Weekly Recaps

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Recaps"><IMG SRC="13f966220.gif" border=0 width="102" height="34" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A><A HREF="bb1awards.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="League Awards"><IMG SRC="13d991260.gif" border=0 width="145" height="38" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A><A HREF="atl.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Atlanta"><IMG SRC="13da91260.gif" border=0 width="145" height="38" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A><A HREF="replays.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Replays"><IMG SRC="13db91260.gif" border=0 width="145" height="38" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> <div> <STYLE>  </STYLE></div> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" BGCOLOR="#CCFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="ca200003.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#990033" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Weekly Recaps</B></FONT> <A NAME="top_1_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><STYLE>  </STYLE></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I> <A NAME="week_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I></FONT><I>Week 1</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (1-2); New York-A (4-2)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Los Angeles (5-1); New York-N (0-3); San Francisco (1-2); St. Louis (1-2)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Don Mattingly, NY-A: .308 / 1 / 7; 1 double</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Davey Lopes, LA: .429 / 2 / 5; 9 runs, 3 sb</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>St. Louis-New York-A</I></div> <div> In a series marked by great pitching, and even factoring in Mark McGwire's conspicuous absence (hitless for the series), the Yankees took two of three from the visiting Cardinals.</div> <div> Game 1 featured a pitcher's duel, as Bob Gibson squared off against Ron Guidry. Gibby pitched tough, letting up a one-run double to Don Mattingly in the first, and then, armed with a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, he let up a run-scoring single to Jim Leyritz; made possible by an aggressive, gutty steal by pinch-runner Roy White. Guidry, meanwhile, only surrendered a homerun to Ted Simmons, and a one-run double to Ray Lankford.</div> <div> In the bottom of the ninth, St. Louis went to its bullpen, calling in Al Hrabosky, who promptly struck out the first two batters. But then, the Mad Hungarian lost composure, walking Derek Jeter, and giving up a single to Paul O'Neill. Tony Fossas was called in, and got Bernie Williams to ground one to third, seemingly to send the game into extra innings. However, Fernando Tatis booted it, loading the bases. The stage was set for Mattingly, who didn't disappoint, singling home the winning run. Gibson's line was 7 hits and 6 walks over 8 innings, while Guidry allowed only 6 hits and 3 walks over 9 innings, striking out 9 along the way.</div> <div> In Game 2, John Tudor rode two homeruns by Ozzie Smith and Ray Lankford, outpitching Dave Righetti 4-0. Tudor allowed just 5 hits and 4 walks, en route to the shutout, while Righetti was even signeier, letting up only 6 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 9. Luck wasn't on Rags' side though, as he did surrender the 4 runs.</div> <div> In the rubber game, the Yanks stormed out to a 6-0 lead, behind a pair of two-run dingers by Mattingly and Mike Stanley. With the commanding lead, the Yankee manager pulled starter Mel Stottlemyre, after he showed signes of fatigue, allowing a homerun to Tom Herr, and a triple to Gregg Jeffries and homerun to Brian Jordan, in back-to-back innings. The move to the bullpen was a wise one, as Graeme Lloyd and Rich Gossage mowed down the Cardinal batters; allowing just two hits and an unearned run over the last four innings of the game.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I> <A NAME="week_2"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I></FONT><I>Week 2</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (4-1); New York-A (5-1); Oakland (2-2); Texas (3-1); Toronto (3-4)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (2-5); Cincinnati (7-5); Los Angeles (1-5); New York-N (1-4); San Francisco (1-2); St. Louis (2-1)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Buddy Bell, Texas: .600 / 0 / 5; 3 doubles, 1 run</div> <div> Don Mattingly, NY-A: .476 / 2 / 10; 3 doubles, 2 triples, 7 runs</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> George Foster, Cin: .328 / 3 / 8; 4 doubles, 10 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Atlanta-Texas</I></div> <div> This matchup featured two eventual division leaders. Texas prevailed in a pair of one-run games over the Braves.</div> <div> In Game 1, Nolan Ryan matched up with John Smoltz. After exchanging a pair of runs, the Braves exploded in the fifth, tagging Ryan for 4 runs on Hank Aaron's grand slam. The undaunted Rangers struck right back, though, getting to Smoltz for 3 runs in the bottom half, with Juan Gonzalez providing the offense. Things moved along, as both pitchers calmed down. In fact, Dale Murphy's triple (and subsequent stranding) marked the only baserunner from the sixth to the ninth innings for both clubs. In the bottom of the ninth, however; an Ivan Rodriguez single and Chipper Jones error, followed by back-to-back doubles from Buddy Bell and Julio Franco led Ryan to the win. Ryan's line: 9 innings, 6 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts; Smoltz: 8.1 innings, 9 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts.</div> <div> In the second game, the Rangers marched out the lead, getting to Maddux for 5 hits and 3 runs in the second. The Braves' resilient offense succeeded in tying up the game, using a walk, error and a pair of singles to score two runs, and then a Ron Gant homerun. But Texas wasn't done, as they put another run up in the bottom of the fourth, and another in the fifth, as the Rangers belted out 5 hits, en route to 12 on the game. A one-out Aaron single, driving in one, in the top of the ninth caused a bit of concern for Texas, but Jeff Russell got Javy Lopez to ground into a double play to end the game.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I> <A NAME="week_3"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I></FONT><I>Week 3</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (1-2); Minnesota (2-4); New York-A (4-2); Oakland (5-2); Texas (3-1); Toronto (2-1)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (3-0); Los Angeles (5-7); New York-N (2-5); San Francisco (2-5)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Ivan Rodriguez, Texas: .471 / 1 / 4; 1 double, 4 runs</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Mike Piazza, L.A.: .400 / 3 / 7; 4 doubles, 11 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>New York-N-New York-A</I></div> <div> Perhaps it was just the thrill of the Subway Series, even in a relatively meaningless setting; but the Mets-Yankees series had highlights for both teams.</div> <div> In Game 1, David Cone and Ron Guidry squared off, in a classic pitcher's duel. Only one batter had more than one hit in the game, as Guidry (7 innings, 4 hits, 8 Ks) and Cone (7 innings, 5 hits, 6 Ks) mowed down batter after batter, the Yankees drawing first (and, only) blood, off Cone in the 7th, with a pair of singles and a walk. Once the Bronx Bombers had a lead, in came the relief corps, with Mariano Rivera and Steve Howe shutting down the Mets.</div> <div> In Game 2, the Yankee bats exploded, as they put 10 runs on the board. nearly everyone got a hit, as Frank Viola got shelled. Willie Randolph was the sparkplug, with a pair of doubles and three walks, in what was a complete team effort. In all, eight batters scored runs, and seven batters drove in runs. The Yankees capatilized on the Mets' wildness; besides the 11 hits allowed, the Mets pitchers committed a wild pitch and walked 10 total batters. Robin Ventura had a rare productive game, with a pair of doubles, but the 4 runs put up by the Mets were simply not enough against starter Mel Stottlemyre (who left after 4 innings, with the game tied) and reliever Lindy McDaniel, who pitched five scoreless innings for the dominant win.</div> <div> The final game of the series held a bit of revenge for the Mets, as they employed the Yankee strategy of getting the starter into the fifth innings, then removing him for the relief staff. Bob Ojeda left with a fairly durable 6-2 lead in the sixth, and Jesse Orosco and Randy Myers held the Yanks to just one more run. Gary Carter provided the big stick for the Mets, with a two-run single in the first, and a two-run homer in the third. The Yankees uncharacteristically hit two homeruns - back-to-back, no less, by Derek Jeter and Paul O'Neill - but established that the traditional Yankees - scoring runs on bunches of hits, may in fact, be the more prudent course.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I> <A NAME="week_4"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I></FONT><I>Week 4</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (1-4); Minnesota (4-2); New York-A (2-1); Texas (2-1); Toronto (4-5)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (5-1); Cincinnati (9-6); New York-N (3-5); San Francisco (5-5); St. Louis (4-9)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> John Olerud, Tor.: .364 / 0 / 7; 6 doubles, 1triple, 6 runs, 7 walks</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Kal Daniels, Cin.: .394 / 3 / 8; 2 doubles, 1 triple, 8 runs</div> <div> Jeff Kent, S.F.: .344 / 5 / 11; 3 doubles, 11 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Toronto-Minnesota</I></div> <div> Although, the end result was quite the thrashing for Toronto, this three-game series was quite exciting, with two one-run games in the series.</div> <div> Game 1 featured John Smiley against Pat Hentgen in a complete game duel. Smiley pitched dominantly, with four hits and 10 Ks, allowing only one earned run. After a four-run first for Minnesota, Ed Sprague popped a two-run dinger for the Jays, who tagged on another in the fourth. But Lymon Bostock's 3-hits and Killebrew's insurance homerun in the sixth led the Twins to a 5-3 win.</div> <div> Game 2 was a thorough pitcher's duel, with Scott Erickson taking a no-hitter into the the fifth, before an injury forced him from the game. Dave Stieb pitched 8 1/3 innings of 4-hit, 1-run ball, but the Jays' bats couldn't get started, with John Olerud's double and Jesse Barfield's single providing the only run for Toronto. Meanwhile, Minnesota brought in Jim Perry, who pitched admirably for four innings, taking the 1-1 tie into the bottom of the ninth. In the ninth, with one-out, Gary Gaettie hit a single, and was pinch-run for with Cesar Tovar. Stieb, still pitching great, was taken out of the game to bring in Tom Henke, with a -4 hold rating (to protect against the steal). The move mattered little, as two pinch-hit singles by Kent Hrbek and Rich Reese ended the game, 2-1 in favor of the Twins.</div> <div> Attempting to at least save face, the Blue Jays stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first in Game 3. A double by Olerud, followed by a two-run blast by Jesse Barfield provided the damage. Unfortunately, that was all the Jays would get, as Dave Boswell and Ron Perranoski combined to only allow five more hits through the rest of the game. Against Roger Clemens, Tony Oliva drove in a pair of runs, and two more runs came in in the bottom of the seventh (on a pinch-hit double by Lymon Bostock and a Sac Fly by Chuck Knoblauch). Clemens, despite pitching decently, takes the hard-luck loss, and the Jays lose the chance to take even one from the Twins.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I> <A NAME="week_5"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I></FONT><I>Week 5</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (2-2); Oakland (3-2); Texas (5-2); Toronto (3-1)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (4-3); Los Angeles (3-6); New York-N (2-5); San Francisco (3-2); St. Louis (1-3)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Ivan Rodriguez, Texas: .516 / 6 / 14; 4 doubles, 8 runs</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Hank Aaron, Atl.: .346 / 3 / 8; 4 runs</div> <div> Barry Bonds, S.F.: .500 / 1 / 4; 3 doubles, 6 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Toronto-Baltimore</I></div> <div> Another series dominated by pitching, this series also featured the long-ball. In the first of the two-game series, the Orioles took first blood, with Charles Johnson blasting a homerun off Dave Stieb in the bottom of the third. Jessie Barfield retaliated with a fourth-inning shot off Mike Boddicker, and the Jays took the lead on John Olerud's single in the eighth. But, rather than taking Stieb out, Toronto kept him in the game, and in the bottom of the eighth, he allowed a lead-off double to Brady Anderson, and - two outs later - surrendered a two-run homer to Eddie Murray. The Jays threatened with two runners on in the top of the ninth against Gregg Olson, but couldn't score.</div> <div> In the second game, Clemens dominated, with 6 hits and 7 Ks over 8+ innings, allowing only one run - a 6th inning blast by Roberto Alomar. Meanwhile, the Jays teed off against starter Scott McGregor, with a third inning homerun by Benito Santiago, and two-run blast by Paul Molitor in the sixth, and a fourth, insurance run, on Jesse Barfield's double. In the bottom-of-the-ninth, Clemens allowed a single to Boog Powell, who was pinch-run for with Alan Wiggins. Henke entered the game, but managed to get the next two batters out, to preserve the save.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I> <A NAME="week_6"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I></FONT><I>Week 6</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (2-2); Minnesota (2-4); New York-A (3-0); Oakland (2-2); Texas (3-1); Toronto (1-3)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (1-3); Cincinnati (4-5); New York-N (4-0); San Francisco (2-2); St. Louis (1-3)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Harmon Killebrew, Minn.: .348 / 5 / 8; 2 doubles, 7 runs</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Robin Ventura, N.Y.: .333 / 4 / 7; 1 double, 6 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Toronto-New York-N</I></div> <div> There were no gut-wrenching series this week. The teams that won, simply dominated the games. The surprising Mets took four of four from Atlanta and Toronto, holding opponents to only one run over the last three games.</div> <div> The best game of the week was a true Hollywood story. The first game of the Toronto-New York series was a blowout, but the second game macthed up Roger Clemens and Al Leiter, making his Mets debut. These pitchers left it all on the field, carving out a game, the likes of which this league hadn't seen yet this year.</div> <div> Clemens allowed two hits through 10 innings, before finally losing in the 11th inning. The game was a contest of who would make a mistake first, and it was Clemens, allowing a one-out triple to Lance Johnson, in the bottom of the 11th, followed by a sacrifice fly, and game-winning RBI by Edgardo Alfonzo.</div> <div> For the game, Clemens allowed only three hits, three walks and struck out nine in 10 2/3 innings. Leiter also went the distance, allowing four hits, four walks and 10 Ks - and, more importantly, no runs - in 11 innings.</div> <div> In this league - so dominated by hitting - it's rare and encouraging to see such masterful pitching performances, and rarer still to see two in the same game. Even though the first game was a blowout (10-1 win for the Mets), the thrilling ending and outstanding performances of Game Two warrants the choice as "Series-of-the-Week."</div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="week_7"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I><I>Week 7</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (2-2); Minnesota (1-5); New York-A (5-1); Oakland (4-5); Texas (1-2); Toronto (2-5)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (4-3); Cincinnati (6-3); Los Angeles (2-1); San Francisco (0-3); St. Louis (4-0)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Jim Leyritz, N.Y.: .375 / 2 / 7; 6 runs</div> <div> Devon White, Tor.: .400 / 2 / 6; 3 doubles, 6 runs</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Eric Davis, Cin.: .394 / 4 / 8; 1 double, 8 runs</div> <div> Fred McGriff, Atl.: .500 / 5 / 6; 5 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Toronto-Oakland</I></div> <div> The first game of this three game set opened with Tom Candiotti vs. Bob Welch. Oakland struck first, on a 3-1 groundout by Mitchell Page, scoring Donnie Hill. In the top of the sixth, Devon White hit a home run to tie the game up. Oakland, unfazed, struck right back, however, on a triple from Jose Canseco (which scored Reggie Jackson), and two outs later, a single by Terry Steinbach, which scored Canseco. In the top of the ninth, Toronto threatened, with John Olerud's single and Jessie Barfield's walk. Welch was relieved by Eckersley, who promptly struck out Carlos Delgado. But the next batter, Kelly Gruber, singled home John Olerud, to pull the Jays within one. With the infield in, Ernie Whitt grounded into a fielder's choice, putting runners at first and second. A walk to Tony Fernandez loaded the bases, but Damaso Garcia grounded out to third to end the game. Neither pitcher pitched outstanding, but Welch (8 inn., 6 hits, 2 bbs, 5 Ks, 2 er) was just a little bit better.</div> <div> In the second game, Oakland jumped out to a big three run lead, scoring two in the second, on two singles and a double by Sal Bando; and then added one in the third (on a pair of doubles by Alfredo Griffin and Joe Rudi. The third inning had the potential to explode, as Jimmy Key followed up the Rudi double with a walk and a pair of singles, but Rudi was thrown out at home trying to score.</div> <div> The Jays managed to tie it up, with a pair in the top of the fourth, on Jesse Barfield's two-run homer. Then, in the sixth, Barfield's double scored Devon White from first, to pull the Jays even.</div> <div> The game stayed even into the 10th ining. In fact, after the Barfield double, starter Mike Moore allowed one single, then proceeded to retire 13 of the next 14 batters, with only one reaching base on an error. Jimmy Key had also settled down after his rough third inning. In fact, from the fourth through ninth innings, Key allowed just two hits. But in the top of the 10th, Rickey Henderson led off with a single, and was sacrificed over to second by Alfredo Griffin. Tom Henke was called in to extinguish the fire, but the A's would have none of it, as Joe Rudi laced Henke's offering into the outfield, scoring Henderson, and giving the A's the victory.</div> <div> The third game was equally exciting, as Toronto struck first, on a Dave Collins triple, and a sacrifice fly by Devon White. The A's came right back, as Mike Epstein's triple scored Rickey Henderson. In the third inning, Carlos Delgado singled Devon White in, but the A's scored two on a pair of sacrifice flies by Mike Epstein and Joe Rudi.</div> <div> In the fifth inning, a pair of walks and a Carlos Delgado single loaded the bases. Jim Hunter picked the wrong time to lose control, as his wild pitch scored Devon White, tying the game at 3. And it would stay that way until the 12th inning. In spite of the scoreless play, it was far from a pitcher's duel, as from innings 6-11, Pat Hentgen allowed four hits and three walks, and Hunter allowed three hits and five walks. But neither team could put the hits together to score a run.</div> <div> In the top of the 12th, Oakland relieved Hunter with leftie Rick Honeycutt, to face Carlos Delgado. Typically, Toronto would pinch-hit, but Delgado stayed in the game, and greeted Honeycutt with a home run. Toronto relieved Hentgen in the 12th, as well, bringing in Duane Ward, who retired the first two batters, then surrendered a triple to Joe Rudi. A walk to Sal Bando set the stage for Mitchell Page, pinch hitting for Donnie Hill; and Ward promptly struck him out to end the game.</div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="week_8"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I><I>Week 8</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (4-3); Minnesota (3-3); New York-A (4-2); Oakland (4-3); Texas (2-2); Toronto (3-1)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (3-1); Los Angeles (1-5); New York-N (2-2) San Francisco (0-4); St. Louis (5-5)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Rod Carew, Minn.: .542 / 1 / 8; 1 triple, 4 runs</div> <div> Shawn Green, Tor.: .308 / 3 / 9; 4 runs</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Mark McGwire, Stl..: .333 / 8 / 14; 2 doubles, 8 walks, 11 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Toronto-New York-N</I></div> <div> This two game set featured some timely hitting. Toronto had leapt out to a 2 run lead in the first game, scoring on a bases-loaded groundout by Tony Batista, and then, two innings later, on Ed Sprague's solo homerun off Mets' pitcher Jerry Koosman. The Mets came back, with Robin Ventura matching Sprague's shot in the bottom of the fourth, and then tied the game, after a leadoff single by Gary Carter, a sac bunt, a groundout that advanced the runner, and a wild pitch by Jimmy Key.</div> <div> Tied at two, Koosman was relieved by Josias Manzanillo. The first batter Manzanillo faced was John Olerud, pinch-hitting for Paul Molitor. Olerud blasted a solo shot of Manzanillo. The next batter, Shawn Green (who had a MONSTER week), walked, and two outs later, Kelly Gruber's double scored him. Duane Ward relieved Key to start the ninth, and mowed down the Mets batters.</div> <div> In the second game, Pat Hentgen struggled a bit, allowing a one-run double to Darryl Strawberry in the first. Toronto struck back in the third, scoring two on Jesse Barfield's homerun, but the Mets tied it in the bottom half, with Rusty Staub's triple scoring Darryl Strawberry. The Jays tried to pull away again, as Lloyd Moseby's single scored Damaso Garcia from second in the fifth, but in the bottom of the sixth, Rey Ordonez's single scored Cleon Jones to tie the game. Hentgen was relieved by Mark Eichhorn, who got out of the jam, but gave up a homerun to Edgardo Alfonzo to start the sixth, and then Cleon Jones' sac fly scored Keith Hernandez. Up 5-3, the Mets brought in Randy Myers to pitch the 8th inning.</div> <div> The leadoff batter - Devon White, pinch-hitting, singled. John Olerud also singled, and then Joe Carter, pinch hitting for Carlos Delgado, struck out. But the respite was short-lived, as Shawn Green blasted a three-run shot, to give the Jays a 6-5 lead. In the ninth, the Jays added an insurance run, as White's doubel scored Garcia from first. Tom Henke was called in to close out the game.</div> <div> But, Rusty Staub led off the bottom of the ninth with his second triple of the game (?!?!), and Cleon Jones scored him on a single. Todd Hundley walked, and Rey Ordonez sac bunted the two runners over to second and third with one out. Toronto brought the infield in, but it didn't matter, as Lance Johnson roped a triple into the outfield, scoring both runners, and giving the Mets the unlikely come-from-behind win. Randy Myers got the win, despite a pitching line of 2 inn., 6 hits, 1 hr and 4 runs.</div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="week_9"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I><I>Week 9</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (6-3); Minnesota (2-4); New York-A (6-3); Oakland (2-3); Texas (4-5); Toronto (4-5)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (5-1); Cincinnati (3-3); New York-N (2-3); San Francisco (3-2); St. Louis (1-5)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Albert Belle, Balt.: .364 / 5 / 8; 2 doubles, 6 runs</div> <div> Ivan Rodriguez, Tex.: .457 / 4 / 14; 4 doubles, 7 runs</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Eric Davis, Cin.: .409 / 4 / 7; 3 doubles, 7 runs, 4 walks</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Minnesota-San Francisco</I></div> <div> The Giants, who recently endured a long 12-game losing streak, still needed to be forced into a corner to spark their offense. The Twins drew first blood, tallying three runs in the 2nd inning off Juan Marichal, on a walk, a pair of doubles and a single by Brian Harper. But that was all the Twins had, as Marichal suffocated them the rest of the way, allowing only 5 hits and a walk over the last 7 innings. The Giants, however, scored one in the 3rd, on a passed ball and tied the game in the 5th with Matt Williams' double providing the spark. Then, in the 7th, the bats truly came alive. A pair of doubles by Barry Bonds and Kevin Mitchell,a few walks and singles, and a 2-base error by Kirby Puckett, and the Giants had stormed to an 8-3 lead, which is how the game stayed.</div> <div> In the second game, Vida Blue pitched well, but not as well as surprise starter Jim Perry. The Twins used three triples to build a 3-0 lead heading in the 7th. The Giants got on the board in the 7th, as a pair of singles sandwiched around a wild pitch led to their lone run. For insurance, the Twins added another run in the 9th, as Shane Mack drove Chuck Knoblauch (another serious candidate for Player of the week: .500 / 0 / 3, 3 2b, 1 3b, 5 runs) in. Blue went 7 1/3 innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 walks, 5 Ks and 2 earned runs; while Perry went the distance, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, 5 Ks and 1 earned run.</div> <div> The rubber match was a true pitchers duel. Dean Chance went 9 2/3 innings for the Twins, allowing only 5 hits (but 7 walks). The only blemish was a 6th inning home run by Barry Bonds. Scapegoat pitcher Mike Krukow went 7+ innings for the Giants, with 4 hits, a walk and 5 Ks, surrendering only an 8th inning homer to Gary Gaetti, which tied the game at 1. In the 8th, the Giants brought in Rob Beck, and relieved him with Robb Nen in the 9th. The pair allowed merely 3 hits and a walk over the last 5 innings of the game.</div> <div> In the bottom of the 12th, with 2 outs, Jeff Kent singled off reliever Jeff Reardon. Barry Bonds walked and the Twins called in Ron Perranoski to get the leftie/leftie matchup against Willie McCovey, who -with an out - would send the game into the 13th. Surprisingly, the Giants did not pinch hit with Kevin Mitchell (even though Will Clark was on the bench). Instead, McCovey proved the manager's instinct right, roping a double that scored Kent, and ended the game 2-1.</div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="week_10"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I><I>Week 10</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (3-6); Minnesota (4-5); New York-A (9-3); Oakland (4-2); Texas (2-4)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (5-4); Cincinnati (3-3); New York-N (2-1); San Francisco (0-3); St. Louis (4-5)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Jim Leyritz, NY-A .361 / 5 / 10; 2 doubles, 9 runs</div> <div> Joe Rudi, Oak. .435 / 5 / 8; 3 doubles, 9 runs</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Barry Bonds, SF .308 / 3 / 7; 4 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Baltimore-Cincinnati</I></div> <div> In what was clearly the finest week of the season (in terms of close games), the series between Baltimore and Cincinnati stands out. </div> <div> In Game 1, Tom Seaver faced off against Mike Boddicker. Cincy rushed out to a 2-0 lead in the first, as Kal Daniels drove in Pete Rose with a home run. In the third, Daniels added a solo shot, making it 3-0. In the fourth, Boog Powell singled, and was forced out by Frank Robinson, who was then thrown out attempting to steal. Eddie Murray singled, and Cal Ripken singled. Brooks Robinson walked to load the bases, and then Tom Seaver chose the inopportune moment to throw the first of his two wild pitches on the day. Charles Johnson walked to load the bases again, but Seaver got Roberto Alomar to ground out. In the fifth, Frank Robinson tripled in Boog Powell, and then came home on Eddie Murray's single, to tie the game up at 3. In the bottom half, Kal Daniels hit his THIRD home run of the day, again driving in Pete Rose. Seaver headed to the sixth with a 5-3 lead.</div> <div> Then, all hell broke loose. Charles Johnson hit a 2-run homer with no outs to tie the game again. Alomar singled, and Brady Anderson was hit by a pitch. Seaver got Albert Belle to pop out, but then Boog Powell crushed a pitch for a three-run homer. Baltimore had an 8-5 lead and Seaver was off to the showers. The Cincy relief corps came on, and Norm Charlton, Jeff Brantley and Scott Williamson did their job, holding Baltimore to 3 hits and 3 walks over the last 5 innings. Baltimore threatened in the 7th, but Eric Davis threw out Alomar, who tried to score on Anderson's double (one of approximately 5 assists on the week for Davis).</div> <div> In the bottom of the eighth, Hal Morris tripled in George Foster, and Barry Larkin's groundout scored Morris. In the ninth, with Armando Benitez on the mound to close out the game, Pete Rose doubled in Joe Morgan to tie the game; and in the bottom of the 10th, with one out, Bip Roberts (who'd pinch-hit for Chris Sabo earlier), singled in Morris, to give the Reds the 9-8 win.</div> <div> In Game 2, George Foster greeted Mike Cuellar with a first-inning single, which scored Morgan from second. But Baltimore came right back, as Frank Robinson launched a Jose Rijo offering in the second inning, to tie up the game. In the fourth, Sabo hit a solo shot to give the Reds the lead, but it was brief, as Baltimore scored three times in the fifth (Johnson doubled in Ripken, and then Anderson's two-run shot). In the bottom of the sixth, Sabo's two-run homerun knotted the game at 4. And then, again, in the bottom of the 10th, with Cuellar still in the game, Sabo drove in Foster with two outs, after Foster had tripled, to give the Reds their second straight come-from-behind victory, 5-4.</div> <div> In Game 3, Baltimore was striving for respect. Cincy scored first, as Daniels' groundout scored Rose, who had tripled. But Mario Soto couldn't hold the lead. In the top of the 3rd, a double by Frank Robinson drove in one run, and then Murray drove in three with a homerun. In the top of the 4th, a three-run blast from Powell made the score 7-1, and Soto was off. Again, the game was handed over to the capable bullpen, which let up 4 hits and 0 walks in 5.1 innings.</div> <div> In the bottom of the fifth, Sabo's homerun made the score 7-2. In the top of the sixth, Albert Belle singled in Roberto Alomar, to give Baltimore an 8-2 lead. But in the bottom half, Eric Davis hit a homerun, and Johnny Bench's double scored Barry Larkin, to make the game 8-4. Jim Palmer was relieved in the 7th, and Gregg Olson made it through the 7th and 8th unscathed.</div> <div> But in the bottom of the ninth, a leadoff walk to Johnny Bench, followed by two strikeouts, and Cincy's dreams of a sweep were all but gone. Then, Pete Rose walked, and then Kal Daniels walked, and it was bases-loaded with George Foster up. Foster lifted a ball high to left field - higher, higher; but it fell short of the wall. Still, the two-out double scored two runs, making the score 8-6, with runners on second and third. The stage was set for Eric Davis, who entered the game among the top leaders in homeruns and RBI. Baltimore brought in Armando Benitez again, hoping he wouldn't squander the lead again. Power vs. power…</div> <div> <I>“But there is no joy in Cincy….</I></div> <div> <I>Mighty Eric, has struck out.”</I></div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="week_11"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I><I>Week 11</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (1-1); Minnesota (3-3); New York-A (2-1); Oakland (5-1); Texas (3-6); Toronto (3-3)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Cincinnati (2-1); Los Angeles (4-8); San Francisco (1-1); St. Louis (2-1)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Ivan Rodriguez, Texas .590 / 6 / 16; 12 runs</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Steve Garvey, LA .365 / 2 / 15; 6 doubles, 5 runs, 4 walks</div> <div> Mike Piazza; LA .465 / 3 / 8; 2 doubles, 9 runs, 10 walks</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>New York (A)-Toronto</I></div> <div> Toronto came within one bad managerial decision and two possessed die rolls from being the first team to sweep the Yankees. As it was - New York still had to do everything it could to keep its stellar record intact.</div> <div> In Game 1, Stan Bahnsen squared off against Roger Clemens - the game was scoreless through the first 6 innings, with Bahnsen allowing one hit, and Clemens allowing only three. In the top of the 7th, Tino Martinez launched a 3-run homer to give the Yankees the lead. The Yankees promptlytook Bahnsen out, and relieved him with Steve Howe. Lloyd Moseby was left in to face Howe, and he singled. John Olerud flew out, and then pinch-hitter Joe Carter blasted a homerun…oh…not so fast, there was a wild pitch check. After that was resolved, Carter singled, bringing up Shawn Green, who avenged Carter's loss with a 3-run blast of his own. In the bottom of the 8th, with 1-out, and Tony Fernandez on first, Damaso Garcia blasted a double. Fernandez was 1-18 to score, but Toronto wanted to guarantee the run, so they sent Garcia to third on a 1-12 chance. The run scored, but Garcia was caught at third base. Making matters worse, the next batter singled, and then John Olerud doubled, but with two outs, Paul Molitor grounded out, leaving the Jays with only one run for their efforts. Deciding to leave Clemens in, with 2 outs in the top of the ninth, pinch-hitter Kevin Maas blasted a solo shot to tie the game up, sending it to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, still against Clemens, Bernie Williams hit a 3-run blast to give the Yanks the 7-4 lead.</div> <div> In Game 2, Fritz Peterson, making his last appearance, faced Jimmy Key. The Yankees scored first, as Paul O'Neill's doubleplay scored Willie Randolph in the first inning. In the top of the fifth, Don Mattingly launched a solo shot, for the 2-0 New York lead. In the bottom of the 6th, Joe Carter matched Mattingly with a solo shot of his own, cutting the lead in half. Then, the demon dice took over. In the bottom of the 7th, with a runner on first, and no outs, Tony Batista has a 1-8 chance for a homerun, but settles for the double - and no runs score. In the bottom of the 8th, with one out, Kelly Gruber has a 1-18 chance for a homerun, but settles for a triple, and no runs score. The Jays come up short, 2-1.</div> <div> In Game 3, the Yankees AGAIN scored first, tallying two in the first inning, on Bernie Williams' 1-run double, and then Don Mattingly's 1-run single. In the fifth, the Yankees capitalized on Tony Batista's 2-base error, scoring Mattingly on Jim Leyritz's 2-out double. In the bottom of the fifth, Ed Sprague blasted a solo shot, and then Devon White took Dave Righetti deep in the bottom of the sixth. But, in the bottom of the ninth, down 3-2, with no outs Lloyd Moseby and John Olerud reached base on consecutive errors by Willie Randolph. Consecutive strikeouts by Shawn Green and Carlos Delgado put Goose Gossage in a great position, but then Jesse Barfield singled, driving in Moseby, and sending these teams to a second extra inning game. Finally, in the bottom of the 13th inning, leadoff batter Tony Fernandez wasted no time, taking Graeme Lloyd's offering over the wall, for a 4-3 Toronto win.</div> <div> In all, merely three runs separated the two teams in the series - ironically, each team won the game(s) it was less likely to win. In Game 1, had Garcia not tried for third, more than one run would've scored, sealing the win for Toronto; in Game 2, just one of those die rolls would've either tied the game or put Toronto in the lead; and in Game 3, Toronto would've had no chance, but for the two errors on Willie Randolph.</div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="week_12"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I><I>Week 12</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (4-2); Minnesota (2-4); Oakland (2-2); Texas (2-5); Toronto (6-1)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (3-4); Cincinnati (1-2); Los Angeles (3-3); New York-N (7-7); San Francisco (3-5); St. Louis (3-1)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Rafael Palmeiro, Texas .476 / 5 / 8; 1 triple, 9 runs, 4 walks</div> <div> Dave Stieb, Tor. 2-0, 0.00; 15 innings, 7 hits, 0 walks, 21 strikeouts</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Keith Hernandez, NY-N, .365 / 2 / 7; 2 doubles, 11 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Baltimore-San Francisco</I></div> <div> Baltimore started off Game 1 with Albert Belle lifting a sacrifice fly to score Roberto Alomar from third. In the bottom half of the inning, Matt Williams drove in Jeff Kent with his run-scoring single. The Giants added another run in the third as Barry Bonds doubled in Brett Butler. In the fourth, San Fran added three more, on Chili Davis' double, Jose Vizcaino's single and Butler's triple - and the Giants were winning 5-1, seemingly insurmountable. In the fifth, though, Paul Blair, subbing for the injured Brady Anderson, blasted a two-run homer, and in the eighth, a series of hits, along with an error by Matt Williams, and the O's had jumped out to a 6-5 lead, chasing Juan Marichal from the game. In the bottom of the ninth, backs against the wall, Kent singled in Butler (who had hit his second triple of the game), off Armando Benetiz, to tie the game up. Finally, in top of the twelfth, Blair rocketed his second homerun of the game, to win it for Baltimore.</div> <div> In the second game, Baltimore jumped out to a 3-0 lead, scoring a run in the second on Don Baylor's homer; a run in the third, as Baylor knocked in Frank Robinson; and a run in the fifth, on Robinson's homer. Mike Boddicker pitched a no-hitter for the first 4 innings, but got taken to town in the fifth, and he left with only one out, as 10 San Fran batters came to the plate, accumulating three hits, three walks and a hit batsman - and 6 runs. All seemed fine until the eighth inning, when Bob Grich singled home two runs to tie the game at 6 apiece; but in the bottom of the eighth, a wild pitch by Gregg Olson sent home the go-ahead run, and Rob Nen closed the door on the Orioles in the top of the ninth.</div> <div> Game three saw Belle hit a first-inning homer, and then Willie McCovey scored Kevin Mitchell from third on a sac fly in the second inning. Then, Baltimore's bats woke up. Back-to-back homers in the third by Brooks Robinson and Rick Dempsey made the score 3-1. Boog Powell hit a solo-shot in the fourth, and followed it with a 2-run blast in the fifth, making the score 6-1. In the sixth, Rick Dempsey singled in Eddie Murray, making the score 7-1. Williams launched a solo-shot in the bottom of the 7th, and in the 8th, Barry Bonds hit a 3-run homerun to make the game 7-5, which is how it ended.</div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="week_13"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I><I>Week 13</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Team Records</B></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Baltimore (4-2); Minnesota (5-4); New York-A (2-4); Oakland (5-4); Texas (2-4); Toronto (3-3)</div> <div> <B>NL: </B>Atlanta (2-4); Cincinnati (0-3); Los Angeles (3-3); New York-N (5-1); San Francisco (4-2); St. Louis (1-2)</div> <bR> <div> <B>AL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Reggie Jackson, Oak. .482 / 2 / 6; 4 doubles, 10 runs, 8 walks</div> <div> Jim Perry, Minn. 2-0, 0.00; 18 innings, 12 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts</div> <div> <B>NL Player of the week</B></div> <div> Ellis Burks, S.F. .389 / 5 / 7; 1 double, 5 runs</div> <bR> <div> <B>Series of the week: </B><I>Minnesota-Oakland</I></div> <div> This series held the magical opportunity to allow Oakland to clinch - it had already garnered four wins in its previous two series; so just one win in this series would vault Oakland to the playoffs. In Game 1, Dean Chance squared off with Bob Welch. Minnesota took an early 1-0 lead as Chuck Knoblauch got hit by a pitch, stole second, and took third on Gene Tenace's throwing error. Bob Allison's deep fly ball drove Knoblauch in. The Twins added another in the second on Brian Harper's solo homerun. In the bottom of the third, though, the A's manufactured two runs from 4 hits and a groundout, to tie the game up. In the top of the 8th, Tony Oliva drove in one run on a ground out to the pitcher (and the double-play opportunity was too late), and then Brian Harper drove in another run on his two-out double. Jason Giambi doubled in Reggie Jackson in the bottom of the eighth, but 4-3 is how the game ended, as Ron Perranoski came on to close the door on the Athletics.</div> <div> In Game 2, Scott Erickson faced off with Mike Moore. The Twins again struck first, on back-to-back homeruns in the fourth inning by Rod Carew and Kirby Puckett. But, Jose Canseco hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning, to tie the game. And that's the way it stood, into extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, the leadoff batter, Alfredo Griffin, launched a solo shot off Erickson, giving Oakland its much-needed win. For the game, Erickson was magnificent, pitching 9 innings, with 12 hits, 2 walks and 3 runs. Moore was even better, allowing only 4 hits and 3 walks over 10 innings, with 10 strikeouts and only two runs.</div> <div> Game 3 was all Jim Perry, as he pitched another 9-inning shutout, allowing 7 hits and 1 walk. Jim Hunter pitched acceptably, allowing 7 hits over 7 innings, but he did let up 4 runs (3 earned). In the first, with two outs, Carew's high flyball was misplayed by Reggie Jackson, and Puckett drove him in. In the third, Cesar Tovar, Shane Mack and Carew used three hits and two stolen bases to score two more runs. And in the 6th, Allison's sacrifice fly drove in Carew., providing Perry with all the runs he needed.</div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="league_championships"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I><I>League Championships</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>AL: </B>Oakland forfeits to New York</div> <div> <B>NL</B><B>: </B>Cincinnati def. Atlanta 3-1</div> <bR> <div> <B>Cincinnati MVP</B></div> <div> Tom Seaver 2-0, 1.15; 15.2 innings, 8 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikouts</div> <div> <B>Atlanta MVP</B></div> <div> Hank Aaron .313 / 1 / 2; 4 runs, 2 walks</div> <div> Chipper Jones .231 / 3 / 4; 3 runs, 3 walks</div> <bR> <div> In a mild upset, Cincinnati defeated Atlanta 3 games to 1, to win the National League berth in the World Series. In Game 1, Greg Maddux faced Tom Seaver. Cincinnati struck first, scoring Joe Morgan on a Kal Daniels single in the first inning. In the second inning, Johnny Bench blasted a solo shot homerun, and in the third inning, George Foster singled in Pete Rose, and then Daniels and Foster scored on Sean Casey's two-run double, making the score 5-0, in favor of the Reds. Maddux settled down, allowing just 3 hits and no walks over the last 6 innings, but it was way too late. The Braves put one up in the bottom of the seventh, when Dave Justice scored on Felix Millan's single, and then Justice hit a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth, to make the score 5-2, but that was all the Braves could muster.</div> <div> In Game 2, the Reds jumped all over John Smoltz. The lead off batter walked, followed by two singles to load the bases, and then a sacrifice fly. The next batter walked, and Sean Casey delivered another big two-run double, making the score 3-0. The next batter hit a sacrifice fly, and with two outs, the score was already 4-0. Chris Sabo singled in Casey, chasing Smoltz from the game, with a very forgettable pitching line of 2/3 innings, 4 hits, 2 walks and an era of 67.50. Phil Niekro relieved Smoltz, and pitched very well, until an injury forced him to leave the game in the fifth inning. Tom Glavine relieved him, and also pitched well, with the only blemish a Rose homerun in the top of the ninth. Danny Jackson coasted, taking a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning. In the ninth, the Atlanta bats came alive, as Andruw Jones, Hank Aaron and Chipper Jones all blasted solo home runs, but Jackson survived the onslaught and came away with the win, giving the Reds two road wins in the series.</div> <div> With the series heading back to Cincinnati, it was do-or-die time for the Braves. Aaron drove in Ron Gant to give Kevin Millwood a 1-0 lead in the first, and in the fourth, Chipper Jones hit a solo homerun. In the fifth, the Braves put together a 4 run rally, with Felix Millan's two-run double spearheading the cause. Starter Jose Rijo was chased. In the bottom half of the inning, George Foster hit a solo homerun, to make the score 6-1. In the top of the seventh, Chipper hit his second homerun of the day, and Ron Gant drove in Walt Weiss, who had reached base on one of five Cincinnati errors. In the bottom of the inning, the Reds put together a small rally of their own, with Sabo blasting a two-run double, and Bench following with a run-scoring single. Against reliever Pedro Borbon, Reggie Sanders hit a two-out triple, scoring the fourth Cincinnati run of the day. The Braves added an insurance run in the eighth, as Bruce Benedict drove in Aaron, making the final score 9-5, in favor of Atlanta.</div> <div> Game 4 was a rematch of Game 1, and again, the pitchers ruled the day. Cincy scored first (a common theme - the team scoring first in each game, ultimately won the game), when Bench drove in Barry Larkin with a single, and then Eric Davis grounded out scoring Sabo. The Reds added another an inning later, when Sabo launched a solo homerun, providing Seaver with a 3-0 cushion. In the top of the sixth, a walk and three singles led to two Atlanta runs, bringing the Braves within one, but Daniels hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the seventh, and the Braves never challenged again. In fact, after the sixth inning rally, Seaver allowed only one walk (erased by a double play) and one hit batter.</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="world_series"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><I>World Series</I><I>            </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="#top_1" TITLE="Weekly Recaps"><I>Back to top</I></A></FONT></div> <div> New York def. Cincinnati 4-2</div> <bR> <div> <B>New York MVP</B></div> <div> Roy White .533 / 0 / 0; 3 doubles, 6 runs, 3 walks, 6 stolen bases</div> <div> Bernie Williams .333 / 4 / 12; 5 runs</div> <div> <B>Cincinnati MVP</B></div> <div> Barry Larkin .286 / 3 / 5; 4 runs, 2 walks, 1 stolen base</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>