Daryle Ward hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth off Greg Maddux and Braves-killer Ken Caminiti clinched it with a three-run shot in the ninth as the Astros defeated Atlanta 6-1 yesterday in Game 1 of the NL division series.
"The guys should be more relaxed now," Houston's Jeff Bagwell said. "But we've got to be careful not to get too carried away about this."
The Braves have made an unprecedented eight straight playoff appearances, with only one World Series title to show for it. Now, they've got to win three of the next four games against Houston.
"The noose tightens a little quicker in the short series," Chipper Jones said. "It's important for us all to bring our `A' games to the ballpark tomorrow."
Houston was a clear underdog against the powerful Braves, having lost six of seven meeting during the regular season.
Atlanta clinched its division with a week to go, winning 11 of its last 13 games. After a 12-game winning streak in September, Houston lost nine of its last 15.
"This is a good feeling," Caminiti said. "We can hold our heads up a little bit tonight. But tomorrow is another day."
The Astros sealed the victory in the ninth with four runs against reliever Mike Remlinger. Carl Everett had a sacrifice fly before Caminiti haunted the Braves again.
Playing for San Diego, Caminiti hit a 10th-inning homer against Kerry Ligtenberg to win the first game of the 1998 NL Championship Series. The Padres went on to a 4-2 victory over Atlanta.
The East champion Braves lost only their second division series game since the format was instituted in 1995. Before yesterday, they were 12-1 overall, including 10 straight victories.
Houston, which clinched its third straight Central title on the final day of the season, has never won in five playoff series, including a 3-0 sweep by the Braves in 1997. The Astros won't get swept this year, seizing the home-field advantage in the best-of-five series.
"Two years in a row, we lost the first game," Bagwell said. "This gives us tremendous momentum."
The Braves led the majors with 103 wins but drew the smallest crowd in Atlanta's 44-game post-season history.
The turnout of 39,119 was nearly 11,000 short of capacity at Turner Field and easily eclipsed the previous low of 42,117 for Game 1 of the 1998 NL championship series. In the right-field upper deck, only a few dozen people occupied seven sections of blue seats.
"It was certainly disappointing," Jones said.
Game 2 is this afternoon in Atlanta before the series shifts to Houston for Game 3 Friday.
Ward, the son of former major leaguer Gary Ward, was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans for the second time on July 20. He took over for the slumping Derek Bell and came through with two of Houston's biggest hits this season: a two-run homer against Cincinnati last week and a three-run double Sunday in a 9-4 victory over Los Angeles, securing the division title.
He came through again, hitting the first pitch of the sixth into the right-field seats against Maddux to break a 1-1 tie.
"He's a great hitter, he really is," Bagwell said. "You've got to give him credit for working his butt off to become a good left-fielder. He could always hit."
"There's not too much of a burden on me," Ward said. "No one is expecting me to do too much."
The Braves managed seven hits against winner Shane Reynolds, who went six innings and allowed the lone run. He pitched around Jones, walking the MVP candidate twice on four pitches, and three relievers finished up with three hitless innings.
The Astros went ahead in the second when Everett led off with a bunt single, Caminiti walked and Tony Eusebio drove in the run with a line drive up the middle.
But Maddux escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam by pitching out on an attempted squeeze bunt by Reynolds. Caminiti, breaking from third, was tagged by Jones just short of home.
The Astros loaded the bases again with one out in the fifth, but Caminiti grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
The Braves tied it in their half of the inning, Gerald Williams driving home Jose Hernandez with a two-out single to center. The Braves then loaded the bases, but Ryan Klesko struck out swinging on a 90 mph fastball.
The Astros didn't leave for Atlanta until late Monday night, waiting at the Houston airport for the outcome of a wild-card playoff in Cincinnati. When the New York Mets beat the Reds 5-0, the chartered jet flew east.
"It would have been nice to get here earlier," Craig Biggio said. "That's the way it is."
 Daryle Ward watches his tie-breaking homer clear the fence in the 6th inning |
 Ken Caminiti breaks the game wide open with a three-run homer in the 9th |
 Congratulations all around after the Astros take a 1-0 series lead |
Box Score
HOUSTON (6) AT ATLANTA (1) PLAYOFFS - FINAL
HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
Biggio 2b 5 0 1 0 0 2 1 .200
Spiers rf-lf 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 .500
b-Javier ph-lf 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1.000
Bagwell 1b 4 1 1 0 1 1 1 .250
Everett cf-rf 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 .333
Caminiti 3b 4 1 3 3 1 0 3 .750
D Ward lf 3 1 1 1 0 1 2 .333
G Barker cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Eusebio c 4 0 2 1 0 0 1 .500
Gutierrez ss 2 0 0 0 2 1 2 .000
Reynolds p 3 0 1 0 0 0 4 .333
Trever Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Henry p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-Mieske ph 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .000
B Wagner p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 34 6 13 6 6 7 17
a-walked for Henry in the 9th; b-singled for Spiers in the 9th.
BATTING: HR - D Ward (1, 6th inning off G Maddux 0 on, 0 out);
Caminiti (1, 9th inning off Remlinger 2 on, 2 out). S - G Barker.
SF - Everett. RBI - Eusebio (1), D Ward (1), Everett (1), Caminiti 3 (3).
2-out RBI - Caminiti 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out -
Reynolds 3, Everett 1, Gutierrez 1. GIDP - Caminiti, Gutierrez.
Team LOB - 9.
BASERUNNING: SB - Spiers (1, 2nd base off G Maddux/E Perez).
CS - Caminiti (1, home by G Maddux/E Perez).
FIELDING: DP: 1 (Gutierrez-Biggio-Bagwell).
ATLANTA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Williams lf 4 0 2 1 0 0 1 .500
B Boone 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 .250
C Jones 3b 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 .000
Klesko 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .000
B Jordan rf 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 .500
A Jones cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000
E Perez c 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 .250
Jo Hernandez ss 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 .250
G Maddux p 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
a-Lockhart ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-Battle ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Remlinger p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 32 1 7 1 2 2 12
a-pinch-hit for G Maddux in the 7th; b-grounded to second for
Lockhart in the 7th.
BATTING: S - G Maddux. RBI - G Williams (1). 2-out RBI - G Williams.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - G Williams 1, A Jones 1,
Klesko 2, Jo Hernandez 1. GIDP - B Boone. Team LOB - 7.
BASERUNNING: SB - Jo Hernandez (1, 2nd base off Reynolds/Eusebio).
FIELDING: Outfield assists - B Jordan (Reynolds at 3rd base).
DP: 2 (B Boone-Jo Hernandez-Klesko, Jo Hernandez-B Boone-Klesko).
Houston - 010 001 004 -- 6
Atlanta - 000 010 000 -- 1
HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
Reynolds (W, 1-0) 6 7 1 1 2 1 0 1.50
Trever Miller (H, 1) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Henry (H, 1) 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
B Wagner 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
ATLANTA ip h r er bb so hr era
G Maddux (L, 0-1) 7 10 2 2 4 5 1 2.57
Remlinger 2 3 4 4 2 2 1 18.00
IBB - Gutierrez (by G Maddux); Everett (by G Maddux); Bagwell
(by Remlinger). Pitches-strikes: G Maddux 110-66; Remlinger 41-25;
Reynolds 90-62; Trever Miller 4-3; Henry 19-12; B Wagner 15-13.
Ground balls-fly balls: G Maddux 10-4; Remlinger 2-2; Reynolds 12-5;
Trever Miller 1-0; Henry 3-2; B Wagner 1-1. Batters faced: G Maddux 31;
Remlinger 11; Reynolds 26; Trever Miller 1; Henry 5; B Wagner 3.
UMPIRES: HP--Mike Winters. 1B--Charlie Williams. 2B--Rich
Rieker. 3B--Gerry Davis. LF--Bruce Froemming. RF--Jerry Meals.
T--3:03. Att--39,119. Weather: 71 degrees, sunny. Wind: 10 mph,
left to right.
