Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Baseball Plavoffs
Thursday, October 7, 1999
Millwood pitches gem for Atlanta
Braves hold Astros to one run, tie series
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves must be wondering why they didn't pitch Kevin Millwood in the last two postseasons.
Demonstrating that he's now the best starter on a staff filled with Cy Young winners, Millwood allowed only one hit
— a second-inning homer to Ken Caminiti—and helped give the Braves a critical 5-1 victory against the Houston Astros yesterday, evening their first-round series at one game aniece.
The 24-year-old Millwood stepped up this season, while Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz — who have won a combined seven Cy Young awards — went through assorted struggles.
With the Braves in a virtual must-win situation after losing the first game 6-1 Tuesday, Millwood thoroughly shut
down the Astros, retiring 15 in a row after Caminiti's homer.
The streak was broken when third baseman Chipper Jones booted a grounder with one out in the seventh, but the error didn't bother his pitcher.
Millwood got the next two batters on grounders, and the Braves broke open a 2-1 game with three runs
It was the first one-hitter in a first-round game since baseball expanded the playoffs for the 1965 season.
Millwood, 18-7 during
Wilcox, too, is not pitching the regular season, didn't pitch at all the last two postseasons while the Braves were knocked out in the NL championship series — even though he won 17 games in 1998.
flopped in the batting order, a move that paid off with two RBIs from Jordan, hitting fourth instead of fifth.
The best-of-5 series shifts to the Astrodome, where the next two games will be played tomorrow and Saturday. If a fifth game is needed, it would be at Turner Field on Sunday.
Klesko, dropped from the cleanup spot, had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run.
Brian Jordan and Ryan Klesko flip-
But everyone was overshadowed by
immilwood expected to be nervous in his first post-season appearance but turned out to be
dominating. He struck out eight, walked none and faced two batters above the minimum.
Not that Millwood's performance was out of the ordinary — for him.
He flirted with a no-hitter several times during the regular season, allowing only two hits in fourth separate starts. He went at least six innings in every start after June 28. Overall, Millwood finished second in the NL to Arizona's Randy Johnson with a 2.68 ERA and led the majors by allowing a .202 average to opposing hitters.
The Braves got to Houston starter Jose
MLB DIVISION SERIES SCORES
At Atlanta Braves 5, Houston Astros
Best-of-five series tied, 1-1
At Cleveland Indians 3, Boston Red Sox 2
Indians lead off-five, series 1-0
Diamondbacks, tale
Metz lead best-of-five series, 1-0
New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks late
- New York Rangers at New York Yankees, friday
Yankees lead best-of-five series, 1-0
Lima in the first inning, with Gerald Williams scoring on Jordan's two-out, broken-bat single. Lima may have been flustered by a visit from third-base umpine Bruce Froemming before the first pitch.
Froemming noticed a stain on the right hip of Lima's uniform and walked over to check it out. The umpire appeared to touch the spot with a finger before allowing Lima to proceed.
Lima, 21-10 during the regular season but 0-2 against the Braves, went 6 2-3 innings, allowing four runs and nine hits.
Rangers just can't seem to shake Yankee jinx
Texas may have best shot tonight against Pettitte
The Associated Press
NEW YORK—Just what the Texas Rangers needed: a day off in the big city.
They won the first game."
They could watch television and dwell on their seven-game postseason slide.
They could read the newspapers and fixate on their 22-inning playoff scoreless streak.
They could listen to the radio and the constant talk of a subway series between the Yankees and Mets.
"Nobody expects us to win," Game 2 starter Rick Helling said yesterday. "To me, all the pressure is on the Yankees.
Won is an understatement. Orlando Hernandez held the Rangers to two hits in eight innings and Bernie Williams had six RBIs in New York's series-opening 8-0 win Tuesday night.
The Yankees need 10 more wins to achieve their goal of a third World Series title in four seasons, and they're hoping to find the consistency that led them to a record 125 wins a year ago.
Helling (13-11), who gave up a major league-high 41 homers, pitches against Andy Pettitte (14-11) tonight before the series moves to Arlington.
"Obviously, if you're down one, it's a lot more important game," Pettitte said.
"But it's still important. If we can get
the second game here and go there to Texas up two, we feel confident." Sound familiar?
ter the Yankees beat Texas in last year's postseason opener, Pettit faced Helling in Game 2 and led New York to a 3-1 win, allowing one run and three hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts.
Helling gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings.
"It it was just like it has been so far in all these games against the Yankees," Helling said. "We got outpitched a little bit, didn't score enough runs to win."
Texas may have its best chance against Pettitte, a Texan from Deer Park. Juan Gonzalez is 10-for-22 (4.55) against the left-hander, Rusher Greer is
9-for-25 (.360), Todd Zeile 5-for-14 (.357) and Rafael Palmeiro 13-for-44 (.295) with four homers and nine RBIs.
New York is hoping Pettitte will pitch with confidence, as he did in a record 21-3 victory at Arlington on Aug. 23.
"They're a scary team to play against because you know they're going to break loose," New York's Paul O'Neill said. "They're going to score runs when it's all said and done."
Texas hopes so. The Rangers have just one run in their last 42 playoff innings all against the Yankees.
"We're a very good offensive ball club," said Rangers general manager Doug Melvin, whose team led the American League in batting for the second straight year. "We'll break out of it somewhere along the line here. Just hope that it's sooner than later."
Indians break opening game losing streak
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — On a gimp knee that almost prevented him from playing in October, Travis Fryman finally helped the Indians run away from their Game 1 postseason linx.
The Indians had lost eight straight series opening games, dating back to the division series against Boston in 1995 before Fryman's clutch bases-loaded base hit.
Fryman's RBI single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Cleveland a 3-2 win last night over the Boston Red Sox, who may have lost Pedro Martinez for the remainder of the AL playoffs.
Martinez, baseball's most dominant pitcher this season, pulled a back muscle in the fourth inning and had to leave the game. He is listed as day-to-day, and Boston manager Jimy Williams said the right-hander would be re-examined by doctors today.
"We got a break with Pedro getting hurt," said Fryman.
"Anytime you face Pedro, he's tough.
He's the best pitcher I ever faced. You look up there in the sixth inning, and you don't see him out there; it gives you a little pick-me-up."
The Red Sox, who had counted on Martinez giving them the lead in the series, will turn to Bret Saberhagen in Game 2 today against Cleveland's Charles Nagy.
Indians starter Bartolo Colon struck out a season-high 11 in eight innings, and Paul Shuey picked up the win with a perfect ninth.
Jim Thome hit a game-tying two-run homer in the sixth for the Indians, who also got spectacular defensive plays from David Justice. Roberto Alomar and Omar Vizuel.
Namar Garciaparra homered for the Red Sox, who despite dominating the regular-season series against Cleveland, have now lost four straight playoff games to the Indians.
Derek Lowe, who replaced Martinez in fifth, hit Manny Ramirez in the back with a 2-2 pitch to open the ninth, and Rheal Cormier relieved. One out later, pinch-hitter Wil Cordero singled to right in his first career postseason atbat.
Sexson, who had 116 RBIs this season, pinch-hit for David Justice and was walked on four pitches by Garces. Fryman, who was on the disabled list twice this year with a torn ligament in his right knee, then slapped a 1-2 pitch to left for the game-winner.
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