more. After Smoltz mowed down Kenny Lofton, Steve Finley, and Craig Biggio, the Braves went right to work. The first three batters - Lonnie Smith, Mark Lemke, and Terry Pendleton - all singled, Smith scoring on the last hit. The crowd, already lathered into an SEC football style of cheering, went even more bonkers. When David Justice reached on an error to load the bases with nobody out, the Braves and their fans fantasized about the quick kill. But after a sacrifice fly from Ron Gant scored Lemke and a short single by Sid Bream loaded the sacks again, catcher Greg Olson bounced into a double play the kept the lead at a modest 2-0. An inning later, Rafael Belliard singled, moved to second on a Smoltz bunt, and scored on a Lonnie Smith double to make it 3-0. Gant led off the third with a single, moved to second on a walk to Bream, and scored on Anduar Cedeno's fifth error in the last 12 innings. With a 4-0 lead, the Braves appeared ready to throw it into overdrive and cruise to a win. But in the fourth, Cedeno attempted to atone for his blunders. After Jeff Bagwell singled, Cedeno doubled him home and then came around on Casey Candelae's single to cut the Braves' lead in half.

That was as close as it would get. Kenny Lofton singled on a bunt to lead off the fifth, and after Smoltz picked him off, the Astros didn't get another hit until the ninth inning. Gant drilled his 32nd home run of the season, and the score was 5-2, Atlanta. Luis Gonzalez reached base in the ninth, but Cedeno flied out to Justice to end the game. And it was as close to a perfect ending as imaginable.

The Dodgers-Giants game began at the exact same time as the Atlanta-Houston game. With the Giants up 4-0 and Trevor Wilson pitching the game of his life - a one-hitter until the ninth inning - the Dodgers were as good as done. At 5:22 pm EDT, Justice held his arm aloft singaling "number one" as he caught the final out of the game. Precisely three minutes and 17 seconds later, Robby Thompson threw Eddie Murray out at first, and the Braves had gone from worst to first. The stadium exploded in celebration, players hugging each other and racing to the clubhouse to celebrate. Fans continued to do the tomahawk chop long after the outcome had been known.

Tommy Lasorda, the Dodger manager who has always been a class act in victory and defeat, extended hearty congratulations to the Braves and saluted them on a great season, saying they would make a great representative in the playoffs. He mused over his frustration of the six-run eighth inning against the Padres that blew his team's season completely apart, but he also conceded that when you only score one run in 18 innings, you're not going to win anything.

A couple of Dodgers, though, weren't exactly in the mood to acknowledge Atlanta during their grieving over a lost pennant. Darryl Strawberry, whose musing that he wasn't worried about Atlanta drew instant ire and almost appears to be the trigger moment when Atlanta climbed off the mat and began swinging, and Kal Daniels all but suggested the Astros and Reds had laid down for the Braves, despite saying they couldn't name a single player who actually did it. Brett Butler, by contrast, said he didn't believe any such thing and that such comments diminished the Braves' accomplishments which he would not do. (The fact Butler lives in Atlanta and is a popular former Brave may have something to do with that).

Charlie Leibrandt goes against Pete Harnisch tomorrow. And nobody cares although the joint is sold out tomorrow for the season-ender that will surely see a bunch of second-stringers play a nine-inning snoozer.

The Braves believed, and then they achieved. There's so much more to say about this team.
And what a team it is. As Justice said in the postgame champagne shower, “We shook up the world.”

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 6, 1991
Houston Astros 8 (W: Harnisch, 12-9)
Atlanta Braves 3 (L: Leibrandt, 15-13)
94-68
1st place
1 game ahead

BRAVES END SEASON WITH "WHO CARES" LOSS; FAREWELL TO A FAN; FINAL STATISTICS

The Braves lost today, 8-3, in front of over 42,000 fans who came to have a party and pay homage to their baseball team that bucked all the odds and won a pennant. All the starters except Charlie Leibrandt got the day off, his appearance an effort to set the rotation for the post-season.

Now forget all about this for just a moment while I tell you about a Braves fan.

It's no secret that David Justice is not exactly the most popular guy in the Atlanta clubhouse. His good looks, good raw talent he seems determined to not fully develop, and his massive ego sometimes creates tension with his teammates. But most people are multifaceted and none of us is either fully a saint or a sinner, and neither is Justice. He has a soft side that he simply doesn't show to the public or his teammates.

Victoria Joann Hollifield of Jasper, Georgia - "Jodi" as she's called - was a baseball card collector, a sixth-grade honor student, and an Atlanta Braves fan. Last December, Jodi complained of constant stomach aches, and medical tests showed a lemon-sized tumor on her large intestine. The tumor was removed, and the brave little 11-year old (no pun intended) seemed to be improving through chemotherapy into the spring. In July, however, the pain (and the tumor) returned with a vengeance, and Jodi was pronounced as terminal. Realizing she was going to die, Jodi's family submitted three requests to the Children's Wish Foundation of Atlanta: 1) to spend the night with her father at the Cobb County Fire Dept, where he worked; 2) to go to Disney World; and 3) to meet David Justice, the Braves outfielder. On August 27, Justice managed to visit Jodi at Scottish Rite Hospital for two hours. The visit was, according to her family, "the highlight" of her brief sojourn on this earth. Justice noted that the first time he went to see her, he was wearing a purple and black sweat suit, an amusing coincidence because Jodi was likewise wearing purple. He also noted the tough task of what was the right and not right things to say to someone - even something as innocent sounding as "have a good day tomorrow" was inappropriate in her state. Justice presented Jodi with a K44 Louisville slugger bat, posed for a picture, and promised he'd visit again.

He kept his promise, too, visiting Jodi on September 11. Less than one week later, doctors informed the family that Jodi had three weeks left at most. The tumor was pressing against her lungs, making breathing a chore. Although surely a coincidence, the Braves moved into first place on the day that Justice visited Jodi the first time and threw the three-man no-hitter on the day he visited her the second time. And then yesterday at about the time that the Braves were putting the finishing touches on beating the Houston Astros to win a pennant, Jodi closed her eyes for the last time. And while it is clearly coincidental, one cannot help but notice the timeline. The day Justice first visited Jodi was the day the Braves moved into first place. The day he visited her the second time was the day three Braves pitchers threw the first three man no-hitter in baseball history.

And Justice caught the final out in Jodi's final game.

The regular season is over, but there's so much more ahead. The retrospective will continue for as long as the Braves do. Tomorrow's column will feature a break down the position-by-position analysis of the ALCS between the Twins and Blue Jays. Thursday's column will provide the same for the NLCS as well as a summary of game one of the ALCS. And the post-season off days will include an overview summary of the good and bad of the 1991 baseball season and some memories.

1991 REGULAR SEASON LEADERS (AL - INDIVIDUAL)
Batting champion - Julio Franco, .341
Home run champion - Jose Canseco and Cecil Fielder, 44
RBIs - Cecil Fielder, 133
Doubles - Rafael Palmeiro, 49
Triples - Paul Molitor and Lance Johnson, 13
Steals - Rickey Henderson, 58
Runs Scored - Paul Molitor, 133
Hits - Paul Molitor, 216
Wins - Scott Erickson and Bill Gullickson, 20
ERA - Roger Clemens, 2.62
Strikeouts - Roger Clemens, 241
Saves - Bryan Harvey, 46


1991 REGULAR SEASON LEADERS (AL - TEAM)
Batting Average
1) Minnesota Twins, .280
2) Milwaukee Brewers, .271
3) Texas Rangers, .260

Home Runs
1) Detroit Tigers, 209
2) Texas Rangers, 177
3) Baltimore Orioles, 170

Runs Scored
1) Texas Rangers, 829
2) Detroit Tigers, 817
3) Milwaukee Brewers, 799

Runs Surrendered (Most)
1) Texas Rangers, 814
2) Baltimore Orioles, 796
3) Detroit Tigers, 794

Runs Surrendered (Least) - Toronto Blue Jays, 622

Pitching (Team ERA)
1) Toronto Blue Jays, 3.50
2) California Angels, 3.68
3) Minnesota Twins, 3.69

Successful Saves
1) Toronto Blue Jays, 60
2) Minnesota Twins, 53
3) California Angels, 50

1991 REGULAR SEASON LEADERS (NL - INDIVIDUAL)
Batting champion - Terry Pendleton, .319
Home run champion - Howard Johnson, 38
RBIs - Howard Johnson, 117
Doubles - Bobby Bonilla, 44
Triples - Ray Lankford, 15
Steals - Marquis Grissom, 76
Runs Scored - Brett Butler, 112
Hits - Terry Pendleton, 187
Wins - Tom Glavine and John Smiley, 20
ERA - Dennis Martinez, 2.39
Strikeouts - David Cone, 241
Saves - Lee Smith, 47

1991 REGULAR SEASON LEADERS (NL - TEAM)
Batting Average
1) Pittsburgh Pirates, .262
2) Cincinnati Reds, .257
2) Atlanta Braves, .257

Home Runs
1) Cincinnati Reds, 164
2) Chicago Cubs, 159
3) Atlanta Braves, 141

Runs Scored
1) Pittsburgh Pirates, 768
2) Atlanta Braves, 749
3) Chicago Cubs, 695

Runs Surrendered (Most)
1) Chicago Cubs, 734
2) Houston Astros, 717
3) San Francisco Giants, 697

Runs Surrendered (Least) - Pittsburgh Pirates, 632

Pitching (Team ERA)
1) Los Angeles Dodgers, 3.06
2) Pittsburgh Pirates, 3.44
3) Atlanta Braves, 3.48

Successful Saves
1) Pittsburgh Pirates, 51
2) St Louis Cardinals, 51
3) Atlanta Braves, 48

 

[selmaborntidefan]

MINNESOTA TWINS VS TORONTO BLUE JAYS ALCS PREVIEW

It was 27 degrees and snowing in Minneapolis today. Good thing the Twins play under a Teflon dome. In fact, the upcoming series between the Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays will be the first-ever post-season series in baseball history that will see all of the games in the series occur indoors. Toronto, of course, plays in the still relatively new SkyDome.

Overview: Everyone knows about the Twins. Actually, nobody knows anything at all about the Twins except for two things: 1) they went from last place in 1990 to first place this year; 2) they are apparently unbeatable in their home ballpark. This last anecdote serves as a reminder that baseball analysts forget there are any teams between the two coasts not named the St. Louis Cardinals because almost every analysis of the Twins brings up the Metrodome and the Twins going 6-0 at home during their improbable run as 100-to-1 underdogs that won the 1987 World Series. Ask those making this claim if they’re even aware that the Twins actually lost four of six games to the Blue Jays, which wouldn’t matter except that’s who they’re facing in the ALCS. That’s not to say that the Twins aren’t a good home team, but this is not 1987. The Twins were five games worse at home than in 1987 this year, but they were also much better on the road, a full 15 games better to compile a stellar 44-37 road record en route to the second-best record in baseball. And if nobody knows anything about the Twins, it’s safe to say they know even less about the Toronto Blue Jays, because they don’t watch them until they make the post-season as the Jays have now done for the third time since 1985.

Each team brings advantages into the post-season. Minnesota’s advantages are that they are better at the plate, their starting pitching is better, their defense is better, and they have the home-field advantage even if it isn’t as pronounced as pundits who haven’t paid attention to the Twins for four years think it is. But the Blue Jays have two important advantages as well, team speed and relief pitching. Plus, Minnesota’s advantage in starting pitching may not be as much as though since a lot of it depends upon whether the pre-injury or injury phase Scott Erickson takes the mound against the Blue Jays. None of the Twins starters has a good pickoff move, and Brian Harper is by far the easiest catcher in the American League to run on – as in he only threw out 28 of 126 baserunners attempting to steal. Considering the high velocity at the top of the Blue Jay batting order in the forms of Devon White and Roberto Alomar, the key to the entire series will be for the Twins starters to keep those two runners off the basepaths. Reports say that Twins Manager Tom Kelly will go with a three-man rotation of Jack Morris, Kevin Tapani, and Scott Erickson so that Morris would pitch three times in the event of a seven-game series. Blue Jays Manager Cito Gaston is already being second-guessed by his decision to opt for the rarer four-man rotation in the short post-season series – and by starting knuckleballer Tom Candiotti in the opener in Minnesota on Tuesday night. Because of how he is setting his rotation, Gaston won’t start his best pitcher, Jimmy Key, until game three at which time Key will have a full ten days’ rest. This will limit Key to two starts at most, although the one advantage is that it will provide Toronto with a fresher ace on the mound in the event the series goes seven games. Gaston’s reasoning stems from Toronto’s collapse in the 1985 ALCS, when they held a 3-1 advantage over the Kansas City Royals – an edge that would have been enough to win the LCS in all previous years – and then dropped the final three games. Gaston believes that sending a knuckleballer out will help offset the Twins’ advantage in hitting plus keep his starters fresh. Key, a mild-mannered starter who is among the best pitchers in the league every year but gets little attention for it, is said to be rather unhappy about the decision.

The Blue Jays beat the Twins eight of 12 times during the year and, as noted, four of six times in the Metrodome.

Position by Position Analysis (Blue Jay Players Listed First)

Catcher – Pat Borders vs Brian Harper/Junior Ortiz – Brian Harper is one of the best-hitting catchers in the American League. Ortiz will catch the games pitched by Scott Erickson. Pat Borders is an adequate hitter and about as poor as Harper in throwing out runners. Edge: slight edge to Minnesota

First Base – John Olerud vs Kent Hrbek – Olerud is a solid performer who is unspectacular but effective; Hrbek is a longball threat, a competent glove, and keeps his teammates loose. Edge: Minnesota

Second Base – Roberto Alomar vs Chuck Knoblauch – Knoblauch, the rookie out of Texas A/M, is the likely Rookie of the Year in the AL. But Alomar is one of the best overall players in the game, a fiery presence who ignites his team and makes stellar plays in the field. Edge: Toronto

Shortstop – Manuel Lee vs Greg Gagne – Lee is a solid performer and might be slightly better with the bat; Gagne is better with the glove at the main position that mandates that. Gagne is also more reliable with both. Edge: Minnesota

Third Base – Kelly Gruber vs Mike Pagliarulo/Scott Leius – Gruber had a great 1990, but he was injured much of this year. He’s healthy again, which gives the Blue Jays this one. Edge: Toronto

Left Field – Candy Maldonado vs Dan Gladden – Maldonado is the swing for the fences wannabe power hitter who will strike out, but will also connect as all sluggers do. He also has a better arm. Gladden is the scrappy, blue collar guy who isn’t going to drill a lot of homers, and he isn’t exactly Brett Butler in the leadoff spot. But Gladden produces runs the hard way, and he leads with his own fire. Gladden has been in a slump, hitting .194 over the last seven weeks of the season. Edge: Even.

Center Field – Devon White vs Kirby Puckett – White is a tremendous table setter, a solid defensive outfielder, and leaving Anaheim has turned him into one of the best leadoff hitters in the league; Puckett is one of the best players in the AL, a solid glove and clutch hitter who inspires his teammates. Edge: Minnesota

Right Field – Joe Carter vs Shane Mack – Mack had the best year of his career while Carter has been compiling good numbers for years, largely on bad teams. He’s also getting a reputation as a clutch performer. Edge: Toronto.

Designated Hitter – Platoon vs Chili Davis – Toronto does not have one DH, they do a DH by committee that consists of names like Olerud, Maldonado, Pat Tabler, Rob Ducey, and Mookie Wilson; Davis had the best year of his career replacing the solid Gary Gaetti. Edge: Minnesota.

Starting Pitching – Jack Morris is potentially a future Hall of Famer, Kevin Tapani has had the most consistent year, and Scott Erickson won 20 games; the Blue Jays have a more versatile starting pitching lineup with a knuckler (Tom Candiotti), flame thrower (Juan Guzman), and an off-speed pitcher with great control (Jimmy Key). The Twins starting three is better than Toronto’s.

Relief Pitching – Toronto has two bona fide closers, Tom Henke (32 saves) and Duane Ward (23 saves). They will also have #5 starter David Wells in the bullpen for this series, a pitcher who can run up a large number of innings early if necessary. The Twins have the best single pitcher in the bullpen in Rick Aguilera, but the other Twins relievers are so-so and erratic at best. Although you would take Aguilera over everyone else for one inning you had to close out, the sum of Toronto’s bullpen is greater and by a wide margin. Edge: Toronto.

Bench – Toronto’s bench is better largely because most of their bench players are platooning starters like Olerud or Maldonado. The Twins’ second-line players are actual second-line players. Edge: Toronto.

Manager – Cito Gaston vs Tom Kelly. Gaston is an up-and-coming manager, although he missed two months of the season with a bad back. Kelly is the first manager to take any team from last to first in the majors and already has a World Series ring. Edge: Minnesota.

How the Blue Jays Win – the key for Toronto is that their starting pitching will have to keep the best-hitting team in the majors off the bases. Keep the Twins at bay while Devon White and Roberto Alomar reach base to set the table for Joe Carter, John Olerud, and Kelly Gruber. Use superior team speed with hit and run baseball to take a lead going into the seventh inning and then turn the game over to Ward and Henke. Put the Twins behind and force them to pinch-hit with inferior talent late in the game.

How the Twins Win – Minnesota wins by their starters getting deep into the ballgames to limit Toronto’s superior bullpen. Be aggressive on the bases because Pat Borders isn’t very good at throwing out runners, either. Dan Gladden will have to be better than he’s been lately. Get Gladden on base, hit and run with Knoblauch at the plate, and leave it on the bat of Kirby Puckett. Get seven innings from Morris and Tapani, patch the eight inning with Steve Bedrosian or Carl Willis, and bring out Aguilera to end the game. It is more important for Minnesota to score early than it is for Toronto.

Favorite: the Twins are a slight favorite to win the ALCS

Predictions:
Alan Solomon (Chicago Tribune) – Twins in 5
Mark Whicker (LA beat writer) – Twins in 6
Jim Lane (Altoona Mirror, PA) – Blue Jays in 6
Devon White – Blue Jays in 5 games (yes, the Blue Jays outfielder said this)
Jim Ingraham (Cleveland) – Blue Jays in 7
Mike Hlas (Cedar Rapids) – Twins in 7 (chosen due to proximity to Minnesota)

 

[selmaborntidefan]

ATLANTA BRAVES VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES LCS PREVIEW

On their way to the Hartsfield Airport to catch their flight to Pittsburgh, the Braves’ two team buses passed a group of orange clad prisoners out picking up trash alongside the interstate. You can imagine the shock when a large contingent of them, recognizing the team buses, stopped what they were doing and gave the team the “tomahawk chop” as a salute. President Stan Kasten mused, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The Pirates are the first team since the 1977-78 Phillies and Dodgers to repeat as NL pennant winners. They hope not to become the first team to repeat as losers as did those same Phillies. Pittsburgh is the tenth team to repeat as division winners, but repeat winners are only 4-5 the second time around. The Pirates won division titles in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979, and 1990, and advanced to the World Series in 1971 and 1979, winning it both times. The Atlanta Braves have never won a post-season game, going 0-6 in two NLCS sweeps in 1969 and 1982. Their predecessors, the Milwaukee Braves, won the 1957 World Series and then blew a 3-1 lead to fail to repeat in the 1958 World Series. The Braves also lost two straight playoff games in a best-two-of-three series against the Dodgers in 1959. If you include those games as "post-season" games, the Braves are on an 11-game losing streak in the post-season, the most in baseball history.

Overview: The Atlanta Braves are the most exciting baseball story in years, a team that oh, less than one year ago was imposing its games to low ratings as cheap entertainment on WTBS. The games are still as cheap as they were, but now there's actual excitement, and Skip Caray is not spending his half of the TV broadcast making up names for the person who catches the foul ball or voicing an opinion on the post-game movie. The Braves come into the playoffs on a roll - 8 straight wins in meaningful games - and they've really been in contention ever since a sensational comeback against the Pirates at the end of July. Pittsburgh, of course, comes in with playoff experience after a heartbreaking loss to last year's eventual World Champions, the Cincinnati Reds. Of course, that experience also consists of their three big guns in the batting order - Andy Van Slyke, Barry Bonds, and Bobby Bonilla - batting .190 in six games last year and driving in a grand total of five runs in six games. And in an irony too delicious to be true, the other leading RBI guy for the Pirates last year (Sid Bream) is now the first baseman for the Braves.

One man with a fresh perspective on the issue Chuck Tanner, who was fired as manager of the Pirates six years ago and of the Braves three years ago (during the disastrous 1988 campaign). Tanner, who won the 1979 World Series as the Bucs' manager, thinks the Pirates have the tools to be the world champions, but he also says, "The Braves are going to dominate for a long time." Tanner feels this is Pittsburgh's best chance to cash in, prior to what appears to be the inevitable departure of Bobby Bonilla to free agency after the season.

Of course, each team brings advantages to the playoffs. Pittsburgh has the experience and (arguably) the better overall offense since Otis Nixon is no longer on the field for the Braves. They also have the better defense - slightly - because they play on turf (otherwise, it's a dead heat). It's pretty even as far as starting pitching goes, while the bullpen nod goes to the Braves. Pittsburgh also has the home-field advantage, but having lost 9 of 12 to the Braves while Andy Van Slyke hit a paltry .167, it's difficult to say how big that will be. A key point of favor for Pittsburgh will depend on them taking the series back to the Steel City with a 3-2 lead. There's also the curious case of two players, Zane Smith and Rafael Belliard. Smith is considered a symbol of the bad old days, but he did win 16 games this year while Belliard lost his starting job to current Bucs shortstop Jay Bell.

As noted, the Braves were 9-3 against the Pirates and 6-0 at home.

Position by Position Analysis (Braves Players Listed First)

Catcher – Greg Olson vs Don Slaught/Mike LaValliere - Olson was the Braves' lone All-Star last year but only because of baseball's socialistic policy regarding the game. He lost his job prior to the start of the season, and he's only playing because Mike Heath got injured. Olson is also hurt in analysis by the fact he's tired after having played the final 32 meaningful games of the year. But he was 5-for-13 against the starters the Pirates will throw at him, too. The platoon of Pittsburgh is superior largely because LaValliere is the best of the three catchers both offensively and defensively. Edge: Pittsburgh

First Base – Sid Bream vs Orlando Merced - Which Sid Bream shows up for the playoffs? The guy who hit .500 last year against Cincinnati's better pitching or the guy who hit .186 after returning from knee surgery? Merced began the year as a cleanup hitter in the minors and has a .373 OBP. He's brutal on righthanders (5 for 10 vs Smoltz), but Atlanta starts three lefties. Edge: very slight edge to Atlanta.

Second Base – Jeff Treadway/Mark Lemke vs Jose "Chico" Lind - Treadway is the batting half of the tandem, but due to a sore right hand has only started three games recently. Treadway is a solid hitter who rarely strikes out, but how much of his .320 batting average (highest on the team except in only 306 at-bats) is due to getting fastballs behind the fleet footed Nixon? Lemke will start. Lind hasn't made an error since July 22 and drove in a career high 54 runs this year. If Treadway was starting, this would favor the Braves. Edge: Even.

Shortstop – Rafael Belliard vs Jay Bell - Belliard is a .249 hitter with one career home run, but he was a shockingly effective .391 with runners in scoring position and two out. Bell is a hidden gem, a star who does many things well. He's the first NL shortstop since 1956 to sock 15 home runs and have 30 bunts. He made 24 errors to Belliard's 18, but he played more, had more chances, and he plays on turf. Edge: Pittsburgh

Third Base – Terry Pendleton vs Steve Buechele - it's the comeback of the century! Terry Pendleton had the greatest one-season turnaround in baseball history, raising his average from .230 to .319 and a batting title. Buechele - this year - set the record for AL fielding for third basemen with a .991 mark. Still, Pendleton gets the overall edge, plus not only is he a leader, but he has substantial game 7 experience (as in 3 previous times). Edge: Atlanta.

Left Field – Lonnie Smith vs Barry Bonds - Smith is a solid player who took over for Otis Nixon when Nixon tested positive for cocaine in September. He's been to the post-season three previous times and won the World Series all three while batting .299. His fielding - and most notably his baserunning (his nickname is "Skates" due to his misadventures on the basepaths) - are forgettable, though he has learned to compensate for the former. Barry Bonds is perhaps the finest all-around player in the game today, but he had a horrid post-season last year, and he was 0-for-6 against Steve Avery this year. He didn't face Tom Glavine in 1991 - does the fact he got "days off" for those games tell us anything? This would be a big edge if Nixon was playing; it's even larger with Lonnie. Edge: Pittsburgh

Center Field – Ron Gant vs Andy Van Slyke - Gant joined Bobby Bonds (Barry's father) and Mickey Mantle as the only players in baseball history with more than one 30-30 season. Although his hitting stats look very good, he's not nearly as good a hitter as appears. With a .251 average and 104 strikeouts, Gant is simply not very good at driving in runners in scoring position. His fielding is forgettable as he's a former infielder moved to the outfield because he of his terrible defense. That said, the Braves would not have made it to the post-season without him, either. Van Slyke is the loose personality jokester who hits over .300 against righties but under .200 against lefties. His fielding is tremendous, and he's not afraid to dive across the turf to make a play. Van Slyke hit .154 against the Braves in 12 games this year. Edge: Atlanta.

Right Field – David Justice vs Bobby Bonilla - Justice is an up-and-coming outfielder (last year's Rookie of the Year despite not making his debut until June) with one of the best swings you will ever see. Bonilla led the league in doubles and hopes to atone for his 4-for-21 performance last year, his best-known highlight getting gunned down at third by Eric Davis. Bonilla is a solid player, but a slight edge to the younger Justice. Edge: slight edge to Atlanta.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Designated Hitter - there is no DH in the NL, this is REAL baseball, you ninny.

Starting Pitching – Last year's Cy Young winner (Doug Drabek) against this year's probable winner (Tom Glavine) plus two contenders, 20-game winner John Smiley for Pittsburgh and 18-8 Steve Avery for the Braves. The stats show this one even, but Drabek is the only starter on the Pittsburgh staff that could crack the Atlanta rotation. And he wasn't very good against the Braves, either (1-2, 4.71 ERA). We know Zane Smith couldn't; he got traded away from Atlanta to clear out a starter's spot. Smiley had a career year that never felt like he was really as good as his numbers (sorta like Mike Moore with Oakland in 1989). And Randy Tomlin, who would start if necessary, would be hard-pressed to replace Atlanta's fourth-starter Charlie Leibrandt. Glavine and Smiley have both had first-inning woes in the second half of the season. Edge: Atlanta.

Relief Pitching – Alejandro Pena has gone 11-for-11 since gaining the closer's job when he came over from the Mets. Pittsburgh has a bullpen by committee that did nail down 51 saves but blew 15 more. One night they're great, the next night they're awful, a lot like the Braves when Mike Stanton, Kent Mercker, or Mark Wohlers comes out of the pen. Because of Pena's sudden resurgence, this one goes to the Braves. Edge: Atlanta.

Bench – Atlanta's bench would in theory be better if - a big if - the guys now on the bench like Treadway and Jeff Blauser weren't the real starters who are battling injuries and have been replaced by lesser hitters. Pittsburgh has a solid bench with Gary Redus, Curtis Wilkerson, Lloyd McClendon, Cecil Espy, and Gary Varsho. Edge: Pittsburgh.

Manager – Bobby Cox vs Jim Leyland. Cox has now succeeded at his third rebuilding job, his second in Atlanta. He took over the disaster that Ted Turner bought in the mid-70s and got fired just as his work was coming to fruition, a firing that set the Braves back an entire decade. He then built Toronto from a doormat to a dynasty in the American League, returning home to Atlanta after choking away the 1985 ALCS. Serving as GM, Cox is the primary mover who put this team together and then took over the field position in June 1990. Cox assembled this team that won the division, and he deserves immense credit. Leyland, too, built the Pirates from being - as difficult as this may be to believe - even worse than the Braves were in 1985. It remains to be seen if he can keep it going; there's no mystery about that in Cox's case. Both built their team through the farm system and smart trades. Edge: Atlanta.


How the Braves Win - Atlanta's best chance for winning is what got them here: tear out of the starting gate quickly and put 3 runs on the board and hope your starter goes 7-8 innings. Glavine cannot afford to put the Braves in an early hole because of the questionable reliability of the bullpen. Get eight innings from your starter, capitalize on opportunities, and turn it over to Pena to close it out.

How the Pirates Win - Pittsburgh's best chance to win is to crop together clusters of one or two runs in such a fashion as to tire the starter early and get the game to the middle relief. The Pirates will need a lead going into the late innings because although they've made a few spectacular comebacks during the season, most of those games were against the riff-raff of baseball. The Braves came from behind no less than 37 times, and they've been playing under pressure for over two months while the Pirates have cruised to an easy flag by comparison. The Braves are better designed - and more capable - of coming from behind in the late innings than the Pirates are.

Favorite: the Pirates are a better than even favorite to win the LCS

Predictions:
Chuck Tanner (former Braves/Pirates manager) - Pirates in 6
Mark Whicker (LA beat writer) – Pirates in 7
Dan McGrath (Alaska sportswriter) - Pirates to win it all
Jim Lane (Altoona Mirror, PA) – Pirates, based on the notion Bonds and Bonilla can't be as bad as in 1990

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 8, 1991
Minnesota Twins 5 (W: Morris, 1-0, SV: Aguilera, 1)
Toronto Blue Jays 4 (L: Candiotti, 0-1)
Twins lead 1-0

TWINS RACE OUT TO EARLY LEAD, HOLD ON TO EDGE BLUE JAYS IN OPENER, 5-4

Toronto's game one defeat in the ALCS might well have been sealed when Blue Jays Manager Cito Gaston decied to open game one with knuckleballer Tom Candiotti. He's a decent pitcher as knucklers go, but he has a major vulnerability that all knucklers have: when the ball only travels about 50 mph to the plate in a flutter motion, a speedy runner has a much easier chance to steal a base. The Toronto Blue Jays were second in baseball with 148 steals this year, the Twins having but 107 and never stole more than 3 in one game. Until tonight. Zeroing in on Candiotti's slow delivery, the Twins stole four bases in 2 1/3 innings. Three of the runners scored en route to lifting the Twins to a quick 4-0 lead. Shane Mack even tried to steal home off reliever David Wells in Minnesota's fifth attempt in three innings but was gunned down.

Mistakes, aggressiveness, and a few sloppy plays marked game one as is almost always the case (just watch Pittsburgh-Atlanta tonight and take notes). The Twins took a 5-0 lead into the fourth and were in a 5-4 contest when they came to bat in the bottom of the sixth. But Carl Willis and Rick Aguilera combined to allow only one hit in the final 3 2/3 innings to nail down an opening game win and lift Jack Morris to a lifetime record of 23-5 in the Metrodome (14-3 this year).

Much attention was paid by CBS announcers Jim Kaat, Dick Stockton, and Lesley Visser (aka Mrs. Dick Stockton) to the crowd noise in the Metrodome, but it was an overrated story. Yes, the Homer Hankies were out, but the noise never approached the decibel level of the first two games of the 1987 World Series when it was like playing the game underneath a 747 with the engines going. And for all the brouhaha about how the Dome roof plays havoc with fly balls, it was two Twins players, Dan Gladden and Chuck Knoblauch, who had problems with the roof, presumably because 81 games was not enough for them to adjust (or four years in Gladden's case). The Blue Jays did make three errors - all throwing errors, two by third baseman Kelly Gruber - yet none of the errors had any bearing on the final result because nobody scored a run due to an error. But it was an uncharacteristic blunder by the talented Roberto Alomar that cost the Jays a run and may have cost them the game.

Jack Morris mowed down the Blue Jays in order in the top of the first, and the Twins got going quickly. Dan Gladden and Chuck Knoblauch led off with singles, Gladden moved to third on a sacrifice fly by Kent Hrbek, Knoblauch stole second, and both runners scored when Chili Davis singled to center to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead and quickly bring the crowd into the game. In the second, four singles and two steals plated two more runs for a 4-0 lead. Candiotti was pitching just well enough to keep the game from getting completely out of hand. By the third inning, even that minimal standard was gone. After Chili Davis walked, stole second, and scored on a Shane Mack double to make it 5-0, Cito Gaston had seen enough and summoned David Wells to keep the game close. And it must be said that Wells and (later) Mike Timlin did an outstanding job of giving Toronto a chance to come back and win. Wells got out of the jam and then gave up but two hits in his three innings of work. By the time Wells left, it was a one-run game.

In the fourth, Alomar led off with a single and when Joe Carter placed a solid double into the gap between Shane Mack and Kirby Puckett, there was no doubt that Alomar was going all the way to the plate. And he did, but in the process of coming around third, he made an extraordinarily wide turn that was just enough to mess up his angle. Kirby Puckett's relay to Greg Gagne was converted into a perfect throw home and catcher Brian Harper, playing up the line, caught Alomar with a swipe tag to preserve the shutout momentarily. Carter went to third on the throw and then scored the first run on a John Olerud ground out, but the Twins dodged a major bullet and may have won the game on that particular play.


(Note: you can see the Alomar blunder by going to the 1:11:20 mark)

In the sixth inning, the Blue Jays hit five straight singles off Morris that inspired the starter to "Hit the Road, Jack." The most amusing "single" was Alomar hitting a ball that Knoblauch lost against the Teflon roof. Sensing safety, Devon White advanced to second to prevent a force. That misplay kept the inning going and by the time Morris left the mound, John Olerud was perched at second with the tying run, Kelly Gruber was at first with the go-ahed run, and only one out. Carl Willis came out of the pen to save the Twins, and he did just fine thank you, retiring Candy Maldonado on a shallow fly and getting Rance Mulliniks to ground to a force of Olerud at third. The Jays got one harmless hit in the final three innings, and the Twins had drawn first blood in the series, 5-4.

Game one suggests that conventional wisdom is not always conventional. The Blue Jays were supposedly better with the running game, but they stole one base and Minnesota four in five attempts. Their best baserunner, Alomar, made a blunder that cost his team. And the Blue Jays had a supposed edge in middle relief and the bullpen, but as well as they did, Minnesota did even better. It's best to remember that history is a guide and not a taskmaster.

Game two is tomorrow afternoon at the Metrodome, where the Twins are now 7-0 all-time. Flame thrower Juan Guzman will square off against 16-game winner Kevin Tapani. The ALCS game is early in the afternoon with the NLCS set to square off at 839pm EDT in Pittsburgh with Doug Drabek facing Tom Glavine.

News from October 8 follows.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Durocher Dies

Leo "the Lip" Durocher, the manager of the 1951 New York Giants who won the greatest pennant race in baseball history over Durocher's former team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and who is credited with the phrase "nice guys finish last" (the title of his book) died yesterday in Palm Springs, California at 86. Durocher retired ranked fifth in wins among managers, and his oversight by the Baseball Hall of Fame is egregious. The oversight may be due to Durocher's 1947 suspension for "consorting with known gamblers," but Durocher was never accused of fixing or betting on any games, and he was a key man in the elevation of Jackie Robinson to breaking the color barrier the year he was gone.

Bonds Accuses Pirates, Media of Racism

Nothing like poisoning a negotation with the old "you're a racist" accusation, but since when has Barry Bonds been anything but poison? The man may be the best all-around player in the game today. He runs, he hits, he slugs, he steals, and he's decent in the field. But he has a surliness that surfaces as times and choosing to make a dumb comment on the eve of the NLCS is a monumentally stupid thing, but I never said Bonds was all that smart. Bonds then doubled down on his assertion by claiming the media was also complicit in racism.

Of course, he didn't say it that way. Con men aren't known for being transparent. What got Bonds's drawers in a bundle? Well, he said the Pirates front office has a double standard in dealing with black players and white players. Referring to his teammate Andy Van Slyke as "the great white hope", Bonds said that Van Slyke had to endure nothing like Bonilla did regarding coverage of his negotations as well as offer. Van Slyke signed a three-year extension to his contract with $12.65 million in April after Bonilla rejected a four-year $16 million contract. So looking at it from a simple numbers standpoint, they offered Van Slyke an average contract value of $4.22 million and Bonilla "only" $4 million a year. Racism, right?

No. The part Bonds either is too in the dark to know or too stupid to comprehend is that contracts don't work that way. He also ignores a key point: Bonilla lost arbitration with the Pirates last winter and had to settle for a "mere" $2.4 million for 1990. But the PIrates FIRST offered Bonilla an extension (just like Van Slyke) for three years (just like Van Slyke) of $13.6 million (which in most worlds is about $1 million more than Van Slyke). But Bonilla's agent turned down the contract that was actually worth more. Furthermore, it is the last year of contracts that is currently the sticking point because the rumblings suggest that there will be a player's strike in 1994, and teams do not want to be on the hook for guaranteed contracts to pay players who are sitting at home playing Nintendo. The Pirates figured guaranteeing a $4 million salary even in a strike season was good faith negotiation.

But Bonds wasn't done. He then went after the media with the same charge, saying that they didn't bother to criticize Ryne Sandberg, who cut off negotiations with the Cubs in April. Well, Sandberg was just about equal to Bonilla in every single category except doubles (Bonilla led the league), didn't play for a pennant contender, and is already a first ballot Hall of Famer, who plays a more difficult and important defensive position than Bonilla better than Bonilla does, and he hits second in the lineup rather than behind Barry Bonds. Also, Sandberg has been a class act to this point, he simply refused to negotiate during the ongoing season as have many other players, and he didn't try to do it through the media. It will be very interesting to see if Bonds becomes a free agent at the end of next year and if he then attempts to use whatever contracts Bonilla and Sandberg sign as leverage for more money...which is all Sandberg is doing.

If their minds are on sociology or baseball contracts, take the Braves to win the playoffs. They don't have much to worry about as far as contracts and with the rumors coming out of the minors - Chipper Jones, Ryan Klesko, Javier Lopez, and Mike Kelly - and with John Schuerholz's reputation of signing certain Kansas City Royals to "forever contracts," there may not be any issues at all. Pittsburgh is sitting on a powder keg, and their best player is the spark.

Red Sox Fire Joe Morgan
No, not the droning color commentator on ESPN baseball telecasts who spends half of each game making references to his own career, the guy who the Red Sox picked up in July 1988 as an interim replacement for John McNamara and gave him the job when the Sox shot to the top of the division by winning Morgan's first 12 games in charge. Three and a half seasons as a manager, and he won two pennants and was in the race with two weeks to go this year. Morgan went 301-262 (.535) in his time at the helm. They named former third baseman and University of Alabama football player Butch Hobson as the new field general.

Bo Jackson - What's The Story?
Pat O'Brien got a rise out of Bo Jackson's agent last night when he reported that doctors were telling Jackson to give up his hope of returning to the NFL. The agent and Bo say this was not true, but CBS stands by the story. Let's be honest: Bo doesn't need to go back to that game, he needs to be able to walk and play with his grandchildren when he's older. Baseball or bust, Bo.

Mets Pitcher Accused of Rape
It's been a bizarre year in the world of criminal sex, too. We have the upcoming trials of both William Kennedy Smith and Mike Tyson on rape charges, and tomorrow will see the first round of Congress hearing allegations of sexual harrassment made by law professor Anita Hill against President Bush's Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. There was also Jeffrey Dahmer getting caught in Wisconsin earlier this year after engaging in necrophilia. Thank God for baseball to get our minds off crime. Except it won't like we thought because Mets starter David Cone has been accused of raping a woman he met in a bar on the night of October 5 prior to his striking out 19 batters in his final game in 1991. What is clear at this point is Cone has known the woman for years, met her in the bar, and she willingly left with him. Her story is that she gave him a massage that turned into forcible intercourse, his is that they willingly engaged. It's bizarre that Cone pitched the best game of his career during a time he even admits, "I was keeping one eye on the batter and looking with one eye to the tunnel to see if a cop was coming to arrest me." Cone also says that Mets GM Frank Cashen, who is retiring, wanted Cone pulled from his start, but Cone insisted he had to pitch and go on. More details as they become available.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 9, 1991
Toronto Blue Jays 5 (W: Guzman, 1-0; SV: Ward, 1)
Minnesota 2 (L: Tapani, 0-1)
Series tied 1-1

JAYS GET SPLIT WITH 5-2 WIN OVER TWINS; GAME 1 LOWEST RATED PLAYOFF GAME EVER

So the Minnesota Twins are NOT Superman in MetroMinneapolis, and the Toronto Blue Jays supplied the kryptonite. The Twins walked on the field with an all-time post-season record of 7-0 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, aka The House That Roared. Three hours and two minutes later, they left the field with a record of 7-1 following a 5-2 Toronto Blue Jays win that tied the ALCS at one and may shift momentum in Toronto's favor as the next three games are in the (still almost new) SkyDome. Too bad nobody is watching this series.

Technically, that's not true. The UNITED STATES ratings are the only thing reflected in the 11.8 rating that game 1 received was the lowest rated prime time LCS game in history, surpassing (??) the record low set last year in the opener between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati (12.2). All of Canada could have been watching (or just all of Toronto), and it isn't reflected in the US surveys, so the observation should be taken with a dose of caution. But note also that the game was played on Tuesday night, certainly not a draw where baseball is concerned. CBS spokeswoman Susan Kerr made the astute observation, "It's Game 1. It's too soon to make any judgment whatsoever." Either way, they missed an exciting game that wasn't over until the final pitch.

Game 2 was not quite so exciting but every bit as important. With the key to beating Toronto keeping the WAC portion of their lineup off the basepaths - that stands for first three hitters Devon White, Roberto Alomar, and Joe Carter - Minnesota has not done very good job. The top three hitters in the lineup were 5 for 12 last night and added to it today with a 5 for 10 performance (that's 10 for 22 in two games for those keeping score at home). The Jays got out of the gate early, too, White singling, stealing second off starter Kevin Tapani, moving to third on a bunt by Alomar and then scoring on a single by Carter, who got caught stealing as Toronto began the first with a 1-0 lead and playing aggressive baseball. The key moment of the whole game, though, likely occurred in the bottom of the first when Blue Jays' flame thrower Juan Guzman, the 24-year old rookie who has battled through injuries, took the mound and walked Dan Gladden. He was not happy with plate umpire Mark Johnson's strike zone, feeling he had struck out Gladden on the 2-2 pitch. He then struck out rookie Chuck Knoblauch and then walked the ever dangerous Kirby Puckett. Guzman now stared at slugging first baseman Kent Hrbek in a dangerous situation with two on and one out. Sensing danger, catcher Pat Borders went to the mound to calm down an angry Guzman, who snorted, "He's not going to give me the outside strike." But showing the resolve of a veteran, Guzman got Hrbek to pop to third and then struck out the dangerous Chili Davis, maintaining momentum and deflating the Twins. Toronto went right back to the basics in the third.

White doubled to start the inning and moved to third on a short single by Alomar. After Carter ripped one to short that Greg Gagne caught for the first out, Alomar stole second. Kelly Gruber then singled both runners home and took second on the throw, and the Jays were off and running with a 3-0 lead. But Guzman bore the responsibility when he gave a run back in the bottom of the inning. After giving up a single by Gagne but then inducing a double play grounder by Gladden, Guzman gave up a single to Knoblauch, who then moved to second on a wild pitch. Puckett drove Knoblauch home to cut the lead to 3-1. The Twins narrowed the gap even closer in the sixth, when Knoblauch walked, moved to second on a ground out, and scored on a two-out single by Brian Harper that with a walk in between to Chili Davis put runners at first and third. Guzman got the hook and gave way to Tom Henke, who retired Shane Mack to preserve the 3-2 lead. Then in the seventh, Tapani weakened just enough for the Jays to put the game away.

After retiring Borders to start the inning, Tapani walked Manuel Lee. That was enough for Tom Kelly, who sent out reliever Steve Bedrosian to keep the game close. Bedrosian walked White and then gave up a single to Alomar that scored Lee to make it 4-2 and sent White to third when outfielder Shane Mack made an error, bobbling the bounce in the outfield. Joe Carter's sacrifice fly to left scored White, and the Blue Jays were up, 5-2. That's how it ended as Duane Ward replaced Tom Henke in the eighth and nailed down the save. Minnesota's post-season home winning streak thus ends at seven games.

Afterwards, Twins Manager Tom Kelly had words of praise for Guzman, tracing the loss to Minnesota's failure to score in the first inning by noting, "He just pitched a fabulous ballgame." Designated hitter Chili Davis was effusive in his praise of all three Toronto pitchers, saying that if had to face those guys every day, "I might be more bald than I am now." The two teams will travel north of the border for Friday night's game that will see 20-game winner Scott Erickson face off against Toronto's longtime popular control artist Jimmy Key.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 9, 1991
Pittsburgh Pirates 5 (W: Drabek, 1-0; SV: Walk)
Atlanta Braves 1 (L: Glavine, 0-1)
Pirates lead 1-0

PIRATES WIN OPENER, 5-1; DRABEK INJURED IN SLIDE

Some things remained the same tonight at Three Rivers Stadium. The Pirates won the NLCS opener as they did last year. The Atlanta Braves lost a playoff game as they have every single time they've taken the field. And Tom Glavine had first-inning trouble that set the tone for Atlanta's night, much as he has over his last 11 starts. Of course, for all that was the same, there were also differences like Andy Van Slyke producing with the bat in the post-season, the Braves unable to come from behind as they have so many times, and Pittsburgh actually beating Atlanta in a 1991 baseball game.

Tonight's game pitted the 1990 Cy Young winner, Doug Drabek, against the odds-on favorite to win the 1991 award, Tom Glavine. Drabek, whose 1991 was not as successful as his 1990, did channel some of his success. In hist last post-season start in game 5 of last year's NLCS - on the same field - Drabek got two first-inning runs (the first driven in by Van Slyke) and cruised to a playoff win. A similar occurrence happened tonight, and Tom Glavine's admitted first-inning jitters may have contributed to the outcome.

The big guns on the Pirates - Van Slyke, Bobby Bonilla, and Barry Bonds - had a forgettable NLCS in 1990, going 12-for-63 (.190) and only 5 RBIs. Tonight, the same trio had 3 RBIs before the end of the third inning of the first game and gave hope that Pittsburgh's heavy artillery will have more success against Atlanta's pitching staff than they did against Cincinnati's Nasty Boys. But the victory came at a major cost: their best pitcher (Drabek) strained his hamstring sliding into third when he needlessly attempted to stretch a safe double into a triple after running through a stop sign on the basepaths. Drabek said he does not think it is serious, but he will await tomorrow's evaluation to be certain. But the mere fact of injury means that the Pirates cannot come back with Drabek for game four, which means a short rotation deprives them of their best pitcher if the series happens to go seven games. Drabek admitted he was at fault for the poor decision, which was bizarre because his pitching prior to his injury was nothing short of spectacular. The Braves could not hit him, three hits in only six innings and five strikeouts, but his injury may prove a major impetus in determining who wins the series, too. Glavine, by his own admission, was nervous at the start, saying it took him about three innings to settle down from the excitement of the moment. By the time Glavine settled down, Pittsburgh had a 3-0 lead on the Braves with Drabek pitching like Robin Roberts.

For too long in his baseball career, the talented Van Slyke has been the answer to a trivia question among baseball fans: "Who was on deck in game 6 of the 1985 NLCS when Tommy Lasorda made the decision to pitch to Jack Clark with first base open?" It was the .118 hitting Van Slyke, who has put together a good career as a second or third echelon outfielder, certainly not in the class of Bonds or Ken Griffey, Jr, but still a talented baseball player. He entered tonight with a .371 average against Glavine, and he lifted it with his first two at-bats. The Braves went down in order in the first and then Glavine got the first two Pirates out before facing Van Slyke. Glavine was one pitch from being out of a scoreless first inning when he hung a 3-2 curve that Van Slyke launched over the right field wall. The outcome was so obvious from the moment Van Slyke hit it that every viewer who had ever seen a baseball game knew what had happened. (The truest miracle of all was the utter silence on CBS television for a full 42 seconds of announcing loudmouth and irritating know-it-all Tim McCarver). The homer lit a charge into the crowd, and the Pirates led, 1-0. In the third inning, Glavine had to face Van Slyke again, this time with Jay Bell on first courtesy of a single. Van Slyke doubled to center field and then scored on a Bobby Bonilla single and just like that, the Braves were in a 3-0 hole. The Braves had only one hit by former Pirate Sid Bream. Then leading off the fourth, Atlanta's potential to get back into the game was lifted and snuffed out in a matter of seconds on the same play. Mark Lemke hit a scorcher down the first base line that bounced right "through" first baseman Gary Redus. Lemke made second easily and then opted to stretch his advantage to third. But Bonilla fired a strike to Bell - overthrowing cutoff man Jose Lind in the process, whose relay throw to third baseman Steve Buechele was perfect and just ahead of Lemke to nail him with the first out of the inning. Nobody was upset about it later, including Lemke, who said, "They had to make two perfect throws to get me. Give them credit." And with that one play, Atlanta's frustration against Drabek continued.

It was Drabek himself who drove in Pittsburgh's fourth run of the night, when his two-out double to center scored Buechele, and Drabek was injured on his slide into third. The injury saw the end of the night for both pitchers as it was the third out of the inning, and Glavine's spot came to bat with Bream on and two outs in the seventh. Tomm Gregg struck out, and Mark Wohlers came on for one inning while Bob Walk replaced Drabek on the mound. Mike Stanton relieved Wohlers in the eighth and promptly loaded the bases with one out, but he gave up only one run while retiring the bottom of the batting order.

Atlanta scored only one run when David Justice connected off Walk in the ninth for a solo home run that prevented the shutout, but Walk pitched three innings and earned the long save in relief of Drabek. Just as last year, the Pirates win the opener of the NLCS. And the Atlanta Braves have still never won a post-season game, the Braves' franchise record (including the Milwaukee years) now extended to 10 games, their last win the fourth game of the 1958 World Series.

Tomorrow's contest will feature 21-year Steve Avery, an 18-game winner, against former Brave Zane Smith, who won 16 games. The first pitch will be at 839 EDT on CBS. The Braves would like a win to avoid going home down 0-2.

More About Barry

There's more about the Barry Bonds saga and his referencing Van Slyke as "the great white hope." Van Slyke, one of the true cutups in baseball, laughed off the thrust and said that was a common thing amongst the two of them. Bonds blamed the media for turning his (seemingly) serious remarks about contracts and race into a (wait for it) racial issue. Asked for comment, Pirates Manager Jim Leyland said he didn't want to get into the middle of it, but he did note (as documented here yesterday) that the initial contract offer for soon-to-be free agent Bobby Bonilla was, in fact, a higher dollar value than the extension Van Slyke signed. Shortstop Jay Bell then intoned that sometimes "people take Barry too seriously."

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 10, 1991
Atlanta Braves 1 (W: Avery, 1-0; SV: Pena, 1)
Pittsburgh Pirates 0 (L: Smith, 0-1)
Series tied 1-1

BRAVES WIN FIRST EVER POST-SEASON GAME TO TIE SERIES AT ONE

If you had told Manager Jim Leyland and the Pittsburgh Pirates that their pitching would hold the potent Atlanta Braves' bats to a measly two runs in the first 18 innings of the NLCS, Leyland would have taken that in a heartbeat and figured he'd head to Atlanta with a 2-0 series lead and his 20-game Cy Young contender John Smiley on the mound for game three. Instead, Leyland is as stunned as anyone else that the series heads to Dixie tied at one after a pitching performance for the ages by a 21-year old baby face who is likely only in the big leagues in the first place (e.g. this soon) because the Braves were so awful last year and had nothing to lose by promoting him. Steve Avery, the #3 overall pick in the 1988 draft while still in high school, became the youngest starter of a playoff game since 20-year old Bret Saberhagen in the 1984 ALCS, and the youngest to win since Fernando Valenzuela won game 4 of the additional round of playoffs (the NLDS) against Houston in the 1981 strike season. And he pitched with the poise rarely seen of veterans in the post-season much less youngsters.

How good was Avery tonight? The Braves' outfield did not record a putout until the eighth inning, when pinch-hitter Lloyd McClendon popped to David Justice in right. Justice mused after the game, "I should have taken my Walkman out there." Three of Pittsburgh's five singles never left the infield. He didn't even throw a 3-1 pitch on the night until the seventh inning. And yes, Avery did benefit a tiny bit from a rather generous strike zone by home plate umpire Frank Pulli. Asked about the zone however, Pirates outfielder Andy Van Slyke looked uncomfortable but then said, "It was consistent through the entire game," while Jay Bell noted, "Frank's a pitcher's umpire, and we all knew that beforehand." But Bell was also effusive in his praise of Avery, saying, "He pitched some super baseball tonight." Leyland even said it was the greatest pitching performance he'd ever witnessed.

The former Brave Zane Smith, long considered a symbol of the futility era of the Braves, deserved a better fate than he got tonight. Matching Avery virtually pitch for pitch, Smith navigated the Atlanta lineup successfully for seven innings while surrendering eight hits. He was undone by a high chop and bizarre bounce of the ball that delivered an "L" next to his name in the box score, but Smith, who is 0-3 in the post-season in his career, pitched well. He just had the misfortune of facing someone who pitched even better. As a result, the NLCS just like the ALCS now shifts cities with both series' tied at one game apiece. The pitcher's duel unfolded before over 57,000 Pirates fans and was a tribute to the best the game has to offer. Zane Smith got the Braves in order in first and after walking leadoff hitter Gary Redus, Avery did the same. But in the second inning, a common Braves problem came to the fore yet again.

Brian Hunter, a rookie starting in place of Sid Bream, led off the top of the second with a single and then Greg Olson and Mark Lemke did the same to load the bases with nobody out. Rafael Belliard came up with a chance to do some damage, but he bounced to third and Steve Buechele threw home to force Hunter at the plate for the first out. After Avery struck out, Zane Smith got Lonnie Smith to ground out to shortstop Jay Bell, a knuckling down that had to frustrate the Braves' offense as Avery went back to the mound with the game still tied. Avery immediately gave up a single to Barry Bonds through the box, and as Avery worked the plate retiring hitters, Bonds stole both second and third. But Avery got out of the inning by getting Jose Lind to ground out, snuffing out the threat.

The Braves mounted threats inning after inning yet couldn't push even a single run across the plate. Ron Gant was hit by a pitch with one out in the third and promptly stole second and third and, like Bonds, was stranded by Smith's effective pitching. Greg Olson led off the fourth with a single but nothing came of it. The main difference between the two pitchers is that Avery's hits tended to be more harmless singles with two outs while Smith continued to get into trouble with leadoff runners on the base. Atlanta finally cashed in on a break in the sixth inning.

Justice led off with a single and after Hunter struck out, Bobby Cox called for a hit and run with Greg Olson. Justice took off towards second, and Olson grounded out to third, moving Justice into scoring position with two outs. Lemke worked Smith to a full count and then hit a seemingly harmless chop to third. But Buechele, Justice, and the ball all converged to the bag at the same time. Realizing he could not throw Lemke out at first, Buechele went for the quick grab and attempt to tag Justice, but the ball took a weird hop and went right over Buechele's glove and into left field. Justice raced home to give the Braves their first lead of the series while Lemke beat the throw to second and was awarded a double by the official scorer. Smith then walked Belliard intentionally to get to Avery, who flied out to center, but the 1-0 lead seemed like 10-0 the way Avery had pitched up to that point.

Bobby Bonilla led off the seventh with a single, bringing slugger Barry Bonds to the plate with a chance to give the Bucs the lead. Instead, Avery induced a 4-6-3 double play that loomed even larger when Buechele walked and was forced at second by Don Slaught to end the inning. In the eighth, the Pirates again got the tying run as far as third, but Avery again got out of the jam. Avery took his turn at bat for the ninth and then went back out to finish the game.

This being the Braves, though, it required quite a bit of drama to seal the win.

Avery, who lost five shutouts in the ninth inning this year, immediately got into trouble by giving up a ringing leadoff double to Bonilla, bringing Bonds to the plate with a chance to win the game. The largest crowd in Three Rivers Stadium history anticipated what was going to happen next, and with the game on the line, Avery jammed Barry Bonds, forcing a popup to Belliard so enraged Bonds that he threw the bat against the turf and shattered it.

But the drama had not even begun. With Avery tiring, and righthanders due up, Bobby Cox pulled Avery and sent in Alejandro Pena to close out the game. Pena, 12-for-12 in save opportunities since coming over in late August, then added to the tension by throwing a wild pitch that moved Bonilla to third with only one out. Needing only a contact to tie and a home run to win, Buechele bounced it right back to Pena on the mound, who looked Bonilla back and then threw to first. Curtis Wilkerson came on to pinch-hit for Slaught, and Pena struck him out on a called third strike to close out yet another Atlanta high-wire act that resulted in a Braves win. As in the first post-season win ever for the Atlanta Braves. With the win tonight, Avery became the first player born in the 1970s to win a post-season decision.

The series now moves to Atlanta, where perhaps the wildest crowd in baseball history will greet the Bucs and cheer the Braves. John Smoltz, the true face of Atlanta's "tale of two seasons" will take the mound for the Braves and John Smiley will start for the Pirates.


======================

In other news, CBS broadcaster Jack Buck reported during the game that Chicago White Sox outfielder and Los Angeles Raiders running back Bo Jackson failed his football physical and is out for the 1991 football season. Jackson is being advised to never set foot on an NFL field again. The timing is a bit contentious because Jackson does have a Lloyd's of London insurance policy that must be cashed in no later than next summer and can only be activated if Jackson's doctors determine his career is over. It is likely we have seen the last of Jackson on the gridiron. And speaking of players we have not seen on the gridion, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana has been ruled out for the season due to both elbow and shoulder problems. It is recommended he take the time to heal. Montana's last play was in the 1990 NFC Championship last January when Giants defensive lineman Leonard Marshall separated Montana from the ball, his senses, and possibly his career with a devastating hit that injured the future Hall of Famer.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 11, 1991
Minnesota Twins 3 (W: Guthrie, 1-0; SV: Aguilera, 1)
Toronto Blue Jays 2 (L: Timlin, 0-1)
Twins lead series, 2-1

PAGLIARULO'S 10TH INNING SHOT CARRIES TWINS OVER BLUE JAYS; CARTER INJURED

On a very rough day for the country as a whole, there was always baseball.

The United States was treated to the spectacle of a Supreme Court nominee being accused by a former law professor colleauge of sexual harrassment and taking the stand today during his confirmation hearings to give his side of the story. One could not get away from the large picture of Clarence Thomas filling their television screens responding to testimony more fitting for a bad smut novel than a confirmation hearing. Thankfully, CBS has a contract that mandates they show post-season baseball, enabling the apolitical or the apathetic to change the channel. And they got a classic they will not soon forget. The late evening was also marred by the tragic death of popular comedian Redd Foxx due to (what else?) a heart attack on the set of "The Royal Family" in Los Angeles. Fitting both because Foxx made his reputation among most Americans by faking (literally) hundreds of heart attacks on "Sanford and Son" and because the game ended with a big one off the bat of Mike Pagliarulo that thrilled hearts in Minnesota while breaking them all across Canada. The jolt in the tenth inning off reliever Mike Timlin guaranteed that in a worst case scenario the Twins would return to the Metrodome for the final game(s) of the series. But it will be hard to have two more exciting baseball games than the Braves and Pirates provided last night or the Blue Jays and Twins tonight.

Scott Erickson, who won 20 games for the Twins, got the start tonight against longtime Toronto control pitcher Jimmy Key, who has not pitched in ten days, and the results were predictable to anyone who has watched either pitcher since the All-Star break. Key pitched effectively and Erickson toyed with disaster until leaving the game after just four innings. He clearly has not recovered from the injured elbow that will likely cost him the Cy Young. After getting the first two hitters of the lineup out, Erickson served up a solo home run to Toronto slugger Joe Carter that gave the Jays a 1-0 lead. A walk to John Olerud was followed by a Kelly Gruber single and Candy Maldonado double that put runners at second and third with two out, and the Blue Jays leading, 2-0. Erickson retired Rance Mulliniks, but the momentum was with Toronto.

Or so it seemed. Nobody knew it at the time, but the two first-inning runs were the last runs Toronto scored on the evening. Toronto wasted a golden opportunity in the fourth when the first two batters got on base and were bunted over with one out. But Erickson retire Manuel Lee and Devon White and then retired for the evening with his team trailing, 2-0. In the following half inning, Key found his own trouble. Shane Mack led off the fifth with a triple that saw outfielder Joe Carter get his foot hung on the fence and severely sprain his ankle while the ball bounced near him. Mack went to third while Carter was shaken up, and Carter may miss the rest of the series or at best be limited to pinch-hitting or designated hitter duty. Mack then scored despite second baseman Roberto Alomar making a questionable decision to attempt to nail Mack at the plate. Mack scored, and instead of one out, Kent Hrbek was on base with nobody out. Only the ground ball inducing skill of Key kept the Jays in the lead as Junior Ortiz bounced into a double play. An inning later, the Twins tied the game after the Jays blew a second straight "runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out" and failed to score. Rookie Chuck Knoblauch scorched a one-out double to left and then scored on a Kirby Puckett single to tie the game which, at this point, became a battle of two excellent bullpens.

When Carter came to bat in the seventh and was walked intentionally with Devon White at second and one out, Toronto Manager Cito Gaston pulled Carter for pinch-runner Rob Ducey. But once again, the Jays, who were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, failed to capitalize, setting the stage for the extra inning finish.

With Mike Timlin on the mound and one out, Twins Manager Tom Kelly sent Mike Pagliarulo up to pinch-hit for starting third baseman Scott Leius. "Pags," who hit .196 in 50 games for the Padres in 1989 and appeared to be done with baseball, launched a home run over Ducey into the right field seats that so shocked Pagliarulo that he nearly missed first base on his home run trot. Even Kelly was shocked at the home run, but closer Rick Aguilera came on and shut down the Jays to close out a 3-2 Minnesota win that gives the Twins a 2-1 lead in the series. Toronto's bullpen had thrown 12 scoreless innings until Pagliarulo connected, and the Twins threw nine shutout innings after Toronto's fast start tonight. Game four will be tormorrow evening at SkyDome and feature first-game winner Jack Morris against Todd Stottlemyre.

Leyland Becomes Father
46-year old Jim Leyland, who married late in life, became a father for the first time today as his wife, Katie, gave birth to Patrick James, a 7lb. 2 oz. baby boy, conveniently born at 3:15 EDT on the off day. It was an emotional time for the Leylands, perhaps more so because their previous pregnancy ended with a stillbirth in October 1989. Leyland will fly to Atlanta tomorrow morning for game 3 with the Braves, the first pitch scheduled for 3 pm EDT.

Drabek Update
Doug Drabek, the Pirates' ace who strained a hamstring sliding into third in game one, will likely not be ready to go in game 4 and possibly not in game 5. Leyland announced his contingent starter for game 4 would be either Bob Walk or Randy Tomlin.

Braves Draw Viewers
There's no question the exciting story of the Braves has brought viewers to the television. Game 1 (Wednesday night) drew a 13.9 rating while game 2 (Thursday night) drew a 14.5 rating, increasing CBS's normal Thursday rating by 23%. The 14.2 average for the first two games is a 13% increase over last year's first two games between the PIrates and Cincinnati.

Game 3 NLCS
Atlanta will be rocking tomorrow with tomahawks chopping as the Braves host game three against the Pirates. John Smoltz, 2-1 against the Pirates this year and 4-2 lifetime, will start for the Braves while 20-game winner John Smiley starts for Pittsburgh. Despite the stellar record, Smoltz's worst ERA in his career is against Pittsburgh (5.36). Starting first baseman Orlando Merced is expected to be in the lineup for game 3 after sitting out since September 26 with a bruised foot.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 12, 1991
Atlanta Braves 10 (W: Smoltz, 1-0; SV: Pena, 2)
Pittsburgh Pirates 3 (L: Smiley, 0-1)
Braves lead, 2-1

BRAVES POUND SMILEY, PIRATES TO TAKE 2-1 SERIES LEAD

The most amusing tale to come out of game three happened when Atlanta Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone picked up the dugout phone and somehow got the Pirates' bullpen number. Not recognizing the voice, Mazzone snorted, "Who the (expletive) is this?" The reply was, "Bob Walk," a long ago Brave who now pitches for Pittsburgh. "Never mind," said Mazzone.

It was almost the only wrong call Atlanta made all day long.

With an insane crowd cheering loudly and waving tomahawks on a beautiful 72-degree day in Atlanta, the Braves rewarded their fans for a season unlike any other by taking the mystery out of the game very quickly and set them on a day of happiness and smiles. Overcoming a quick 1-0 lead with four runs in the bottom of the first, the Braves banged out 11 hits - seven for extra bases - and ran home six runs with two outs to absolutely bury the Pirates, 10-3, before a crowd of just under 51,000 fans at Fulton County Stadium. And when the Pirates made their one valiant attempt at a comeback, Alejandro Pena came on with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth of a 7-3 game and got the next two batters out, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The Braves then put it out of reach in the bottom of eighth when former Pirate Sid Bream slugged a three-run home run to finish the scoring in a 10-3 rout. The win continues an incredible mid-season turnaround for starter John Smoltz, who got the win after getting off to one of his trademark shaky starts and recovering quickly enough to keep the game close.

Orland Merced, who missed the first two games with a foot injury, started his first game since September 26. Merced launched Smoltz's first pitch, a down-and-in fastball, over the wall for a lightning quick home run that gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Smoltz then worked an 0-2 count to Jay Bell and gave up a single. Now facing the heart of the Pirate batting order, Smoltz navigated the danger, getting Andy Van Slyke to pop up in the infield in front of the pitcher's mound and then getting warning track fly outs to Bobby Bonilla and Barry Bonds to end the top of the first with Atlanta in a 1-0 hole. Though it was not heavily noted at the time, Smoltz was battling a flu bug as well.

John Smiley then took the mound for Pittsburgh in a classic case of strength vs strength. The Braves scored 124 runs in the first inning this season, far and away the most in the majors. Smiley, however, was the second-best NL starter in the first inning, with the lowest ERA of any pitcher other than Wally Whitehurst of the Mets. Smiley got the first two Braves out in the first before Ron Gant doubled into right field, an odd occurrence because Gant is a pull hitter who had only nine hits to right field all season. Then David Justice took a two strike outside pitch right down the third base line between Steve Buechele and the bag for a double that scored Gant and tied the game at one. Brian Hunter then doubled to left to score Justice, and when Greg Olson reached down and crushed a changeup into the bleachers for a two-run home run, the Braves were off and running, 4-1. It was particularly disheartening for Pittsburgh as Olson had only six home runs all year. But it was a bizarre play in the bottom of the second that sent the signal loud and clear that today was not Smiley's day nor the Pirates'.



AP Photo - Braves catcher Greg Olson launches a two-run home run that pushed Atlanta's first inning lead to 4-1 en route to a 10-3 win in game 3 of the NLCS. The Braves lead the Pirates, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series.

After getting Rafael Belliard and Smoltz out, Smiley faced Lonnie Smith for the second time and hit him with a pitch. Smith, whose baserunning blunders are the stuff of legend, then enabled Pittsburgh to give a clinic on how not pick off a baserunner. Smiley caught Smith dead to rights, and he bolted too soon for second. Smiley's throw to Merced at first was low, but the first baseman got it and gunned it to second. Er, he gunned it into left field, and Smith was suddenly perched on third base. Terry Pendleton's double made it 5-1, Atlanta, and with Smiley leading off the third and having been ineffective, he was gone for pinch-hitter Cecil Espy after just two innings of work. Bill Landrum came on and wasn't that much better, he was just more fortunate. Justice led off the third with a walk and was caught stealing after Hunter struck out. Seemingly out of the inning. Landrum gave up three straight singles to Olson, Mark Lemke, and Belliard, to extend the Atlanta lead to 6-1. For a team that needed to take the crowd of the game, the Pirates were performing that task miserably.

Smoltz then had to face Barry Bonds to start the fourth. As in "4 for 23 in his career in the NLCS" Barry Bonds, who this time got a single and stole second. Jose Lind singled Bonds home to narrow the margin to 6-2, and Smoltz appeared to be in trouble. But he bore down and got out of the inning without further damage. Finally, in the seventh, Smoltz weakened enough to give the Pirates hope. After striking Merced out to start the inning, Smoltz gave up a home run to Jay Bell that cut the lead to 6-3, and Bobby Cox had seen enough to bring in Mike Stanton, who walked Van Slyke and moved him to second with a wild pitch. But in a refrain becoming way too common for the Pirates, Stanton then retired both Bonilla and Bonds to end the inning with Atlanta holding a seemingly no longer insurmountable 6-3 lead. Gant got the run back with his own home run in the bottom of the seventh, setting the stage for Pittsburgh's last gasp in the eighth. Stanton took the mound only long enough to give up a leadoff single to Steve Buchele, so Cox countered by bringing in rookie fireballer Mark Wohlers. Wohlers gave up a single to pinch-hitter Don Slaught but then retired Lind to leave runners on first and second with one out. But when Wohlers's wildness took over and he walked pinch-hitter Lloyd McClendon, the bullpen call went for Pena, who is 13-for-13 in save opportunities with the Braves this year. Pena's task was to retire the two Pirate batters who had slugged home runs already in the game, Merced and Bell, hopefully with minimal damage. The crowd rallied behind the Braves and Pena as he got Merced to pop up to catcher Olson and then struck out Bell to end the inning and send the crowd into hysterics. With a four-run lead and only three outs to go, not even the Braves could blow this one. But just to make sure, Sid Bream, who came in as part of a double switch with Pena, crushed a three-run home run off Rosario Rodriguez, and with the score 10-3, it was time to start checking SEC football scores for games in progress. Facing the three big guns in the Pirate lineup, Pena got all three, retiring Bonds to end the game on a fly ball to right.

Game four tomorrow night will pit Atlanta lefty Charlie Leibrandt against a yet-to-be-determined starter, most likely either Bob Walk or Randy Tomlin.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

October 12, 1991
Minnesota Twins 9 (W: Morris, 2-0)
Toronto Blue Jays 3 (L: Stottlemyre, 0-1)
Twins lead series, 3-1

TWINS THUMP JAYS, 9-3, TO CLOSE WITHIN ONE WIN OF WORLD SERIES

The Toronto Blue Jays are not just competing against the hot-hitting Minnesota Twins in the ALCS, they are also running from the ghosts of Blue Jay past. In 1985, the Jays became the first team to ever take a 3-1 series lead in the ALCS (the first year of the best-of-seven) and fail to make the World Series, losing the last three games to Kansas City. In 1987, the Jays led the Tigers by 3 1/2 games with seven left and collapsed, losing all seven games and watching Detroit capture the AL East flag. In 1989, the Jays had narrowed the A's lead to 2-1 when Jose Canseco hit a mammoth shot into the fifth deck of SkyDome, and Oakland finished off Toronto the next day. Then there's 1990, where the Jays were tied with Boston with six games to go and lost four of six games to finish two back of the Red Sox. And then there's 1991, where a loss in game five will make it three trips to the LCS for the Blue Jays and three times watching the opponent celebrate a berth in the World Series on Toronto's home field. Game four did nothing but reinforce that Minnesota is much better than Toronto is. And the Blue Jays are hardly helped that Joe Carter's injury limited him to being a designated hitter.

For the third straight game, the Blue Jays scored to take the lead early and for the second straight game, the Twins fought back and won the game. With two outs in the second, Candy Maldonado doubled and then went to third on a wild pitch by Jack Morris. Pat Borders singled him home, and the Blue Jays led, 1-0. Todd Stottlemyre got through the Minnesota lineup without any damage beyond a couple of scattered singles, taking the 1-0 lead into the fourth inning, which he wasn't around to see to completion.

Superstar Kirby Puckett led off the fourth with a game-tying home run, and whatever momentum Stottlemyre had was gone. He did retire two of the next three hitters, giving up a double to Chili Davis, but he walked Shane Mack to put two men on base. At this point, Stottlemyre came unglued, giving up a single to Mike Pagliarulo that scored Davis, hitting Greg Gagne with a pitch to load the bases, and then giving up a two-run single to Dan Gladden that sent Stottlemyre to the shower. David Wells came on to retire Chuck Knoblauch, but the Twins already had enough runs to win. In the sixth, they added to it and finished Wells.

Brian Harper doubled to left and after Mack grounded out, Pagliarulo drove in his third run in less than 24 hours with another double that scored Harper. Jim Acker, the former Brave traded in 1989 for backup catcher Francisco Cabrera, relieved Wells and after striking out Gagne gave up yet another run-scoring hit to Gladden that gave the Twins a 6-1 lead. The Blue Jays got one run back on doubles by Gruber and Borders in the bottom of the sixth, but with the Minnesota bullpen firing on all cylinders, the outcome was already obvious. The Twins got single runs in each of the last three innings to take a 9-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, and only a walk to Rance Mulliniks, who moved to third on a Gagne error before scoring on an Alomar single gave the Jays a cosmetic run to close out the scoring at 9-3. The loss leaves the Blue Jays trailing 3-1, and with Candiotti going for game five and Carter injured, it's all but assured Minnesota will be playing in the World Series one week from tonight. The Blue Jays need a miracle in a year where they're facing a team who seems to have a monopoly on such intervention.