Here are the umpires for Game 4 of Braves-Reds:
Home Plate: Ed Rapuano
First Base: Bill Hohn
Second Base: Jim Quick
Third Base: Frank Pulli
Left Field: Joe West
Right Field: Greg Bonin
Weather: 61 degrees, clear skies, west-northwest wind at 9 MPH.
Here we go:
It's time for Game 4 of the National League Division Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds, live from Riverfront Stadium. Yesterday, the Reds brought the heavy bats for the second straight game, hammering the Braves 11-4 behind four home runs, two by top slugger Kevin Mitchell. Tonight in prime time, they go for the win and a berth in the National League Championship Series. John Smiley, who lost Game 1, will oppose the man who beat him (though he was less than sharp), Greg Maddux.
As far as lineup changes, the Braves turn to former Red Roberto Kelly to start in center field and lead off. Charlie O'Brien, known by most as Maddux's "personal catcher", gets his second straight start behind the plate, and Rafael Belliard starts again at second base for the still-hobbled Mark Lemke, who hopes to be back for the NLCS if the Braves make it. The Reds make only one change: Brian Dorsett catches in place of Eddie Taubensee, despite Taubensee's offensive performance yesterday. With the lineup changes out of the way, let's play ball in the Queen City!
The Braves pound Smiley right out of the gate in the top of the first. Kelly leads off with a two-foot high pop that dies just over Smiley's glove. Running all the way, he beats it out. He then steals second, and a shaken Smiley walks Jeff Blauser on four pitches. Ryan Klesko's grounder is speared by Tony Fernandez at third, and he flips to Bet Boone to get the force on Blauser, with Kelly going to third. Fred McGriff then gets the Braves on the board in a flash:
Bob Costas: "Smiley's trying to calm himself, as Kelly's shot over his head made him stumble off the mound and throw to first quickly. But he needs to gather himself just as quickly against McGriff, one of at least six who had fifty homers in the majors this year. Gets the sign from Dorsett, and here's the first pitch...............in the air to deep left center, Deion on his horse to the wall........IT'S GONE! McGriff finally strikes here early in Game 4, and the Braves lead 3-0 with just one out in the first!"
Kubek: "Smiley meant to come inside a bit, but it ended up right over the middle instead, and McGriff just hammered it. Deion gives it a try, as you see, but he has no chance."
It gets worse for Smiley and the Reds, as David Justice drops one in between Deion and Boone in short center for a base hit. Terry Pendleton works a walk after fouling off five 3-2 pitches, and Reds pitching coach Don Gullett comes out to steady Smiley, who's already tiring. O'Brien flies out to Deion in center for out number two, which brings up the light-hitting Belliard. He takes two strikes from his former Pirate teammate, then puts every ounce of his tiny body into his swing and drives one into left that goes over the head of the sore-legged Mitchell, who's playing him shallow. Justice and Pendleton score, and it's now 5-0 Braves. This time, it's skipper Davey Johnson who comes out, and Smiley's done after just two-thirds of an inning. Tim Fortugno comes out of the Cincy pen and gets Maddux to pop up to Fernandez on the first pitch, but the damage has been done, to the tune of five runs on four hits plus two walks. The home team hasn't even hit the bat racks yet, and they're down 5-0.
Madduz gets Deion to ground to Pendleton to begin the bottom of the first, but it becomes obvious after that that he's still not himself. He walks Fernandez on five pitches, and Fernandez steals both second and third, despite the fact that out of fourteen pitches thrown since his walk, twelve are pickoff attempts. "He's not focusing on the hitter, and that's unlike him," observes Kubek. Larkin's fly ball is caught by Klesko for the second out, but Mitchell scalds one into the gap in left center to being home Fernandez and put the Reds on the board. Boone's single puts runners on first and third, and Hal Morris lines one back through the box and into center to bring home Mitchell and make it 5-2. Reggie Sanders then singles to center to load the bases, and Atlanta pitching coach Leo Mazzone comes out to calm Maddux down. It works for the moment, as Dorsett's fly is caught by Kelly in right center to end the inning. But the Reds score twice, and Maddux is obviously off his game again. It'll be a long, exciting night at Riverfront, and the Braves lead 5-2 after one.
Fortugno gets through the second, giving up only a meaningless two-out walk to Klesko and striking out the side, all on called third strikes. McGriff in particular has ice in his eyes as he glares at home plate umpire Ed Rapuano after being rung up. Fortugno's done his job, so Jacob Brumfield bats for him leading off the bottom of the second and draws a walk, the third in an inning plus from Maddux. Deion forces him, but Fernandez launches one deep to center that clangs off the top of the wall. Prime Time scores easily, and Fernandez ends up with a triple. Larkin's fly ball brings Tony home, and all of a sudden the Atlanta lead is 5-4. The fans pray for a Mitchell blast to tie it, but he grounds to Blauser to end the inning instead. Still, the Reds have scored twice more, and we have a ballgame through two: Braves 5, Reds 4.
There's no more scoring for a while after that; Pete Schourek comes out of the Reds' pen to stabilize matters, and he works around a two-out O'Brien single in the third. Maddux sets the Reds down in order in the bottom of the inning, and both sides go quietly in the fourth. Justice's double is wasted in the Atlanta fifth, and Maddux has another one-two-three inning in the bottom of the fifth; he's now retired ten Reds in a row, and looks more comfortable than he has been at any point of the series so far. New pitcher Johnny Ruffin takes care of the Braves in the sixth, and Maddux's streak reaches twelve before Reggie's harmless two-out single in the bottom of the sixth.
The Braves add on in the top of the seventh; Kelly walks leading off, and this time it's the Reds who are too focused on the baserunner, as one of Dorsett's pickoff attempts sails down the right field line, and only Morris's quick reflexes stop Kelly at second. Blauser's base hit brings Roberto home easily, and it's now 6-4 Atlanta. Klesko pops to Boone for out number one, but McGriff's base hit puts Braves on the corners and finishes Ruffin. Chuck McElroy relieves him, and Taubensee replaces Dorsett, who made the last out in the bottom of the sixth, behind the plate. McElroy's first pitch is lined right at Morris by Justice for out number two, and Pendleton's fly ball is caught by Deion in short center/deep second for the third out. The Braves have added one, but left two more on, and as we stretch at Riverfront, it's the Braves 6, the Reds 4.
Surprisingly, Maddux comes out for the bottom of the seventh, and gets the first two outs quickly. But Fernandez beats out a grounder to Blauser, Larkin's base hit puts runners at first and third, and then Mitchell grounds one to short. Larkin takes a run at Blauser, and Jeff hurries his throw, which pulls McGriff off the base. Fernandez scores, and we have a one-run game. Boone grounds the first pitch he sees into right center for a hit, which brings Larkin home to tie things up, and now it's up to Morris:
Costas: "Braves 6, Reds 6, bottom of the seventh. Maddux on fumes here, just trying to get through this inning and let Cox go to the bullpen. Mitchell at third, Boone at first, and Morris with one strike. O'brien with the sign, check of the runners, and the 0-1 pitch...........smoked into left field, it'll drop and roll to the wall! Mitchell limps home, and the Reds take the lead! Boone goes to third, Morris at second with a double, and Riverfront Stadium going crazy!"
Reggie's next, with a chance to blow the game wide open, but he grounds harmlessly to Belliard to end the inning. But the Reds have taken a 7-6 lead, and are now just six outs from the NLCS.
McElroy has an easy top of the eighth, and Mike Stanton comes on to relieve Maddux in the bottom of the eighth. He gets the first two outs with ease, but Deion singles to right center. Fernandez works a walk, and Larkin sends one through Stanton's legs and into center for another hit. Deion races in, and the Reds have an 8-6 lead. That's it for Stanton, and Mark Wohlers is called out of the Braves pen to pitch to Mitchell, whom he walks on five pitches. This brings up Boone, who skies one into short center. Blauser goes out, calls off an incoming Kelly, and lays out like Deion himself might to make the catch. "Defensive play of the series!" enthuses Kubek. The Braves have one last shot, but they'll be facing Reds closer Jeff Brantley in the top of the ninth, needing two to tie.
Brantley doesn't exactly have an easy time; Kelly and Blauser greet him with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners, and Klesko works a walk to load the bases. Then McGriff takes a low pitch that everyone but Rapuano calls a ball; he calls it strike three. McGriff has been screwed again, at least according to his own precepts, and wants to make something of it, but Rapuano ejects him quickly. Cox comes out to prevent calamity, but upon seeing that he's already too late, unloads on Rapuano with everything he has and is tossed as well. First base coach Pat Corrales half-drags, half-carries him back to the dugout, and the game continues. With the bases loaded and one out, Justice swings for the downs, but his fly ball looks to be easily caught by Reggie in right...............except it's not. Reggie chases down his mistake and throws to third, but that throw is too late, and Kelly has already scored to make it 8-7. Brantley then falls behind Pendleton 2-0, and Hector Carrasco starts throwing in the Cincy bullpen. But Brantley comes back to get Pendleton swinging for the second out, and acting Braves manager Jim Beauchamp sends up Javy Lopez to bat for O'Brien:
Costas: "Bases still loaded, but the Braves need a hit to tie it up. Brantley doesn't figure to be around for the tenth, as Carrasco is throwing in the Reds' bullpen. Lopez has to catch if there's a tenth, but right now, all he's thinking is base hit. Brantley from the stretch, and here's the first pitch.......Lopez fooled, pops it up behind third, Fernandez has it, and the Reds have won it! They move on to the NLCS on Wednesday night, and it opens right here at Riverfront. And yes, in the immortal words of Marty Brennaman, this one belongs to the Reds! McElroy the winner, Maddux the loser, Brantley the save, and yet another postseason disappointment for Atlanta, as this year they don't even get to the NLCS. The final score from a jubilant Riverfront Stadium, the Reds 8, the Braves 7. Back in a moment."
Fernandez is chosen by NBC out of a large pool of candidates as the Player of the Game, going two for three with an RBI and three runs scored. "This is incredible," says the Cincinnati third baseman. "I've been on world champions in Toronto, but this city's nuts about us. It's a whole different type of fan, and it makes you want to do everything you can to win, and some things you can't." What was the turning point of your season? "You might not believe this, but it was when Deion decided to stay with us. We all know he's a football player first, so to give it up and stay with us to help us win a championship showed us that we could really have something special here."
The Atlanta clubhouse, for obvious reasons, remains closed to the media. Braves owner Ted Turner has issued a statement congratulating the Reds and wishing them luck for the rest of the season, but no one has been made available on camera.
And so that wraps it up from Cincinnati. Stay tuned now for your late local news on the East Coast and Mad About You on the West Coast. We'll be back here Wednesday night at 8 Eastern for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, and Tony and I will be joined by Joe Garagiola. On a personal note, I'll be doing Later from here in Cincinnati this coming week, and we'll be remembering Cincinnati's other great export, the classic sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. We begin Tuesday night with our first guest, Loni Anderson. For Tony Kubek and Jim Gray, I'm Bob Costas. The Cincinnati Reds have eliminated the Atlanta Braves with an 8-7 victory in Game 4, winning the series three games to one. As we leave you, we'll join Marty Brennaman's call of the final out. See you Wednesday night right back here at Riverfront, and good night everybody!
"Popped up behind third, Tony's got a play.............makes the catch! The Reds have won it! They come back from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Braves, and they'll hist the National League Championship Series starting Wednesday. You bet this one belongs to the Reds!"
W- McElroy (1-0)
S- Brantley (1)
L- Maddux (0-2)
HR- ATL: McGriff (1)
Next: We head to San Diego for Game 1 between the Expos and the Padres.
Thoughts?