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Houston Astros
Wild Card Champions 92-70 |
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Atlanta Braves
NL East Champions 96-66 |
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The whirlwind that took the Astros from the depths of the Central Division to clinch the last playoff spot on the last day of the regular season was about to get even tougher. Houston's first-round opponents were the Atlanta Braves, the club that embarassed them in 1997, stranged them in 1999 and dismissed them with ease in 2001.
But these Braves weren't as formidable as their predecessors. The old pitching triad of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz were no longer the heart of Atlanta's success. Maddux and Glavine had moved on in free agency and Smoltz, through arm troubles, had shifted to the bullpen. Starting pitching was now a problem for the Braves. Although they had four starters that won 13 or more games, none won more than 15 or sported an ERA better than 3.28.
Instead, this team was carried by sluggers Chipper and Andruw Jones along with J.D. Drew, Rafael Furcal and Johnny Estrada. Their bullpen was also solid, anchored by Smoltz as their closer with 44 saves.
The Astros had two solid starting pitchers - Roger Clemens who would win the Cy Young Award and Roy Oswalt who would be the league's only 20-game winner. With Andy Pettitte and Wade Miller on the shelf, the rest of the rotation was a collection of marginal pitchers. Pete Munro, Tim Redding, Carlos Hernandez, Brandon Duckworth and Brandon Backe all had their turns with unsatisfying results.
So, like an older era of Braves who lived on "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain", the Astros went into the postseason with two dependable starters and kept their fingers crossed. Not catchy, but honest.
Houston, too, had a lineup full of sluggers in the top six spots in the order. The bullpen trusted the arm of young Brad Lidge as their closer. He had crafted a 1.89 ERA and was used even before the ninth inning when needed to pull out a win.
The Braves would have home-field advantage in the best-of-five series so Houston would need to grab a win on the road in order to advance. It turned out that they needed two.
Game 1 at Atlanta - Astros 9, Braves 3
Wednesday, October 6th
Game 1 Photos
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Houston 0 0 4 0 3 0 1 0 1 - 9 13 1
Atlanta 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 - 3 7 0
Win - Clemens. Loss - Wright.
HR - Beltran, Lane, Berkman, Ausmus, A. Jones.
Time - 3:08. Attendance - 41,464.
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ATLANTA - Long accustomed to having doors shut on them by the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs, the Astros opened their own doors with authority.
Roger Clemens and his teammates refused to be denied Wednesday, when they pummeled the Braves 9-3 in Game 1 of the best-of-five Division Series, validating their claim that these aren't the same ol' Astros. "This can quiet a lot of people down," Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell said after going 2-for-5 with an RBI double. "It can relax a lot of people, and that's a good thing. To come out and play like we did tonight and have that good feeling going into tomorrow, it erases (a lot of doubts). Since clinching the wild-card berth Sunday, the Astros have said they aren't the same team that was eliminated in the Division Series in 1997, 1999 and 2001 by the Braves. The Astros, a franchise plagued by an inability to score while going 0-7 in postseason series, set franchise playoff records with four home runs and nine runs. Three days after he was scratched from the final game of the regular season because of a stomach virus, Clemens escaped jams with at least two men on in each of the first four innings. Clemens, 42, held the Braves to three runs (two earned) on six hits and six walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings before a crowd of 41,464. Now 20-game winner Roy Oswalt will start Game 2 this afternoon against former Astro Mike Hampton at Turner Field in hopes of giving Houston a commanding 2-0 lead. Clemens, who had never won a Game 1 in the postseason, got his first test when Lance Berkman dropped Marcus Giles' line drive in right field with one out in the first. Giles stole second and reached third on a wild pitch to J.D. Drew, who eventually walked. Chipper Jones loaded the bases with another walk, and Johnny Estrada gave the Braves a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to right. The Braves mounted another threat when Andruw Jones and Charles Thomas hit consecutive singles to start the second. After Jaret Wright sacrificed, Clemens struck out Rafael Furcal and induced a grounder to third from Giles to escape the jam. Brad Ausmus tied the score at 1 by leading off the third with a home run over the left-field wall, setting the tone in the four-run inning against Wright. Two outs later, Carlos Beltran singled through the left side and scored on Bagwell's double to right-center field. Berkman followed with a two-run homer to right for a 4-1 lead. The three-run lead was threatened in the bottom of the third as Clemens yielded two-out walks to Adam LaRoche and Andruw Jones. Clemens caught Thomas looking at a splitter to strand the bases loaded. In the fourth, Furcal drew a one-out walk and Giles singled up the middle. After inducing a broken-bat popup to the mound from Drew for the second out, Clemens' first offering to Chipper Jones was a wild pitch that allowed Furcal and Giles to advance. Chipper Jones grounded out to short to end the inning. Clemens was more than enough on a breakthrough afternoon for his teammates. The Astros pulled away with three runs in the fifth on a two-run homer by Beltran and a two-out, RBI double by Jeff Kent. Beltran paced the Astros in his postseason debut, going 3-for-3 with the homer, a stolen base, two RBIs and three runs scored. Beltran suffered bruised right ribs when he was hit by reliever Juan Cruz's pitch in the seventh, but he stayed in long enough to score on Morgan Ensberg's RBI single before exiting. Jason Lane, who replaced Beltran, led off the ninth with a home run in his first postseason at-bat. "This is a different era," Astros manager Phil Garner said. "It's a different time." Box Score HOUSTON (9) vs ATLANTA (3) - FINAL HOU 0 0 4 0 3 0 1 0 1 - 9 13 1 ATL 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 - 3 7 0 HOUSTON AB R H RBI BB SO Biggio lf 5 1 1 0 0 3 Qualls p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gallo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Beltran cf 3 3 3 2 0 0 Lane rf 1 1 1 1 0 0 Bagwell 1b 5 2 2 1 0 1 Berkman rf,cf 5 1 2 2 0 2 Kent 2b 5 0 1 1 0 1 Ensberg 3b 4 0 2 1 0 1 Vizcaino ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 Everett ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ausmus c 4 1 1 1 0 2 Clemens p 2 0 0 0 1 1 Palmeiro ph,lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 39 9 13 9 1 12 FIELDING - E: Berkman (1). BATTING - 2B: Bagwell (1,off Wright); Kent (1,off Gryboski). HR: Ausmus (1,3rd inning off Wright 0 on 0 out); Berkman (1,3rd inning off Wright 1 on 2 out); Beltran (1,5th inning off Wright 1 on 1 out); Lane (1,9th inning off Reitsma 0 on 0 out). HBP: Beltran (1,by Cruz). Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING - SB: Beltran (1,2nd base off Wright/Estrada); Biggio (1,2nd base off Wright/Estrada). CS: Ensberg (1,2nd base by Wright/Estrada). ATLANTA AB R H RBI BB SO Furcal ss 3 1 1 0 2 1 Giles 2b 5 1 1 1 0 0 Drew rf 3 0 0 0 2 1 C. Jones 3b 4 0 0 0 1 2 Estrada c 4 0 1 1 0 0 LaRoche 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 Marrero ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 A. Jones cf 3 1 2 1 1 1 Thomas lf 4 0 2 0 0 1 Wright p 1 0 0 0 0 1 Gryboski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wise ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Cruz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alfonseca p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Franco ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Reitsma p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 33 3 7 3 7 9 FIELDING - DP: 1. Estrada-Giles. BATTING - 3B: Furcal (1,off Clemens). HR: A. Jones (1,5th inning off Clemens 0 on 2 out). SH: Wright (1,off Clemens). SF: Estrada (1,off Clemens). Team LOB: 12. BASERUNNING - SB: Giles (1,2nd base off Clemens/Ausmus). PITCHING HOUSTON IP H R ER BB SO HR Clemens W(1-0) 7 6 3 2 6 7 1 Qualls 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Gallo 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 9 7 3 2 7 9 1 WP: Clemens 2 (2). ATLANTA IP H R ER BB SO HR Wright L(0-1) 4.1 8 6 6 0 6 3 Gryboski 0.2 2 1 1 0 1 0 Cruz 2 2 1 1 1 4 0 Alfonseca 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Reitsma 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 Totals 9 13 9 9 1 12 4 HBP: Cruz (1,Beltran). Umpires: HP - Tim McClelland, 1B - Phil Cuzzi, 2B - Wally Bell, 3B - Fieldin Culbreth, LF - Joe Brinkman, RF - Tony Randazzo |
Game 2 at Atlanta - Braves 4, Astros 2 (11)
Thursday, October 7th
Game 2 Photos
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011 R H E
Houston 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 4 1
Atlanta 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 - 4 14 0
Win - Alfonseca. Loss - Miceli.
HR - Bagwell, Chavez, Furcal.
Time - 3:27. Attendance - 40,075.
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ATLANTA - Dan Miceli planned to bury the splitter in the dirt, hoping Atlanta shortstop Rafael Furcal would chase it. The pitch stayed up, though, and the sound of Furcal's bat let Miceli know the Astros were done in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. Furcal's two-run homer sailed over the right-field wall at Turner Field, giving the Braves a 4-2 victory in 11 innings Thursday and tying the best-of-five series at one game apiece before a crowd of 40,075. "I think I hooked it into his sweet spot, and he kind of turned on it," Miceli said. "I was trying to bury the pitch into the dirt. I was ahead in the count, and he just swung and hit it. . . . I don't think it was a good pitch. I should have buried it a little. It was out, and what can I do? The game is over." The series will shift to Minute Maid Park for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Sunday. If Game 5 is necessary, the wild-card Astros must visit the NL East champions at Turner Field on Monday. The Astros tried to focus on the positive after the loss, saying they were pleased to leave Atlanta with a split. Nonetheless, there was definite disappointment after they failed to hold the 2-0 lead starter Roy Oswalt carried into the seventh. On an afternoon when the Astros were limited to solo homers from Bagwell and Raul Chavez and four hits overall, manager Phil Garner called on closer Brad Lidge to relieve his 20-game winner with a one-run lead in the seventh. Bagwell's home run gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Chavez led off the third with a homer over the wall in left field, but former Astros lefthander Mike Hampton allowed only two more hits before exiting with tightness in his left forearm in the seventh. Dewayne Wise, hitting for Braves reliever Kevin Gryboski, lashed a one-out double down the right-field line in the bottom of the seventh. That set the stage for Furcal, who was cleared to play in the postseason Wednesday when a local judge delayed a 21-day jail sentence Furcal received for drunken-driving charges that violated his probation. After Wise's double, Furcal cut the Astros' lead to 2-1 with an RBI single up the middle. A few seconds later, Garner sprinted out to speak with plate umpire Phil Cuzzi to say he couldn't get the bullpen phone to work. Lidge and lefthander Mike Gallo were warming up, although Oswalt expected to face Marcus Giles. After a delay, Garner called on Lidge, who converted 29 of his 33 save opportunities in the regular season and had not blown a save since Sept. 12. "He was well-rested," Garner said of Lidge, who had not pitched since Sunday. "I felt good about it, and I'd do it again." Furcal stole second and reached third on Chavez's errant throw on the attempt. With the suicide squeeze on, Giles fouled his bunt attempt off the plate. He swung through the next pitch for the second out. Lidge's 1-2 pitch to J.D. Drew was in the dirt and caromed off Chavez, snaking about 15 feet toward the right side. Chavez retrieved the ball and fired from his knees in time for Lidge to tag Furcal at home. Drew then led off the eighth with an infield single up the middle, with Lidge able only to deflect it. With Chipper Jones at the plate, Chavez threw out Drew trying to steal second. Jones drew a walk and reached third on Johnny Estrada's single through the right side. After Wilson Betemit was sent in to run for Estrada, Adam LaRoche tied the score at 2 with an RBI double off the left-center wall. John Smoltz, who pitched three scoreless innings of relief, led off the ninth with a single to right. He reached second on Furcal's sacrifice and took third on Giles' grounder to second. Lidge then struck out Drew on three pitches to force extra innings. With two on and two outs, Smoltz got Jason Lane looking on a 97 mph fastball to end the top of the 10th. Miceli retired the Braves in order in the bottom of the 10th, but Charles Thomas stroked a one-out single through the right side in the 11th. One out later, Thomas stole second. Furcal then took care of the rest with his two-run homer. Box Score ATLANTA (4) VS HOUSTON (2) - FINAL HOU 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 4 1 ATL 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 - 4 14 0 HOUSTON AB R H RBI BB SO Biggio lf 3 0 0 0 1 0 Lane lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 Beltran cf 5 0 0 0 0 3 Bagwell 1b 5 1 1 1 0 1 Berkman rf 5 0 1 0 0 2 Kent 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ensberg 3b 2 0 0 0 2 0 Vizcaino ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Palmeiro ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ausmus c 0 0 0 0 0 0 Chavez c 3 1 2 1 0 0 Lamb ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Miceli p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oswalt p 1 0 0 0 1 0 Bruntlett ss 1 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 34 2 4 2 5 8 FIELDING - E: Chavez (1). BATTING - HR: Bagwell (1,1st inning off Hampton 0 on 2 out); Chavez (1,3rd inning off Hampton 0 on 0 out). SH: Palmeiro (1,off Smoltz). Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING - CS: Berkman (1,2nd base by Hampton/Estrada). ATLANTA AB R H RBI BB SO Furcal ss 5 1 3 3 0 0 Giles 2b 5 0 1 0 0 1 Drew rf 5 0 1 0 0 3 C. Jones 3b 4 1 0 0 1 0 Estrada c 3 0 1 0 1 0 Betemit pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 Franco 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 LaRoche 1b 4 0 3 1 0 1 Green pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 Perez c 1 0 0 0 0 0 A. Jones cf 5 0 1 0 0 1 Thomas lf 5 1 1 0 0 1 Hampton p 2 0 1 0 0 1 Gryboski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wise ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 Smoltz p 1 0 1 0 0 0 Alfonseca p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Marrero ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 43 4 14 4 2 8 FIELDING - DP: 1. C. Jones-Giles-LaRoche. BATTING - 2B: Wise (1,off Oswalt); LaRoche (1,off Lidge). HR: Furcal (1,11th inning off Miceli 1 on 2 out). SH: Furcal (1,off Lidge). Team LOB: 10. BASERUNNING - SB: Furcal (1,2nd base off Lidge/Chavez); Thomas (1,2nd base off Miceli/Ausmus). CS: Drew (1,2nd base by Lidge/Chavez). PITCHING HOUSTON IP H R ER BB SO HR Oswalt 6.1 8 1 1 1 4 0 Lidge 2.2 4 1 1 1 3 0 Miceli L(0-1) 1.2 2 2 2 0 1 1 Totals 10.2 14 4 4 2 8 1 ATLANTA IP H R ER BB SO HR Hampton 6.1 4 2 2 3 5 2 Gryboski 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Smoltz 3 0 0 0 2 3 0 Alfonseca W(1-0) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 11 4 2 2 5 8 2 UMPIRES: HP - Phil Cuzzi, 1B - Wally Bell, 2B - Fieldin Culbreth, 3B - Joe Brinkman, LF - Tony Randazzo, RF - Tim McClelland |
Game 3 at Houston - Astros 8, Braves 5
Saturday, October 9th
Game 3 Photos
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Atlanta 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 - 5 8 0
Houston 0 0 2 0 2 3 1 0 x - 8 11 0
Win - Backe. Loss - Byrd. Save - Lidge.
HR - Estrada, A. Jones, Beltran.
Time - 3:19. Attendance - 43,547.
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HOUSTON - As an Astros fan, Brandon Backe despised the sadness over his favorite team's inability to win a postseason series. He has suffered heartbreak in past playoffs along with every other Astros rooter, which is why Saturday afternoon at Minute Maid Park was so special for the Galveston native and his teammates. Backe is tired of watching the Astros fall in the postseason. So he did his part by beating the Braves 8-5 in Game 3 of the best-of-five National League Division Series, putting the Astros within one victory of earning a berth in the National League Championship Series. With the victory, the Astros extended their home winning streak to 19 games, including the final 18 home games of the regular season, a franchise record. While his teammates insisted the past didn't matter, Backe said he realizes the Astros' poor history in the postseason has caused pain for the fans. Astros backers cannot forget the Braves eliminated Houston in Division Series in 1997, 1999 and 2001. With a sellout crowd of 43,547 at Minute Maid Park, Backe and his teammates moved a step closer to ending their postseason rut. The Braves suffered a blow in the first inning when starter John Thomson gave way to Paul Byrd after four pitches because of a strained left oblique muscle. Backe left the bases loaded in the second by catching Byrd looking at a slider, and Carlos Beltran gave the Astros a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer to right in the third. Johnny Estrada cut the Astros' lead to 2-1 with a one-out home run over the wall in left-center in the fourth. One out later, Andruw Jones doubled to left. Backe intentionally walked Charles Thomas to face Byrd, who tied the score at 2 with a single up the middle. The Astros, who scored five of their runs with two outs, got the lead back with a two-out rally in the fifth. After Lance Berkman drew a walk, Jeff Kent hit a double off the left-field wall. Morgan Ensberg followed with an RBI single to left. As Estrada took Thomas' throw from left on the bounce to his left side, Kent snaked inside the line and under the tag to give the Astros a 4-2 lead. Orlando Palmeiro, hitting for Backe, led off the bottom of the sixth with a single off righthander Antonio Alfonseca. Craig Biggio followed with a walk, then was forced out on Beltran's fielder's choice grounder to second. Beltran stole second on an 0-1 pitch to Jeff Bagwell. Running home on contact, Palmeiro was thrown out on Bagwell's grounder to short. Atlanta manager Bobby Cox called on lefthander Tom Martin to flip the switch-hitting Berkman to the right side. The gamble backfired. Berkman gave the Astros a 5-2 lead with an RBI single to left. Kent followed with a walk to load the bases for Ensberg, who ripped a hard grounder that deflected off third baseman Chipper Jones' glove and into left field for a two-run double. Ensberg's three RBIs tied a team postseason record held by Bagwell and Ken Caminiti (twice). Chad Qualls took over for Backe with a scoreless seventh. Brad Ausmus drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh, reached second on a wild pitch, went to third on Jason Lane's grounder to short, and scored on Mike Lamb's sacrifice fly to left. Andruw Jones' three-run homer off Russ Springer cut the lead to 8-5 in the eighth, but Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth for his first postseason save. The Astros have lost enough postseason series against the Braves to know better than to take anything for granted. But you didn't have to grow up an Astros fan to feel a sense of confidence. "If you're not going to believe, not going to have the faith, then go watch football," Kent said. "Don't be a baseball fan." Box Score HOUSTON (8) VS ATLANTA (5) - FINAL ATL 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 - 5 8 0 HOU 0 0 2 0 2 3 1 0 x - 8 11 0 ATLANTA AB R H RBI BB SO Furcal ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 Giles 2b 5 0 0 0 0 2 Drew rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 C. Jones 3b 3 1 0 0 1 0 Estrada c 3 1 1 1 1 2 LaRoche 1b 3 0 0 0 0 1 Reitsma p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wise ph,lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 A. Jones cf 4 2 3 3 0 1 Thomas lf 2 0 1 0 1 0 Cruz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Thomson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Byrd p 2 0 1 1 0 1 Gryboski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alfonseca p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Martin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Franco 1b 2 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 34 5 8 5 3 10 BATTING - 2B: A. Jones (1,off Backe). HR: Estrada (1,4th inning off Backe 0 on 1 out); A. Jones (2,8th inning off Springer 2 on 2 out). HBP: Thomas (1,by Backe). IBB: Thomas (1,by Backe). Team LOB: 6. HOUSTON AB R H RBI BB SO Biggio lf 3 1 1 0 1 1 Qualls p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lamb ph 0 0 0 1 0 0 Springer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bruntlett ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 Beltran cf 5 2 2 2 0 0 Bagwell 1b 4 1 1 0 1 0 Berkman rf 3 2 2 1 2 0 Kent 2b 3 1 1 1 2 1 Ensberg 3b 4 0 2 3 1 0 Vizcaino ss 4 0 0 0 1 1 Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ausmus c 3 1 1 0 1 1 Backe p 1 0 0 0 0 0 Palmeiro ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 Lane lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 32 8 11 8 9 4 FIELDING - DP: 1. Vizcaino-Bagwell. BATTING - 2B: Beltran (1,off Thomson); Bagwell (2,off Byrd); Kent (2,off Byrd); Ensberg (1,off Martin). HR: Beltran (2,3rd inning off Byrd 1 on 0 out). SH: Backe (1,off Byrd). SF: Lamb (1,off Reitsma). IBB: Vizcaino (1,by Byrd). Team LOB: 11. BASERUNNING - SB: Beltran (2,2nd base off Alfonseca/Estrada). PITCHING ATLANTA IP H R ER BB SO HR Thomson 0.1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Byrd L(0-1) 4.1 7 4 4 3 3 1 Gryboski 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Alfonseca 0.2 1 2 2 1 0 0 Martin 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 Reitsma 1.1 0 1 1 1 1 0 Cruz 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 Totals 8 11 8 8 9 4 1 WP: Reitsma (1). IBB: Byrd (1,Vizcaino). HOUSTON IP H R ER BB SO HR Backe W(1-0) 6 5 2 2 2 5 1 Qualls 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Springer 1 2 3 3 1 2 1 Lidge SV(1) 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 9 8 5 5 3 10 2 HBP: Backe (1,Thomas). IBB: Backe (1,Thomas). UMPIRES: HP - Wally Bell, 1B - Fieldin Culbreth, 2B - Joe Brinkman, 3B - Tony Randazzo, LF - Tim McClelland, RF - Phil Cuzzi |
Game 4 at Houston - Braves 6, Astros 5
Sunday, October 10th
Game 4 Photos
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Atlanta 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 - 6 10 0
Houston 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 5 13 0
Win - Smoltz. Loss - Springer.
HR - LaRoche, Biggio.
Time - 3:24. Attendance - 43,336.
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HOUSTON - With the Astros on the cusp of winning a postseason series for the first time in their history Sunday afternoon, longtime franchise poster boy Craig Biggio delivered a dramatic three-run homer and Roger Clemens exited with a three-run lead despite pitching with tired legs in his fifth and final inning. It seemed as though a storybook afternoon would unfold before a sellout crowd of 43,336 at Minute Maid Park. With Biggio and Clemens out of the contest, though, the Braves charged back, beating the Astros 6-5 to even their National League Division Series at two games apiece and forcing a winner-take-all Game 5. Adam LaRoche hit a three-run homer off Chad Qualls to tie the score at 5 in the sixth, and J.D. Drew singled in Rafael Furcal with the winning run off Russ Springer in the ninth. After the Braves took a 2-0 lead in the second, the Astros countered with five runs in the bottom half, the most they've ever scored in a postseason inning. Jeff Kent led off with a single to left, and Morgan Ensberg followed with a single through the right side. After Jose Vizcaino's fielder's choice grounder to short, Brad Ausmus drew a walk from Russ Ortiz to load the bases. Clemens cut the deficit to 2-1 with a sacrifice fly to center. Biggio fouled a 2-0 pitch off the roof. The ball deflected into fair territory and was caught by Ortiz, but it was out of play as soon as it hit the roof, per the ground rules. Biggio took advantage of the reprieve by ripping a 3-1 fastball into the Crawford Boxes for a three-run homer. Carlos Beltran followed with a double to right, and Jeff Bagwell made it 5-2 with an RBI single to left. "We would have loved to have done it here," manager Phil Garner said after the Astros' 19-game home winning streak was snapped. "The crowd was really into it. The place was rocking." Clemens stranded runners in scoring position in the third and fourth. Sacrificing velocity for movement on his fastball, Clemens retired the side in order in the fifth. Chipper Jones greeted Qualls with a leadoff single to center in the sixth. One out later, Andruw Jones doubled to left. LaRoche ripped a first-pitch slider into the upper deck behind the Astros' bullpen in right-center field, tying the score at 5 with his three-run homer. Garner replaced Biggio in left field with Jason Lane when Mike Gallo took the mound in the seventh. Lane went into the ninth hole, and Gallo moved into the leadoff spot. Gallo struck out the two batters he faced before giving way to Dan Miceli, who was relieved by closer Brad Lidge after issuing a one-out double to Johnny Estrada in the eighth. After Ausmus and Lane hit consecutive two-out singles to put runners at the corners in the eighth, Garner called on Orlando Palmeiro to hit for Lidge, who was in what would have been Biggio's place. Palmeiro grounded to second to end the inning, reaching the bag only a step behind Braves pitcher John Smoltz. With two outs in the ninth, Springer hit Furcal with a pitch. Furcal stole second, and Drew took care of the rest. Bagwell put the tying run at first with a one-out single to right in the bottom of the ninth. With pinch runner Adam Everett breaking to second, Lance Berkman singled through the left side to put runners at the corners for Kent. Smoltz escaped by inducing a double-play grounder to short. "We're used to the adversity of having to battle our way into something," Kent said. "If you want it bad enough, you have to crawl to get to it. Actually, we've been doing it the whole year." Box Score ATLANTA (6) VS HOUSTON (5) - FINAL ATL 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 - 6 10 0 HOU 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 5 13 0 ATLANTA AB R H RBI BB SO Furcal ss 4 1 1 0 0 2 Drew rf 4 0 1 1 1 2 Giles 2b 5 0 0 0 0 2 C. Jones 3b 4 2 2 0 0 0 Estrada c 3 1 1 0 1 1 Green pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 Smoltz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 A. Jones cf 4 1 3 1 0 0 LaRoche 1b 3 1 1 3 1 1 Marrero lf 3 0 1 0 0 1 Alfonseca p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hampton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Perez c 1 0 0 0 0 1 Ortiz p 1 0 0 0 0 1 Wise ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Gryboski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Thomas ph,lf 2 0 0 0 0 1 Totals 35 6 10 5 3 12 FIELDING - DP: 3. Furcal-Giles-LaRoche, C. Jones-Giles-LaRoche, Furcal-LaRoche. BATTING - 2B: A. Jones (2,off Qualls). HR: LaRoche (1,6th inning off Qualls 2 on 1 out). HBP: Furcal (1,by Springer). Team LOB: 6. BASERUNNING - SB: Furcal 2 (3,2nd base off Clemens/Ausmus,2nd base off Springer/Ausmus); A. Jones (1,2nd base off Clemens/Ausmus); Drew (1,2nd base off Springer/Ausmus). HOUSTON AB R H RBI BB SO Biggio lf 4 1 3 3 0 0 Gallo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Miceli p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Springer p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Beltran cf 4 1 1 0 1 1 Bagwell 1b 4 0 2 1 1 0 Everett pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 Berkman rf 5 0 2 0 0 2 Kent 2b 5 1 1 0 0 1 Ensberg 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 Vizcaino ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 Ausmus c 2 1 1 0 2 0 Clemens p 1 0 0 1 0 0 Qualls p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lamb ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Lane lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 36 5 13 5 4 4 FIELDING - DP: 2. Vizcaino-Kent-Bagwell, Vizcaino-Kent-Bagwell. BATTING - 2B: Biggio (1,off Ortiz); Beltran (2,off Ortiz). HR: Biggio (1,2nd inning off Ortiz 2 on 2 out). SF: Clemens (1,off Ortiz). Team LOB: 9. PITCHING ATLANTA IP H R ER BB SO HR Ortiz 3 7 5 5 1 1 1 Gryboski 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 Alfonseca 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Hampton 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Smoltz W(1-0) 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 9 13 5 5 4 4 1 HOUSTON IP H R ER BB SO HR Clemens 5 6 2 2 2 5 0 Qualls 1 3 3 3 0 1 1 Gallo 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 Miceli 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 Lidge 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 Springer L(0-1) 1 1 1 1 0 3 0 Totals 9 10 6 6 3 12 1 WP: Clemens (3). HBP: Springer (1,Furcal). UMPIRES: HP - Fieldin Culbreth, 1B - Joe Brinkman, 2B - Tony Randazzo, 3B - Tim McClelland, LF - Phil Cuzzi, RF - Wally Bell |
Game 5 at Atlanta - Astros 12, Braves 3
Monday, October 11th
Game 5 Photos
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Houston 0 2 1 0 0 1 5 3 0 - 12 17 1
Atlanta 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 - 3 9 1
Win - Oswalt. Loss - Wright.
HR - Beltran 2, Bagwell, Furcal, Estrada
Time - 3:12. Attendance - 54,068.
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ATLANTA - Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio didn't need any words. They simply embraced. They hugged in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse, hugged again back on the field and hugged again in the clubhouse. Finally, there was a postseason series victory to celebrate for the Houston Astros. After years of carrying the burden of the Astros' postseason failures and a city's frustrations, Bagwell and Biggio finally rejoiced Monday night when the Astros beat the Atlanta Braves 12-3 at Turner Field to earn a berth in the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. With Carlos Beltran leading the charge, the Astros pummeled the Braves with 17 hits in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the Division Series. Bagwell and Biggio were adamant that this club was different, stronger, better. They didn't want to hear about past offensive failures, preferring instead to focus on making history. As a final test, they learned late Sunday night of the death of close friend and former teammate Ken Caminiti, who had shepherded them into the majors. Bagwell and Biggio were adamant that Caminiti would have wanted them to honor him with hard play. "Today was a tough day," Biggio said after going 3-for-5 with one RBI and two runs. "Emotions were all over the place, and I think Cammy was out there with us." The Astros, who scored against four of the Braves' six pitchers, began their onslaught when Lance Berkman led off the second with a single through the right side off Jaret Wright. Jeff Kent followed with a double to left. Morgan Ensberg gave the Astros a 1-0 lead with an RBI grounder to short, and Jose Vizcaino made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to left. With two outs in the third, Beltran ripped a 3-1 pitch over the right-center wall to give the Astros a 3-0 lead. Starting on three days' rest instead of the normal four for only the second time in his career, Roy Oswalt fought through five innings to protect the lead. After stranding seven runners on bases over the first four innings, the Braves got to Oswalt when Rafael Furcal led off the fifth with a home run over the right-center wall. Two outs later, Johnny Estrada cut the deficit to 3-2 by ripping a first-pitch fastball for a home run to right field. Andruw Jones kept the inning going with a walk, but Oswalt escaped when Adam LaRoche flied out to center on his 111th and final pitch. Leading off the sixth, Beltran barely turned away from Wright's 1-2 brushback pitch near his neck. Beltran dug right in and ripped the next pitch for a home run over the wall in right, giving the Astros a 4-2 lead and becoming the franchise's first player to have a multihomer postseason game. Beltran's four home runs overall in the Division Series are a franchise record for a postseason series. The Astros pulled away with a five-run seventh. Vizcaino greeted reliever Chris Reitsma with a single up the middle. After Raul Chavez sacrificed and Mike Lamb fouled out, Biggio gave the Astros a 5-2 lead with a single to right. Beltran followed with an RBI single through the right side. Bagwell made it 8-2 with a two-run homer to left. After Tom Martin relieved Reitsma, Berkman doubled to left, and Kent gave the Astros a 9-2 lead with a single to center. The Astros added three more runs in the eighth inning on Jason Lane's RBI single to third and Beltran's two-run single up the middle, sending most of the sellout crowd of 54,068 out of the stadium. "We should all take pride in this," Biggio said. "To beat an Atlanta Braves team that has sent us home three times in the past and be able to play well, we should all take pride." Box Score HOUSTON (12) VS ATLANTA (3) - FINAL HOU 0 2 1 0 0 1 5 3 0 - 12 17 1 ATL 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 - 3 9 1 HOUSTON AB R H RBI BB SO Biggio lf 5 2 3 1 0 0 Miceli p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wheeler p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Beltran cf 5 3 4 5 0 0 Bagwell 1b 4 1 1 2 1 1 Berkman rf 4 2 2 0 1 0 Kent 2b 5 1 2 1 0 1 Ensberg 3b 5 1 2 1 0 0 Vizcaino ss 4 1 1 1 0 0 Chavez c 2 0 1 0 0 0 Palmeiro ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Ausmus c 0 0 0 0 0 0 Oswalt p 2 0 0 0 0 0 Qualls p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lamb ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 Gallo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Harville p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lane ph,lf 1 1 1 1 0 0 Totals 39 12 17 12 2 2 FIELDING - DP: 1. Vizcaino-Kent-Bagwell. E: Bagwell (1). BATTING - 2B: Kent (3,off Wright); Berkman (1,off Martin); Ensberg (2,off Cruz); Biggio (2,off Cruz). HR: Beltran 2 (4,3rd inning off Wright 0 on 2 out,6th inning off Wright 0 on 0 out); Bagwell (2,7th inning off Reitsma 1 on 2 out). SH: Chavez (1,off Reitsma). SF: Vizcaino (1,off Wright). Team LOB: 4. ATLANTA AB R H RBI BB SO Furcal ss 4 2 2 1 1 0 Drew rf 4 0 1 0 1 0 C. Jones 3b 5 0 2 0 0 0 Estrada c 4 1 2 2 0 0 Byrd p 0 0 0 0 0 0 A. Jones cf 3 0 1 0 1 0 LaRoche 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 Giles 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 Thomas lf 3 0 0 0 1 2 Wright p 2 0 0 0 0 1 Gryboski p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Wise ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 Reitsma p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Martin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cruz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Perez c 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 35 3 9 3 4 6 FIELDING - DP: 2. C. Jones-Giles-LaRoche, Furcal-Giles-LaRoche. E: Drew (1). BATTING - HR: Furcal (2,5th inning off Oswalt 0 on 0 out); Estrada (2,5th inning off Oswalt 0 on 2 out). Team LOB: 9. PITCHING HOUSTON IP H R ER BB SO HR Oswalt W(1-0) 5 7 2 2 3 4 2 Qualls 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Gallo 0.1 2 1 1 1 0 0 Harville 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Miceli 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Wheeler 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 9 9 3 3 4 6 2 ATLANTA IP H R ER BB SO HR Wright L(0-2) 5.1 6 4 4 1 1 2 Gryboski 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 Reitsma 0.2 4 4 4 0 0 1 Martin 0.1 2 1 1 0 0 0 Cruz 0.2 4 3 3 1 0 0 Byrd 1.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 9 17 12 12 2 2 3 UMPIRES: HP - Joe Brinkman, 1B - Tony Randazzo, 2B - Tim McClelland, 3B - Phil Cuzzi, LF - Wally Bell, RF - Fieldin Culbreth |
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Information for this page was compiled from Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves media sources, Houston Chronicle reports and Retrosheet.org.