Saturday, October 16, 1999
NLCS: Braves 1, Mets 0
Atlanta on verge of sweep
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEW YORK — Now that the New York Mets' grip on the situation has quite literally faltered, it's time for the Atlanta Braves to put them away.
Notching an unearned run on an unprecedented pair of first-inning Mets errors Friday night, the Braves outlasted New York 1-0 to take a 3-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.
Tom Glavine, the calm, consummate professional, tamed the Mets and a raucous Shea Stadium crowd of 55,911 by allowing seven hits through seven innings. Ex-Red Mike Remlinger pitched the eighth before John Rocker, who's more unpopular here than a counterfeit subway token, worked the ninth for his second save of the series.
The Braves must defeat New York just once more to reach their fifth World Series in this decade. A victory in tonight's Game 4 would enable them to complete just the NL's second sweep since the LCS adopted a best-of-seven format in 1985. Atlanta also posted the league's other sweep, against the Reds in 1995.
No team in baseball's postseason has blown a 3-0 edge,
which appears to doom the Mets. The only two professional sports teams to overcome a 3-0 deficit and win a series are the 1975 New York Islanders, who ousted Pittsburgh from the Stanley Cup quarterfinals, and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who roared past Detroit to take the Cup.
“There's some hope,” Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. “It's a longshot, there's no doubt about that.”
Atlanta's hopes for a sweep rest with starter John Smoltz, who will pit his 6-2 record in NLCS competition against New York's Rick Reed, a former strike replacement player with the Reds.
“I think our approach is going to be the same as it has been each day. We're going to anticipate a tightly played game,” said Glavine, possibly aware that the teams have entered the sixth inning of each contest either tied or separated by one run.
Game 3 remained close due largely to Glavine, who has won all four of his starts against New York this year. He was virtually matched by fellow left-hander Al Leiter, the Reds-killer who permitted three hits in seven innings.
“What makes him so good is that he closes the deal,” Smoltz said of Glavine. “He smells victory. He knows from the seventh, eighth and ninth how to finish a game. That's why he's won two Cy Young Awards and has four 20-win seasons.”
The Mets rallied against Rocker in the ninth when lead off hitter Benny Agbayani reached safely on shortstop Walt Weiss' fielding error. But Rocker retired the next three Mets without incident.
After the final out, he bellowed in sheer triumph, pumped his left fist and stared defiantly at the spectators behind Atlan ta's dugout. The emotional display recalled Pete Rose's fist-pumping trip around the bases after his 12th-inning homer here stunned the Mets in Game4 of the 1973 NLCS.
The result provided a fitting continuation of the Braves' domination of New York. Atlan ta also handed the Mets their last three shutout defeats of the regular season, on June 27, July 2 and July 3. The Braves have won 12 of 15 games against the Mets this year, including eight of their last nine meetings.
As predictable as a Braves victory might have been, no body was prepared for how Atlanta scored. It marked the first time all year that the Mets, whose 68 regular-season errors were a record low, committed two errors in one inning.
“That makes it even weirder, doesn't it?” Valentine said. “It was pretty amazing. I guess without that, we'd still be playing.”
After Gerald Williams walked leading off, Bret Boone tapped a 1-2 pitch meekly to Leiter. He looked at second base, decided against trying to force out Williams and threw to first. However, Leiter's wide throw pulled John Olerud off the bag, leaving Braves at first and second.
Leiter coaxed a pop-up from Chipper Jones and threw a first-pitch strike to Brian Jordan. But on that delivery, Williams and Boone attempted a double-steal, which succeeded as catcher Mike Piazza's throw flew into center field. Williams scored as Boone went to third.
“Al kind of stepped to second and threw to first,” Valentine said. “Mike stepped on the plate when he threw his. It slipped.”
The inning ended in dramatic fashion. Jordan lifted a fly to rookie center fielder Melvin Mora, whose perfect one-hop throw arrived at home plate with Boone a step-and-a-half away. Leading with his left shoulder, Boone knocked Piazza backward, but the seven-time All-Star, who suffered a slight concussion on the play, held onto the ball for the out.
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