ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 24, 1996 TAG: 9610240036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: Associated Press
The Atlanta Braves took one of the biggest gambles in baseball history. The New York Yankees turned it into one of the biggest comebacks in World Series history.
Pinch hitter Wade Boggs drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the 10th inning after an intentional walk to Bernie Williams, and the Yankees beat Atlanta 8-6 Wednesday night to even the Series at two wins each.
``Smart thing to do,'' Braves manager Bobby Cox insisted. ``He's the best hitter they've got. He carried them through Texas, he carried them through Baltimore and he's knocked the living hell out of us.''
The strategy, though, went awry when losing pitcher Steve Avery walked Boggs on a full count, forcing home the go-ahead run. Boggs has a bad back and is in a postseason slump that saw him sit the last two games against left-handers, but is a future Hall of Famer with 2,697 hits.
``You don't want Bernie Williams to beat you,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. ``I don't think this was anything to second guess.''
A three-run homer by Jim Leyritz in the eighth inning tied the game as the Yankees rallied from a 6-0 deficit. Two innings later, they matched the second-biggest comeback in Series play with a win that made them 7-0 on the road in this postseason.
The win in the longest game in World Series history - 4 hours, 17 minutes - ensured New York would return to Yankee Stadium this weekend.
Tonight, in what will be the last game ever at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Braves ace John Smoltz will start against New York's Andy Pettitte in Game 5.
With two outs in the 10th, Tim Raines drew a walk from Avery and moved to second on a single by Derek Jeter. Cox went to the mound and elected to walk Williams, the MVP of the American League Championship Series and a hero in the Yankees' victory Tuesday night.
Rookie Andy Fox was on deck, but Cox clearly knew that Boggs was left on the bench. Still, he walked Williams.
Avery, now with no margin for error, got ahead in the count 1-2, but Boggs then took three straight balls for the walk that put New York ahead. Charlie Hayes followed with a soft liner that first baseman Ryan Klesko dropped for an error, allowing another run to score.
Graeme Lloyd escaped a jam in the ninth and was the winner. John Wetteland got two outs for a save.
The biggest comeback in World Series history was the Philadelphia Athletics' rally from an 8-0 deficit in a 10-8 win in Game 4 in 1929. There were two other comebacks from six-run deficits, Brooklyn in 1956 against the Yankees and Toronto in 1993 against Philadelphia.
Needing just six outs for a win, Cox made the rare move of bringing in closer Mark Wohlers to start the eighth. Moments later, Atlanta's 6-3 lead was gone.
Hayes led off with a dribbler down the third-base line that the Braves let roll, but it stayed fair for a single. Darryl Strawberry followed with a single and Mariano Duncan grounded into a force play that could have been a double play except for a bobble by defensive replacement Rafael Belliard at shortstop.
Up stepped Leyritz, in the game only because starting catcher Joe Girardi had left earlier for a pinch hitter. Leyritz lofted a high fly that carried over the left field wall, and his teammates rushed from the dugout to greet him as he crossed home plate with tying run.
Last year, Leyritz hit a 15th-inning homer to beat Seattle in the first round of the playoffs.
The Yankees loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth. Duncan hit a low liner that rookie right fielder Jermaine Dye caught as he staggered forward, tumbling to the ground after the grab.
The Braves had their chance in the ninth against Mariano Rivera after Mark Lemke singled with one out and Chipper Jones walked. Left-hander Lloyd relieved to face left-handed Fred McGriff and got him to ground into a double play.
By the third inning, the Yankees' fears about starting pitcher Kenny Rogers had come true.
Rogers had been hit hard in two starts in the AL playoffs, prompting Torre to drop him for a three-man rotation for the Series. But a rainout in Game 1 wrecked that plan, causing Torre to give Rogers another chance.
Rogers got off a great start, retiring the first three batters on harmless grounders. Then, disaster.
McGriff led off the second inning with a 427-foot drive over the fence in dead center field. A couple of walks later, the Yankees played Jeff Blauser's suicide squeeze bunt into a demoralizing single, and when Marquis Grissom hustled for a two-out double, it was 4-0.
Torre pulled Rogers after two singles to start the third, and Javier Lopez hit a sacrifice fly off Brian Boehringer for a 5-0 lead.
That run was charged to Rogers, too, leaving the pitcher who signed a $20 million, four-year contract as a free agent last January with another whopping number - a 14.14 ERA in the postseason.
Rogers' main contribution, in fact, came with his bat. In his first at-bat in the big leagues, he got the first hit by an AL pitcher in the Series since Al Leiter had one for Toronto in 1993.
The Yankees started their comeback against Braves starter Denny Neagle in the sixth inning.
Cecil Fielder hit an RBI single that turned into two runs when Dye mistakenly charged the sinking liner and let it get past him. Hayes had an RBI single that made it 6-3.
Atlanta made it 6-0 in the fifth against David Weathers. Chipper Jones walked with one out, moved up on a balk and scored when Andruw Jones doubled.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Long : 106 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox relieves Steve Avery ofby CNBhis duties in the 10th inning after Avery gave up the game-winning
walk.