Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 4, 1993 TAG: 9310040102
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
The Braves won their third consecutive National League West Division title - but it didn't happen until three hours after their 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
With players watching on a big-screen television in the trainer's room, and about 8,000 fans watching on the scoreboard television at Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium, the title came when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Giants 12-1 a continent away. Then, after a marathon stretch drive that baseball fans won't soon forget, the celebration began.
"We showed character," said Braves outfielder David Justice, who hit his 40th home run. "They showed a lot of character, too. It's unfortunate one of us had to go home. I'm just happy it's them."
Atlanta and San Francisco began the day in a tie for first place, only the second time since divisional play began in 1969 that teams were even going into the final day. But the Braves made the Giants the first team since the 1954 New York Yankees to win 103 games and finish second.
"It's nice to have a couple of nights to relax and know where we're going for a change," said Tom Glavine, who beat the Rockies for his 22nd victory of the season.
The two-time NL champions needed a remarkable comeback to win the race. The Braves, in a hitting slump throughout the first half of the season, trailed the Giants by 9 1/2 games on Aug. 8.
"It's definitely gratifying to do it the way we did it, chasing them all year, catching them and then finishing it on the last day," said Sid Bream, the Braves' backup first baseman.
The July 18 acquisition of Fred McGriff sparked Atlanta's offense, and the Braves won 39 of their final 50 games.
"He made everyone in the lineup better," Glavine said of McGriff. "The day he stepped in the clubhouse we became a better team."
San Francisco, however, kept up the pressure by winning 14 of 16 before Sunday's loss. A Giants victory would have forced a playoff game tonight.
Atlanta players, who left their bags packed in the clubhouse for a possible flight to San Francisco on Sunday night, congratulated each other after the game, but it was a muted celebration. The victory gave the Braves a 13-0 sweep of the Rockies, the first time this century an NL team has swept a season series from a rival.
Glavine (22-6) won for the eighth time in nine starts, giving up three runs and six hits in 6 innings. He struck out four and walked one. Greg McMichael pitched the final two innings, earning his 19th save in 21 chances.
Glavine left the game after Roberto Mejia's solo homer cut Atlanta's lead to 4-3 in the seventh, but Justice homered in the bottom half of the inning, launching a high drive down the right-field line off Gary Wayne.
Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in the third on RBI singles by McGriff and Terry Pendleton off David Nied (5-9), a former Brave who was the first player taken last year in the expansion draft. Pendleton had nine RBI in the three-game series.
Otis Nixon opened the third with a single and took second on Jeff Blauser's grounder. Ron Gant walked before McGriff's single scored Nixon. Gant was thrown out trying for third by center fielder Chris Jones, but Justice and Pendleton followed with singles to produce the second run.
Atlanta made it 4-0 in the fourth. Nixon walked with two out and Blauser singled him to second. Gant followed with a liner to center that Jones misplayed into a triple, scoring two runs.
Glavine faced only 13 hitters in the first four innings, giving up only a bloop single to Jerald Clark in the second.
Colorado then scored single runs in each of the next three innings to cut its deficit to a run.
In the fifth, Clark drew a leadoff walk, Jones doubled and Danny Sheaffer hit a sacrifice fly. But Glavine got Mejia on a grounder and struck out pinch-hitter Eric Wedge to end the threat.
Nelson Liriano led off the sixth with a double and took third on Eric Young's single. Andres Galarraga, the NL batting champion, hit into a 5-4-3 double play that scored Liriano. Galarraga finished the season batting .370.
by CNB