‘96 Braves dispatch of ‘51 Jints in 4
GAME 1 - Polo
Grounds - ATL 8, NYG 4
Greg Maddux vs Sheldon Jones
On paper this pitching matchup looked to be completely one sided. The numbers
didn't lie on bit as the Braves knocked around Jones for 7 runs in less than 6
innings of work. The game was actually scoreless until the 4th when both
teams exchanged 2 run half innings. After that it was all Braves all the
time. Back to back RBI singles by Marquis Grissom and Jermaine Dye put the
Braves up 4-2 in the 5th. A 3 run homer by pinch hitter
Mark Whiten made it 7-2 and a RBI single
by Fred McGriff in the 7th made it 8-2. Maddux was done for he day after 7,
which brings up an issue for the Braves in this tournament. Can their bullpen
protect the leads that their starting pitching hands off to them ? "Bad"
Clontz (all puns intended) gave 2 runs back in the 8th to give the Giants some
sort of hope. Don "Mandrake" Mueller tripled home Bobby Thomson who led the
inning off with a walk. "The Brat", Eddie Stanky doubled home Mueller. The
9th inning was uneventful as Greg McMichael replaced Clontz and didn't allow a
run.
Braves lead series 1-0
GAME 2 - Polo Grounds - NYG 3, ATL 1
Tom Glavine vs Sal Maglie
”The
Barber”, Sal Maglie was
brilliant on the afternoon giving up just 2 hits on the day, with one being a
Chipper Jones solo blast in the 4th. Maglie would go the distance fanning 8
Braves along the way. Glavine, for his troubles, went 6 and gave up only 1
earned (2 total) runs during his tenure. A Mark Lemke error in the 4th led to
New York's first run. A solo shot by catcher Wes Westrum made it 2-1 in the
5ht and after reliever Wade walked 3 consecutive batters in the 7th Alvin Dark
scored New York's 3rd run of the day on a Westrum ground out to short for his
second RBI of the day. New York would leave 8 runners on base, but Maglie's
stellar performance negated that awful stat.
Series tied 1-1
GAME 3 - Fulton County Stadium - ATL
6, NYG 2
Jim Hearn vs John Smoltz
After tossing shutout ball for 7 innings Smoltzie took an early exit and left
the game in the hands of the Atlanta pen. Leading 6-0 that seemed to be the
safe thing to do. McMichael had a bumpy 8th inning where he allowed 2 hits,
but he was able to survive it. Wohlers could only get 2 outs in the 9th
before yielding 2 runs and making it a game. Pedro Borbon Jr. had to be
called upon to get Wes Westrum for the final out after Bobby Thomson's 2 out 2
run single. "The Crime Dog", Fred McGriff, paced Atlanta's offense going 4
for 4 with and RBI and a double. Chipper Jones
was 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored and 3 walks. Apparently Chipper victimizes any
team that represents the city of New York and not just the Metropolitians.
New York had 9 hits on the day, but could not come up with the big one until
it was too late.
Braves lead series 2-1
GAME 4 - Fulton County Stadium - ATL
8, NYG 7
Larry Jansen vs Mike Bielecki
Do or die for the 'Jints. A win here sends the series back
to Gotham tied a 2. A loss sends the Braves on to the next round. New York
came out swinging and knocked Bielecki out of the box by the 2nd inning. A 3
run top of the 1st was marred by an opening error by left fielder
Ryan "lead glove" Klesko and 4 walks by
the wild Bielecki. In fact the only hit of the inning was an RBI single by
Willie Mays, who had been otherwise quiet for the first 3 games of the
series. Jansen had his own control problems in the 3rd as he walked Jones and
McGriff with 2 outs to load the bases for Klesko who showed why he plays ever
day with a 2 run single to cut New York's lead to 3-2. By the 5th inning
Atlanta had Wade on the hill and once again he ran into trouble. With 2 out
Wes Westrum launched a blast to
left center that
narrowly
missed being a grand slam, but turned into a bases clearing double. Stanky
followed that with a single to push across the Giants 4th run of the inning to
make it 7-2. Even after Javy Lopez singled home Chipper in the 5th to make it
7-3 most folks had this sinking feeling that the series would be headed to a
5th game. That empty feeling would evaporate in the 7th when Atlanta
victimized a duo of New York relievers (Kennedy & Koslo) for 5 runs. A lead
off walk to Chipper was followed by McGriff fanning. 19 year old Andruw Jones
was called off the bench to pinch hit for Klesko to get the lefty righty
matchup. Jones slammed a double, the first of 3 consecutive doubles by the
Braves. Lopez and Walton would follow with their two baggers. Dye would
pinch hit for Blauser and single. Even reliever Steve Avery got into the mix
with a double of his own. Marquis Grissom closed out the scoring by lifting a
sac fly to right. When the dust settled New York's 7-3 lead was now and 8-7
deficit. Now the spotlight would shine squarely on
Greg McMichael who had to get throught
the heart of the Giants order. McMichael came through
like a champion by pitching 2 perfect innings of relief to notch the save and
close out the Giants. Avery was awarded the win even though his 2 2/3 innings
of relief featured 3 earned runs on 4 hits. He earned the win more with his
RBI double than with his left arm.
Braves win series 3-1