Braves Clinch !
Many heroes and highlights in how the NL West was won
By I.J. Rosenberg, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, October 6, 1991
How the West was won ... Part 2
It is an incredible story, not of cowboys or dusty trails, but an epic that has shocked the baseball world. This time the guys with the tomahawks won. When Saturday's dust had settled, and on opposite sides of the continent the Braves had beaten the Astros and the Giants had defeated the Dodgers, the NL West had a new champion. With an Atlanta-franchise 94 wins, the Braves rule the West for the first time since 1982. And with one game to go today, they are poised to set a franchise attendance record.
Play Ball !!!
Quite a story. And it's final chapter, fittingly, was authorized by Saturday afternoon by John Smoltz. It was obvious Smoltz would have to come alive if the Braves, down 9 1/2 games at the All-Star break, were going to rejoin the race. The righthander had a major-league worst 11 losses in the first half and said at the time, "This is where I stop letting everybody down." Smoltz (14-13) won 12 games in the second half, the last one Saturday as the Braves won only their third NL West title since the club came to Atlanta in 1966.
Braves' lineup being announced
Smoltz was far from alone when it came to heroes. it has been a season in which every Brave has played some type of role. "That is probably what is so great about this team," said manager Bobby Cox. "Somebody gets hurt, somebody is not playing so well, there is someone there to step right in and it's as if nothing had changed."
If you look hard you can see Smoltz catching Olsen in the air
There were early signs that this team was vastly different from the ones that finished last the past three years. The Braves made it into first place for a short time in May, but by mid-June, something started to go wrong. The Braves were 39-40 as the All-Star break arrived, apparently headed for another sour finish. Immediately after the break, however, the Braves began a turnaround. Heading into today's finale, they have a second-half record of 55-27, the best in the majors. They have won 30 of 40 games at home.
Even got interviewed by WSB
Coming out for a victory lap
Dodgers lose!!! Braves 1991 NL West Champs!!!
"The credit goes to a lot of different places," said general manager John Schuerholz. "They have overcome so much, so many players have made it happen." Counting the reasons:
The rebirth of Smoltz: At midseason Smoltz was referred to a psychologist by Schuerholz. "I knew exactly what this team needed from me," said Smoltz. "Today was great because Mike heath had told me earlier in the season that I was going to pitch the big game."
The surge after the All-Star break: despite playing without Sid Bream and David justice, who were sidelined by injuries, the Braves opened the second half by winning nine of 11 games and knocked seven games off the Dodgers lead in 12 days.
The four-game sweep of Pittsburgh: The Braves arrived home July 28 after losing four of five and dropping six games behind the Dodgers. They faced the NL East-leading Pirates, the hottest team since the All-star break. But the Braves swept a Friday night doubleheader, then won the next two in come-from-behind fashion. In the finale, they were down 6-0 but got a home run from Deon Sanders in his farewell game before going to the Falcons, sparking an 8-6 win.
The six-game winning streak of Charlie Leibrandt: The lefthander had lost four straight, but on Aug. 12 he started the best stretch of his career.
The return of Justice: The Braves right fielder had a sensational first two months, then went down with a back injury and spent almost 1 1/2 months on the disabled list. The Braves were able to get back in the race without him, and upon his return Justice provided three game-winning hits in his first seven games.
Francisco Cabrera's home run in Cincinnati: On Aug. 21 at Riverfront Stadium, the Braves trailed by three runs in the top of the ninth with Rob Dibble on the mound and two outs. Cabrera tied it with a three-run homer and the Braves went on to win in 13 innings and didn't fall more than two games out of first place again.
Steve Avery's ownership of the Dodgers: When he beat them 3-0 in Los Angeles on Sept. 20, Avery raised his career mark against the Dodgers to 5-0, including 3-0 this season. Five days earlier, he had thrown a four-hitter win in Atlanta.
Ron Gant's rain-delayed single: The game, played Sept. 14, took nearly five hours. But it was worth the wait, as Gant's 11th-inning single led the Braves to a 3-2 win over L.A. and put Atlanta back in first place by a half-game.
Olsen's iron-man stint: with the inexperienced Cabrera as the backup catcher, Cox chose to go with Olsen exclusively after Aug. 31. Olsen's battling average dipped but he continues to be one of the club's best clutch hitters and handled the pitchers well.
The acquisition of Alejandro Pena: In late August, the Braves were wondering if closer Juan Berenguer would return from an arm injury and eventually realized they couldn't risk waiting. They went to the Mets for help, trading for righthander Pena, who has 11 saves in 11 opportunities and two wins.
Lonnie Smith replacing the suspended Otis Nixon: The news came on a Monday in San Francisco with the Braves leading the Dodgers by a half a game. They had lost leadoff hitter Nixon, who failed a drug test. Cox turned to Lonnie Smith, who had three World Series rings.
Mark Lemke replacing the injured Jeff Treadway: Treadway's hand injury left Cox with a choice in the third week of September. Should he replace shortstop Raphael Belliard with Jeff Blauser to get more offense at the No. 2 spot in the batting order, or should he turn the No. 2 spot as well as second base over to the light-hitting Lemke? Cox chode the latter and Lemke has done the job.
The return of Sanders: Two weeks ago, Schuerholz asked Sanders if he would like to return to the team as a pinch runner, even though the NFL season was under way for the Falcon's cornerback. Though he has only played a small role, he has helped lighten the atmosphere in the clubhouse.
Last Tuesday's comeback win in Cincinnati: Down 6-0 after the first, the Braves came back to win on a Justice home run in the ninth.
The consistency of Pendleton and the current eight-game winning
streak: The third baseman has done it all, on the field and off. He is leading the league in hitting, has hit a career-high 22 home runs and kept this team level-headed throughout. He received the ultimate compliment from Cox, who said Saturday, "he is the true class act. He has really helped make it all come together."
The winning streak, the Braves longest of the season, was saved for when they needed it most. "Good teams always rise to the top and we just might go out and win this whole thing," said Olsen.
Houston Recap:
Kenny Lofton, cf 1 for 4 with 1 so
Steve Finley, rf 1 for 4
Craig Biggio, c 0 for 4
Jeff Bagwell, 1b 2 for 4 with 1 r
Luis Gonzalez, lf 1 for 4
Ken Caminiti, 3b 0 for 4 with 1 so
Andujar Cedeno, ss 2 for 4 with 1 r and 1 rbi
Casey Candaele, 2b 1 for 3 with 1 rbi
Mark Portugal, p 0 for 1
Gerald Young, ph 0 for 1
Javier Ortiz, ph 0 for 1
Batting
2B: A Cedeno (13, off J Smoltz)
RBI: C Candaele (50); A Cedeno (34)
Team LOB: 5
With RISP: 2 for 4
Fielding:
DP: 2. J Bagwell-C Candaele; K Caminiti-C Candaele-J Bagwell
E: A Cedeno 2 (17)
Baserunning:
Pickoffs: K Lofton (1st base by J Smoltz)
Pitching:
Mark Portugal, L (10-12), 2 ip, 7 h, 4 r, 3 er, 2 bb, 0 so, 52 pit with 28 str
Chris Gardner, 3 ip, 1 h, 1 r, 1 er, 0 bb, 1 so, 1 hr, 28 pit with 17 str
Rob Mallicoat, 2 ip, 0 h, 0 r, 0 er, 1 bb, 2 so, 23 pit with 14 str
Dwayne Henry, 1 ip, 0 h, 0 r, 0 er, 0 bb, 0 so, 7 pit with 5 str
Atlanta Recap:
Lonnie Smith, lf 2 for 4 with 1 r, 1 rbi and 1 so
Mark Lemke, 2b 1 for 4 with 1 r
Terry Pendleton, 3b 1 for 2 with 1 rbi, 2 bb and 2 so
David Justice, rf 0 for 4
Ron Gant, cf 2 for 3 with 2 r, and 2 rbi
Sid Bream, 1b 1 for 3 wit 1 bb
Greg Olsen, c 1 for 4 with 1 so
Rafael Belliard, ss 1 for 4 with 1 r and 1 so
John Smoltz, p 0 for 2
Batting:
2B: L Smith (19, off M Portugal)
HR: R Gant (32, off C Gardner, 5th inn, 0 on, 1 out to Deep LF)
SF: R Gant (5, off M Portugal)
SH: J Smoltz, (8, off M Portugal)
GIDP: G Olsen (13)
RBI: R Gant 2 (105); T Pendleton (86); L Smith (44)
Team LOB: 6
With RISP: 3 for 11
Pitching:
John Smoltz, W (14-13), 9 ip, 8 h, 2 r, 2 er, 0 bb, 2 so, 103 pit with 68 str
Astros 000 200 000 2r 8h 2e
Braves 211 010 00X 5r 8h 0e
Attendance: 44,994
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