Braves making history in comeback

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Posted: Tuesday October 13, 1998 01:59 PM

Until 1998, no major league player had ever hit 70 home runs in a single season or 66 home runs or played in 2,632 consecutive games. The historic firsts are continuing in postseason play.

When the Atlanta Braves won Game 5 of the National League Championship Series over San Diego, they became the first team in history to win two straight games after dropping the first three in a best-of-seven series.

In 21 previous LCS and World Series where a team won the first three games, 18 series ended in a 4-game sweep and the other three ended 4 games to 1.

One for the ages

The 7-6 Atlanta win in Game 5 of the NLCS will rank as one of the most dramatic postseason games in history. This one had everything:

• Unlikely offensive heroes, such as Atlanta's Michael Tucker, who drove in five runs. Tucker had only three RBIs in the entire month of September and only five in August.
• The gamble by Padres' manager Bruce Bochy, opting to bring in Kevin Brown with a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning, hoping to shut down the Braves and end the series. Instead Brown surrendered a three-run homer to Tucker in the eighth.
• Another unlikely home run by Padres' pinch-hitter Greg Myers in the bottom of the ninth off of Braves' closer Kerry Ligtenberg. Myers had just four home runs during the regular season, none as a pinch-hitter.
• Ligtenberg being lifted for Greg Maddux, making his first relief appearance in 11 years and recording the first save of his career.

However the series ends, Game 5 will be on everyone's list of classic October battles.

Finally, a taste

Two of the three longest postseason droughts among active players ended this season.

When Mark Langston pitched in relief for the Padres, it was his first postseason appearance in a 15-year major league career.

Earlier, in the Braves-Cubs Division Series, Mike Morgan pitched twice in relief, his first postseason action in 17 years.

Only San Francisco's Danny Darwin has gone longer (20 years) without ever appearing in a postseason game.

No guarantee of 100 wins

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the 100-win mark defining an outstanding regular season. But less than half of the teams who have won 100 or more games have gone on to win the World Series.

This year, the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros all posted more than 100 wins. Since the World Series began in 1903, there have been 76 teams with a 100-win season. How have these teams finished the year?

• Finished second in league or division: 8
• Lost Division Series: 1
• Lost League Championship Series: 8
• Lost World Series: 24
• Won World Series: 33

The Braves are 0-2 in LCS play in previous 100-win seasons. The Yankees have the best success ratio in 100-win years. Coming into this season, the Yankees had 14 100 or more win records -- and in those years won 10 World Series, lost two, lost one League Championship Series and finished second once.

The all-time record for futility in 100-win seasons is held by the Dodgers (Brooklyn and Los Angeles). They have had five 100-win years, and finished second in two of them and lost the World Series the other three years.

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