ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 22, 1996 TAG: 9610220034
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: Associated Press
NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD PHENOM Andruw Jones steals the show during Game 1 of the World Series.
Andruw Jones didn't just arrive at the World Series on Sunday night, he stole the show.
Just two months after he made it to the majors and just four months out of Class A baseball, the 19-year-old outfielder reached heights not attained even by Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr., two of the most-talented teen-agers ever to burst into baseball.
Jones hit a two-run homer off Andy Pettitte in the second inning to put Atlanta ahead in Game 1, then hit a three-run drive off Brian Boehringer in the third to lead the Braves over the New York Yankees 12-1.
``We just left a couple of pitches up and he didn't miss them,'' said Joe Torre, the Yankees' manager. ``He did something tonight probably no one has ever done before at his age, I'm guessing. That's a hell of an accomplishment for anyone in the World Series, not just a kid who's [just] come to the big leagues.''
He comes from Curacao, a 38-mile-long island just off the coast of Venezuela, population 149,376. Curacao is known for oil, the Queen Emma pontoon bridge, a bright blue liqueur and the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.
And now, for Andruw Jones.
``I think it's really something special for me,'' said Jones, who was in the Instructional League at this time last year. ``I never thought I'd get so far.''
It's a long way from Curacao to New York.
``It's Broadway,'' said John Schuerholz, the Braves' general manager. ``And that's where stars are born.''
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Andruw Jones (center) is congratulated by Javy Lopezby CNBand Fred McGriff after hitting his second home run in Game 1 of the
World Series in New York on Sunday. KEYWORDS: BASEBALL